Denver Arts Week serves a cultural menu of events

November 5, 2014

The eighth annual Denver Arts Week – the largest and most diverse celebration of the arts in the Rocky Mountain region – returns to the Mile High City from Nov. 7-15 with more than 300 scheduled events – many free or at greatly reduced rates.

The nine-day festival is filled with activities devoted to visual arts, theater, music, film, museums, dance, opera, history and heritage.

“Denver Arts Week was created to celebrate Denver’s arts scene to the three million people in the metro area and throughout Colorado and the Rocky Mountain West,” said Richard Scharf, president and CEO of Visit Denver, the organization that stages the event.  “To promote Denver Arts Week and all of the amazing arts and culture opportunities in the city, we have a fully integrated marketing campaign with television, print and web advertising, street banners, a special brochure listing all the events, posters and a variety of social media promotions.”

All of the campaign efforts drive traffic to the www.DenverArtsWeek.com website, where people can find information on all the events taking place as well as dozens of Denver Arts Week deals.

Some of the Denver Arts Week 2014 highlights include:

Know Your Arts First Friday on Friday

Denver Arts Week kicks off with a citywide First Friday street party where more than 100 art galleries in seven neighborhoods will stay open late, offering live music, art demonstrations, food truck roundups and a chance to interact with artists.

  • Neighborhoods include the Art District on Santa Fe, Belmar Block 7, Golden Triangle Museum District, Navajo Street Arts District, Tennyson Street Cultural District, RiNo (River North Art District) and  40 West Art District.
  • Many galleries will offer artwork for the special mile high price of $52.80.

Night at The Museums on Saturday

Denver Arts Week’s most popular event is back with 24 museums, all of them staying open for free from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday

Denver First Lady Mary Louise Lee is the honorary chair of the event and said, “Night at the Museum is a concept that originated in France and has now spread across Europe, and I believe Denver is one of only a few cities in America that have taken this up.  Not only will the museums be free from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on a Saturday night, but many of them are offering special programs, including music, dance and tours.  In our time crunched world, this is a great opportunity for a family outing on a Saturday night.  Or it’s a great date night.  Or a time for neighbors to get out, have dinner together and go museum-hopping.”

Even better for families, there are free shuttle buses to carry people from one museum to another, making it possible for families to museum-hop to some of the city’s top cultural attractions.

  • Many of the museums will offer special programs, family-friendly activities and live entertainment.
  • All 24 museums will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. for free. Shuttle buses will stop at or near museums beginning at 5 p.m. from the Denver Art Museum (parking available in the Cultural Complex Garage) and also from a shuttle stop between the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and Denver Zoo.
  • Museums on the four shuttle routes include: Black American West Museum; Byers-Evans House Museum, The CELL, Children’s Museum of Denver, Clyfford Still Museum, Denver Art Museum, Denver Firefighters Museum, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Forney Museum of Transportation, History Colorado Center, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, Molly Brown House Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art-Denver. Visit www.DenverArtsWeek.com for the full list and shuttle route.
  • Also participating, but not on the shuttle route, are: American Mountaineering Museum, Astor House Museum, Clear Creek History Park, Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, Dinosaur Ridge, Four Mile Historic Park, Golden History Center, Mizel Museum, Museum of Outdoor Art, National Ballpark Museum and the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.

 Starz Denver Film Festival, Nov. 12-23

Walk the red carpet during this cinephile’s paradise, featuring film premieres, seminars with nationally-acclaimed actors and directors, and hundreds of independent film screenings and red carpet events. Films will be shown at the Denver Pavilions, on the 16th Street Mall in the heart of downtown Denver, the SIE FilmCenter on East Colfax and at the Denver Performing Arts Complex in the city’s theatre district.

 Art Denver, Nov. 14-17

This year’s Denver Arts Week will culminate with an all-new indoor fine arts experience  inside the Colorado Convention Center, produced by the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Renowned national visual artists and fashion designers will present one-of-a-kind and handcrafted works for sale, exhibition, inspiration and entertainment.

Denver’s On Stage, Friday through Nov. 15

Denver’s performing arts world struts its stuff all week long during Denver’s On Stage, featuring special deals and discounts for theater, dance, music and more. From discounts to a full day of free dance performances and lessons on Saturday, there are dozens of performing arts specials throughout the week. Some of the performances include:

* Chance to Dance on Saturday. The McNichols Building in Civic Center Park will become a place for all things dance during Denver Arts Week. Take the opportunity to participate in free dance workshops and classes. View free performances from Denver’s best dance companies all day long, and when you’re ready, take the stage for your very own Chance to Dance performance.

* Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum, Nov. 10-13

Enjoy a free full cast rehearsal of the 23rd Season of Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum, a Denver original celebrating and honoring holiday traditions gathered from cultures around the globe. The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble has been blending dance, live music, spoken word and holiday celebrations from around the world into a memorable holiday tradition.

A Symphonic Tribute to Comic Con v2.0 on Nov. 15

The mile high price of $52.80 gets you a pair of tickets to A Symphonic Tribute to Comic Con v2.0 with the Colorado Symphony. Experience an evening of Colorado Symphony’s Symphonic Tribute to Comic Con returning with an upgrade to v2.0. This performance will explore new works from your favorite movies, television shows and video games.

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