ART

THRU JUNE 27: “Inscape” featuring Kelly Austin-Rolo and Michele Messenger – NKollectiv NKollectiv presents “Inscape,” an exhibition of artworks by Kelly Austin-Rolo and Michele Messenger, on view June 3 – 27, 2025, at 3485 S. Broadway. The duo works in the same medium but displays distinct styles and approaches to their work. The show title reflects the idea that each viewer brings their own level of interaction, experiences, thoughts and visions to the forefront when engaging with art—much as the artwork itself brings out the inscape of a subject—its unique inner nature or essential quality. Austin-Rolo’s work in this exhibition explores the Earth’s profound, and very often unseen, beauty as viewed from above — a perspective that transforms landscape into abstraction, terrain into texture, and geography into geometry.  Messenger developed her encaustic skills after taking a class from local artist and instructor, Victoria Eubanks, in 2012 and falling in love with the medium. She takes a pragmatic approach to her practice, feeling that a work is complete once it makes her smile. 

NOW ON VIEW: THE FUTURE IS PRESENT, THE HARBINGER IS HOME: SELECTIONS FROM PROSPECT.6 NEW ORLEANS – MCA Denver MCA Denver is proud to present a selection of artworks from the acclaimed New Orleans-based international art triennial Prospect.6: The Future is Present, The Harbinger is Home. Featuring over sixty newly commissioned artworks by nineteen artists in the mediums of sculpture, painting, drawing, video, and large-scale installations, this exhibition represents the first time in Prospect’s history that an excerpt from this multi-venue triennial has traveled outside of its originating city.  Through this exhibition audiences are invited to explore the role of New Orleans and other climate-vulnerable regions of the world, as points of departure for examining our collective future as it relates to climate change, legacies of colonialism, and definitions of belonging and home. This framework situates New Orleans as a harbinger (already living in the ​“future” that other places will experience), and as a home (a beloved place of community, connection, and celebration). 

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.

NOW ON VIEW: NEW EXHIBITION – Space Gallery A selection of outstanding works by featured artists. Space Gallery – 400 Santa Fe Drive. 303-993-3321 www.spacegallery.org

MUSIC

JUNE 17: Indie 102.3 Presents Broncho – Bluebird Theater On their new record, Broncho, the raucous Oklahoma quartet mellows out its garage-rock grit for a hazy, introspective record that doesn’t abandon the band’s signature playfulness.

JUNE 28: Anthony Ruptak – TOURIST – Album Release – Hidive Tourist was written by Anthony Ruptak during his first years as a city paramedic in Denver. Every day Anthony has a front-row seat to American suffering. He processes his experiences by disappearing into the wilderness with his wife and dog. These songs are the result, crossing lines between society and nature.

JUNE 11: Elvis Costello and The Imposters with Charlie Sexton – Bellco Theatre, Denver, CO “Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello” will find Costello crafting a set list primarily out of material from his first 11 albums, 1978’s My Aim Is True to 1986’s Blood & Chocolate (plus a few additional surprises). The tour takes its name from the early Costello tune that later became his classic 1978 hit, “Radio Radio.” 

COMEDY

AVAILABLE NOW: Watch Sarah Silverman: PostMortem – Netflix Following the recent death of both of her parents, comedian Sarah Silverman finds comedy in the darkest corners of life. She hilariously navigates the absurdities of death with her signature wit, from unexpectedly finding the ‘deal of a lifetime’ while planning their funerals to cherishing the bittersweet experience of hearing her mother’s last words

FILM

NOW PLAYING: The Phoenician Scheme – Landmark Theatres Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins. A caper made with all the intricacy of a Rube Goldberg machine; The Phoenician Scheme doesn’t deviate from Wes Anderson’s increasingly ornate style but delivers the formula with mannered delicacy. The Phoenician Scheme is a tighter narrative and focuses on central characters akin to The Grand Budapest or The Royal Tenenbaums. It is a whimsical treat with plenty of delicious layers to unpack.

NOW PLAYING: Pavements – In Select Theatres It’s not just a story about a band. It’s a story about mankind. Directed with a wry personal touch by Alex Ross Perry, Pavements distinguishes itself as a music doc by not only paying affectionate tribute to its subject but also unpacking the cultural philosophy it personifies. Though Pavement is the star and the performers in its orbit are all in supporting roles, “Pavements” is distinguished by cinematic artistry that’s as distinctive as it is personal. “Range Life” may be a Pavement story, but “Pavements” is a Perry film. «Works remarkably well as an informative recounting of the band’s history, a reality-bending experiment, and a distillation of the Pavement spirit, in which irony masquerading as earnestness could sometimes serve as cover for a subterranean sincerity.» Although it’s not the most accessible music documentary — in fact, you could go so far as to say it’s downright inaccessible — Alex Ross Perry has created a downright brilliant, genre-defying work of cinema.

OPENS JUNE 10: Die, My Love – Landmark Theatres In a forgotten patch of countryside, a woman (Jennifer Lawrence) is battling her demons: embracing exclusion yet wanting to belong, craving freedom whilst feeling trapped, yearning for family life but wanting to burn the entire house down. Given surprising leeway by her family for her increasingly erratic behavior, she nevertheless feels ever more stifled and repressed. Motherhood, womanhood, the banality of love, the terrors of desire, the brutality of another person carrying your heart forever. Lawrence exudes such a gravitational force that she curves all the other performances in the film around her energy, with Robert Pattinson a whiny, ineffectual boy in her orbit, and Sissy Spacek quietly concerned but in decline herself as Jackson’s mother.

OPENS JUNE 27: Hot Milk – Landmark Theatres Rose (Fiona Shaw) and her daughter Sofia (Emma Mackey) travel to the Spanish seaside town of Almería to consult with the shamanic Dr. Gómez, a physician who could possibly hold the cure to Rose’s mystery illness, which has left her bound to a wheelchair. But in the sultry atmosphere of this sun-bleached town Sofia, who has been trapped by her mother’s illness all her life, finally starts to shed her inhibitions, enticed by the persuasive charms of enigmatic traveler Ingrid (Vicky Krieps). 

THEATRE

AUGUST 23: The Screwtape Letters – Ellie Caulkins Opera House His Supreme Evilness Will See You Now… Don’t miss this wickedly funny and whip-smart theatrical adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s novel about the intricacies of spiritual warfare between heaven and hell, as seen through the eyes of a world-weary demon to his nephew. What Is The Story Of The Screwtape Letters? The play follows the clever scheming of a high-level demon who spends eternity enticing humans toward damnation. 

EVENTS

JUNE 12-15: FIBArk Salida – Salida America’s oldest whitewater festival, FIBArk returns to Salida for its 76th straight year. Experience one of Colorado’s coolest mountain towns on one of its biggest weekends of the year. Concerts, craft beer, and whitewater races will keep you entertained. It’s held from Thursday to Sunday, June 12th to 15th, 2025. The FIBArk Whitewater Festival has been held annually since 1949. It features a wide array of both land and sea events including rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, and running. The highlight is the Parade down Salida F Street, which takes place on Saturday at 10 am. Spectate any of the crazy races or roam around the carnival to try your hand at a few games. There are also food vendors and live music performances to round out the weekend, so you’ll never lack something to do.

JUNE 14-15: Juneteenth Music Festival – Five Points Neighborhood The Juneteenth Music Festival is one of the country’s largest celebrations of Juneteenth, the day when the enslaved people were told of their freedom nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This popular Denver event attracts 50,000 attendees who want to celebrate Black pride and the end of slavery. The 13th annual Juneteenth Music Festival is held in the Five Points neighborhood from Saturday and Sunday, June 14th and 15th, 2025. This event is chock-full of live music, 200+ merchandise vendors, food stalls, art murals, activities for kids, and even a parade in celebration of Juneteenth.

JUNE 14 – AUGUST 2: Colorado Renaissance Festival – 650 W Perry Park Ave, Larkspur Those with the urge to travel back to the 16th century should make sure to include the Colorado Renaissance Festival in their summer festival lineup. Boasting a massive artisan market, guests can purchase swords, musical instruments, leather and woodwork, jewelry, costumes, flowers, hammocks, toys, perfume, tea, and crowns, to name a few items. Moreover, there will be plenty of entertainment options including acrobats, bands, knife swallowers, fire breathers, comedy acts, live demonstrations, hypnotists, jousting, and storytellers. The king also makes proclamations during the event, which make you really feel like you’ve stepped back in time. It should be mentioned that pets are not allowed at this event. Anyone planning to wear a costume sword or dagger must have it correctly sheathed with a peace tie and present it to the Safety Services Personnel. Outside drinks and beverages are also not permitted. 

JUNE 20-22: Strawberry Days – Glenwood Springs Glenwood Springsrawberry Days is one of the longest-running festivals in Colorado! And they’ll be back once again for their 128th year to celebrate this delicious berry. The festival takes place during the third weekend of June every year in Glenwood Springs. This year’s event is from Friday to Sunday, June 20th to 22nd, 2025. There will be plenty of strawberries at the festival as given by the name and a lot of other activities that will surely be enjoyed by families. From live music, booths, and interactive games to shops, and the Miss Strawberry Days awarding, there’s something for everyone.

JUNE 28 & 29: Denver Pride Fest – Civic Center Park The Denver PrideFest is celebrating its 51st anniversary in the Mile High City this June. Head out to Civic Center Park for this spectacular two-day event to support the LGBTQ community. We kick off the weekend with the Pride 5K on Saturday, June 28, 2025, followed by the iconic two-day Denver PrideFest event at Civic Center Park boasting 250+ exhibitors, 30 food vendors, and captivating live performances. Sunday’s Vizzy Denver Pride Parade flaunts colorful floats, marchers, music, and more, drawing over 120,000 spectators leading up to Civic Center Park, where day two celebrations continue. This year’s gay pride festival occurs on Saturday and Sunday, June 28th to June 29th, 2025. On Saturday it runs from 11am to 7pm and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. On Saturday, the Denver Pride 5k is a popular event beginning at 9:30 am by the Colorado State Capitol Building.