Forthwith, we present a recap of the 2011 show's blast-off on Friday night at the National Western Expo Hall.
Our first stop at the Denver Modernism Show was in the conveniently placed tiki bar and emporium. Not only could you order a well-stoked Mai Tai, Piña Colada or Blue Hawaii, but you could walk out of the room with Kāne Milohai under your arm and a $15 muu muu before you even set foot into the show floor proper.
These old-school skateboards brought to mind my own model of yore: It was called the "Shark" and was so emblazoned. Then, drinks firmly in hand, we watched as this year's jurors, Westword's own Michael Paglia and sculptor Robert Delaney, handed the blue ribbon to artist Candice Jones This year's show devoted more space to contemporary designers creating furniture in the pioneering spirit of the mid-century. We ran into this guy, Scott Friedman, posing here with his sharp-looking Coban Buffet held aloft by timber beams and plow heads, who left behind a career in architecture to take the indie route as a furniture designer and builder. Visit his Gitane Workshop website for a closer look. When they're not looking perfectly at home at the Modernism Show, this photogenic couple, Lisa and Jesse Detschermitsch, create and market their own Atomic Living Design line of nifty retro furniture. Very slick! But there was plenty of the vintage stuff, too, from petticoats and pillbox hats to sculpted chairs and hippie gear. And people get into the spirit of the show, especially on opening night, where women swish by, this way and that, in hats and gloves and billowy shirtwaist dresses or other period clothing. Some of the best-dressed on Friday were the impeccably outfitted Miss Modernism entrants, who were competing that night in a contest of mid-century style and delivery. Jaime Askvig, Miss Denver Modernism 2010-2011 and the contest's inaugural queen, was plainly sorry to give up her crown (Symbolically, anyway. She got to keep the physical accessory). Her followers know she took the job very seriously and played it to the hilt, making appearances in character throughout the year. If she could have entered again, she would have. Considering that her talent performance last year involved tap dancing and playing the clarinet, simultaneously, we think her chances of winning again were pretty good. But after several rounds of cocktail mixing, baton twirling, hula hooping and other odd talent offerings, the elegant and sultry Miss Grace Stean broke through, channeling a more buttoned-down Claudia Cardinale, at least until she broke loose with a round of Pachelbel's Canon performed on a sparkly electric violin that lit up. All of Rome might as well have been burning as she fiddled up a storm to a pedal-controlled aural loop. Mama mia! Follow us on Twitter!
