About a 20-minute drive from DU’s campus lies the 40 West Arts District, a creative area in Lakewood chock-full of art galleries, exhibitions and events. The district spreads across West Colfax Avenue, so you can visit as little or many galleries as you like. You will know you have arrived when you spot buildings shrouded in colorful murals that house and support various eclectic art styles.
“We pride ourselves on being a really accessible arts district,” said Liz Black, executive director of the 40 West Arts District. “We are equally as friendly to a brand-new artist as we are to an artist who is very far along in their career. We are encouraging of all different types of art, methods and modalities.”
The district is home to 180 plus creative enterprises, as well as a four-mile walkable art experience known as the 40 West ArtLine. The district feels like a colorful fever dream of paintings, jewelry, sculptures, handmade masks and video art from over 200 contributors. Not interested in visual art? The district also offers live performances at Benchmark Theatre and includes Casa Bonita, a national top-ten roadside destination for entertainment and food.
The 40 West Arts District prides itself on its location in West Colfax, historic to Denver and to the state of Colorado as a whole. It was the main thoroughfare that gold miners used as far back as the 1860s to dig for gold. However, the region fell into a period of decline for more than 30 years when the 1-70 highway was built, which rerouted traffic away from West Colfax Avenue.
It killed the presence of visitors, leading to shuttered storefronts and a lack of new businesses and housing. But out of this period of decay rose the 40 West Arts District, a plan that successfully rejuvenated businesses and supported the community.
“We see our arts district as having a presence supporting artists and creatives as well as the historical and cultural roots of metro Denver and Colorado as a whole. We work in the poorest neighborhood of Lakewood, and one of the poorest areas in metro Denver. As a result, all of our programs are free of charge, and we help to create a sense of physical landscape for neighborhoods that can be underrepresented and underutilized,” said Black.
If you are looking for entertainment and art in a culturally rich pocket of Denver, visit West Colfax Avenue from 6 to 10 p.m. on Friday nights. Check the 40 West Arts District website for more event locations and times. Explore captivating pieces, and enjoy some of the free snacks spread throughout the galleries. It will be an experience you will not regret.
