There’s a reason Denver Arts Week has the all-you-can-eat feel of Denver Restaurant Week.
The nine-day cultural showcase — 200 often-discounted performances, open houses and special events, starting today — was modeled after the hugely popular foodie festival.
And just as that offering does for culinary establishments, Denver Arts Week puts the city’s burgeoning cultural scene in the spotlight and gives residents a focused, low-cost way to sample it.
There are no fixed numbers, but Rich Grant, a spokesman for Visit Denver, the convention and visitors bureau, said anecdotal evidence suggests tens of thousands of people turn out for the event each year.
Among the week’s highlights is Night at the Museums, which will take place from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday. It includes free admission and a host of tours and other special events.
Eighteen institutions are taking part this year, ranging from biggies like the Denver Museum of Nature & Science to small, specialized venues, such as the Black American West Museum and Byers-Evans House Museum.
In addition, Golden and Littleton have joined the party, with the Littleton Museum throwing open its doors Friday evening and even the historic Coors Brewery staying open late to give visitors a taste of its longtime operations.
“It’s a lot like Restaurant Week,” Grant said of the 3-year-old museum event. “The first year is tough, but by the third year, you just have to let people know the date, and they get the concept and they’ll be there.”
Another big offering tonight will be Know Your Arts First Friday, what Visit Denver is describing as a “supercharged” version of the First Friday art walks that take place each month in the city’s scattered visual-arts districts.
Galleries in such neighborhoods as Cherry Creek North, Santa Fe Drive and Tennyson Street are staying open until 9 p.m., with refreshments, entertainment and, in some cases, $52.80 or $528 deals on certain artworks.
Other highlights include Denver’s On Stage, with many performing arts groups offering $52.80 ticket deals, and the Denver Arts Week Scavenger Hunt on , which includes a grand prize of airfare for two on Southwest Airlines.
Here’s a quick look at eight events spotlighted during Denver Arts Week:
King Tut. During Arts Week, the Denver Art Museum is offering two tickets and two audioguides to its blockbuster King Tut exhibition for $52.80 (regularly $60-$70). Timed and dated tickets are required, and advance purchase is recommended. 877-888-8587 or 866-461-6556 or
“The Chosen.” In conjunction with JAAAM, the Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies and Music Festival at the Mizel Center, Theatre Or presents a poignant adaptation of Chaim Potok’s 1967 tale of immigration and assimilation. Discounted arts week tickets are available for Nov. 11. 303-316-6360 or
Dia de los Muertos. Each year, Pirate: Contemporary Art, 3655 Navajo St., one of the city’s oldest and most respected art collectives, invites its members to create festive artworks celebrating the ancient Mexican holiday. The exhibition will be on view from 6 to 10 p.m. today and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 303-458-6058 or
“Música Latina: A Symphonic Celebration of the Americas.” Two of the Colorado Symphony’s fall youth concerts at 9:50 and 11:15 a.m. Friday are open to the public as part of arts week. The Latino- themed program features works by such composers as Silvestre Revueltas and Heitor Villa-Lobos. $10. 303- 623-7876 or
“Moore by Moonlight.” The Denver Botanic Gardens’ Henry Moore exhibition will stay open to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6. As an added attraction, 3rd Law Dance/Theater is presenting an experimental installation in which a visitors can walk among the dancers during 25-minute performances at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. that include interactive video projections on four 11-foot-tall screens. Free. 720-865-3500 or
“The Light Fantastic.” An eye- popping, enveloping light installation by 87-year-old artist Dorothy Tanner continues through Nov. 13 at Vertigo Art Space, 960 Santa Fe Drive, with special extended hours from 6 to 10 p.m. today. Free. 303-573-8378 or
“Shutter Shift.” Cellphone cameras and a host of other low-cost digital devices are changing the face of photography. Walker Fine Art, 300 W. 11th Ave., is hosting an Arts Week panel discussion of this far-reaching transformation at 7 p.m. Thursday. Free. 303-355-8955 or
“Chasing the Sublime.” Three choreographers and three Denver artists team for a trio of premieres in Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s latest production, which opens at 8 p.m. today at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway. An arts week promotion offers two tickets for $52.80. 303-466-5685 or
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
