By Ray Mark Rinaldi, Special to The Denver Post
Denver Arts Week is one of those events dreamed up by local tourism agencies to get people, near and far, excited about all of the cultural events that happen in and around the city. It doesn’t produce things as much as point them out all at once, so the depth and breath of what goes on here is clear.
And it comes at just the right time. Early November is busy, with institutions like Opera Colorado and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra cranking out high-quality offerings at the same time annual events, like the Denver Film Festival and the Jewish Arts, Authors, Movies and Music Festival, deliver specialized goods.
Denver Arts Week, Nov. 4-12, is also a chance for local groups to win new customers — and they do that by presenting some deals that are worth checking out. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science, of example, is knocking 10 percent off annual memberships, while the Denver Art Museum is giving 13 months instead of 12, and The Colorado Ballet is taking 20 percent off some of its upcoming productions of “The Nutcracker.” There’s fine print in all the pricing, so check out the Denver Arts Week website for exact details.
Denver Arts Week events come in all shapes and sizes: films, concerts, lectures, exhibits and family activities. And because it’s a lot to sort out in a short time, here are 10 picks ferreted out of the schedule that look especially promising.
Nov. 4: The Denver Film Festival has an especially powerful lineup this year, and “Lion” is a good example. The film stars Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman in a story about an orphan who finds his home with adoptive parents in Australia and then finds it again by seeking out his roots. At the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
Nov. 5: Día de los Muertos gets bigger each year in this region, and the Denver Botanic Gardens has one of the more appealing celebrations. There’s a Day of the Dead altar, face painting and more. If it’s a nice day, you get to see some decent plants on the side.
Nov. 5: Night at the Museums is Denver Arts Week’s signature event each year. Many of the major museums stay open late and drop the admission charge. With some careful planning, you can have access to a lot of art for free, from 5 to 10 p.m., at 12 places, from the Denver Art Museum to the History Colorado Center to the Denver Firefighters Museum.
Nov. 7: The American Museum of Western Art, also known as the Anschutz Collection, celebrates the week by dropping admission on self-guided tours. This downtown museum, across from the Brown Palace, is the one of the city’s best kept cultural secrets and getting in free is a rare treat. Hours are limited and you still need to make a reservation, so do that fast.
Nov. 8: Opera Colorado is battling some big competition going up against the presidential candidates on Election Day. But if you can wait a little for the outcome, there’s a decent deal in the offing with some very good seats available for $52.80 — a steal to have anyone sing Puccini for you live, as the cast of “Girl of the Golden West” will do at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.
Nov. 9: Friends of Chamber Music is offering a solid deal: half off two adult tickets to its concert by the Ariel Quartet and pianist Orion Weiss at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts on the University of Denver campus. This is world-class classical in an intimate setting at a very good price.
Nov. 11: Walker Fine Art in the Golden Triangle neighborhood has the gallery thing down. It’s a great space that always shows high-level work. A handy chance to check it out its latest exhibit, “Juxtaposed,” a group show featuring six artists who each have their own style. It’s free, of course.
Nov. 11: St. Martins Chamber Choir is Denver’s most listenable choral group, and this concert celebrating “Shakespeare at 400” has appeal to the theater, lit and classical crowds all at once. It’s a clever program and not-so-far out of town at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge.
Nov. 11: Honor veterans on their day by learning a little bit about “Jewish Aviators of World War II.” Denver author Bruce Wolk interviewed 150 men and women who served and wrote an oral history abut their experiences. He introduces the book in a morning talk at the Mizel Arts and Culture Center.
Nov. 12: Back to the Denver Film Festival for its closing night special, the can’t-miss “Jackie.” Actress Natalie Portman puts on the pillbox to re-create the story of America’s favorite First Lady — or at least Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín’s version of it. Again, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.