ART

THRU OCTOBER 26: PLACE SETTING – MARY LYNN BAIRD, VICTORIA EUBANKS AND JULIA MARTI – NKollectiv In this show the artists explore feelings of belonging, identity, familiarity or the unfamiliar—a subjective experience of place and the settings that influence such experiences. Their varied styles include mixed media, clay monotype printmaking, and encaustic. The public is invited to view and shop the show during regular gallery hours as listed, and during the following special events. Victoria Eubanks combines encaustic medium, printmaking, photography, cold wax and possibly pixels in a variety of ways. Her paintings offer intentional shapes—leaves, houses, chairs, birds, all roughly rendered and reminiscent of something you can’t quite put your finger on. Mary Lynn Baird is most artistically passionate about clay monotypes! It is an intense, technical, and deeply layered process that becomes more beautifully complicated the further you explore. Julia Martin is a mixed-media artist whose hand-stitched compositions explore the delicate balance between the inner self and the external environment, inviting viewers to dialogue between the two.

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.  

NOW ON VIEW: Eyes On: Susan Wick – Denver Art Museum For more than six decades, Denver-based artist Susan Wick (born 1938 in Madison, Wisconsin) has made art without inhibition. Driven by a relentless curiosity, Wick conjures worlds of fantasy, intrigue, and desire. Her daring compositions and experiments with materials such as fabric, foil, and printed paper, inspire, and excite the imagination.Eyes On: Susan Wick features 40 rarely seen paintings on paper with mixed media and collage. Wick created works like those in the exhibition around 1996 for a monthly art subscription, which she mailed to subscribers across the country. By sending her art out into the world, these dreamy and playful paintings exemplify Wick’s desire to foster community and connection. The exhibition also includes a selection of Wick’s artist’s books from the 1970s to the 2000s. Some books contain daily paintings using discarded books from the Denver Public Library. Others are thematic, like one that illuminates the best sources of chocolate. Often stored in suitcases for ease of transport, these artworks contain a visual lexicon of birds, flowers, domestic interiors, and human figures that find their way into the other works on view. Together, they encourage us to see the artfulness of everyday life in the objects we behold.

THRU NOVEMBER 1: NEW EXHIBITION – Space Gallery Featuring new work by Patricia Aaron and Jeff Wenzel with sculpture by Stephen Shachtman. Opening reception: Friday, September 26th, 6-8pm. Exhibition runs through November 1st. Space Gallery – 400 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204. Wed-Fri 11am-5pm. Saturday 10am-3pm. 303-993-3321 www.spacegallery.org

MUSIC

OCTOBER 23: Wednesday – Gothic Theatre Wednesday the band is known for delivering energetic and dynamic live shows that showcase their blend of distorted Americana, country, shoegaze, and grunge, featuring powerful vocal performances from Karly Hartzman. In an age of much-hyped buzz bands and next big things, it’s endearing to see a group work their way through the ranks the way Wednesday have. 

OCTOBER 28: Viagra Boys with Black Lips – Mission Ballroom While on their journey to becoming noise rock staples, (surprisingly) Swedish band Viagra Boys have undertaken their most expansive tour to date in order to celebrate and promote their new, almost self titled album ‘viagr aboys’ to great acclaim. The band brings an electric atmosphere to the stage, immediately barrelling into their latest album’s songs. 

NOVEMBER 6 & 7: An Evening With David Byrne – Bellco Theatre David Byrne is the type of artist we should all be grateful to witness, and we should all be even more thankful that the legendary lead still has the passion and creativity to continue gracing us with new ideas. The release of Who Is The Sky? is another exhilarating chapter in the artist’s timeless discography. 

COMEDY

AVAILABLE NOW: Marc Maron: Panicked – HBO ​In his second HBO special, comedian and podcaster Marc Maron offers up his nuanced perspective on our increasingly uncertain world.

FILM

OPENS OCTOBER 10: Fairyland – In Select Theatres Produced by Oscar® winner Sofia Coppola (Writing, Original Screenplay, Lost in Translation, 2003) and based on the acclaimed memoir of the same name by Alysia Abbott, Fairyland is a coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s vibrant cultural scene in the 1970s and ‘80s. This captivating film chronicles a father and daughter relationship as it evolves through an era of bohemian decadence to the sober and heartbreaking era of the AIDS crisis. Drawing on one family’s real-life experiences, the powerfully acted Fairyland pays poignant tribute to love and resilience in the face of adversity and tragedy. Fairyland is the little film that could, and Durham the perfect conductor to transport us across three decades of San Francisco’s queer history, never losing steam, intention, or, most importantly, heart.

OPENS OCTOBER 10: If I Had Legs I’d Kick You – In Select Theatres With her life crashing down around her, Linda (Rose Byrne) attempts to navigate her child’s mysterious illness, her absent husband, a missing person, and an increasingly hostile relationship with her therapist. Liable to leave audiences in a cold sweat, this fever dream immersion into parental stress connects with thunderous force thanks to Rose Byrne’s gutsy star turn and director Mary Bronstein’s uncompromising vision. At turns prosaic and A24 “quirky”, the plot is elevated to storytelling greatness by Byrne and Bronstein, whose go-for-broke commitment to the protagonist’s distress ensures we never lose sight of her humanity or relatability.

OPENS OCTOBER 24: Blue Moon – In Select Theatres You know how in marriage they say «for better or for worse»? I think, in terms of my life, I have entered the «for worse» part, and it happened so quietly I didn’t even recognize it. Richard Linklater’s Blue Moon tells the story of legendary lyricist Lorenz Hart bravely facing the future as his professional and private life unravel at the opening night party for his former partner’s hit show Oklahoma! By the time this night is over, Hart will have confronted both a world that no longer values his talent and the seeming impossibility of love. Linklater has crafted one of his finest dramedies, a consistently fascinating exploration of the frailty of the artist, buoyed by one of Ethan Hawke’s most remarkable performances. Linklater reminds us that he’s still able to make two people simply sitting around and talking fascinating. After all these years, the pair of Hawke and Linklater remains a winning combination.

OPENS NOVEMBER 7: Die My Love – In Select Theatres In a remote forgotten rural area, a mother struggles to maintain her sanity as she battles with postpartum depression. Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson are undeniably in peak form, and writer-director Lynne Ramsay pushes viewers to the edge of their seats with nail-biting tension. There is a lot of earned wisdom and lived-in pain in Ramsay’s masterwork. Swinging for the fences on all fours, Jennifer Lawrence delivers one of her most fearless performances to date in Ramsay’s psychosexual marital thriller. This is without doubt her (Jennifer Lawrence’s) greatest performance yet. The film perfectly captures the grief of losing a part of yourself in the process of becoming someone else. It’s not a story about motherhood as much as it is an experience of it.

THEATRE

NOVEMBER 8 – MAY 10: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors – Garner Galleria Theatre DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS is a Bram-new comedy you can really sink your teeth into. Filled with clever wordplay and anything-goes pop culture references, it’s a 90-minute, gender-bending, quick-changing, laugh-out-loud reimagining of the gothic classic, perfect for audiences of all blood types. 

EVENTS

OCTOBER 17-19: Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival – Colorado College in Colorado Springs The 38th Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival is a 3-day celebration of women and others who are often unseen, unheard, and misunderstood. To cultivate awareness, empathy, and a deeply connected community, all eyes shift each year in November to the array of talent in the women’s movie-making community.  “We wanted to tap into a strong community of progressive people in Colorado Springs who valued rich and diverse information, who supported the arts and respected and affirmed life in all its different iterations. Our intention was to expand people’s consciousness – including our own – and continue to grow wiser about all the important issues facing us in this world of special interests and the deft marketing viewpoints of consumerism.” 

OCTOBER 25: Emma Crawford Coffin Races & Festival – Manitou Springs Commemorating the dead is usually a gloomy occasion. Well, not in Manitou Springs. Celebrate autumn and the Halloween season at one of the weirdest events in Colorado, the Emma Crawford Coffin Races. The Emma Crawford Coffin Races is composed of one ‘Emma’ and four runners, all dressed in their costumes. The fastest times to finish the 195-yard track along Manitou Avenue will earn trophies. Other special awards will be up for grabs as well, such as Best Entourage, Best Coffin, Best Emma, and Miss Emma. In the early ’90s, the town of Manitou Springs aimed to honor, one of the most notable persons in the town’s history, Emma Crawford. A then 17-year-old woman, Emma Crawford moved to Manitou Springs in 1889. Suffering from tuberculosis and being very spiritual in nature, the young lady was hopeful that the clean mountain air and natural mineral springs would be the cure. Like many others who traveled the place, she went on a hiked up Red Mountain and got inspired by its sheer beauty. As such, she developed an unusual connection to it and told her fiancée that should she succumb to her disease, she wanted the top of the mountain to be her final resting place. Two years later, Emma passed away. Her wish was honored, and she was given a proper burial on the top of the Red Mountain. A couple of decades later, a railroad company started construction in the same place, forcibly relocating Emma’s Coffin. Apparently reburied in a reckless manner, her coffin got easily dislodged after heavy rainfall, and her remains raced down the mountain into the canyon below. The rest is history.

OCTOBER 25: Old School Cool Vintage Market – Stanley Marketplace Old School Cool Vintage Market was founded to breathe new life into the classic charm of vintage markets and shops, while championing the vibrant vintage community here in Denver, Colorado. Our market highlights passionate local entrepreneurs who curate exceptional vintage collections, representing all decades and styles. We’re on a mission to make “old school” cool again, inspiring today’s shoppers to embrace the benefits of supporting local businesses and choosing secondhand first. 

THRU OCTOBER 31: Boo at the Zoo – Denver Zoo Held over weekends in October, Boo at the Zoo is a terrific venue for trick-or-treating in Denver. See all the amazing animals and costumes as you wander around the Denver Zoo. Dress up in a cool costume and remember your trick-or-treat bag. There is a Bag + Cryptid Guidebook Decorating Station where you can decorate yours. Some of the other highlights include: 9 candy stations, Cryptid creatures and costumed characters, Animal Ambassadors, Festive photo ops, Seasonal snacks.

NOVEMBER 7-16: 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. So come and get swept away with all that the creatives of Denver have to showcase. Tickets are available online for events and there are also plenty of free opportunities for everyone to enjoy. Come and search the city for vibrant murals, public art, exhibitions, and performing arts opportunities for all ages. or spend a day in any of Denver’s museums or performing arts centers.