To Be Continued

The end of the Lab, as we know it, is nigh. And nothing could make that more apparent than a garage sale, where, yes, everything must go! But count on Adam Lerner to take his little Lakewood contemporary art museum out with a bang, before proceeding to restructure and merge…

Three shows take hold at Spark Gallery

I’ve long felt that Judith Cohn was one of the top ceramic artists in the region. Her specialty has been sculptural installations made up of components based on classic ceramic forms, mostly vessels. That’s why Thicket, at Spark Gallery (900 Santa Fe Drive, 720-889-2200, www.sparkgallery.com) was a surprise. It comprises…

Now Showing

Collective Nouns. Metropolitan State College isn’t just one of the city’s major institutions of higher learning; it’s also the state’s largest art school. The most obvious evidence of this is the college’s Center for Visual Art in LoDo, a mini-museum. A more subtle indication of the importance of art at…

Now Playing

Eurydice. Playwright Sarah Ruhl has created her own magical, eccentric, gutsy and entirely original interpretation of the Orpheus-Eurydice myth, one in which the Lord of the Underworld is a comic-fearful shape-changer, ruling over a place populated by people of stone; Eurydice’s father, already dead, longs for her from the Underworld…

Scandinavian Film Festival at Starz FilmCenter

The inaugural Scandinavian Film Festival is a modest affair in terms of numbers — just four films, only one of which is feature length. But it makes up in freshness what it lacks in width and breadth. The centerpiece flick, You, the Living (pictured), from director Roy Andersson, was described…

State of Play

Kevin Macdonald’s Washington thriller is a bellows designed to puff up the most beaten-down reporter’s chest. Compressed from the highly regarded BBC miniseries first telecast in 2003, State of Play is an effectively involving journalism-cum-conspiracy yarn with a bang-bang opening and a frantic closer. There are more than a few…

17 Again

This much is for sure about the makers of the new Zac Efron picture 17 Again: They know their audience. Scientifically engineered for maximum shriek-and-squeal value among Efron’s legion of distaff tween fans (and no small number of lonelyheart cougars and gay men), the movie opens on His Zackness’s sweaty,…

Mercado’s Way

Any stage director worth his salt knows that it’s all in the timing. Without it, the stars won’t align onstage or backstage and – horrors – the moment will be mediocre. In the world of theater, that’s the kiss of death, a point the accomplished local director José Mercado, known…

Speaking from the Gut

Gudrun Gut’s career spans decades. The pioneering electronic/experimental music artist was briefly a member of seminal noise band Einstürzende Neubauten, then went on to co-found the groups Mania D, Malaria! and Matador. On her own, she’s produced film scores, videos and radio plays; she also started two record labels, Moabit…

Taking Paints

Everybody wants to be an artist, but most people are afraid to try. That’s one reason local artist Brittney Wilson opened Canvas and Cocktails late last month at 249 Clayton Street in Cherry Creek North. (Another reason: to show her dad that an art degree does count for something.) Offering…

Slumdog Millionaires

In the life of every wealthy standup comedian, there comes a day when he must rise from his leopard-skin-covered armchair, remove his double-paned monocle and haughtily proclaim to his many docile servants, “I wonder what the poor people are laughing at tonight?” That was the question ringing in the minds…

Independence Day

Not that long ago, mom-and-pop record stores were common – but no more. Today only the strongest continue to survive, and many of them are struggling due to a consumer shift from physical products to the virtual kind. Record Store Day aims to slow this slide by tempting customers with…

Grease is the Word

For their first date, my dad took my mom, whose name is Sandy, to the drive-in to see Grease. The movie was a constant in my house. I watched it during every sleepover and listened to the soundtrack while I rollerskated in my basement. I’m pretty sure I knew every…

Tea and Talk

“Traditionally, teahouses in China have been kind of a center of community, a place where people gather and talk and share ideas,” says Greg Fellman, who runs the Seven Cups teahouse. So it follows that when Fellman met Asian-art historian Gina Hander at the Rocky Mountain Tea Festival last year,…

Flick Pick

The inaugural Scandinavian Film Festival is a modest affair in terms of numbers — just four films, only one of which is feature length. But it makes up in freshness what it lacks in width and breadth. The centerpiece flick, You, the Living, from director Roy Andersson, was described by…

Helping Handcrafts

You learn one thing right away about the people behind the TACtile Textile Arts Center: They do not take the fiber arts lightly. Indeed, they diligently give such community-oriented, functional arts the same attention that a good seamstress gives her stitches. So when they decided to present an exhibit promoting…

Let the Games Begin!

In 1972, Colorado became the first and last site to ever turn down the Olympics, after a statewide vote put the kibosh on holding the 1976 Winter Games here. But this weekend, Colorado gets back in the game at the Red Bull 1976 Games at Copper Mountain. Created by Red…

Sites Unseen

Where to start? The massive undertaking that is Doors Open Denver is a growing, morphing creature that’s constantly finding ways to provide new experiences for Denverites curious about their city. At least 10,000 folks attended last year’s DOD events, according to Pauline Herrera of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs,…

Wit and Wisdom

I’m always on the lookout for wise women, whether I’m hoping to emulate them or just wishing a bit of their knowledge might rub off on me. So I was excited to find the day-long Wise Women of the South West symposium, which was inspired by the photography exhibit Return…

Pros and Cons

Prepare for a total nerdgasm when Starfest brings Battlestar Galactica super-hottie Katee Sackhoff, aka Starbuck, to town this weekend. But everyone’s favorite Cylon-killing sexpot is just the start of the awesome action, since this year’s Starfest is really four cons in one. Horrorfest, Gamefest and Comicfest join the usual cast…