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Best Surrealist Gallery

Ryan Joseph Gallery

A spiraling realm of psychedelia and surrealism awaits at Ryan Joseph Gallery, where artists defy traditional expectations in paintings with cascades of color and emotional depth. Micah Ofstedahl, for example, showed a new way of looking at landscapes in works on shaped canvases, but with overlaid geometry twisting the otherwise photo-realist form; Vanessa Lemen contributed glowing oil paintings that dabble in expressionist abstraction while hinting at pre-known forms. Even the portraits in the most recent group exhibition were imbued with intriguing, surrealist twists, showing that no two artists think or look at things the same way.

2647 West 38th Avenue
ryanjosephgallery.com

Best Gallery Exhibit to Set History Straight

The Lost Weekend: Photography of May Pang
Bitfactory

When John Lennon called his relationship with May Pang "the lost weekend," it remained a thorn in her side. The pair had a year-and-a-half-long committed relationship, and she has the evidence to back it up. Pang decided to set history straight with her collection of photographs, which landed at Bitfactory last September in The Lost Weekend: Photography of May Pang. Through candid shots of Lennon during the most productive time of his solo career, Pang showed a man reconnecting with his son, smiling with friends and happily in love. She even took what is considered to be the last picture of Lennon with fellow Beatle Paul McCartney. It was an intimate glimpse into the life of one of the world's most famous musicians, and laid to rest any misconceptions about Pang's impact on his life.

  • 851 Santa Fe Dr., Denver, 80204 Map

Best Celebration of LGBTQ+ Chicano Culture

Amor Es Amor
Northglenn Arts Center

Pride isn't limited to one month, and the Northglenn Arts Center and Chicano Council for the Arts and Humanities made that clear with Amor Es Amor, which included works from twelve Latino and Chicano artists, many of whom are also in the LGBTQ+ community. The exhibit revolved around unique narratives, identities and stories of queer individuals. "Queer joy is my priority," artist Tania Maldonado said, "and seeing a wall full of that art — that is something that all of the oppressive systems and things we are having to combat can't take away from us."

Parsons Theatre, 1 East Memorial Parkway, Northglenn
303-450-8888
northglennarts.org

Best Look Backward

Roots of an Era: Mixtape to the Old North Denver Art Scene
BRDG Project

Many locals bemoan the loss of old Denver. There's been a lot of change over the years, particularly in the last three decades, when the city slowly and inexorably moved away from $150-a-month rents for whole floors of old warehouse and factory spaces near downtown that artists could fill with their own work and that of others. Roots of an Era: Mixtape to the Old North Denver Art Scene at BRDG Project honored that time and all the creativity that sprang from it. The show included works from photographer Mark Sink and other local stalwarts such as artists Phil Bender, Reed Weimer, Arlette Lucero, Jerry Jaramillo and the late Stevon Lucero. Because of efforts like this, the city can honor its artistic roots and create some fertile soil for new growth.

3300 Tejon Street
303-808-8912
brdgproject.org

Best Artist Residency

RedLine Contemporary Art Center

Courtesy RedLine Contemporary Art Center

Artist residencies are a vital part of the artistic community — personal creative think tanks meant to support artists in their development with the time and space to work. RedLine offers the best opportunities in Denver: full two-year residencies for up to eighteen emerging local artists, who get 0x200Bfully subsidized studio spaces and "the freedom to explore and experiment without commercial constraints." Those who receive the residencies also receive mentorship, career development, promotion and the opportunity to work in close proximity with a supportive peer community during their time at the center. If that sounds much like what some of the best collegiate art programs also offer, you're right — but this experience is free, and may just provide the key that unlocks a brighter future for program participants and the art world overall.

Best Member Exhibits at a Co-op

Pirate Contemporary Art

Pirate Contemporary Art was born in 1980, when several recent grads from Metropolitan State College were commiserating about the lack of local galleries eager to showcase contemporary work. Luckily, Denver at the time was all about bootstrapping, so they started their own group, and the co-op has grown over the decades to become a nonprofit, member-owned gallery where the most audacious and compelling of local pieces have a temporary home, and where those who appreciate such work can find it. The model has been impressively successful in the last forty-plus years; Pirate's continued participation in and influence over the local arts scene is testament to that.

Best Gallery Competition Show

Next Gallery

Like the story of Casa Bonita itself, Next Gallery's annual exhibit devoted to the pink palace has taken some weird twists and turns over the years. Next now shares the same shopping center home as the famed eatertainment complex, which was closed for more than three years after the COVID shutdown and then was taken over by the creators of South Park. This year's show, with the theme How Do You Like Me Now?, was as strong as the previous six, full of creative work that vied for a grand prize: a table for six at Casa Bonita itself. No small beans, that, since some people are still on the waiting list ten months after Casa Bonita (sort of) reopened.

6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood
303-433-4933
nextgallery.org

Best DIY Gallery and Event Space

Squirm Gallery

The DIY scene is being reinvigorated by Squirm Gallery, which took over the same space that housed the legendary Rhinoceropolis. Most of the artists who started Squirm — Zak Ashburn, Zach Burke, Cyrena Rosati, Ruby Sumners, Alishya Swenning and Peina Vella — had been to that venue and its neighbor, Glob, and felt that while the city has a healthy DIY scene for music, it was lacking for the visual arts. And when Burke heard that the space was available, it seemed like destiny. Squirm opened with a visual-art show from Michael Stein, as well as concerts by KYC DJs, American Culture, Fragrant Blossom and Angel Band. And in the back, Squirm members have outfitted studio space with screen and risograph printers, a kiln, a darkroom, a metalsmithing setup, paints and more. DIY is far from dead.

3553 Brighton Boulevard
@squirmgallery

Best Immersive Installation for Parties

Meow Wolf

Evan Semón

Beginning as a renegade DIY collective in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Meow Wolf brought its wild spirit to Denver with Convergence Station in 2021 and has become a major attraction for tourists and locals alike. And when the community speaks, Meow Wolf answers. After receiving requests for adults-only events, Meow Wolf created the Adulti-Verse, which happens on the first and third Wednesday of the month for those ages 21 and up, so we can roam the multiple universes with a drink in hand while listening to DJs spin. Meow Wolf also hosts concerts in its Perplexiplex venue, whose walls and floor are covered in motion-activated lighting. Whether you're there for music or an Adulti-Verse event, one thing's for sure: It's a party!

Best Annual Immersive Installations

Spectra Art Space

Local artists have a major supporter in Spectra Art Space, which is always there to put on dedicated creatives' first shows and where you're always sure to find quality work. But the gallery has also cemented itself as a purveyor of the immersive arts, mounting annual installations that fill its backyard with the visions of the city's artists. In the late spring and summer, there's Novo Ita, a dreamy world lush with plants and flowers, and in the fall and winter, it's Spookadelia, a blend of creepy and kitsch that keeps the Halloween spirit alive.

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