AURORA | It's First Friday, folks. Time to sink deep into some Chicano creativity.
The CHAC Gallery @ 40 West on the other side of Colfax in Lakewood opens Unapologetically Chicano tonight, an immersive art experience celebrating the richness, resilience, and unapologetic pride of Chicano culture.
The opening reception starts at 5 p.m., launching a six-week run of the show.
Curated by Rob and Tammy Yancey, the show is an artistic tribute to Chicano identity that spans generations and styles, from tradition to modern-day expression. "Unapologetically Chicano" centers the voices and experiences of a culture that continues to thrive on its own terms. From traditional and contemporary Chicano art to music, food, and community connection, this exhibit is a celebration of heritage, resistance, and joy.
The Friday reception boasts, the curated gallery, live music, "authentic" food vendors and a special appearance by Los Compas Car Club, rolling through with classic cars. The Good Ol' Time Mobile Bar will be serving up handcrafted spirits.
A new summer pop-up exhibition is opening at Museo de las Americas this month, celebrating hospitality in Latin American culture through the work of 18 Colorado artists.
"Museo es tu Casa / Museo is your Home" will be on view through Sept. 21 at the Denver museum. Organizers say the show is a reflection on hospitality as both a cultural and artistic value, expressed through paintings, sculptures, photography, mixed media and found objects.
The works were selected through an open-call process and showcase the personal journeys of Latinx and Chicanx artists, highlighting themes of food, family, generosity, spirituality and connection to the land.
Featured artists include Alfredo J. Cárdenas, Amanda López, Anthony LeCombe, Frank Zamora, Gabriela Carrión, Jaime Chihuan, Kimberly Nick Gutierrez, Lupita Borjas, Lupita Jimenez, Mariana Pereira Vieira, Martha Saavedra, Maurilio Tapia, Norberto Mojardin, Odalis Canchola, Romelia Carrillo, Rosa Nájera, Ruth Álvarez Luna and Tony Ortega.
The exhibition is located in the Art District on Santa Fe and is one of the cultural organizations featured on the Bloomberg Connects app.
Aspiring mushroom hunters can learn the basics of safe collection and identification in a new class at Denver Botanic Gardens.
The "Beginning Mushroom Identification" course includes two evening lectures and a field trip, where participants will collect and practice identifying mushrooms in their natural environment. Organizers say the field trip location will be chosen the day before to ensure mushrooms are available.
The course will be taught by Ed Lubow, who has been hunting mushrooms since the 1970s and volunteering with the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi at Denver Botanic Gardens since 2008. Recommended reading is "Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountain Region" by Vera Stucky Evenson and Denver Botanic Gardens.
A fusion of art, shopping, food and community are slated for Sept. 6 at Winged Melody Park as part of a free market in the park series.
Participants are invited to explore other pieces in the huge, open-air gallery of large-art installations across the park, including "Broken but Together" by Michael Benisty and "The Only Way Out is Through" by Snyder and Olivia Steele.
"Pack your blankets, lawn chairs, and coolers," organizers say. "Everyone is welcome to bring their own food and drinks, or get treats from nearby food trucks." This week's vendors include: The Progressive Pantry, Hooked by Shan, Korf Kreations, Mamas Money My Treats, La Bloom, Corf Coffee Mobile, StephanieH TupperAdvantage, Snowy Leopard Art, Natural Cottage Pantry, Blizzful Beech, Jordan Crafts Co, Mouna's Boutique.
Place: Winged Melody Park at Highlands Creek, 24495 E 35th Drive in the Aurora Highlands
Anne, an ambitious 18th Century housewife, enters the realm of piracy at the beginning of its very violent end. She runs away on a wanted man's ship, falls in love with more than her fair share of dubious individuals, and learns that pirates who are captured are forced to betray their kind to live or cling to their legends and die. With a sword at hip and adventure at hand, Anne seems poised to claim everything she has ever wanted, so long as she can avoid a watery grave as well as the hangman's noose. But Anne's captain has become the target of a vengeful pirate-turned-hunter. The world whispers around her that those beneath black flags will soon be doomed. And the quiet young man that Anne has desperately (and secretly) fallen for turns out to be no man at all. The Legend of Anne Bonny is a tribute to dark oceanic folklore, queer women's history, and all the seafaring heroes and sinners who, in equal parts, were damned. CONTENT WARNINGS: Some loud sudden sounds; domestic violence; use of fog machine.
Dixie Longate is known for her phenomenal success and hilarious antics in her wildly popular show, "Dixie's Tupperware Party." In her new hit show, Ms. Longate has reviewers cheering and audiences on their feet with nonstop laughter. Put on your cowboy boots and walk into her favorite honky-tonk as Dixie shares lessons learned after a hard night of drinking. What do a jeweled crown, a cardboard cutout of Julie Andrews and a box of moon pies have in common? Spend the night with Dixie and find out as she swaps her Tupperware bowls for a mechanical bull.
Where: Garner Galleria Theatre, DCPA in Denver, 1400 Curtis St.
The Tony Award-winning musical Merrily We Roll Along is set to open Sept. 12 at Vintage Theatre, bringing Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's acclaimed story of friendship, compromise and the cost of success to Aurora audiences. Directed by Bernie Cardell, the show plays through Oct. 19 in the Nickelson Auditorium.
Told in reverse, the musical traces the lives of three friends from adulthood back to their youthful idealism, blending the excitement of a backstage show with a poignant examination of staying true to one's dreams. The production won the 2024 Tony Award for Best Revival.
Venue: Nickelson Auditorium at Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora
Tickets: $39 general admission, $33 seniors, $20 students/children (12 or younger)
Details: 303-856-7830 or VintageTheatre.org
A new documentary and town-hall style discussion on the role of vaccines in public health will take place Sept. 10 at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.
The event, part of the Trust in Science series, will feature the premiere of "The Plea," a film by Neil Halloran that chronicles the eradication of smallpox -- the only human disease eliminated through global cooperation.
Following the screening, Halloran will join doctors and public health officials for a panel discussion on vaccine science, safety and decision-making. Organizers say the event is designed to foster dialogue about trust in science, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conversations around vaccines.
The program is hosted by the Institute for Science & Policy in partnership with the museum and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus's Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Initiative.
Place: Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.