Colorado Arts

Communities across the Front Range are recognizing Black History Month with everything from a special musical performance to a youth storytelling event.

A new art exhibit of NFTs created by Colorado artists and collaborators opened this week at the Colorado State Capitol building.

The annual RedLine Reach Core Artist exhibition opens in Denver Friday evening. This year’s exhibit is titled Beyond the Horizon. It encompasses a year of work from RedLine’s Reach Core Artists.

The Museum of Art Fort Collins is hosting Colorado-based artists Sean O’Meallie and Anne Bossert at their new exhibits opening Friday. The show sees them at their most whimsical, with wood-carved balloons, striped spires and sculpted coronavirus molecules.

Denver drag queen Diamond Starr is helping run a series of classes for young queens to learn the ins and outs of drag. Their classes on wig maintenance, makeup, performance and sewing are being held at the Factory Fashion art hub in Denver this month.

Today on Colorado Edition, we learn how public schools in the Greeley-Evans district are grappling with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And we learn about a new collective that seeks to make entertainment events safer and more uplifting.

Earlier this week, 49-year-old Colorado photographer Soren McCarty died of colon cancer. Renowned for his concert photography, McCarty and his camera were a fixture for decades at area music venues, especially Red Rocks. During his last week, McCarty asked friend and fellow music photographer Lisa Siciliano to turn the lens on him, showcasing a raw and unflinching look at the reality of cancer.

Since 1974, Casa Bonita has combined dining, décor and cliff diving for a one-of-a-kind experience both celebrated and parodied throughout pop culture. But for the past year, the iconic Lakewood venue has been shuttered due to the pandemic. One thing that has continued: an annual art exhibition put on by NEXT Gallery and Casa Bonita aficionado Andrew Novick.

The day Stephen Brackett was to be announced as Colorado’s new Music Ambassador back in March, the state’s stay-at-home order went into effect, and the event was postponed. On Thursday, the Flobots emcee was finally, formally, named to the role.

Two new reports estimate that Colorado’s creative industries have shed almost 30,000 jobs between April and July of 2020, along with more than $1.4 billion in sales revenue due to the COVID-19 crisis.