2 westword.com WESTWORD JANUARY 4-10, 2024 | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | W ® 7 THE AIR APPARENT Ryan Schmitt is ready to rise to the occasion. BY CATIE CHESHIRE 10 PAINT WITH PRIDE New murals in Boulder highlight Black artists and culture. BY HYDE CHRASTINA 13 LOOKING AHEAD The ten most anticipated restaurants opening in 2024. BY MOLLY MARTIN 15 MORE THAN MODELS The Metal Maidens make magic in the DIY scene. BY JUSTIN CRIADO 4 News 10 Culture 13 Cafe 15 Music CONCERTS/CLUBS ................................... 16 24 Marijuana ASK A STONER ......................................... 24 STRAIN GANG .......................................... 26 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 19 JANUARY 4-10, 2024 E D I T O R I A L Editor Patricia Calhoun Editorial Operations Manager Jane R. 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Peri- odicals postage paid in Denver. Domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $100/year or $50/six months. Postmaster: Send address changes to Westword, P.O. Box 5970, Denver CO 80217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 5970, Denver, CO 80217 Street address: 1278 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203 For retail or classifi ed advertising, call: 303-296-7744 For general information, call: 303-296-7744 For Editorial, email: [email protected] “HOLD YOUR HORSES!” PATRICIA CALHOUN, DECEMBER 21 J U S T S A Y N E I G H Thank you for your “Hold Your Horses” ar- ticle. Our family agrees with Tom Wolfe that most public art is just a “turd in the plaza.” Artists are free to interpret their surround- ings. Absolutely! We’ve always hated “Mustang” as one of the biggest and smelliest turds in all of Denver. Abstract Denver is selling “satiri- cal” interpretations of this particular turd. Doesn’t the Artists Rights Society know the defi nition of satire? Ryo Murraygreen Boulder The law is very clear. It is fair use if parody or satire. One should avoid mechanical re- productions (photography/scans) that are still protected under copyright (see Obama case). We can, and should as artists, lampoon parts of our society that deserve it. And “Mustang” deserves it — on so many levels. The artists of this town should continue to express how we feel about our landmarks and public art, and not let any bullying deter us. This includes the silliness of the Casa Bonita show. It should continue with great sarcasm and wit! Copyright is just that: protection from copies. These are not copies being sold as the genuine article. AI is going to wipe out most protections, anyway. Make art! Mock on!!! Lonnie Hanzon Hanzon Studios, Denver I think copyright infringement and trade- mark rights are practical in most situations. But what happens if NASA invents something useful and other companies copy it? There are no lawsuits. I think that Abstract Denver is adequately covered in its contract, but now with AI and all the copying going on over the internet, this is going to happen more and more often. You see where the eighteenth- century masters were copied (the Ben Frank- lin portrait fi ve or six times) and no one made a fuss. I’m working on a map from 1789 that was copied from the British surveyors as a way to preserve it, and no one sued anybody. If someone copies my work, I consider it a compliment, because at least they read it! In the case of the Blue Bear and “Mustang,” they are works of art, paid for by the public, just like parts for the space shuttle or rockets are paid for by the public. So I don’t consider them eligible for rules against replication. Beth Simmons Lakewood I have often wished on trips to Denver International Airport that Luis Jiménez’s “Mustang” were more leisurely viewable, but on second thought realized that would make it vulnerable to vandalism. (Someone once spray-painted blue the testicles of one of the University of Colorado’s bison sculptures.) Patricia Calhoun’s dream/quest of a re- vived downtown Denver is well-intentioned, but hanging it on caricatures of the sculpture seems a step too far. Back in the ’60s in Boul- der, a friend had the idea of making money from T-shirts printed with the Zig-Zag man logo. He did not follow through, but copyright infringement lawsuits would likely have en- sued. Such business situations are generally solved by paying royalties for use of an image. After all, profi ts are being made from it. Robert Porath Boulder I really appreciated your article and the detail you put into it. So disappointing to see Jiménez’s estate trying to bully a local shop. As a big fan of Abstract Denver, this is really sad: Let local artists create. I have like fi ve shirts from Abstract and have had tons of people ask where I got them. I love the Colorado fl ag as much as anyone else, but when every single piece of art from here is just that, it’s derivative and boring. The prints and shirts I’ve gotten from Abstract don’t just copy and paste, they bring life and excitement to our local culture! You get to see something as fun and silly as Blucifer and the Big Blue Bear fi ghting over the city skyline! Anyway, if there is any message I can send through, it’s that I and the local community really support them. And I will continue to buy their shirts, because they’re amazing! Dylan Pearson Denver ON THE COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY EVAN SEMÓN LETTERS T O T H E E D I T O R YOU CAN COMMENT ON ANY STORY AT WESTWORD.COM; SEND LETTERS TO [email protected] Don’t miss a word! The stories in this print edition are just a fraction of the pieces we publish every week on westword.com. For a cheat sheet on all that content, subscribe to our daily newsletter at westword.com/profi le. 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