JULY 5, 6 & 7: Cherry Creek Arts Festival – Cherry Creek North Shopping District Join CherryArts for the 29th annual Cherry Creek Arts Festival Friday, Saturday & Sunday July 5, 6, & 7, 2019. The Cherry Creek Arts Festival transforms the streets of Cherry Creek North into an innovative outdoor art show featuring 265 national and local visual artists with live music, performing arts, interactive art activities, culinary and beverage experiences for all tastes. 10am-8pm.
JULY 5, 6 & 7: Avett Brothers Red Rocks Ampitheatre
JULY 9 – JULY 28: Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Buell Theatre Roald Dahl’s amazing tale is now Denver’s golden ticket. It’s the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film, including “Pure Imagination,” “The Candy Man,” and “I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,” alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of Hairspray. Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory…to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to burst with color and confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination. Now’s your chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before – get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper.
JULY 11: Deerhunter Ogden Theatre
THRU JULY 13: ENVIRONMENT REMIXED – Space Gallery Space Gallery is pleased to present this exhibition featuring Graeme Duncan, Noelle Phares, Ben Schwab and Philip Tarlow. Space Gallery – 400 Santa Fe Drive. 303-993-3321www.spacegallery.org
JULY 16: Norah Jones Red Rocks Ampitheatre
JULY 19: Women’s Social Sunset and Glow SUP! – Chatfield Resevior Join this fun social evening on the water with Life’s 2 Short Fitness and Switchback Chics. Standup paddle boarding is quickly becoming one of the most popular sports in Colorado. It is relaxing, perfect for all ages and fitness levels, and a fun way to spend time in the great outdoors! We will paddle through sunset and finish at dusk, our rental partner Denver Outdoor Adventures will be providing glowing devices for all particpants. Afterwards, enjoy some adult beverages and good company on the beach. The SUP session will be guided with several L2S/SC ambassadors providing assistance, the paddle will take us along the shoreline where we may catch glimpses of native wildlife and take in views of the lush foothills and forest surrounding the park. Two hour SUP rental, life jacket and glow device included in the fee. 6:30-8:30pm
JULY 20: Patton Oswalt – Paramount Theater Oswalt makes observations in a myriad of sources; from pop culture trivia such as comic super villains (see his Batman and Joker stuff), 1980s glam metal to deeper social issues like American excess, materialism, foreign policy and religion, as well as his atheism and experiences of grief.
JULY 19 & 20: The Growlers & Broncho – Ogden Theatre The Growlers are the party band that grew into a traveling circus that spawned their own hit event, Beach Goth. The band’s 2016 LP, City Club, produced by Julian Casablancas, saw them expand their palette to include West African, dance and electronic influences.
JULY 21: Salsa Showdown – South Pearl Street Farmers Market Calling all Salsa Lovers! Join us Sunday July 21st at the the South Pearl Street Farmers Market for the 1st Annual Salsa Showdown benefiting R Bazaar (a non-profit supporting refugee and immigrant entrepreneurs, and chefs, too!). All entries will be judged onsite with individual tastings offered to Farmers Market patrons. 9am
JULY 23: Beck, Cage The Elephant, Spoon, Starcrawler – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre A not-to-miss all-star line up where Beck and Cage the Elephant have partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket will go to organizations bringing dignity, equity, and access to communities who need it.
JULY 25: Built To Spill Gothic Theatre
JULY 26-28: Indigenous Pop X Denver – McNichols Building Born from the Indigenous Comic Con, Indigenous Pop X is more than a gathering of Indigenous creators and artists. It is about how we advocate, educate and create connection through art, music, fashion, futurisms and film. Everyone is welcome!
JULY 26-28: The Underground Music Showcase – Baker The Underground Music Showcase returns to venues along Broadway for its nineteenth year. More than 200 local and national acts, with Honne, Chicano Batman, Black Mountain and so many more!
JULY 31: A.A. Bondy Globe Hall
OPENS IN JULY: Midsommar – Landmark Theatres Dani and Christian are a young American couple with a relationship on the brink of falling apart. But after a family tragedy keeps them together, a grieving Dani invites herself to join Christian and his friends on a trip to a once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday in a land of eternal sunlight takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that render the pastoral paradise increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing. From the visionary mind of Ari Aster (Hereditary) comes a dread-soaked cinematic fairytale where a world of darkness unfolds in broad daylight.
OPENS IN JULY: The Farewell – Landmark Theatres In this funny, uplifting tale based on an actual lie, Chinese-born, U.S. raised Billi (Awkwafina) reluctantly returns to Changchun to find that, although the whole family knows their beloved matriarch, Nai-Nai, has been given mere weeks to live, everyone has decided not to tell Nai Nai herself. To assure her happiness, they gather under the joyful guise of an expedited wedding, uniting family members scattered among new homes abroad. As Billi navigates a minefield of family expectations and proprieties, she finds there’s a lot to celebrate: a chance to rediscover the country she left as a child, her grandmother’s wondrous spirit, and the ties that keep on binding even when so much goes unspoken. With The Farewell, writer/director Lulu Wang has created a heartfelt celebration and a richly moving story of how family can unite and strengthen us, often in spite of ourselves.
OPENS IN JULY: Between Me and My Mind – Mayan Theatre A few minutes into this intimate documentary look at the creative process of founding Phish guitarist and vocalist Trey Anastasio, it is clear that he is exploding with his unique brand of songwriting and creativity. As the front man of one of America’s longest lasting and most successful touring bands and a solo musician as well, Anastasio’s virtuosic musicianship has made him an icon. This is an eye-opening exploration of the method behind Anastasio’s magic, told with the same loving warmth that endears him to his legions of fans.
OPENS IN JULY: Being Frank – Mayan Theatre Seventeen-year old Philip (Logan Miller) longs to leave his small town for music school in The Big Apple. His dreams are dashed when his overbearing father, Frank, played by comedian Jim Gaffigan, forbids it. In retaliation to his father’s dictatorial parenting, he sneaks away in search of a wild spring break. However, when he crosses state lines, he instead finds a charming lake community where he spots his father with another woman. Turns out, Frank lives in this town and has an entire other family. With this bizarre revelation Philip realizes he can either blow the whistle on his father’s deceit or take advantage of the surreal situation. With a well-balanced mix of comedy and drama, Being Frank offers an ensemble cast, led by the terrific Jim Gaffigan and Logan Miller, a chance to turn the heartbreaking into the hysterical.
AUGUST 8-6 & 7: Maggie Rogers Ogden Theatre
AUGUST 3: 2019 Denver International Festival – Civci Center Park The 4th annual Denver International Festival is a FREE summer celebration of the best traditional FOOD + MUSIC +ART + beer and wine from Colorado and abroad. Come eat, drink, dance and play. Enjoy the sounds of live cultural rhythms, the taste of vibrant International flavors, the sights of traditional artwork, and a beer garden just a few short steps from the State Capitol inside Civic Center Park. Featuring over 25+ Performers, 20+ Food Trucks, 50+ Vendors, a Beer/Wine Tasting, a Kids Village and more. The Denver International Festival is not only Colorado’s largest celebration of culture but it also is giving back to less fortunate communities in our own backyard and around the world through our annual benefit concert. The evening concert will feature a headliner in addition to a diversely talented group of homegrown musicians. 11am – 7pm
AUGUST 7 – 18: Anastasia – Buell Theatre Inspired by the beloved film, the new musical Anastasia is at home in Denver at last! This dazzling show will transport you from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out on a journey to discover the mystery of her past. From the Tony Award-winning creators of the Broadway classic Ragtime, this dazzling show transports us from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past.
AUGUST 10 & 11: Brick Fest Live LEGO Fan Experience – Denver Mart Over A MILLION LEGO® Bricks are On Display and Ready for Play! LEGO® lovers rejoice! The Brick Fest Live® LEGO® Fan Experience is filled with hands-on attractions and activities engineered to inspire, educate, and entertain. Hands-on LEGO® Attractions and Activities
AUGUST 10: Frida Kahlo: A Celebration of Life Art Show – Westwood Creative District & D3 Arts Please join us in celebrating the life of Frida Kahlo on her 112th birthday for our 7th annual Frida Kahlo: A Celebration of Life Art Show. We pay homage by hosting a Frida Kahlo Look-a-Like Model Search curated and judged by accomplished hair guru Jozéf Martinë of Jozéf Martinë Hair. The winner’s will receive a cash prize incentive in each individual category: 1st place $100.00, 2nd place $75.00, 3rd place $50.00. Artwork from exceptional local artists, and a curated marketplace will highlight a creative one-of-a-kind shopping experience with local vendors. 3-8pm
THRU AUGUST 18: JORDAN CASTEEL: RETURNING THE GAZE –Denver Art Museum Jordan Casteel: Returning the Gaze will feature nearly 30 paintings by Denver-born artist Jordan Casteel, who is now based in Harlem, New York. This presentation represents Casteel’s first major museum exhibition, and provides audiences with a first look at new work by one of the most acclaimed emerging artists working today. The exhibition will bring together a body of work made from 2014 to 2018, with new paintings that reveal Casteel’s evolving practice and a shift in subject matter ranging from cityscapes and subway scenes to women and local business owners. Casteel’s approach to selecting subjects involves walking around her neighborhood and taking photographs. By transforming these photographs into larger-than-life portraits with subtle shifts in light, bold colors, and gestural brushwork, Casteel reveals individuals and atmospheres that often go unnoticed. Jordan Casteel: Returning the Gaze is curated by Rebecca Hart, Vicki and Kent Logan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.
OPEN THRU AUGUST 25: Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America – Denver Art Museum Serious Play: Design in Midcentury America presents the concept of playfulness in postwar American design as a catalyst for creativity and innovation. This exhibition will explore how employing playfulness allowed designers to bring fresh ideas to the American home, children’s toys and play spaces, and corporate identities.
During the 1950s and ’60s, a number of factors came together to make this bold design innovation possible. Diverse materials and manufacturing techniques opened up possibilities for new approaches to design and larger-scale production. Larger disposable income and leisure time of a growing middle class offered more possibilities for designers to help Americans discover a new way of living at home through thoughtfully designed objects. An emerging focus on child development prompted an interest in children’s furniture and placed a fresh emphasis on the importance of smart toy design. Pervasive Cold War anxiety created a desire to bring positivity and escapism into everyday spaces. Architects and designers that took advantage of all these new opportunities thrived. Co-organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Denver Art Museum, the exhibition includes over 200 works in various media, ranging from works on paper, models, textiles, furniture, and ceramics to films, toys, playground equipment, and product design.
THRU SEPTEMBER 1: Clark Richert: In Hyperspace – MCA Denver Clark Richert in hyperspace celebrates the work of one of Colorado’s most important artists. MCA Denver’s major retrospective exhibition presents the breadth of Richert’s oeuvre while highlighting the specific aesthetic and philosophical questions that have informed it for more than fifty years. The exhibition reconciles Richert’s paintings with his work at Drop City by tracing the conceptual through-line that runs the length of his career. It explains how his ongoing interest in dimensionality—the characteristics of and relationship between one, two, three, and higher dimensions—has shaped his approach to art-making from the outset. Richert’s curiosity about dimensionality was informed, in large part, by R. Buckminster Fuller’s ideas. The exhibition demonstrates how his concern with the tension between two and three dimensions, specifically in painting, and geometries that suggest the existence of dimensions beyond those with which we are familiar, underpins his entire creative output.
THRU NOVEMBER 17: EYES ON: Jonathan Saiz –Denver Art Museum Jonathan Saiz’s installation #WhatisUtopia is comprised of a column covered with 10,000 tiny drawings, paintings, and sculptures. By definition, utopia is “an imagined community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its citizens.” The artist employs social media to spark conversation and document responses about our ability to re-envision and embody a modern utopia. More than 10,000 artworks were made to be given away after the end of the exhibition. Consider Jonathan Saiz’s invitation to join his dialogue about utopia. Engage through Instagram at @utopia_is_free with the hashtag #WhatisUtopia or #JonathanSaizatDAM. Details about the giveaway will be posted beginning October 2019. To receive email notification, register at whatisutopia@denverartmuseum.org.