The Santa Fe Art Walk is a romantic event for creatives; Santa Fe Drive, lit with holiday lights, feels like a world within ours where creative minds govern. Walk ten steps in any direction, through a crowded door and you’ll find vibrant, exploding canvases, sculptures of miniature worlds inside of worlds and a total liberty of expression. Santa Fe Art Walk is a place in which, between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., absolutely anything and everything goes.
In a working world, the busy and the bored rarely have the moment to indulge in the creative. A few minutes of gallery exploration reopens the imaginative and infinite wonder of the subconscious. Spanning between 6th and 10th Avenue, the Art Walk proves that Denver is a vibrant, living city teeming with artistic energy.
Street-poet Devon Kingsford drew a crowd around his typewriter stand, fishing singles out of the wallet in exchange for what he calls “impromptu poetry.” Fox News dubbed Kingsford as the “16th Street Mall poet,” as he often sets up shop near the mall to sell his poems and watch the city got by.
Kingsford is one of the many poets to have called Denver his home, but he remains a largely enigmatic entity. If you happen to stumble upon Kingsford in the city, spare a dime and walk away with an inky recordation of the poet’s passing thoughts. The poem may be about the color of your shirt or, perhaps, Kingsfords opinion on life’s abstract and absurd purpose.
The Kanon Collective exhibited “Mattilta’s Enchanted Patchwork Forest,” an installation by local artist Matt Graff. Patches from quilts hung from the ceiling in a colorful canopy. A man and a woman lay nearly naked at the foot of the tree covered by strips of silver metallic paper. According to the artist’s statement, the installation is a materialization of the Garden of Eden, “post fateful bite.”
CHAC Gallery + Cultural Center offered the artworks of the local Latinx and Chicanx community in the Denver area, with both traditional and modern influences. Multiple gallery spaces were brimming with both artists and attendees, talking with one another and enjoying the vibrant artistic atmosphere.
The Denver Art Society featured live music, performances and the artwork of hundreds of local creatives. The building functions as an art studio, a music venue and a gallery, so it’s a great opportunity to see all aspects of the arts, from maker to the made.
Although First Fridays on Santa Fe Drive might be the most vibrant, there are events held on a weekly basis. If you’d like to check out the gallery spaces, attend a painting class or perhaps see a play at Su Teatro, all you have to do is go online to see everything that is offered.
The District itself is run completely by volunteers, and it takes a lot of work, dedication and love to keep events such as First Fridays running smoothly. If you’d like to get involved through volunteering, a meet and greet will be held on Feb. 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Mai Wyn Fine Art gallery.
