^
Keep Westword Free
I Support
- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Denver and help keep the future of Westword free.
Inside Garage Galleries and Other DIY Arts Spaces in Denver


Jake Cox
Esteban Peralta is the owner of the space.
2/34

Jake Cox
"The DIY thing is not anything new," Peralta says. "What I'd like to see is more turnover, more fresh voices."
3/34

Jake Cox
Roy Smith's work at Peralta Projects.
4/34

Jake Cox
Peralta was involved in the art scene in Texas before coming back to Denver.
5/34

Jake Cox
"I was born and raised here, but just felt really out of place having been in Texas so long. I wanted to get back to what felt good. Plus, I live in the same neighborhood I grew up in. In the ’70s, this was a totally different neighborhood. I felt like I needed to make it relevant for me again," Peralta says.
6/34



Jake Cox
Sommer Browning is the owner of the space.
9/34

Jake Cox
"I'm a poet, so I ran a poetry series here. Every city I’ve ever lived in, I’ve run one: New York, Tucson, Richmond," Browning says. "I moved into this house three years ago, and I was with my friend, and I was telling him how I wanted to open a gallery one day, and he said, 'You have a garage space, just do it in there.'"
10/34

Jake Cox
The next show at Georgia, with Mackenzie Urban, is in May.
11/34


Jake Cox
"I'm really busy. I have a full-time job, a child; I write, too. I still run the reading series, and I try to do my own art and stuff with this on top of it," she says.
13/34

Jake Cox
Liam Grinton has a home ceramic studio in Commerce City.
14/34

Jake Cox
The house was built in 1932 and was abandoned for a number of years before Grinton moved in. He's owned the space for about a year.
15/34

Jake Cox
The kiln at Grinton's house.
16/34

Jake Cox
"With ceramics and needing a place to live and work, I needed a place where I could spread out and store equipment and expand," Grinton says.
17/34

Jake Cox
Grinton says he feels good about the art community in Denver. "People are more aware of the art community and more willing to support it," he says.
18/34

Jake Cox
Grinton's truck at his house.
19/34

Jake Cox
"I think there are a lot of DIY spaces in Denver that are not necessarily the ones you hear about," Grinton says.
20/34

Jake Cox
One of Grinton's ceramic pieces.
21/34


Jake Cox
Seventh Circle is a DIY space dedicated to eliminating genre boundaries.
23/34

Jake Cox
Inside Seventh Circle.
24/34

Jake Cox
Rasai Trammell is a volunteer at Seventh Circle.
25/34

Jake Cox
"It feels good to be a part of something that is in so many people's lives and an important part of people's lives," Trammell says.
26/34

Jake Cox
Trammell tries to attend two shows per week.
27/34

Jake Cox
Lyus Maroncelli has been a volunteer for a year and a half. Maroncelli also performs at the space.
28/34

Jake Cox
"I love the space so much, and I wanted to be here more. I wanted to help out because Aaron [Saye], who runs the place, was just looking for more people," Maroncelli says.
29/34

Jake Cox
Birdhouse View playing at Seventh Circle.
30/34

Jake Cox
Inside Seventh Circle.
31/34

Jake Cox
Tiffany Cronick has been volunteering at the space for six years.
32/34

Jake Cox
Outside the space.
33/34

Jake Cox
"We are on the upswing," Cronick says. "I don’t think we’ve peaked yet. We plan to be here a while."
34/34
Inside Garage Galleries and Other DIY Arts Spaces in Denver
In recent years, Denver artists have been feeling the crunch from rising rents and closing DIY spaces. To survive, they've been coming up with creative strategies for exhibiting work, including turning garages into art galleries and using other offbeat spaces. We recently took a look inside a couple of DIY venues as well as two garage galleries, Georgia Art Space and Peralta Projects.
In recent years, Denver artists have been feeling the crunch from rising rents and closing DIY spaces. To survive, they've been coming up with creative strategies for exhibiting work, including turning garages into art galleries and using other offbeat spaces. We recently took a look inside a couple of DIY venues as well as two garage galleries, Georgia Art Space and Peralta Projects.
Related Stories
-
Where the Stars Align: A Tour of Denver's Green RoomsFebruary 17 at 8:35 a.m. | by Lauren Antonoff
-
Bumper Sticker Burn: "CASA BONITA IS BETTER THAN MEOW WOLF"November 15 at 2:09 p.m. | by Kyle Harris
-
Adán de la Garza's Work Hits Critical MassJanuary 23 at 5:55 a.m. | by Kyle Harris
Comments
View All
More Arts Slideshows
-
Inside Scout, the Omaha Fashion Shop Taking Over Buffalo…January 3 at 8:35 a.m.
-
Witch, Witch, Witch: Colorado Celebrates HalloweenNovember 1 at 8:03 a.m.
-
Smashing Pumpkins: Elephants Help Foot Denver Zoo's $1 Million…October 28 at 12:04 p.m.
-
The Murals in Progress at Crush Walls 2020September 19 at 5:44 a.m.
-
Up Against the Walls: Murals Are Multiplying Across ColoradoSeptember 18 at 5:55 a.m.
-
Shop Around: Indy Stores on East 13th Avenue Adapt to COVIDSeptember 5 at 9:53 a.m.