#36: Zach Reini Like many of Denver’s young artists, Zach Reini isn’t confined to a single discipline or medium — the former RedLine resident and 2012 graduate of Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design also swings with Denver’s DIY underground and is making things happen at Leisure, a new studio…
Connoisseurs of bad film know that The Room deserves a special place within the canon of so-bad-it’s-good cinema. By now the infamous film’s journey from director/writer/star Tommy Wiseau’s fever dream to the big screen has been well-documented, but nothing captures the story quite like producer and co-star Greg Sestero’s The…
Shocker of all shockers: the Fifty Shades of Grey movie sucked so hard it left a gaping hole where my soul used to be. Not that I didn’t anticipate maximum suckage since the book was also terrible, but I suppose I held out a vestige of hope that maybe the…
Nostalgic mixed-drink enthusiasts found shelter from the storm — and lots of festive balloons — on Saturday night at the Fire and Ice Prom, a Prom Dress Exchange fundraiser hosted by the Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails in the swanky surroundings of Syntax Physic Opera. Here’s a…
Bohemia Burlesque costumer, hairdresser, makeup artist and performance artist Chelsa Joy believes in opulent accessorizing. We spotted the multi-disciplined creative near 14th and Champa streets during one of the warm winter days this month, and chatted with her about her personal style, where she shops and what inspires her look…
This summer, Denver will have the opportunity to tune into the television industry when a new festival, SeriesFest, makes its season-one debut here. But the organizers have a bigger goal: to turn Denver into an off-site destination for TV movers and shakers, in the same way that the Sundance Film…
Colorado might be on the cutting edge for adult-use marijuana laws, but if you chat with Phyllis Ripple, you’ll quickly realize that when it comes to hemp, this state — and the entire country, in fact — are far behind the times. Ripple runs ecoFiber Custom Rugs out of Boulder,…
Traveling around the United States and South America as a kid has made Nick Hemstreet a little restless as an adult. He’s constantly trying to move forward, whether it’s learning new painting techniques or taking a journey to a different country. He has been tattooing for almost five years and…
The “art” in Artopia really popped at Saturday night’s Artopia 2015. Jolt — Guerilla Garden street artist and art curator — presented a three-ring circus of big, front-and-center artworks, some of them created on the spot, some of them interactive and none of them hidden away in dark corners. Live…
Artopia 2015 is over (Cody Chesnutt was there — how cool is that?), but the fun will continue to heat up this week. The hot events include another chance to see Westword MasterMind and Whiteout designer Deb Henriksen, a primer on cosmic travel and some good laughs — all for…
The crowds came in from the cold to Westword’s Artopia 2015, which heated up City Hall with fresh art, local music and the WhiteOut Fashion Show Saturday night. Photographer Ken Hamblin was there to capture every moment of the arts extravaganza; a few of our favorite photos follow. See the entire…
Artopia 2015 curator and Guerilla Garden street artist Jolt will be walking the floor tomorrow night at City Hall, surveying the fruits of his hard work because, he says, it’s his job: “I will be enjoying it all from the standpoint of being a curator, moving throughout the show and…
Being Eric Dallimore isn’t an easy job. The Westword MasterMind earned his award in 2014 for doing double-duty as a thoughtful installationist using natural and found materials in his work and a gallerist at Leon, a gallery that not only mounts well-curated art exhibitions but also hosts intimate concerts, art…
Kevin Costner eases white America into the now with McFarland, USA, we hear about the Berlin Film Festival’s highs (Queen of Earth) and lows (Knight of Cups), and dip into the lukewarm waters of a second Hot Tub Time Machine movie. Also, there’s much praise for teen comedy The DUFF and…
Deemed the “gay Super Bowl” by its many fans, the Academy Awards telecast has long been a bastion of over-the-top queer energy rolled up in the drama of the secret, gay inner-workings of the Hollywood system. Many a gay icon has had their moment in the sun during the Oscar…
5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche “At the center, it’s a really sweet love story — and the funniest show of the year. I actually think that’s true. People who think women can’t be funny? Well, they should come and take a look at this.” That’s director Edith Weiss’s description of…
Artopia curator Jolt of Guerilla Garden is bringing a whole posse of local street artists to City Hall for Artopia 2015 on Saturday, February 21, where they’ll transform the venue with a show of art in action. But at least one of those artists — photographer, arts booster and Denver…
When Westword’s first 100 Colorado Creatives series came to an end last February, it was a little like losing a very artsy best friend. And there were still so many unsung creative types doing great things around this state that we decided to start on a second round of Q&As…
We’ve been a bit spoiled with the weather in Denver the last couple of weekends, but winter may rear it’s cold, ugly head again this time around. Still, it shouldn’t stop you from having a good time. If you’re not going to Artopia — Westword’s annual festival of fashion, arts and culture…
As an arts journalist in the town I call home, I hear a lot from local artists — some of them sharing their thoughts through their art, some of them on social media, some at events around town. And my questions in the ongoing 100 Colorado Creatives blog series always…
Back in 2013, we reported on a game called Hot Tin Roof: The Cat That Wore a Fedora that had just gotten funded on Kickstarter. The creation of Denver-based game studio Glass Bottom Games, Hot Tin Roof promised a roaring noir adventure game with guns blazing and talking kitties. After a long…
“I always had a good time at Artopia,” says Silas Ulibarri, aka Jolt, the founder of Guerilla Garden. He’s talking about Westword’s annual celebration of the arts, which has evolved a lot over the past two decades but remains one of the best annual parties in town, showcasing the best of…
