There's not enough whimsy in this ugly world, and that's why we need a few artists like Spark Gallery member Lisa Michot. They're not out to make a big statement or turn the planet upside down. Michot-style, they just want to have a little fun and make people smile. She made me do that a couple of years ago with her funny little Spark show Eek! A Mouse!, and she's going for a repeat tonight when Play Time, a conglomeration of soft sculpture and mixed media using found and recycled objects, opens tonight with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Michot seems proud to note that she spent less than $40 for materials she used to create all the work on display, but the result -- what she did with all that stuff -- is of course the real reason to stop by.
Michot's wonderland of fabric-and-wire figures and altered thrift-store paintings, some of them gracefully hung from the ceiling, will remain on view through July 12 at Spark, 900 Santa Fe Drive; a second show, 21 Under 31, also opens tonight. Details are at Spark's website or 720-889-2200
For more ways to rock the night and kill the day, go to westword.com/calendar.