60 APRIL 4-10, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | are all artists themselves. From an event described as a “kink extravaganza” show- casing burlesque and pole performances to the Inkwell, an original production that follows a wizard and his apprentice, you never know what the collective will come up with next. Voltaire events can be found all around the city, and its Instagram (@ voltairecollective) shows off some of the fun things in the works. Best Artist Couple Sushe Felix and Tracy Felix felixfi neart.com Artists Sushe and Tracy Felix have been making stunning oil and acrylic paintings for decades, capturing landscapes through their own unique lenses. Both inspired by the West, they illustrate enigmatic moun- tainous scenery in fl at, stylized strokes that give weight to saturated colors. You’ll often fi nd the talented pair showing their work together, and their styles both complement and supplement each other. They don’t just share walls in the galleries; they share a life together, too, in a heartwarming creative collaboration. Best Depiction of Blue Cows Max Coleman maxcolemandesign.com The cows that local artist Max Coleman paints are all blue, with phrases behind them such as, “How can we expect to build a peaceful world by using violence?” His murals and other work can be seen on walls around metro Denver, and they almost al- ways reference animal advocacy in some way. If you’re pro-cow, his series titled The Burden of Cattle, now on display at the Ban- shee House, is a sight to behold. If you can’t make it there, your next best bet for cow art is the Westword offi ce. Best Commercial Comic Book Artist Jorge Corona instagram.com/jorge_cor Comic book artists used to be siloed on the coasts, but one of the gifts of our digital age is that this is no longer true: Jorge Corona, who was born in Venezuela, chose to make his home — and his art — right here in the Mile High. He found success with various Bat-titles for DC Comics, but struck out on his own with his Eisner Award-nominated and critically acclaimed take on Oz in Mid- dlewest as well as a project with co-creator Skottie Young, The Me You Love in the Dark. Corona’s work is wide-ranging, with the ability to be both inspiring and threatening, traditional and experimental. He’s an artis- tic force, and he makes a point of showing up to local stores to give back to his fans. Best New Fiction by a Colorado Author Don’t Fear the Reaper Stephen Graham Jones simonandschuster.com/authors/ Stephen-Graham-Jones Lots of great fi ction was published in 2023, but Stephen Graham Jones’s Don’t Fear the Reaper — the second in his Indian Lake trilogy, which began with My Heart Is a Chainsaw and will fi nish up later this year with The Angel of Indian Lake — really stuck with us. Fans of horror will love every blood- soaked word in this trilogy of desperation and fl at-out dark thrills. The series is not for the faint of heart, but Graham puts a beauti- fully Indigenous spin on what’s become a love letter to the whole horror genre. This isn’t just the best fi ction book from a Colo- rado author in the past year; it’s one of the best books of the year, period. Best New Nonfi ction by a Colorado Author Reading Colorado: A Literary Road Guide Peter Anderson bowerhousebooks.com/shop/reading- colorado If you’re a voracious reader, you’ve prob- ably mused on how your favorite authors might have experienced our state. If so, Reading Colorado: A Literary Road Guide is the book for you. It invites you to shake hands with Kent Haruf’s rural dwellers of the Eastern Plains; fords the South Platte with Mark Twain; poetically protests with Anne Waldman and Allen Ginsberg; thumbs a ride with Jack Kerouac; crests peaks with Isabella Bird and Enos Mills, and plumbs the cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde with Willa Cather. It’s the literary history of “Colorful Colorado” from authors you know, all col- lected in one perfect road trip of a book. And the foreword from Tom “Dr. Colorado” Noel is the cherry on top. Best Inclusive Burlesque Troupe Broken Babes @the_broken_babes Comprising performers with disabilities who want to make burlesque accessible to all, Broken Babes is the city’s most in- clusive burlesque troupe. It’s also a joy to watch. Founded by Allie Soreass, who was a “kitten” for the long-running Ooh La La Presents burlesque troupe, and Bella Brujita in 2021, Broken Babes memorial- izes the nickname the founders would call each other after performances that often left them sore and covered in ice packs. But that didn’t deter their love of the art form, and they’ve since welcomed other burlesque-curious and seasoned perform- ers into the fold. Best Celebration of Drag Colorado Drag, Initiatives and Variety Awards coloradodivaawards.com After the 2022 shooting at the Colorado Springs LGBTQ+ bar Club Q, celebrating the art of drag is more important than ever. Inspired by nightlife award shows, such as the Chicago Drag and Nightlife Awards (Gaggys) and New York’s annual Glam Awards, Mile High drag entertainer, pro- ducer and philanthropist Jessica L’Whor created the Colorado Drag, Initiatives and Variety Awards (DIVAs) in 2018, and it’s be- come an annual tradition that underscores the importance of uplifting artists who put their all into their work. Arts and Entertainment continued from page 58 continued on page 62
