Culture in the City: An Autumn of Art in Denver, Colorado

This season welcomes the return of beloved annual events, new attractions and exciting exhibitions

News provided by

VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau

Oct 07, 2021, 08:00 ET

DENVER, Oct. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- After a year of mostly virtual arts and culture experiences, Denver is once again ready to showcase what makes it the cultural capital of the Rocky Mountain region. This fall, The Mile High City will celebrate the return of several exciting cultural events – including performing arts and annual festivals – as well as new attractions, blockbuster exhibitions and more.

Below are several cultural events and openings taking place this fall. For more events and hotel deals, go to the VISIT DENVER website.

Denver, CO is showcasing what makes it the cultural capital of the Rocky Mountain region this fall with the return of several exciting cultural events, new attractions, blockbuster exhibitions and more. Pictured: Denver's Clyfford Still Museum, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this November. (Courtesy of Visit Denver)

Annual Events
Fan Expo Denver: SPECIAL EDITION, October 29-31
Fan Expo Denver is the ultimate playground for fans of comics, sci-fi, horror, anime and gaming, with three days of citywide events, workshops, family-friendly attractions and celebrity appearances. This year, tickets to the event will be limited; but the event will still feature everything enthusiasts have come to expect. A stellar guest list includes Giancarlo Esposito, William Shatner and Hayden Panettiere and more all scheduled to appear.

Denver Film Festival, November 3-14
After a very successful virtual adaptation in 2020, the Denver Film Festival – the largest film festival in the region – returns to in-person events for its 44th year. This year will include in-person events like Red Carpet premieres, events & screenings at the Sie FilmCenter and satellite locations, interactive goings on, filmmaker conversations, and more! Part of the program + bonus features will also be available to stream on demand on our Virtual Cinema platform.

Denver Arts Week, November 5-13
After scaling down to a weekend of mostly virtual events in 2020, Denver Arts Week returns this year in full force. The beloved annual celebration of the city's vibrant arts and culture scene will once again feature hundreds of events around the metro area for a full nine days, including the signature First Friday Art Walks in Denver's top arts districts and neighborhoods on November 5, and Free Night at the Museums on November 6. Throughout the week, people will be able to explore the city's vibrant art districts, check out museum exhibitions and outdoor art, indulge in live performances, take in film and literary events and purchase art from local artists.

In-Person Theater Returns to Denver, November 2021
Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) recently announced the return of the Broadway, Theatre Company, Cabaret, and Off-Center seasons featuring 30 shows, which kicks off in November with the Theatre Company's A Christmas Carol in the newly renovated Wolf Theatre. Broadway shows will also return, starting with Disney's The Lion King, which will premiere in December 2021.

New & Noteworthy at Denver's Cultural Attractions
Meow Wolf Denver: Convergence Station
Meow Wolf, the artist collective known for its immersive and interactive experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration, opened its permanent installation in Denver in early fall 2021. The Denver venue, dubbed Convergence Station and described by CNN as an "otherworldly escape," features the work of 300 creatives, 110 of whom are Colorado-based, throughout more than 70 unique installations on four floors of colorful rooms, as well as a 450-person capacity music venue, café and retail space.

Denver Art Museum's Reimagined Campus
The Denver Art Museum's renovated and unified campus will reopen to the public on October 24, 2021. New and revitalized spaces include the Lanny & Sharon Martin Building (previously the North Building), the new Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center, eight levels of art galleries and programming space, as well as new outdoor public spaces. The campus will feature expanded guest services, new dining options helmed by renowned local chef Jennifer Jasinski, programming and events spaces.

Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France, November 14, 2021 – March 13, 2022
Denver Art Museum's fall blockbuster exhibition, Whistler to Cassatt: American Painters in France, features more than 100 paintings made between 1855 and 1913 in the first comprehensive examination of France's stylistic impact on American painting of the period. From academic training in Paris to exploration of the countryside landscape, Whistler to Cassatt reveals both the visual and conceptual influences of France on American painters in the 19th and early 20th century. The significant artistic contributions of James Abbott McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt also take the stage in the exhibition's narrative. These artists were known to be part of the first wave of Americans to cross the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, and to Paris—then considered the center of the art world. Each contributed to the rich complexity of American painting, which was in close dialogue with their French contemporaries during this period.

A Decade of Discovery: Clyfford Still in Denver, October 15, 2021 – March 6, 2022
Clyfford Still is considered the father of abstract expressionism; and in November 2011, Denver became home to nearly his entire body of work, and the first and only city with a museum dedicated entirely to his art. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Clyfford Still Museum's grand opening, A Decade of Discovery: Clyfford Still in Denver takes inspiration from the Museum's inaugural exhibition while highlighting some of its most compelling revelations in the time since. Featured surprises include photographs of lost paintings from the 1930s, undocumented and mysterious artworks found during inventory, ways in which the understanding of Still's earliest years and artistic training has expanded and even a few architectural quirks of the building. Various staff, scholarly and community voices are included in the exhibition text to broaden engagement and demonstrate a wide range of perspectives. The exhibition will also kick off a year-long, community-centered presentation of public programs, exhibitions, and partnerships.

History Colorado Center
At History Colorado Center, artifacts, stories and art intermingle to tell the tale of Colorado and the American West. This fall, five new exhibitions and displays bridge the gap between the history of this great state and its impact on the here and now:

Building Denver: Visions of the Capital City explores the many visions for Denver and stories of its growth, urban development and architecture from 1860 to today.

Presented in English and Spanish, Borderlands of Southern Colorado explores the geopolitical history of southern Colorado. Framed by mountains and rivers, the southern part of the state and the people who lived there were impacted when an international border crossed over the area, a time which Borderlands examines through photographs, speaker series and more.

Brick & Soul, an exhibition by local photographer Armando Geneyro, connects the built environment with the various cultures and people who shape its meaning.

Forty Years on the 'Fax takes viewers on a nostalgic ride down "America's Main Street" – Colfax Avenue. From its birth as US Highway 40 in 1926 until I-70 diverted traffic away from it in the '60s, Colfax boomed with hotels and motels, swanky restaurants and drive-ins, and all forms of shopping and entertainment—from amusement parks to nightlife – which this exhibition showcases through original neon signs, menus, photos and more.

About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 112 years of promoting The Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. A total of 17.7 million visitors stayed overnight in Denver in 2019, generating $6 billion in spending, while supporting more than 60,000 jobs, making Tourism one of the largest industries in Denver. Learn more about Denver on the VISITDENVER website and at TOURISMPAYSDENVER or by phone at 800 2 Denver. Denver International Airport (DEN; flydenver.com) connects The Mile High City to more than 200 destinations worldwide. Follow Denver's social media channels for up-to-the-minute updates at: Facebook.com/visitdenver; Twitter.com/visitdenver; Instagram.com/visitdenver; and YouTube.com/visitdenver.