Tuesday, September 19
The Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design’s Visiting Artist, Scholar and Designer Program Series is already known for bringing incisive artists and cultural celebrities to the area to lecture on challenging themes each school year. For the 2017-18 edition, dubbed “Collapsing Time,” series director Gretchen Marie Schaefer has created the Collapsing Time Film Series, a collaboration with Alamo Drafthouse Sloan’s Lake that will serve as a laid-back companion to the lectures. The first show, a special 21-plus benefit screening of 12 Monkeys, unspools at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 19, at the Alamo, 4255 West Colfax Avenue, and includes Stem Ciders beverages and a vegan dinner for $45. Screenings of other favorite films with temporal twists will continue monthly through next April; admission to those is $7, or free at the door for RMCAD students, faculty, staff and alumni with a valid RMCAD ID. Learn more at drafthouse.com/theater/sloans-lake or vasd.rmcad.edu.
In May 1974, Neva Romero, a University of Colorado student and Chicano activist, was killed along with two of her peers in a horrific car bombing at Colorado Chautauqua. Two days later, three more activists were murdered in another car bombing. These tragic events sent shock waves throughout the Chicano Rights Movement, yet no one was ever convicted for the crimes. Filmmaker Nicole Esquibel explores the horrific events — a scar on the conscience of an entire community — in Neva Romero: Jamas Olvidados, a documentary that highlights the efforts of the young woman and struggles to uncover the truth behind her death. Esquibel will introduce the film (whose title translates to “the never forgotten”) at a screening at 7 p.m. Tuesday, September 19, at the Chautauqua Community House, 900 Baseline Road in Boulder; she'll also participate in a post-film Q&A session. Tickets are $9 to $12 at chautauqua.com.
"Ascent/Descent I," by Meredith Feniak, is part of Water Line at the Center for Visual Art.
Curtis Tucker, CVA
We often don't realize how underserved a particular demographic has been until someone comes along and fills that niche. Witness Pump and Dump, a unique evening of comedy and music that creates a friendly space where moms can bond in cathartic laughter and dance their cares away. The brainchild of Shayna Ferm and co-host MC Doula, aka Tracey Tee, Pump and Dump has grown from a neighborhood bar show into a phenomenon that delights crowds of breeders all over the country. Moms everywhere deserve a night out, and Tee and Ferm are there to provide one. Currently on a national tour, they're bringing Pump and Dump back home to the Comedy Works South, 5345 Landmark Place in Greenwood Village, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 20. Tickets are $22 at comedyworks.com.
Artist Matt Jenkins, who specializes in performance and environmental art, turned his attention to the water woes in Flint, Michigan, for his piece in Water Line: A Creative Exchange. With help from Lynna Kaucheck of the grassroots nonprofit Food & Water Watch, he was able to obtain Flint tap water, direct from the home of a fellow water activist, and incorporate it into his piece. Jenkins and Kaucheck will explain the how and why of the installation during an artist talk titled "Art, Democracy and Water" from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 20, at the Center for Visual Art, 965 Santa Fe Drive. Admission to the talk is free, but registration is recommended at msudenver.edu/cva.
Thursday, September 21
In times of political unrest, it pays to get educated, and Warm Cookies of the Revolution, Denver’s earnestly positive civic-health club, is here to help. At Case Studies: The Year 1939, billed as a mini-World’s Fair, you’ll review grassroots twentieth-century history through exhibition stations exploring the rise of fascism, the early civil-rights movement and the heyday of the labor movement, among other things, all through the entertaining eyes of such presenters as Flobot Stephen Brackett, letterpress guru Rick Griffith and Jewish historian David Shneer. Munch on those signature warm cookies as you wander through the fair, learning a little about how we got to where we are today, from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, September 21, at the McNichols Building, 144 West Colfax Avenue. Admission is a $5 donation at the door, but no one will be turned away; learn more at warmcookiesoftherevolution.org.
Dutch filmmaker Faiyaz Jafri, a pioneer of digital animation, has spent his career exploring Jungian archetypes based on global myths. Over the past few years, he’s been a familiar presence in Denver’s film community, producing shorts for various Denver Digerati events; he’s also launched Hong Kong’s first independent film festival, Third Culture Film Festival. Jafri, who is in town as part of the Supernova Outdoor Animation Festival on Saturday, September 23, will be presenting a selection of his work in a program titled Faiyaz Jafri on Neo-Archetypes & Hyper-Unrealism at the Sie FilmCenter, 2510 East Colfax Avenue, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, September 21. For information and tickets, $12 for Denver Film Society members and $15 for non-members, go to denverfilm.org or call 720-381-0813.
The Sie FilmCenter is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with CineLatino, a four-day film festival that goes far beyond Mexican film (sadly, what many Americans think of as the beginning and end of Latino filmmaking). From a trio of Cuban documentaries that address economic and social changes — such as the ability to sell a home or go online — to an Argentine film about a Nobel Prize-winning author living in exile from his homeland, the thirteen films in the series, which starts Thursday, September 21, cover a broad swath of geographies, experiences and aesthetics. Tickets for individual screenings range from $12 to $25; all-access passes are also available. Find tickets and a complete schedule at denverfilm.org.
Friday, September 22
While Denver enjoys a reputation as a tolerant and forward-thinking city, its dearth of LGBT-friendly spaces is striking, and the recent closures of such cherished haunts as Crown Social and the Denver Eagle can make it seem like the very people who once made this city so interesting are in danger of disappearing. Fortunately, Queer Invasion is here to fight for your right to party, with monthly pop-up gatherings for the LGBT community and allies in unlikely settings. At around 8 p.m. on Friday, September 22, Queer Invasion’s Gay Guerilla Group will be invading the straight bars of LoDo, a neighborhood known for its historic architecture and insufferable throngs of bros. Though the invasions aren’t intended as a protest, there’s something quietly revolutionary about a queer crowd of revelers descending on straight bars and demonstrating how much livelier the city is for their presence. Visit the Facebook event page to learn more (specific locations will be announced in the days before the event) and to RSVP.
Roll out the barrel — and the tubas, steins, lederhosen and dirndls — as Denver Oktoberfest ushers in another season of festive Bavarian tradition. Since 1969, the German celebration has been part of Denver’s history, beginning on Larimer Square and then moving to Larimer Street between 20th and 22nd streets. The gemütlichkeit (that’s good vibes to you) will start flowing at 11 a.m. Friday, September 22, with food, music, competitions, polka and, of course, plenty of German and American beer. The fun continues until 9 p.m., then repeats during the same hours on Saturday, September 23. Can’t find the wiener dogs? Come back on September 29 and 30 for the Long Dog Derby, more pretzels and sausages, and live music from the Milk Blossoms and DJ Chonz. The party is free, but you’ll need to purchase tickets to exchange for beer; food vendors will accept cash and credit cards. VIP tickets, which cover a T-shirt, mug, unlimited food and other goodies, can be purchased at thedenveroktoberfest.com. Prost!
You’ve heard of slow food and slow cities, movements that emphasize sustainability and a better quality of life. Now it’s time to experience slow fashion at Slow Fashion Vail, a two-day town fest in praise of local, ethically made and ecologically sound Colorado brands, all in the heart of Vail Village. Savor the good life at the al fresco Designer Market at International Bridge, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, September 22, and Saturday, September 23; then duck into Vail’s boutiques and shops for a sustainable Fashion Scavenger Hunt with potential prizes. A free Slow Fashion Show brings an edge to the event at 6 p.m. Friday at the Slow Fashion Vail tipi on Gore Creek Drive; bring your gently worn cast-offs to the tipi from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday for a clothing swap. Get additional details at slowfashionvail.com.
Among George Gershwin’s most celebrated compositions, the jazz-inflected “Rhapsody in Blue” is perhaps his most groundbreaking, with a freewheeling syncopated piano leading a full orchestra. Since its debut in 1924, “Rhapsody” has become one of the most frequently performed works of classical music, and its influence is felt on everything from ragtime to film scores. While everyone recognizes the tune from just a few notes, only music lovers and history buffs know that it was originally commissioned by bandleader and Denver native Paul Whiteman. Hear the wonder for yourself when conductor Brett Mitchell and pianist Kevin Cole lead the Colorado Symphony through Gershwin’s masterwork, as well as Missy Mazzoli’s “These Worlds in Us” and Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64, at Boettcher Concert Hall, in the Denver Performing Arts Complex. Ticket prices range from $20 to $99; performances are on Friday, September 22, Saturday, September 23, and Sunday, September 24. Find tickets and information at tickets.coloradosymphony.org.
Project Worthmore creates community for local refugee populations in the most personal of ways, offering medical and dental assistance, English and citizenship classes, women’s empowerment sessions and more. The annual Our Neighbors, Ourselves Art Gallery and Fundraiser, now in its fifth year, helps keep the nonprofit going financially while throwing a good party — this year sporting music by DeVotchKa’s Tom Hagerman and Bluebook, DJ sets by Jonny DeStefano and Christy Thacker, and a live virtual-reality experience by DenVR. But the centerpiece of the evening is the juried art show (with a “Faces of Us” theme this year), along with a silent auction and refugee stories. Become part of the community from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, September 22, at the McNichols Building, 144 West Colfax Avenue; for tickets, $60, visit axs.com. Learn more at projectworthmore.org.
Denver’s Collective Misnomer microcinema reels in big fish Lydia Moyer, an experimental video artist based in Charlottesville, Virginia, for State Change, a program of alternative works addressing issues in America and the forces that pull us together and tear us apart — among them, environmental concerns, systemic inequality and polar politics. Moyer will be there in person, ready for questions after the screening, which begins at 8 p.m. sharp Friday, September 22, at the Alamo Drafthouse Sloan’s Lake, 4255 West Colfax Avenue. Admission is $10 in advance at drafthouse.com, or pay what you can; no one will be turned away, and no one will be admitted after 8:15 p.m. Visit collectivemisnomer.com for information.
Saturday, September 23
Who says the suburbs never have any fun? On Saturday, September 23, the Lone Tree Chamber of Commerce will host a food festival worth a trek from the heart of town. Forks, Corks and Ales will set up at Park Meadows Retail Resort, 8401 Park Meadows Center Drive, with plenty of wine, beer and food from area restaurants all day at the festival, which runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. There will also be live music, including an appearance by the Samples. Admission is only $10 for adults and even less for the kids; be sure to bring extra cash if you want full pours from the bar or a little something special from the festival’s marketplace. Go to lonetreechamber.com for advance tickets and more information. There’s more than just soccer fields and parking lots out there! —
Contemporary digital motion art crosses disciplines with the speed of light, blending elements of animation, cartoons, video-gaming platforms, music videos and more. From kid stuff to pure, digitally tweaked abstractions, this a genre that’s just getting started. Get a taste of the future when the second annual Supernova Outdoor Digital Animation Festival brings a little bit of everything from around the world to two screens in the Denver Theatre District — the giant LED monitor high above the street at the corner of 14th and Champa streets and a temporary screen in the Denver Performing Arts Complex Galleria — for a running flow of programming from 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, September 23. Admission is free; visit supernovadenver.com.
Forget that Rocky Mountain High (and the traffic going west) and instead head east for a Colorado High Plains Adventure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 23, and Sunday, September 24, at May Farms at 64001 U.S. 36 in Byers, just off Interstate 70. Spend a day on the farm learning about agriculture; browsing (and buying) goat’s milk soaps, gluten-free cupcakes and homemade jams and jellies; walking through a pumpkin patch; and visiting with alpacas, goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys (Saturday only) and chickens. Admission is free, but Military Families Ministry will be collecting black socks to send to the troops. For more information, go to coloradohighplainsadventure.com.
Before the Rock, before Hulk Hogan, there was El Santo. The original wrestler/luchador turned movie star would have been 100 on Saturday, September 23, and the Alamo Drafthouse Sloan’s Lake is marking the day with screenings of his films and live luchador matches. The BuCu West Chile Festival and Denver Botanic Gardens will join in on the celebration with a special altar in El Santo’s honor that will be transported to the Drafthouse. “With it being Hispanic Heritage Month and being in the heart of one of Denver’s historically Latino neighborhoods, we feel it’s important for us to partner with organizations like BuCu West and Denver Botanic Gardens to highlight Latino cultural programming,” says the Alamo’s Steve Bessette. Screenings start at noon and wrestling starts at 1:30 p.m.; all events are free, but the purchase of a $5 food/beverage voucher reserves your seat. Find out more at drafthouse.com.
Sunday, September 24
Any armchair artist or crafter who’s ever yearned to get his or her hands dirty at an adult day camp with talented instructors will find something of value in the three days of programming offered by Art Makers Denver — a treasure chest of diverse workshops on everything from collage and book arts to basketry and painting offered on Sunday, September 24, through Tuesday, September 26, at the McNichols Building, 144 West Colfax Avenue. Each daylong class runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is followed by a group mingle. Register by September 21 to attend one day, two days or all three; registration varies accordingly from $260 to $700. Learn more and sign up at artmakersdenver.com.
On Sunday, September 24, men (and women) around the world will be revving up classic and vintage-style motorcycles for the Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, an event raising funds for the Movember Foundation and its mission of supporting men’s health globally. Denver is one of the cities getting in gear this year; participants should meet up at 10:30 a.m. at Crema Coffee House, 2862 Larimer Street, for the ride, which will wind up at Erico Motorsports, 2855 Walnut Street, around 12:30 p.m. for a silent auction and general revelry. You don’t need to ride to support the cause; get all the details at gentlemansride.com.
Think of Acrobatic Conundrum as Cirque du Soleil without the costuming frills and otherworldly sets: This outfit sticks to pure, physical acrobatics, bringing awe-inspiring circus skills to the forefront on a bare stage. A tour sponsored in part by Portland’s Circus Project and Boulder’s Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance brings Acrobatic Conundrum to Colorado for Love and Gravity at 8 p.m. Sunday, September 24, at the Oriental Theater, 4335 West 44th Avenue; there will also be shows on Thursday, September 28, and Friday, September 29, at the Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut Street in Boulder. Tickets range from $18 to $100 and are available at theorientaltheater.com or tickets.thedairy.org; learn more about Acrobatic Conundrum at acrobaticconundrum.com.
Monday, September 25
Celebrate this city’s entrepreneurial spirit at Denver Startup Week, which kicks off at 8 a.m. Monday, September 25, in the Seawell Ballroom at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, with a breakfast serving up words of wisdom from three world-class entrepreneurs: popular YouTube video director Casey Neistat; Rachel Carlson, CEO and co-founder of Guild Education; and Sameer Dholakia, CEO of SendGrid. Like all StartUp programs, this one is free, but it requires separate registration at eventbrite.com. Startup Week was founded in 2012, and the annual orgy of invention has exploded; before the 2017 edition ends on Friday, September 29, there will have been hundreds of programs in six tracks — designer, developer, founder, growth, maker and product — as well as events that cross all community boundaries. For complete information, go to denverstartupweek.org.
For more events, see our Calendar.
