Best Alley for Seeing Art Between Lincoln and Broadway, 1100-1200 Blocks While RiNo may be known for its splashy murals, the most compelling alley gallery is in the Golden Triangle. Right behind Stoney’s in the 1100 block between Lin- coln and Broadway, you can still fi nd work produced for the 2018 Colorcon by some of Denver’s fi nest muralists, including A.L. Grime, who used her signature abstraction to paint the black-and-white face of a girl emerging from meticulous line work. Head down the alley and you’ll see an icy blue cave by Kendall Rose, stylized and color- ful portraits by the Worst Crew, a bright iguana climbing a wall covered in painted leaves by the Designosaur, and a detailed mandala by Damon Soule. Best New Mural “Asian American and Pacifi c Islander Heritage Month” 2720 Blake Street Artist Casey Kawaguchi has created some of the most recognizable murals in Denver, usually depicting a minimalist Asian woman in greyscale with pops of saturated color. For Asian American and Pacifi c Islander Heri- tage Month last year, the RiNo Art District commissioned a mural from Kawaguchi. Using his signature style — which includes Best New Art Collective Galaktic Gang galakticgang.com The Galaktic Gang, founded by Cory Ponz, Kyle Morton, Jason Turnquist, Travis Delly and Chris Dyer, is riding the promising wave of NFTs. If you were at the ETHDen- ver cryptocurrency conference, you might have seen Dyer live-painting, or perhaps you attended the art collective’s party held in tandem with that event. Galaktic Gang plans to hold more parties, including vir- tual ones, which have already encouraged thousands of visitors to enter the Galaktic metaverse and virtually experience live painting and even contribute to the collec- tive’s art. Inventive and ahead of the curve, the Gang employs NFTs to fund its collec- tive, whose goal is to use cryptocurrency, NFTs and the metaverse to embolden those who buy in to embark on a path of spiritual awakening. Psychedelic! Best Art Collective Social Media Account Denver Art Society 734 Santa Fe Drive 303-534-1132 @_denver_art_society The nonprofi t Denver Art Society, located in the Art District on Santa Fe, has one of the most active Instagram accounts of graffi ti techniques and mixes in Sanskrit ref- erences — Kawaguchi painted a mysterious woman in black and white, with a bright- orange-and-cobalt veil over her head and spread across the lower half of her face. As she gazes at you over that veil, her hands are pressed together in prayer. Don’t miss it. Best Infl uential Muralist A.L. Grime algrimeart.com Ally Grimm, also known as A.L. Grime, has been painting up Denver for years, and hers are some of the most recognizable murals in the city. With abstraction, intricate line work and graffi ti infl uences, these murals are where fi ne art and street art converge. Grime also does paintings, illustrations and digital work, and has delved into the in- novative realm of virtual reality and NFTs. Follow her: You won’t be disappointed. any art space in the city. While it posts al- most daily, each First Friday the account comes alive with story videos showcasing the crowded gallery, as well as the con- certs and theater events it hosts there. The self-described “art community co-op built by artists” provides a look at Denver art through the eyes of local artists, so anyone who follows knows what’s coming next. Best Colorado-Made Rock Star Portfolio Tony Levin’s King Crimson photogravure portfolio timeless-prints.com Erie-based fi ne-art intaglio photogravure printer Jon Lybrook isn’t so famous, but because of the quality of his work and his safer and more sustainable techniques, he sometimes assists people who are in cre- ating high-quality continued on page 48 47 westword.com | CONTENTS | SHOPPING & SERVICES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | FOOD & DRINK | MUSIC & VENUES | BACKBEAT | WESTWORD APRIL 7-13, 2022 GETTY IMAGES