FRIDAY
The art of film
ART|As part of its expanded film festival – more than 80 films at seven venues – the International Experimental Film Cinema Exposition (Sept. 21-25) is getting things started early. The “TIE Filmmakers’ Art Gallery,” a month-long exhibit of art by some of the festival’s contributors, opens. There are no motion pictures here, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be moved or intrigued. |6 p.m. today|Assembly Art Gallery, 766 Santa Fe Drive; free; 720-329-7661.
A gem of a show
COUNTRY MUSIC|Diamond Rio is one of country’s top- selling groups of all time. Its six members bring a bluegrass sensibility to country music, making for outstanding instrumental work and three-part harmonies. Mike Love and his band open the 18-and-over show at 8 p.m.|10 p.m. today|Grizzly Rose, 5450 N. Valley Highway, $25 at the door or through Ticketmaster, 303-830-8497 or ticketmaster.com.
SATURDAY
A-maze-ing fun
CORN MAZE|It’s that time again, the annual two- month period in which people pay to get lost in corn fields. Two area mazes open Saturday: Denver Botanic Gardens’ Sixth Annual Corn Maze and the MAiZe Maze. Both run through Oct. 31. |Hours are the same for both: noon-8 p.m. Labor Day; 4-10 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays, noon-8 p.m. Sundays.|Botanic Gardens Corn Maze at Chatfield, 8500 Deer Creek Canyon Road; $6-$8; 720-865-3500 or botanicgardens.org. MAiZE Maze, 22 miles north of Brighton and 7 south of Greeley on U.S. 85 in LaSalle; $6-$8; 970-737-2129 or fritzler maze.com.
Thru the week
Eye-catching debut
FINE ART|In conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month and the upcoming Planet Colombia exhibit at the Museo de las Américas, the Denver Botanic Gardens on Wednesday launches a sculpture show featuring work by the acclaimed Colombian artist Nadín Ospina. The highlight of the exhibit will be El Paseante, a 26-foot-tall inflatable sculpture based on a pre-Columbian ceramic icon.|Kicks off at 2 p.m. Wednesday|Denver Botanic Gardens, 1005 York St.; free with gardens admission; 720-865-3500.
Letters to family
FINE ART|Denver artist Julie Puma is an Ashkenazi Jewish woman whose mother and sister died of breast cancer. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Puma has hand-stitched letters to her family that form a “canvas,” which she overlaid with painted and hand- drawn images.|Opens Thursday |Cooper Balcony at the Mizel Center for Arts and Culture, 350 S. Dahlia St., 303-316-6360.
Laugh till it hurts
THEATER|The Avenue Theatre challenges its audience to “laugh and sing till your face hurts” at a one-night event called “Laugh-and- Sing-Along.” The event features the talents of Scott Bennett, LuAnn Buckstein, Dave Johnson, Robert Wells and other “vintage” performers from the Chicken Lips comedy team leading the audience in song.|7:30 p.m. Wednesday |417 E. 17th Ave.; $10; 303-321-5925. The Avenue also continues its “Laughs for Lunch” from 12:15- 12:45 each Wednesday. Bring your sack lunch and be entertained by Chicken Lips comedians for $5.
James Dean’s films
FILM|An old prince of cinema arrives in new prints, as Starz FilmCenter presents James Dean’s big three movies starting Thursday. The Denver Film Society offers “Rebel Without a Cause,” followed through the weekend by “Giant” and “East of Eden.” Dean fanatics can focus on their star, but the movies he graced are classics as well.|7 p.m. Thursday|Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Auraria campus; $5.50 per movie for members, $8.50 for nonmembers or $15 for all three; 303-820-FILM.
