Free for All: The Five Best Free Events This Week

Whether you're trying to rally for work or calling in sick with a green-beer hangover, Mondays can be tough after a weekend of revelry. But you have no excuse for not getting out and enjoying yourself. While the days ahead are free of street-crowding holidays — would you even want another one so soon? — there's no shortage of bargain entertainment opportunities. That could be joining a crowd of extras for a video shoot commemorating a historic local protest or simply enjoy complimentary samplings of the city's arts and music scenes — whateveer you choose, you'll have no excuse for boredom. Here are the five best free events in the Denver area this week:

pARTicipate: Documenting Change
Tuesday, March 19, noon to 1:45 p.m.
CU Art Museum
Scientists aren't the only people chronicling the changing landscapes of the Anthropocene era; from the Renaissance to the modern day, artists have been highly attuned to the natural world. Documenting Change: Our Climate (Past, Present, Future), an exhibition of art and data on display through April 13 at the University of Colorado Art Museum, juxtaposes century-spanning photo collections documenting glacial erosion with Romantic-era landscape paintings to show the devastation of climate change. Join facilitator Ben White for an insightful mid-day tour through the Erin Espelie- and Hope Saska-curated exhibit; space is limited, so email [email protected] to RSVP and visit CU Art Museum's events calendar to learn more.


Faculty Tuesdays: Baritone John Seesholtz
Tuesday, March 19, 7:30 p.m.
Grusin Music Hall
If you're a penny-pinching classical-music fan, the University of Colorado's Faculty Tuesdays recital series should be music to your ears. On March 19, baritone John Seesholtz, the latest staff addition to the College of Music's vocal program, lifts his sonorous voice for a stirring conclusion to the performance season, a program of English classics including Jeffrey Nytch's "Silences," Carlisle Floyd's “For I Am Persuaded” and "The Five Mystical Songs," by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Visit the CU Presents events calendar for details or to watch a live stream of the performance.


Los Mocochetes: "Que Viva Revolución" Video Shoot
Thursday, March 21, 5 p.m.
West High School
Socially conscious Xicana funk band Los Mocochetes is gearing up to shoot its first music video and needs your help. With "Que Viva Revolución," the civically engaged purveyors of danceable protest music commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the West High Blowouts, and so require a crowd of flag-waving, sign-wielding extras to recapture the spirit of a watershed moment for the Chicano-rights movement. After filming concludes, the procession of participants will walk en masse from the front steps of West High School to Su Teatro, where the band will deliver a brief performance before the premiere of the play Chicano Power 1969! Find out more on the Los Mocochetes Facebook events page.

Opening Reception: Espacio Liminal | Liminal Space
Thursday, March 21, 6 to 9 p.m.
Museo de las Americas
Explore the intriguing distinctions between what is shown and what is seen at Espacio Liminal | Liminal Space, a new exhibit that conveys how personal experiences and cultural traditions shape the way we perceive art. The multimedia installation opens Thursday, March 21, with a collection of pieces by Latinx creators who currently live and work in Colorado; it will remain on display through August 24. Admission is free for Museo de las Americas members; call 303-571-4401 or visit museo.org to join up and find out more.

Aletheia Group Exhibition
Friday, March 22, 7 to 10 p.m.
Mirus Gallery
Named after the Greek word for the concept of disclosure and truthfulness, Mirus Gallery's Aletheia exhibit searches for hidden insights beneath the surfaces of realism, displaying works by an international collection of artists that includes Spain's Cristian Blanxer, Peru's Paulo Sierra and Italy's Thomas Cian. How do realist techniques fit into a postmodern critical framework, and what do these painters' eye-popping tweaks on the form reveal? Find out at an opening reception on Friday, March 22. Visit Mirus Gallery's Eventbrite page to register for free and find out more.

Know of an event that belongs on this list? Email information to [email protected].