ART

THRU NOVEMBER 30: Confluence of Nature: Nancy Hemenway Barton – Denver Art Museum Confluence of Nature: Nancy Hemenway Barton features 12 textile wall sculptures and five works on paper by artist Nancy Hemenway Barton, each an exploration of the stunning locations from around the world that informed and inspired her artistic process. Hemenway (1920–2008), a multidisciplinary artist, found her voice as she traveled the world, experiencing rich colorful cultural traditions from the Andean weavers in Bolivia to appliquéd textiles by the Fon in Benin. She described these cultural traditions as natural art. Between 1966 and 1997, Hemenway created large-scale wall reliefs made from handloomed fabrics, primarily sourced from indigenous weaving communities, where she had lived and worked. Hemenway folded, tucked, and embroidered her fabrics to create richly textured abstract works that reflected her deep connection to the natural world. Hemenway’s past words speak to the core of where she finds inspiration. As she explained, “Each artist develops his or her style from the environment. Usually, it is the place of birth and childhood that burns brightest in the expression of a creative need, sometimes the development comes from circumstances of life.”

NOW ON VIEW: DEBORAH JACK: THE HAUNTING OF ESTUARIES…AN (AFTER)MATH OF CONFLUENCE – MCA Deborah Jack’s solo exhibition (her first in Colorado) includes a dynamic, six-channel video installation featuring tumbling waters and fauna from the shorelines of four geographically distant places: Maine, Louisiana, Brazil (Belém), and the island of St. Maarten. Entitled a sea desalts, creeping in the collapse… in the expanse…a rhizome looks for reason… whispers an elegy instead, 2024, this installation offers a meditation on the dynamic nature of coastlines and humanity’s relationship to water. Jack is a multidisciplinary artist whose artistic practice includes video installation, photography, and text. She engages a variety of strategies for mining the intersections of histories, cultural memory, ecology, and climate change. For her exhibition at MCA Denver, Jack’s photography and videos combine footage from the coastline of Jack’s home of St. Maarten with the shores of York, Maine and the shorelines of Louisiana’s Lake Peigneur (a lake created by a man-made disaster), as well as Louisiana’s Neptune Pass and Quarantine Bay (areas of the Mississippi delta where the land made from river sediment continues to rebuild despite human interventions). These shifting edges of where the water meets the land underscores the limitations of humans’ ability to control nature.

NOW ON VIEW: Southwest Impressions: Prints from the Barbara J. Thompson Collection – Denver Art Museum Southwest Impressions: Prints from the Barbara J. Thompson Collection, on view in the Western American Art galleries, highlights works on paper by artists who lived or traveled in the American Southwest during the late 1800s and first half of the 1900s, drawing inspiration from the region’s unique landscapes, people, architecture, and animals. The exhibition celebrates Barbara J. Thompson’s collection of over 100 prints gifted to the Petrie Institute of Western American Art (PIWAA) in 2024 in honor of her grandfather, the printmaker C. A. Seward. Southwest Impressions acknowledges the important role of printmaking in western American art, particularly during the first half of the 20th century. Presented in two rotations of around fifty prints each, visitors will be guided through a range of print processes including intaglio, block printing, lithography, and serigraphy.  

THRU NOVEMBER 30: NEW EXHIBITION – Space Gallery A selection of outstanding works by featured artists. Space Gallery – 400 Santa Fe Drive. 303-993-3321 www.spacegallery.org Space Gallery – 400 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204. Wed-Fri 11am-5pm. Saturday 10am-3pm. 303-993-3321 www.spacegallery.org

MUSIC

DECEMBER 7: Wet Leg – Mission Ballroom The new songs are incredible live, and the older favorites have a different kind of life in front of an audience. The fans know all the lyrics and sing along loudly. They are crushing this material and evolving so quickly as a band that by the next time they come to your city, they might be a totally different version of who they’re going to end up being. There is nothing like a new band growing quickly. 

DECEMBER 10: Nathaniel Rateliff – Mission Ballroom Celebrating ten years since the release of Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, they remind the crowd exactly why that debut record launched them into fame. They’re still a band with some of the highest energy you have ever seen. Rateliff and the Night Sweats are still sweaty and swaggering.

DECEMBER 12: An Evening with Belly – The Oriental Theater They play King in its entirety and in the second set a thorough Belly retrospective with a generous helping of Star, aka one of the greatest indie albums of all time. Nostalgia aside, Belly were sounding absolutely alive in the now. These songs, written by twentysomethings in the 90s, still sting, soothe, and soar in 2025.

COMEDY

AVAILABLE NOW: Michelle Wolf: The Well – Netflix Michelle Wolf gets real about white women, serial killers and adjusting to motherhood in this sharp, unfiltered stand-up special.

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FILM

NOW PLAYING: Bugonia – In Select Theatres Two conspiracy-obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are at the top of their game in Bugonia, a bonkers entertainment that applies director Yorgos Lanthimos’ whip-smart method to modern society’s madness. While some directors spend their lives crafting love letters to the worlds they create, Yorgos Lanthimos has developed a fine line in cinematic hate mail to humanity. The film unearths new depths of existential anxiety engendered by the increasingly tumultuous 2020s. A unique remake that’s both faithful and wildly different from its source material, one that’s unafraid to get even bleaker with its paranoia.

NOW PLAYING: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere – In Select Theatres From 20th Century Studios, «Deliver Me from Nowhere» chronicles the making of Bruce Springsteen’s (played by Jeremy Allen White) 1982 «Nebraska» album. Recorded on a 4-track recorder in Springsteen’s New Jersey bedroom, the album marked a pivotal time in his life and is considered one of his most enduring works–a raw, haunted acoustic record populated by lost souls searching for a reason to believe. In an age of over-stuffed and hagiographic films about musical artistry, we finally have one that explores the inner fragility of a rock star that many fans don’t realize can exist. Even for The Boss.

OPENS NOVEMBER 21: Cactus Pears – In Select Theatres Anand, a 30-something city dweller compelled to spend a 10-day mourning period for his father in the rugged countryside of western India, tenderly bonds with a local farmer who is struggling to stay unmarried. As the mourning ends, forcing his return, Anand must decide the fate of his relationship born under duress. In less assured hands, Cactus Pears might have edged into trite territory, yielding to the familiar beats of trauma-laden queer love stories, but Kanawade’s considered direction and spare storytelling keep the narrative refreshing. The 116-minute movie heaves with feeling, but never overwhelmingly so. Sabar Bonda wears its boldness lightly and beguilingly.

OPENS NOVEMBER 26: Eternity – In Select Theatres In an afterlife where souls have one week to decide where to spend eternity, Joan (Elizabeth Olsen) is faced with the impossible choice between the man she spent her life with (Miles Teller) and her first love (Callum Turner), who died young and has waited decades for her to arrive. It’s not just the thought-through ingenuity of the set-up but also the gloss and grandness of the film-making, an A24 production that feels like it should have the Touchstone Pictures logo at the start. Tender, funny, and beautifully bittersweet, this is one of the most unexpectedly moving films of the year.

THEATRE

DECEMBER 16-28: The Notebook – Garner Galleria Theatre Based on the best-selling novel that inspired the iconic film, THE NOTEBOOK tells the story of Allie and Noah, both from different worlds, who share a lifetime of love despite the forces that threaten to pull them apart. “Full of butterfly-inducing highs and beautiful songs” (Entertainment Weekly), THE NOTEBOOK is a deeply moving portrait of the enduring power of love. Chris Jones of The Chicago Tribune says THE NOTEBOOK is “absolutely gorgeous, not to be missed,” and The New York Daily News calls it “a love story for the ages.”   

EVENTS

THRU NOVEMBER 16: Denver Arts Week – Denver All of Denver comes alive with creativity each November as it collectively celebrates the city’s creative neighborhoods, museums, galleries, and all-around artistic vibe. Held over eight days, Denver Arts Week offers a little something inspiring for everyone. So come and get swept away with all that the creatives of Denver have to showcase. Come and search the city for vibrant murals, public art, exhibitions, and performing arts opportunities for all ages. You can take an evening stroll through the RiNo arts district or spend a day in any of Denver’s museums or performing arts centers. Everyone works hard to provide their ‘best-in-show’ for the community to celebrate and enjoy. visitdenver.com/denver-arts-week

NOVEMBER 22-23: Firefly Handmade – Old South Gaylord Street Light up your holidays at one of our most festive markets of the year as Colorado’s premier handmade artisan market returns to Old South Gaylord Street, dressed and trimmed to create a beautiful holiday shopping experience! Shop and visit with our incredible artisans, and enjoy food and beverages while our live musical acts soundtrack your shopping experience. 80+ creatively curated artisans. Free admission.South Gaylord Merchants Bar hosted by Salta Events. Live music: 11/22 – Strings and the Box 10-1 + Barn Ghost 1:30-4 | TBA 10-1 + Daniella Katzir Band 1:30-4 Local shops, restaurants, and bars. Family & pup friendly.

NOVEMBER 23 & 30: Winter On The Mountain – Glenwood Springs This magical display of holiday lights is one of the favorite Christmas events in Glenwood Springs. Take the Glenwood Gondola to the 7,100-foot summit of Iron Mountain. The incredible Western Colorado views will add to the holiday cheer. Over 500,000 lights are used for Winter on the Mountain. There will also be live music, a musical Christmas Tree, and Santa Claus. Fire pits located in the plaza are the perfect way to warm up and cook up some s’mores. Enjoy seasonal food and drinks, as well as attractions that are still open. Ride the alpine coaster, play laser tag, or stop by the 4D theater. 

NOVEMBER – DECEMBER: Warren Miller Film Tour – Paramount Theatre Debuting its 76th film, Warren Miller Entertainment has been a notable filmmaking company in the ski and snowboard industry thanks to founder Warren Miller. Following skiers and snowboarders from backyard hills to mega mountains, this film tour kicks off the season with a bang. “If you don’t do it this year, you’ll be one year older when you do.” — Warren MillerIn 1950, Warren Miller, a U.S. and Colorado Ski Hall of Famer, started producing annual ski and snowboard movies after showing a group of friends his films. Capturing the true ski and snowboard experience, Warren Miller’s films highlight not only what can be done on the slopes but also the people who do it. This year’s film will be shown in Denver through December 2025 at the Paramount Theatre. The film focuses on multiple snowboarders and skiers performing tricks around the world.  

THRU DECEMBER 23: Denver Christkindlmarket – Auraria Campus Experience an Old-World Christmas at the annual Denver Christkindlmarket. It’s downtown’s favorite free holiday celebration, back for another month of festivities and holiday crafts. The market brings German and European flair to the Mile High City. The Denver Christkindlmarket features live music, dancing, local and European craft vendors, and authentic fare. In addition to Christkindl, you’ll have a chance to see St. Nikolaus and Krampus. Sip on Bavarian-style beers and European coffee during your stroll around. Hot snacks include Bavarian-style pretzels, freshly smoked salmon, and homemade Goulasch. Additional entertainment is just steps away from the market. Right next door, you’ll find a seasonal outdoor skate rink that operates through February, weather permitting. It’s free to skate and only a few bucks for rentals.