Cowtown or coolville? For much of Denver’s history, the former was probably the more apt label.
But the city had a now largely forgotten, edgier side even back in the late 1940s, when Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady, three of the icons of the Beat Generation, spent time here.
Denver’s own Beat-inspired, counterculture movement emerged along East Colfax Avenue in the 1960s, centered at first on the short-lived Ogden Bookstore. This little-documented part of Mile High history, which extended into the 1980s, is being explored in a pair of free exhibitions opening this weekend.
“Mile High and Underground,” which runs through July 31 at the Byers-Evans House Gallery, 1310 Bannock St., brings together art, poetry, publications and a diversity of archival materials. 303-620-4933 or .The Emmanuel Gallery on the Auraria campus(303-556-8337 or .) is focusing on the collages and photomontage works of Steve Wilson, who in addition to being a notable artist has become something of the period’s archivist. Through July 10.
Here’s a look at 10 other exhibitions that have the potential to bring a little cool to the heat of summer.
Slight admission fees
Through Aug. 1, “Guild Hall: An Adventure in the Arts,”Sangre de Cristo Arts Center, 210 N. Santa Fe Ave., Pueblo, $4, $3 for children, seniors, students and military, 719-295-7200 or sdc-arts.org. The east end of Long Island has long been a haven for artists, and their presence has enriched Guild Hall in East Hampton, helping the arts center to assemble a first-class art collection. This exhibition includes 73 works from that holding by such prominent artists as Jackson Pollock, Roy Lichtenstein and Chuck Close.
Through Sept. 6, “Pure Pleasure,”Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, 1750 13th St., $4, $3 students, seniors and educators, 303-443-2122 or . As the show’s sensuous title suggests, it brings together nine artists who explore the definitions of pleasure in a diversity of media.
Free
Through July 18, “Roger Herman: Paintings and Woodcuts,”Philip J. Steele Gallery, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, 1600 Pierce St., Lakewood, 303-225-8575 or rmcad . The German-born artist moved to the United States in 1976 and is on the faculty of the University of California at Los Angeles. His works address a wide range of subject matter in a bold, expressionist style.
Through July 18, “Earth/Water,”Sandra Phillips Gallery, 744 Santa Fe Drive, 303-573-5969 or thesandra . Clay artist Chandler Romeo brings a conceptual edge and formal sophistication to her semi-abstract, topological evocations of the Colorado landscape. Also on view are paintings by Amy Solomon.
Through Aug. 18, “Trace (figurative),”Center for Visual Art, 1734 Wazee St., 303-294-5207 or . Rather than direct depictions of the figure, the four artists represented in this show examine the traces that humans inevitably leave — blood, sweat, hair and footprints — and their meanings.
Through late August, “Sidebeside,”Gallery T, 878-2 Santa Fe Drive, Free, 303-893-0960 or galleryt . Gallery T is bringing an interesting twist to its summer group show: It asked each artist it represents to select another artist whom he or she admires, and works by each will be shown side by side.
Thursday-Aug. 20, “Jill Greenberg: Monkeys and Bears,”Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd., 720-898-7200 or . The photographer has created portraits of monkeys and bears using the same approach employed in her takes on Hollywood celebrities. In the images, the animals take on human-like qualities.
June 19 and 20, Birger Sandzen, David Cook Fine American Art, 1637 Wazee St., Free, 303-623-8181 or . In cooperation with the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery in Lindsborg, Kan., the gallery is presenting a special two-day exhibition of more than 20 paintings and watercolors by this popular artist. Working in a textured, post-impressionist style, he devoted much his career to depicting Colorado.
June 26-Sept. 25, “Through Warhol’s Lens” and “Warhol’s Flowers,” University Art Museum, Colorado State University, 970-491-1989 or . The pop-influenced world of Andy Warhol will be showcased in two exhibitions. One will focus on his abundant photography and the other will bring together 10 of the artist’s iconic, psychedelic floral silkscreens on loan from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
Aug. 1-Oct. 11, “Fred Tomaselli,”Aspen Art Museum, 970-925-8050 or . The individualist New York artist creates boisterous, meticulously crafted paintings that draw on a wide range of artistic and personal influences. This touring solo show was co-organized by the museum and will be shown at four venues nationwide.
