Artists on Santa Fe presents “Conquering the Curve” new artwork by Lisa Calzavara, running May 1 – June 16, 2025, at Artists on Santa Fe. Each painting is created in a slightly different style, yet all are unified by the fundamental concept of the curve, exploring what happens when an obstacle is encountered. How do we react, and what solutions can be discovered? The public is invited to view the show during regular business hours and during the following special events:

• First Friday: May 2, 6 – 9 p.m.

• Artist Reception: Friday, May 16, 6 – 9 p.m.

• Sundays on Santa Fe Art Walk: May 25, 12 – 4 p.m.

Curves, with their inherent fluidity and grace, offer a dynamic energy that breathes life into Calzavara’s paintings. They weave pathways, guiding the viewer’s eye in a dance of movement and rhythm. Each curve is a deliberate stroke that fosters a sense of direction and momentum, inviting engagement and exploration.

Through the integration of curves into her paintings, she strives to create work that resonates with dynamic energy, celebrates the beauty of nature, and evokes a positive emotional response. “Conquering the Curve” is also a guiding philosophy that represents her commitment to embracing the challenges of creativity and transforming them into opportunities for expression.

Calzavara has been creating art professionally for over 20 years. Trained in multiple mediums including oils, acrylics, encaustics and resins, she is able to design a variety of unique artwork. Her series span realism, abstraction, impressionism and surrealism with her most recent pieces focusing on movement and intense colors. For more information visit aprettypainting.com. And follow her on Instagram @fineartbylc or Facebook at Fine Art by LC.

Banner Art: “Emerging Energy” by Lisa Calzavara

Create a one of a kind tumbler using epoxy resin and dried flowers on a stainless steel tumbler. Class will be held in Grace's studio in the Denver Art Society and all materials are included with admission price. Class creations will need to be picked up 1 day or more after class ends. Materials included with registration fee

Kids ages 12-17 can also join the class but it’s not recommended for anyone younger than 12 years old.

Beginner friendly? YES! All skill levels are welcome, we will find a design for everyone. Family friendly? YES! Recommended for children 12 years and older. Please request accessibility needs in advance - email grace@gracenoel.art.

**Don't see a date and time that works for you? Email: Grace@GraceNoel.Art to schedule!**

Dates:
May 1st 6-7:30PM
May 31st 3-7:30PM

Sovereign Bodies Sacred Futures celebrates the rich and diverse history of the fight for LGBTQIA2S+ Liberation. The exhibition features artworks by Queer/Trans Black and Indigenous People of Color (QTBIPOC) artists and allies that envision liberated futures, draw connections between intersectional and global struggles, and honor Queer/Trans ancestors.

By celebrating QTBIPOC narratives of joy and resistance, Sovereign Bodies Sacred Futures offers a powerful counter-narrative to the hateful rhetoric that is fueling the ongoing attack on the rights of Trans, Queer, immigrant, BIPOC and other targeted communities.

The exhibition runs May 2nd - June 28th. Join us in celebrating the joy and resilience of QTBIPOC artists and communities at the exhibition celebration on June 6th during First Friday. The closing reception on June 28th from 5-8pm will feature a blessing of the space, performers and open mic.

Opening Night: Friday, May 2nd 5-9PM

Let's play with paint pouring!! Create x2 paintings using paint pouring techniques: the dirty pour and the tree ring pour. Join artist Grace Noel at La Alma/Lincoln Park Apr-Aug 2025, *all other dates and bad weather alternate location is in Grace's studio. Materials included with sign up fee!

Beginner friendly? YES! All skill levels are welcome, we will find a design for everyone. Family friendly? YES! Recommended for children 14 years and older. Risk of injury from carving tools, they are sharp! Please request accessibility needs in advance - email grace@gracenoel.art.

**Don't see a date and time that works for you? Email: Grace@GraceNoel.Art to schedule!**

Dates:
May 8th 11AM-12PM
May 15th 6-7PM
May 16th 11AM-12PM
May 29th 6-7PM
May 30th 6-7PM

Artist Ketty Devieux is proud to present a solo exhibition of new works, May 8 – June 1, 2025, at D’Art Gallery, 900 Santa Fe Dr. The show, entitled “Dissonances" features intuitive abstract paintings on unprimed cotton, canvas, and watercolor paper that reflect the feelings of disconnect and discord as we experience an ongoing cultural shift and the desire to turn back toward unity and community.

The public is invited to an Opening Reception on May 8, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. with an additional reception on May 16, 5 – 8 p.m. during the Third Friday Art Walk on Santa Fe Drive. The show is also on view during regular gallery hours, Thursdays 12 – 5 p.m., Fridays 12 – 9 p.m., Saturdays 12 – 5 p.m. and Sundays 11 – 4 p.m.

Dissonance is ever present in our lives, and while it carries disharmonious and unpleasant characteristics, it is inherent to the nature of things and not necessarily a bad thing. We, as humans, are as fragmented as the world we live in. Dissonance is our social environment is marked by what Merriam Webster Dictionary describes as “a lack of agreement between the truth and what people want to believe.” Or as Psychology defines it, “the state of discomfort felt when two or more modes of thought contradict each other.” But is also found in the tension created by discordant elements of music and visual art.

The works in this collection, while seemingly made of disparate elements, find a coherence in the strong lines extensively used as anchors that connect what is disconnected, dislocated and disassociated.

Banner Image: Ketty Devieux, “Memory of Year 2020-2021-2022.” Ink, gouache, acrylic on watercolor paper; 23 x 30.

In "Luminescence," the transformative properties of encaustic and cold wax techniques emerge as a vehicle for Lois Lupica and Dagmar Nickerson to explore the elusive nature of light. This collection investigates the delicate interplay between opacity and transparency, where light both penetrates and reflects from multilayered surfaces.

Lupica's encaustic works capture light's journey through translucent beeswax layers, creating a luminous depth impossible to achieve in other mediums. The abstracted imagery investigates the paradox of permanence and impermanence—the way wax's ancient durability contrasts with the ephemeral quality of the effects it creates. The works invite viewers to experience how changing light conditions transforms each piece throughout the day, revealing new depths and subtleties with each viewing.

Adjacent are cold wax compositions offering a different luminosity—more subdued yet equally compelling in their soft, diffused glow that seems to emanate from within the painting itself. Cold wax medium, with its unique matte translucency and dimensional possibilities, allows Lupica to build surfaces that interact with light. By combining the medium with oil paints and incorporating various additives, she creates works with depth and subtle luminescence that shifts as viewing conditions change. Cold wax's distinctive material properties transform ambient light into an active participant in the artwork.

Nickerson, through her abstract encaustic mixed media collages, explores the delicate interplay between destruction and survival. Working with paper she incorporates organic elements such as leaves, flowers, reeds, and seeds - materials intrinsically tied to the earth's cycles. The fire element is integral to her process. Flames scorch and shape the paper, leaving charred edges and intricate designs layered in the wax.

The layers of wax envelope the natural materials, their luminous quality adding depth, translucency and a sense of preservation. The wax not only bonds the elements together but also creates a tactile interplay of light and shadow, inviting the viewer to peer into the layers of meaning within in each piece. Each piece carries the natural beauty of what stands to become lost through climate change, while simultaneously celebrating the resilience and survival instincts of all living things.

Throughout this exhibition, viewers are invited to witness how these ancient and contemporary wax techniques can transform pigment and natural elements into luminous fields that shift with changing light conditions. The works exist in a space between painting and sculpture, where surface texture, dimensional quality, and embedded elements create an experience that changes with both light and perspective. Luminescence celebrates the paradox of wax as both barrier and conduit—trapping light even as it allows its passage—creating works that hover between revelation and concealment, inviting contemplation beyond what is immediately visible.

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Banner Image by Lois Lupica

Create your own beach scene on an 11" charcuterie board using epoxy resin with artist Grace Noel in her studio! In this art class, we will create a beautiful beach scene on a charcuterie board that can be used in everyday life and special occasions. Plus you get to say "I made it!" when admirers inquire.

Materials are included with ticket price!

*Please note that due to dry times, you will need to come back the next day to pick up your creation

Beginner friendly? YES! All skill levels are welcome, we will find a design for everyone. Family friendly? YES! Recommended for children 12 years and older. Please request accessibility needs in advance - email grace@gracenoel.art.

**Don't see a date and time that works for you? Email: Grace@GraceNoel.Art to schedule!**

Dates:
May 16th 6-7:30PM
May 17th 3-4:30PM
May 30th 11AM-12:30PM

To immerse is to surrender: to step beyond the surface and enter something deeper, fuller, and more complete. Immersion brings together a group of artists whose works invite viewers into layered sensory, emotional, and psychological spaces.

Through a diverse range of mediums from fluid abstraction to photography, multimedia painting, and contemporary landscapes, this exhibition explores what it means to dissolve boundaries: between self and environment, body and memory, perception and experience. Each piece offers a portal; a moment of disorientation, connection, or stillness.

Every five years, the Center for Visual Art invites MSU Denver alumni to submit their artwork for consideration and inclusion in an alumni exhibition. Reconnect 2025: MSU Denver Alumni Exhibition is on view May 23 – August 2, 2025.

Opening Reception: Friday, May 23rd 6-10PM

This juried exhibition showcases the creative range of alumni both near and far and includes work across all media. Juried by Rory Padeken, Vicki and Kent Logan Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Denver Art Museum, the exhibition highlights the far-reaching talents of MSU Denver’s creative graduates. Featuring the work of 30 artists with graduation years ranging from 1973-2024, Reconnect celebrates the creative journeys and artistic achievements of the artists, fostering a meaningful connection between former students and the current MSU Denver community.

The Center for Visual Art (CVA) is the off-campus art center for MSU Denver, showcasing contemporary artists whose work sparks dialogue and creates pathways to change. CVA offers free admission to its exhibitions for everyone.

Banner Art by Jeane Michelle Warner Greene

Contemporary art is an ever-evolving conversation that transcends time, identity, and material. Current MSU Denver art students are woven into this dialogue, navigating the intersection of student and emerging artist. The work in this exhibition captures this moment of transition through an exploration of media as an evolving practice.

Presented in the 965 Project Gallery at the Center for Visual Art, Materializing Change was curated by MSU Denver students Bridget Ebert and Alyssa Williams.

Banner Art by Sadie Hughes

Create with Grace continues with the Flower Coaster Creation Class! For 2 hours, artist Grace Noel will help each student create their own personalized x2 coasters using dried flowers and epoxy resin in silicone molds. Join artist Grace Noel in her studio in Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe at the Denver Art Society.

All Materials are included with sign up fee

Creations are available for pick up 24-72 hours after class.

Beginner friendly? YES! All skill levels are welcome, we will find a design for everyone. Family friendly? YES! Recommended for children 12 years and older. Please request accessibility needs in advance - email grace@gracenoel.art.

Don't see a date and/or time that works for you? Email Grace at Grace@GraceNoel.Art to schedule!**

Dates:
May 24th 4-6PM
May 31st 11AM-1PM

Niza Knoll Gallery presents “Not Another Black Art Show”, curated by Tyree Jones-Evans, on view May 30 – June 29, 2025, at 915 Santa Fe Drive. The show aims to create a space that abandons imposed meanings behind black art and embraces nuance within the work. Local artists Johnny Draco, Joseph Graves, Jazz Holmes, Tyree Jones-Evans, Angel Tirado and Devin Urioste will showcase sincere work to isolate themselves from racial expectations and show that their narratives lie far beyond what one month or one day could ever acknowledge. The public is invited to an Artist Reception on Saturday, June 7, 6 – 9 p.m., and to join the discussion during an Artist Panel on Friday, June 20, 1 – 4 p.m.

“Blackness and black history are inescapable lenses for black artists; this show makes no effort to deny those truths.” explains Jones-Evans, “The show does, however, decentralize expectational ‘black’ themes and emphasizes that said themes do not need to be included in the work for them to exist in the work. Nor do they need to be included for the work to be important. In acknowledging so, the superficial take that reduces artists to two-dimensional figures is eliminated, setting free the richness of invention, narration, and culture that lives within the artist. ‘Not Another Black Art Show’ thrives in miscellany, which silences the monolithic experience.”

The panel discussion will focus on the multifacetedness of black art. Artists will talk about how their black experience influences their practice, and how they navigate an industry that will always fail at keeping them in boxes.

Niza Knoll Gallery, located in Denver’s popular Art District on Santa Fe, specializes in intriguing conceptual exhibits featuring work by local and regional artists as well as private concerts, guest speakers and workshops. Regular gallery hours are Thursday – Sunday, 1 – 4 p.m., except for First Friday, 5 ¬¬– 9 p.m., and Third Friday, 5 ¬– 8 p.m. and Noon ¬– 3 p.m. during the Sundays on Santa Fe Art Walk which takes place on the final Sunday of each month.

Visit www.nizaknollgallery.com to view and purchase works online and for the most up-to-date calendar of events.

Banner Image : Joseph Graves “The Wildflower Between Us”

Step into a world of wonder and excitement with Novo Ita, the latest and 4th installment of Spectra Art Space's AWARD-WINNING, immersive experiences.

On this self-guided adventure, marvel at the botanical wonders and spectacular art installations as you uncover the story of Novo Ita through interactive puzzles, augmented reality and tactile exploration.

Created by local artists and makers, this all-ages experience is perfect for families & friends seeking a unique and unforgettable adventure!

Dwelling in Possibilities features an eclectic blend of ceramic sculptures, paintings, and mixed media works by four artists who reflect on how they make sense of the world through the creative process. Utilizing diverse approaches, the work invites us to consider possibilities that emerge when navigating the in-between spaces and tenuous boundaries between order and chaos.

The exhibit spans everything from geometric shapes to organic textures, where each artist engages with the idea that even the most seemingly unrelated parts, whether physical or conceptual, can converge to form something greater than the sum of their individual components. Step into this space where parts, pieces, and patterns come together in an ongoing dance of possibility.

The show features artists Laura Brenton, Katelyn Odenheimer, Emily Oldak, and Vicky Smith.

Opening Reception: Friday, June 13 6-9PM

Banner Image: Laura Brenton, “How Does Your Garden Grow?” 48 x 48.

Waves of Hope: Whispers from the Deep is a collaborative and immersive art exhibition experience at D’art Gallery, at 9th and Santa Fe Dr. in the heart of the Arts District on Santa Fe, that showcases the splendor of the oceans, the challenges our oceanic ecosystems face, and solutions that can make a positive difference locally and globally. The exhibition runs June 19 – July 13, 2025, with an opening reception Friday June 20, 6-9pm. Additional events are scheduled, and all are free and open to the public.

This ocean-centric exhibition, Waves of Hope: Whispers From The Deep, is born from a heartfelt desire to raise awareness about the meaningful ways we can help the health of our oceans from here in Colorado. Even when we live a thousand miles away from the oceans, our daily decisions can have a positive impact on the oceans. 

Colorado is the headwaters for seven major rivers that flow into the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. How we live our lives can have a positive or negative impact on the water quality of these rivers that feed into the ocean providing nutrients and oxygen to the myriad of ocean life forms that inhabit these waters.

“Our actions over the next 10 years will determine the state of the ocean for the next 10,000 years.” – Sylvia Earl

The curator of this exhibition, Natalie Becker says, “It’s not just a collection of my own personal artwork. It is a joining together of over 20 talented Colorado artists that are providing their own visual statements about the Ocean.” 

Participating artists include: Chris Alvarez, Lyn Becker, Natalie Becker, Tamara Brody, Alisha Brown, Deborah Carlson, Elizabeth Carter, Daniella Chace, Susan Dallam, Denise Duker, Pamela Ferris-Olson, Elizabeth Fluharty, Terri Grady, Felicia Kutina, Joanne Lavender, Carrie Makenna, Chuck Mardosz, Laszlo Palos, Jenna Rose, Terri Sanchez, Iveth Schwebke, Gillian Scoville, Karen Storm, Phoung Ta, Trevor Thomas, Janeal Tyler, Paul Warmus, Jessica Wheeler

Location:
D’art Gallery 360 and Gallery West (Immersive Space)
900 Santa Fe Drive Denver, Colorado 80204

Exhibition Run: June 19 – July 13, 2025
Open Thursday-Sunday

Regular Hours:
Thursdays Noon-5 p.m.
Fridays Noon-9 p.m.
Saturdays Noon- 5 p.m.
Sundays 11 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Special Exhibition Events:
June 20 6:00-8:00 p.m. Opening Reception, Live body painting: Jessica Wheeler, Live entertainment: Elizabeth Fluharty
June 21 6:30-8:30 p.m. Poetry and Movie Showing
June 29 1:00-3:00 p.m. Sundays on Santa Fe, Live entertainment: Elizabeth Fluharty
July 4 6:00-9:00 p.m. First Friday Reception
July 13 1:00-3:00 p.m. Closing Reception

In "Natural Perspectives," artists Sandy Marvin and Nathan Dominik present interpretations of natural elements through their distinctive artistic approaches. Both artists draw inspiration from natural forms, translating them into abstracted two- and three-dimensional compositions.

Sandy Marvin creates mixed-media works primarily utilizing pastel techniques. Her paintings offer thoughtful studies of still-life compositions and natural landscapes, ranging from intimate examinations of specific elements to more expansive environmental views.

Nathan Dominik's three-dimensional sculptures feature detailed representations of botanical subjects and natural landscapes. His collection includes both figurative pieces and more abstract interpretations that maintain recognizable connections to the natural world. Several of his wall-mounted works offer varying interpretations depending on the viewer's perspective.

Banner Image: Sandy Marvin, “Golden Hour”