Gallery Sketches: Three shows for the weekend of August 1-3

It’s First Friday and the first day of August, so it should be a fine, balmy summer night for exploring the art districts, from Santa Fe Drive to RiNo. Here are a few one-of-a-kind shows to see, tonight and through the weekend. See also: Photos: The Heads of Hydra couple…

Poets explore love, Denver style, at the Denver County Fair

The Denver County Fair, now in its fourth year, was conceived as a big, fat blue-ribbon love letter to everything that’s cool about Denver, from local artists and a healthy geek culture to, yes, legalized pot. So it’s only fair that this year’s poetry contest has an I Heart Denver…

Conceptual art takes over Gildar Gallery

For his latest show, Takeover, Gildar Gallery owner Adam Gildar enlisted the help of Charlie James, a Los Angeles-based art dealer, who curated the show. The two have a similar approach to conceptual art. James included artists from his own stable as well as some from Colorado. All of them…

Playbill: Three shows to see in Denver this weekend

In addition to Adam Stone’s experimental work at Buntport, a cat circus and square product theatre’s multidisciplinary work in Boulder (see below), this weekend yields a unique playwriting festival, a classic musical and a one-night ode to old-time radio. Check out these onstage diversions. See also: Concrete Realities: SLAB…

Review: The Gildar Gallery makes a power play with Takeover

The Gildar Gallery is housed in an anonymous-looking storefront on South Broadway, barely marked by a sign. That unassuming presence continues inside — but modest circumstances haven’t deterred owner Adam Gildar from presenting thoughtful programs not unlike those found at contemporary art museums. In this spirit, Gildar invited a guest…

Rick Sammon on photography, from A to Z

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. The Godfather has an offer you can’t refuse. Actually, that’s the Colorado…

Outside in 303 brings street art inside at the Museo

The Museo de las Americas is making its mark this summer with Outside in 303, an incredible show that gives a glimpse into the scene of Latino taggers that have been more or less hidden from the rest of the art world — although their efforts have been visible on…

Can’t make the Louvre this summer? Take a quick trip to DIA!

When people travel through Denver International Airport, they’re rarely thinking about the art there. Typically, a travelers are more concerned with cramming McDonald’s hash browns into their kids’ mouths and getting to the gate without a mental breakdown than they are with marveling at the artwork in the terminal. But…

Review: Outside in 303 tells a real west side story

Outside in 303, the main summer feature at the Museo de las Americas, is absolutely spectacular, and makes a real contribution to local art literacy by revealing a scene of Latino taggers that has been more or less hidden from the rest of the art world — though their efforts…

Paper Work a cut above at Center for Visual Art

For Paper Work, Cecily Cullen, the creative director at Metropolitan State University’s Center for Visual Art, has put together an exhibit that surveys artists from Colorado and around the country who are using paper to create 3-D compositions. Paper is a familiar art material, but it’s typically used as a…

Over-the-top Tom Wesselmann show is a rare treat at the DAM

Beyond Pop: A Tom Wesselmann Retrospective is the Denver Art Museum’s summer blockbuster. Though Wesselmann was part of the initial group of artists who launched pop art in the ’60s, his accomplishments are not as well remembered as are those of his fellow-traveling contemporaries. Maybe it’s because his chosen topics…