“A lot of [the] pieces deal with numerological symbols as these sort of totem objects,” explains Illiterate director Adam Gildar about the inspiration for the show, which is guest-curated by artist Jeremy “THINKMULE” Pruitt. “Thirteen being a number that is particularly auspicious — or ominous, depending on how you look at it — he really wanted to explore the different facets of how people interpret that.”

That exploration eventually took the form of a group show, which includes thirteen artists from across the nation representing a wide variety of approaches. All of them have some connection to THINKMULE, but, perhaps more important, they are all established in the world of outsider art — a component of the concept that explains the other part of the title: “[They] were once considered very much renegades within the art scene,” Gildar says. “There’s a camaraderie between them, and so there’s this sort of pirate element to the word ‘jolly’ that spoke to that.”

Jolly B 13’s opening reception runs from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight at Illiterate, 82 South Broadway — just throw a little salt over your shoulder before you leave the house. The show stays up through May 27; for more information, call 303-993-4474 or visit www.illiteratemedia.com.
May 6-27, 2011