56 APRIL 4-10, 2024 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC & VENUES | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | SHOPPING & SERVICES | CONTENTS | grams also offer, you’re right — but this experience is free, and may just provide the key that unlocks a brighter future for program participants and the art world overall. Best Member Exhibits at a Co-op Pirate Contemporary Art 7130 West 16th Avenue, Lakewood 303-909-5748 pirateonline.org Pirate Contemporary Art was born in 1980, when several recent grads from Metro- politan State College were commiserating about the lack of local galleries eager to showcase contemporary work. Luckily, Denver at the time was all about bootstrap- ping, so they started their own group, and the co-op has grown over the decades to become a nonprofi t, member-owned gal- lery where the most audacious and com- pelling of local pieces have a temporary home, and where those who appreciate such work can fi nd it. The model has been impressively successful in the last forty- plus years; Pirate’s continued participation in and infl uence over the local arts scene is testament to that. Best Gallery Competition Show Next Gallery 6501 West Colfax Avenue, Lakewood 303-433-4933 nextgallery.org Like the story of Casa Bonita itself, Next Gallery’s annual exhibit devoted to the pink palace has taken some weird twists and turns over the years. Next now shares the same shopping center home as the famed eatertainment complex, which was closed for more than three years after the COVID shutdown and then was taken over by the creators of South Park. This year’s show, with the theme How Do You Like Me Now?, was as strong as the previous six, full of creative work that vied for a grand prize: a table for six at Casa Bonita itself. No small beans, that, since some people are still on the waiting list ten months after Casa Bo- nita (sort of) reopened. Best DIY Gallery and Event Space Squirm Gallery 3553 Brighton Boulevard @squirmgallery The DIY scene is being reinvigorated by Squirm Gallery, which took over the same space that housed the legendary Rhinoc- eropolis. Most of the artists who started Squirm — Zak Ashburn, Zach Burke, Cyrena Rosati, Ruby Sumners, Alishya Swenning and Peina Vella — had been to that venue and its neighbor, Glob, and felt that while the city has a healthy DIY scene for music, it was lacking for the visual arts. And when Burke heard that the space was available, it seemed like destiny. Squirm opened with a visual-art show from Mi- chael Stein, as well as concerts by KYC DJs, American Culture, Fragrant Blossom and Angel Band. And in the back, Squirm members have outfi tted studio space with screen and risograph printers, a kiln, a darkroom, a metalsmithing setup, paints and more. DIY is far from dead. Best Immersive Installation for Parties Meow Wolf 1338 1st Street 866-636-9969 meowwolf.com Beginning as a renegade DIY collective in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Meow Wolf brought its wild spirit to Denver with Convergence Station in 2021 and has become a major attraction for tourists and locals alike. And when the community speaks, Meow Wolf answers. After receiving requests for adults-only events, Meow Wolf created the Adulti-Verse, which happens on the fi rst and third Wednesday of the month for those ages 21 and up, so we can roam the multiple universes with a drink in hand while listening to DJs spin. Meow Wolf also hosts concerts in its Perplexiplex venue, whose walls and fl oor are covered in mo- tion-activated lighting. Whether you’re there for music or an Adulti-Verse event, one thing’s for sure: It’s a party! Best Annual Immersive Installations Spectra Art Space 1836 South Broadway 720-535-7244 spectraartspace.com Local artists have a major supporter in Spectra Art Space, which is always there to put on dedicated creatives’ fi rst shows and where you’re always sure to fi nd qual- ity work. But the gallery has also cemented itself as a purveyor of the immersive arts, mounting annual installations that fi ll its backyard with the visions of the city’s art- ists. In the late spring and summer, there’s Novo Ita, a dreamy world lush with plants and fl owers, and in the fall and winter, it’s Spookadelia, a blend of creepy and kitsch that keeps the Halloween spirit alive. Best Immersive Installation to Find a Yeti Shiki Dreams Prismajic 14500 West Colfax Avenue, Suite 359B, Lakewood prismajic.com After knocking it out of the park with Na- tura Obscura at the Museum of Outdoor Arts, Prismajic found a permanent home for Shiki Dreams at Colorado Mills mall. The fi ve-room installation creates a wel- come escape as soon as you enter, with forest-evoking scents and dim lighting that direct your attention to the illuminated scenes throughout. You’ll be given a head- set that plays an ambient soundtrack as you traverse fairy-tale rooms and perhaps spot Shiki, the yeti that the installation is named for. As Prismajic co-founder Jennifer Mos- quera promised, “One of the things we’re really interested in is tempering the crazy — from the outside world, traffi c, everyday things — and bringing some wonder and creativity as well as some calm to people.” And Prismajic nailed it with Shiki Dreams. Arts and Entertainment continued from page 54 continued on page 58
