Rumors have circulated for at least a month that Gallery T, one of the top art galleries along Santa Fe Drive, would soon move. Last week, director Ron Judish confirmed that the talk was true.
The gallery, which opened in November with a flashy exhibition of works by art superstars Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, will close its 3,000-square-foot space in July when its lease is up. It plans to reopen in September or October in a smaller, interim space north of downtown in or near the Ballpark District.
Judish declined to be specific about the location because the gallery is still negotiating a lease. He and owner Andrew Kalmar intend to use the time in the temporary space to find, purchase and renovate a building that will serve as a permanent home.
Where that might be is unclear, but Judish said it will not be along Sante Fe Drive. The gallery’s impending move is the latest blow to that district, which has seen the recent shuttering of the New Denver Civic Theatre and the departure of Translations Gallery.
“There is no other location (on Santa Fe) that we were particularly interested in, and there’s a tremendous amount of change taking place in that area,” he said. “There are a lot of vacancies on Santa Fe.” Kyle MacMillan
FILM
DNC film premieres at Silverdocs
“Convention,” a behind-the-scenes film about last summer’s Democratic National Convention here, premiered at the Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival on Thursday. Director A.J. Schnack and Britta Erickson (wearing a producer cap, not her Denver Film Society title) attended the Wednesday screening in D.C.
The film was followed by a discussion featuring the filmmakers and a number of their subjects.
“Denver shone brightly in the nation’s capital tonight,” wrote Erickson via text message. “As a Denver native I’m proud and happy that I could produce a film by a collection of amazingly talented filmmakers, which showcased our city at its best.” Next: “Convention” screens in competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival this week. Lisa Kennedy
FILM
The docs just keep on rolling
Just call us Doc-town. Or maybe Doc-state.
Wade Gardner, one-half of the duo that programs the First Look Student Film Festival, is launching Docuwest in Golden (Aug. 6-9).
“I expected 100 submissions,” says the fest’s first artistic director. He got 250. Of those, he says, 25 feature “real people without reel hype.”
Gardner is especially excited about N.C. Heiken’s “Kimjongilia.” The stylish work about North Korea’s totalitarian regime recounted by defectors premiered at Sundance.
Also, “The Cove” opens in New York and Los Angeles on July 31. A week later, Boulder filmmaker Louie Psihoyos’ rousing eco-thriller about dolphin slaughter opens in town. Still more, George Hickenlooper’s film about a big-ish city mayor he knows, “Hick Town,” is in post-production. Lisa Kennedy
PRESERVATION
Saving the hometown
James Hare, left, has returned to the state that has been his family’s home for four generations. The 53- year-old Denver native recently took over as executive director of Colorado Preservation Inc., which promotes statewide historic preservation.
“Being able to do preservation in your own hometown and backyard is a real privilege,” Hare said. “Preservationists are happy to do it anywhere they work, but to do it in a place where you’ve seen changes over your lifetime helps put things in a sharper perspective.”
His top priorities are keeping the Denver-based organization healthy during the current tough financial times and protecting the State Historic Fund. In addition, he wants to work more closely with grass-roots preservation groups across the state. Kyle MacMillan
