The RiNo Art District just scored a real coup: A full page in the July/August issue of Sunset magazine, in the "Insider" section offering "seasonal diversions and secret travel tips from local experts."
The local expert for RiNo? Tracy Weil, who cofounded the River North Art District back in 2005, and serves as the district's president today. In the piece, Weil touts Safta and Hop Alley as places to eat, the Ramble Hotel as where to stay, and a few of the area's art galleries — Pattern Shop Studio, Helikon Gallery, Plinth Gallery, fooLPRoof, Dateline and Visions West — as things to do.
But "your first stop to the district should be the RiNo Made," he told the magazine, describing the district's store in Zeppelin Station devoted to showing, and selling, the works of more than 100 artists in the area whose motto is "where art is made."
Just one problem: Weil offered his "insider" suggestions a few months ago, before the RiNo board decided to make some changes. RiNo Made's last day at Zeppelin Station was July 14; yesterday Weil was packing up the RiNo space at 3501 Wazee Street in preparation for today's (July 16) move to a new office at 3525 Walnut Street that will cut the district's rent from $8,200 a month to $1,700. "The new office is pretty much a large arts studio," Weil explains. "We'll move all the First Friday exhibitions there."
First on the schedule for August 2: a show with Detour (Thomas Evans), Patrick Kane McGregor and Jason Garcia, all artists who've become favorites at Crush Walls, the annual street art festival that returns to RiNo September 2-8, 2019. (Crush gets a good, still-current plug in Sunset.)
As for RiNo Made, much of that concept will be moving into the new HQ Gallery that Crush founder Robin Munro is opening later this summer in the alley behind the 2600 block of Larimer Street and Denver Central Market. (Although the Denver Central Market didn't make the Sunset cut, it got raves from an editor just visiting from Miami.) In addition to showing some of his own art there, Munro will turn the HQ Gallery into Crush Walls headquarters; the RiNo Art District also plans to offer work by local artists for sale there, along with limited-edition prints of Crush murals.
Weil is hoping to host RiNo salons, youth programming and other projects in that spot, which will also serve as a starting point for "official RiNo tours by RiNo artists."
Sounds like Sunset will have to make a return visit.