Ten Ways to See Art in Denver This Weekend

You can enjoy live virtually or in person this weekend. And tonight only, you can see a live performance of “Third Person,” part of Cuban artist Carlos Martiel's solo exhibition Black Bodies - White Lies. This performance is powered by the Biennial of Americas in partnership with K Contemporary; it will be broadcast from 9 to 10 p.m. Saturday, August 8, at Night Lights Denver at the Clocktower (16th and Lawrence streets), History Colorado (1200 Broadway) or in RiNo at 3047 Larimer Street. You can also see it virtually.

Keep reading for more on Martiel, as well as other nine more shows around town.

Detour preps a mural of police victim Sandra Bland at the Dairy Arts Center.

Unboxed Photography

Street Wise Boulder Mural Festival Kick-off
Dairy Art Center, 2590 Walnut Street, Boulder
Ongoing this week
Boulder’s 2020 Street Wise Mural Festival is still a month away, but Street Wise Boulder and the partnering Dairy Arts Center are teaming up with the Spray Their Name project and muralists Thomas “Detour” Evans and Hiero Veiga for a preview event: the creation of a mural of Sandra Bland, who was found dead in a Texas jail cell after being arrested during a traffic stop. The artists are working on the piece this week on the Dairy’s walls; if you can’t drop by to watch, you can make a donation to the festival at the Street Wise GoFundMe page, which raises funds for artist stipends, paint and equipment rentals to help cover 8,000 square feet of wall space in a week.

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Martha Hughes, "Scene 309-Pool and Cabanas" (detail), 2017, acrylic on panel.

Martha Hughes

Artmix 2020: Mixing It Up
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, 1750 13th Street, Boulder
Through August 22
Although the opening night fundraiser is over, the show is up through August 22.

Isamar Medina, “System Cleanup,” acrylic, ink, gouache and graphite on paper.

Isamar Medina, Sally Centigrade

The Illusion of Love: Isamar Medina
Love Adjacent
Sally Centigrade, 445 South Saulsbury Street, Lakewood
Sally Centigrade presents a virtual opening for two new shows: one showcasing the sexy art of Isamar Medina (think kinky buxom babes, technology, anime and Thierry Mugler, all rolled up into one package) and the other a group grab bag of works on the subject of love gone wrong. Otherwise, the funky lowbrow gallery is open only by appointment. Call 303-942-9474 or email sallycentigrade@gmail.com for details.

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Carlos Martiel, "South Body."

K Contemporary

Carlos Martiel, Black Bodies - White Lies
K Contemporary, 1412 Wazee Street
Through September 12
Performance of “Third Person”: Saturday, August 8, 9 to 10 p.m.
K Contemporary and the Biennial of the Americas teamed up to bring Cuban performance artist Carlos Martiel to Denver, where he’ll perform at the gallery and by live projection on building walls throughout the city. You can see the projection at three locations in Denver — the 16th Street Mall, History Colorado or in RiNo — or virtually; find out more about that and make reservations to see the show itself here.

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Elaine Coombs, “Basking 1,” 2020, acrylic on canvas over panel.

Elaine Coombs, Walker Fine Art

Common Ground
Walker Fine Art, 300 West 11th Avenue
Through September 19
You can always count on Walker Fine Art to lay out a beautiful show of nature-based, abstract and contemplative works, and Common Ground — a showcase of artists Derrick Breidenthal, Carol Browning, Theresa Ducayet Clowes, Elaine Coombs, Cara Enteles and Mona Ray — won’t disappoint. Visit the gallery during regular hours, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Matt Tripodi and Ben McQuillen, Big
Alto Gallery, 4345 West 41st Avenue
Expect surprises from Matt Tripodi and Ben McQuillen that we can’t quite describe. They promise this show will “take your mind off this shitty year for an hour or two,” adding for context, “Put on a mask, and don't touch anything. Safer than grocery shopping!” Yes, this could be fun.

Melody Epperson

Catherine Carilli, Hope for a New World
Melody Epperson, Horizons
Isomorphic Fragments
Next Gallery, Pasternack’s Art Hub, 6851 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
Through August 23
Next Gallery artists Catherine Carilli and Melody Epperson offer, respectively, solace-seeking abstracts inspired by nature and paintings inspired by inner journeys; Isomorphic Fragments puts forth the results of the third annual Next on the M.A.P. joint exhibition, with works by Lilia Hernandez Galusha and Chloe Jacobson.

Patrick Maxcy unveils this owl drawing and other new works at Ironton Distillery.

Patrick Maxcy

Patrick Maxcy, Distant Dreams
Ironton Distillery & Crafthouse, 3636 Chestnut Place
Through August 30
Muralist and fine artist Patrick Maxcy, known for his whimsical views from the animal world, brings a new body of work, including some guest collaborations, to Ironton this month.

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Letitia Quesenberry, “BLSH 3,” 2019, panel, lacquer, plexiglass, film, paint.

Letitia Quesenberry, David B. Smith Gallery

Letitia Quesenberry, Somewhere in the Future I Am Remembering Today
David B. Smith Gallery, 1543 A Wazee Street
August 8 through September 19
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 8, noon to 5 p.m. (by appointment only: 303-893-4234, info@davidbsmithgallery.com)
Letitia Quesenberry — an artist new to DBS Gallery from Louisville, Kentucky — teases the subconscious with spacey works ranging from LED-lit lightworks pulsing within boxes to pastel wall sculptures that invite head-clearing prolonged staring sessions. The exhibition is viewable online or live by appointment only.

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Collect custom stamps from featured Babe Walls artists in a souvenir passport notebook with the Sassport Project.

Betterish

The Sassport Project
Design Wright Studios, 2800 Walnut Street, Suite 600
Saturday, August 8, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
RSVP for tickets, $25, at eventbrite.com
If you can’t stare at the four walls of your priso — er, house — one minute longer and would like to support womxn-and-BIPOC-owned businesses, Betterish has teamed up with TARRA and Babe Walls to devise what they call a “socially-distanced-safe-art-scavenger-hunt of sorts” designed to lead you straight to their doorsteps. Reserve your limited-edition customized passport book in advance to pick up at Design Wright Studios on August 8, and then you’re off to visit seventeen local businesses where Babe Walls mural artists will be ready to stamp your book with an original, hand-inked stamp. You go home with a personal book of stamped art (and other purchases, if you choose); 10 percent of all proceeds go to the ACLU.

Interested in having your event appear in this calendar? Send the details to editorial@westword.com.

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