Review: The Naked Truth About Pop Artist Tom Wesselmann

In the 1960s, when Tom Wesselmann, whose work is currently on display at the Denver Art Museum, first gained national attention, and into the ’70s, his name was mentioned in the same breath as that of Warhol, Johns and Rauschenberg. Today, not so much. On a personal note, I teach…

The Fountain Tarot: Three Friends From Denver See the Future in the Cards

Does the world really need another tarot deck? Writer Jason Gruhl, fine artist Jonathan Saiz and artist/designer Andi Todaro think so, though there are already hundreds, and possibly thousands, of themed sets circulating out there, some of them dating back to medieval times and others cheaply modern, all kitschy and…

Gallery Sketches: Three Shows for the Weekend of August 15-17

New exhibitions include an exploration of Chicano activism in art at the Center for Visual Art and a roomful of art, some of it created on site at Access Gallery, by a disabled artist with powerful messages (see below). The weekend will also see the introduction of a new lowbrow…

Fritchle Electric Car Finally Parks at History Colorado

When History Colorado planned its Denver A to Z exhibit, which features everything from the Barrel Man to zombies (don’t ask), it had a true historic artifact for the letter E: an electric car, the Fritchle, which was manufactured in Denver in the early 1900s and featured in the old…

FashioNation Signs a New Lease on South Broadway

Counterculture apparel staple FashioNation announced last week that it was leaving its location at 613 East 13th Avenue after almost thirty years — but co-owner Paul Italiano promised that the store would be resurrected in a new spot. He was vague about the details, because the lease agreement was not…

Work by Former Denver Artist FACARO Shines on True Blood

Carolina Fontoura Alzaga has come a long way since Denver. The artist, who’s now based in Los Angeles, goes by FACARO in the art world, where she’s gained international acclaim. And one of her chandeliers made of bicycle parts was just featured in several episodes of the popular vampire series,…

Meet Elena Davis, jack-of-all-(artsy) trades

You can find art all over town — not just on gallery walls. In this series, we’ll be looking at some of the local artists who serve up their work in coffeehouses and other non-gallery businesses around town. “I’m an artist, writer, actress, business owner,” says jack-of-all-(artsy)-trades Elena Davis, who’s…

A Love Letter to Denver, the City I’m Getting to Know

“As we watch our Queen City of the Plains explode with new people, new businesses and a new cultural identity we aren’t familiar with,” writes Bree Davies in her recent love letter to Denver, “I feel a shared level of discomfort at the way our visual history is being erased….In…

Gallery Sketches: Three shows for the weekend of August 8-10

Celebrate the great outdoors this weekend with a festival of sculptural works in a park, as well as a show of pieces by people who paint outdoors. And then there’s a transcendent exhibit that will transport viewers to a different plane. If you’re looking for art that will take you…