recap 1/3/09 -- Keeping It Local

There's something about the new year that makes me itchy to get out of the house for some non-Christmas activities. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. We decorate our house, pull out our substantial CD & DVD collection, decorate sugar cookies -- I even sang at Midnight Mass at our local church. I love Christmas. But just as the lifestyle industry can't wait to dispense with holiday recipes and "sparkling decorating tips" and start talking about diets, gym memberships, and comforting one-pot meals at the stroke of Jan. 1st, I similarly am eager to stretch out beyond Rankin-Bass specials and and innumerable versions of "The Christmas Song" for my cultural fix as New Year's approaches. And so, on Saturday, January 3, I organized my itinerary, loaded my car up with items appropriate to my different stops, and bade the guitarhero "see ya' later" shortly before noon.

My first stop was Samadhi Yoga for a prenatal yoga class, my first. While Samadhi is not a budget-friendly location ($17/drop-in class), it was paid for out of Christmas money I received for that specific purpose so it didn't feel so much like money out of my pocket. I hadn't attended a class in, oh, a very long time and my home practice has been negligible, so the class was still challenging despite not being ass-kicking. A couple of times when Warrior pose got uncomfortable and I found myself looking forward to moving out of it, I thought, "Dude, you might as well get used to discomfort and then some." Find ease in the pose, indeed.

From Samadhi, I went down to Twist & Shout on Colfax to sell some CDs. While I haven't gone into full-on nesting mode, I have started to de-clutter where posible and get together enough inventory to warrant holding a garage sale in the spring. But in the meantime, I hoped that Twist & Shout might be interested in some of the CDs that no longer interest me. They didn't take all of them (what? no love for Dionne Farris?) but I got enough back in cash to finance the rest of my afternoon. Next stop was the Tattered Cover next door to buy a new calendar for the kitchen -- we tend toward nature scenes, so I opted for one featuring pictures of the Colorado landscape taken by a well-known local photographer.

I don't think I had a very substantial breakfast that morning, so by 3:00 p.m. or so I was starving. Well, let's be honest, I was hungry during yoga class. (I'm hungry as I write this, having just eaten. I was hungry at 4:00 this morning. I. Am. Hungry.) It was the perfect opportunity to give the SAME Cafe a try. I first heard about the Cafe a few months ago on NPR's The Splendid Table and had added it to the list of things to do. SAME stands for So All May Eat, and is strategically located on East Colfax, probably the area of Denver most similar to Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood for its mix of clubs, bars, and shops peopled by young hipsters, transients, and everyone in between. The founders believe strongly that everyone has a right and should have access to healthy food regardless of their means. They aim to use organic and locally sourced ingredients whenever possible; portions are small but you may have as many servings as you like; and you pay what you can by slipping cash into a little envelope and putting it in the donation box when you're finished. If you can't pay you may volunteer for an hour or so, but I can't imagine that they'd refuse food to anyone for any reason. It all seems too good and idealistic to succeed, like the Amsterdam White Bicycle program back in the 1960s. I sincerely hope SAME Cafe doesn't suffer the same fate, but the owners claim to come out even at the end of each day, so perhaps there's hope after all.

The cold, damp weather made the Cafe particularly welcoming that day. I got myself a glass of iced tea and ordered up a cup of butternut squash soup, spinach and pear salad, and vegetarian pizza. I didn't linger over my lunch too long as I still had a couple stops left on my schedule, but I savored every bite of the homey and tasty meal, topped off by a frosted sugar cookie for dessert. As I noted above, I Am Hungry most of the time and probably could have eaten more, but since my cash was limited and I didn't want to be a complete mooch, I thought it best to quit before I was stuffed. So I moved along.

With barely 90 minutes to spare before closing time, I headed over to the Denver Art Museum for Free First Saturday admission. Because the parking garage was charging a flat rate higher than my cash on hand, I sought out meter-free parking a few blocks away -- it made me wish I'd known that in advance so I could have eaten more at the Cafe. Once inside the museum I headed straight for the temporary exhibits, of which I saw four. The disadvantage of having planned such a busy day meant that I felt rushed to consume as much art as possible -- to get the most bang for my non-existent buck if you will. The first exhibit I visited, The Art of Ernest l. Blumenschein , was the largest and would have benefitted from a more leisurely pace. I also apparently picked the wrong side of the room to start viewing the collection and ended up seeing the 66 works in reverse chronological order. I was immediately engaged in a short conversation with a woman who seemed eager to talk about what she'd just seen -- I think she compared Blumenschein to Thomas Hart Benton and also gave me a short history of artists' pigments. (Whether it was a function of the free admission, the cold and overcast day, or the late hour, the entire museum was packed. Conversations, intentional or overheard, were inevitable.) The enormous contemporary paintings by Daniel Richter left me relying a bit too much on the curator's descriptions to inform my own reactions to the work -- perhaps I could have understood it better had I seen it back in high school when I was still studying art history, but I'm not as smart now as I was then. The small gallery hosting a handful of abstract expressionist works by Clyfford Still functioned mainly as a teaser for the Still Museum set to open next year. And last but certainly not least, I caught the Houdon sculpture exhibit the day before it closed. The familiar medium of realistic, Enlightenment-era sculptures of mythological and towering historical figures, such as Voltaire and Washington, made this the most accessible collection for my harried mindset. I probably should have gone to the February First Saturday if only to give the Blumenschein another shot before it closed.

My very last stop was decidedly unlocal and non-cultural, but a co-worker had given me a Kohl's $10 coupon and I was in dire need of another pair of maternity pants (which are not as comfortable as you might think but are better than trying to wear your regular jeans with the help of a rubber band holding them closed). Luckily there was a nice pair of cords that fit well and were on sale to boot. Not a thrilling end to an otherwise varied and busy day, but considering that free time as I've known it will soon be a thing of the past, I have absolutely no complaints.

Jan. 2-3 "First Weekend" Art Galleries & Museums

Just because I've taken a long break from tracking this stuff doesn't mean that much has changed. There are still plenty of arts to see this coming First Friday and First Saturday to ring in the New Year!

First Friday Art Walk @ RiNo

First Friday Art Walk @ Santa Fe Arts District

Free First Saturday @ Denver Art Museum

Penny Saturday @ Museum of Contemporary Art Denver

June 1 Art Walk @ RiNo

The RiNo Arts District is billing the June First Friday as an evening in rino , featuring quite a few opening receptions. The weather should be great, so why not get out for a walk?

March 2-3 Free Days @ Denver museums, galleries

The first weekend of the month belongs to the fine arts in this town. Here's what's doing this Friday and Saturday, March 2-3:

1) The Art District on Santa Fe gets things started with its First Friday Art Walk, which includes numerous galleries and a couple of museums, too.

2) The RiNo Art District also has First Friday events happening on March 2.

3) The Denver Art Museum's Free First Saturday on March 3 is open to all Colorado residents with proof of residency. Tickets are needed.

4) The Museo de las Américas has Family Free Days (sponsored by Target) on the first Saturday of the month. From 12 to 4 pm, there are free interactive workshops for children and teens, plus free tours and santos demonstrations. Also note that the Museo participates in the Santa Fe Arts District Art Walk, offering free admission to all on the first Friday evening of each month.

5) For just a penny, you can get in to the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver on the first Saturday of the month. This will be your last chance to catch internationally renowned artist Erwin Redl's site-specific installation, as the exhibit closes on March 11.

Feb. 13 Lecture on Horace Pippin @ SPARK Gallery

Lawrence Allen lectures on the life of folk artist Horace Pippin at 7:00 p.m.

http://www.sparkgallery.com/

UPDATE: This event has been postponed according to the SPARK Gallery website.

Feb. 10 Christopher Morris @ BMoCA

On Saturday, February 10 at 3:00 p.m., photographer and exhibiting artist Christopher Morris will be participating in a free artist salon at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.

Feb. 3 One Penny Day @ MCA Denver

And as if to prove that the first weekend of the month belongs to the fine arts community, this Saturday, February 3, is an almost-free day at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver -- admission for non-members is one penny. (On the MCAD website, go to Visitor Information and then Admission.)

Feb. 3 Free First Saturday @ Denver Art Museum

Saturday, February 3 is an SCFD-funded day of free admission to the Denver Art Museum.

Feb. 2 First Friday @ RiNo

This Friday, February 2, is also a First Friday 'happening' at select RiNo (River North) galleries starting at 6:00 p.m.

Feb. 2 First Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe

This Friday, Feb. 2, is the monthly 1st Friday Art Walk at the Art District on Santa Fe from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. It'll be cold, but there's a (free) shuttle from the Osage Light Rail station.

Jan.26-27 RiNo Art District Tour

I heard about this for the first time on KCUV as I was pulling into my office parking lot this morning. The River North area has declared itself an arts district, and this weekend marks its first anniversary. The birthday party starts on Friday night with gallery tours, and continues into Saturday with tours, free shuttles, an iron pour demonstration, a raffle, and... well, perhaps you should just check the website for full details.

This is just one more option for what's shaping up to be a full weekend for the cash-strapped who simply want a little cul-tcha in their lives. More to come...

Jan. 26 Winter Closing Party @ BMOCA

I've passed the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art quite a few times as it's right next door to the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, one of my favorite local places and a required stop on the tour for out-of-town visitors. I've never gone in, though, because of time and money constraints. It seems that this Friday would be a great chance to check it out -- maybe I can persuade the guitarhero (aka the husband) to come along.

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
Winter Exhibit Closing Party
Friday, Jan. 26 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Free

One last chance to view Jimi Billingsley's photographs, Terry Maker's wallsculptures and DJRABBI's video installation.

The evening will feature a live VJ performance by DJRABBI, food and drinks.

Jan. 12 Expressions of Freedom & Justice: MLK @ the Dairy Center

Expressions of Freedom and Justice: MLK
Presented by: The Dairy Center for the Arts

The Dairy Community Celebration featuring live music with the Flobots , spoken word open mic, and a performance by the 2006 National Slam competition winners, The Denver Slam Team. Special invitation extended to aspiring youth spoken-word artists! Refreshments provided for your enjoyment and CD's and other items for sale.

The Polly Addison Exhibition Space showcases: Expressions of Freedom and Justice.
by Curators: Isolde Hathaway & Charlotte LaSasso
This is a juried show featuring local artists that celebrates the life and beliefs of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. In The MacMillan Family Lobby and The Performance Space
FREE
Info: 303.543.0402