Just guessing, but probably no more than a handful of the 400 who attended CultureHaus’ recent membership-building party were even a twinkle in their parents’ eye during San Francisco’s legendary Summer of Love.
But there they were — in tie-dyed T-shirts and wire-frame sunglasses, smelling of patchouli oil and otherwise embracing their inner hippie — as they gathered at the Denver Art Museum for music and refreshments that harkened back to the mid-1960s and a look around “The Psychedelic Experience: Rock Posters from the San Francisco Bay Area 1965-71.”
“It was the coolest event of summer, if I do say so myself,” said organizer Kasia Iwaniczko, co-chair of the CultureHaus board. The exhibition closes July 26.
Mayor John Hickenlooper is credited with starting CultureHaus, in 1997, as a way to connect “the young at heart with art,” specifically that at the Denver Art Museum. He still attends CultureHaus functions.
Among those re-living the Summer of Love were Terrance Carroll, speaker of the state House of Representatives; CultureHaus co-chair Darby Donohue; public relations guru Jim Guttau; Lisa Paddock; Ryan and Shannon Johnson; Jill Orsatti; and Darrin Alfred, the DAM’s associate curator of graphic design, who conducted tours of the exhibit.
Coming right up
• Three wines, plus appetizers, will be served on the patio at Fleming’s steakhouse, 191 Inverness Drive West, from 6-7 p.m. today as a benefit for The Gathering Place. Admission is $25; reservations, 303-768-0827. The event is repeated as a benefit for Excelsior Youth Center (July 17); Third Way Center (July 24) and Open Fairways (July 31).
• The 2009 Girl Scouts Women of Distinction are to be introduced Thursday at a reception held at Barbara Kelley’s Denver home. The women also will be honored at an Oct. 7 dinner, chaired by Kelley and Sharon Linhart and held in the Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom.
• The Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce celebrates the Art of Women, an exhibition of works by established and emerging female artists, by hosting a mixer Thursday in the Republic Plaza lobby. Admission is $10 and includes food by Y.Lo.Epicure and wine from Vino 100 DTC. Register for the 5:30 p.m. event at .
• The 10th anniversary Donor Dash, presented by Donor Alliance as a benefit for the American Transplant Foundation, begins at 8 a.m. July 19 in Washington Park. Adults pay $35 while youths and seniors can participate for $15.
• The 22nd National Kidney Foundation Golf Classic is set for July 27 at Columbine Country Club, and to get players in the mood there’ll be a cocktail gathering July 25 at Aaron and Sandee LaPedis’ Fascination St. Gallery in Cherry Creek North. Learn more by calling 720-748-9991, ext. 116.
Society editor Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, . and GetItWrite on Twitter
