The ACT Human Rights Film Festival at Colorado State University, which started Wednesday, presents “In the Dirt”, a documentary about a group of ardent Native American cyclists who try to bring mountain riding to the Navajo Nation, where there are no bike stores.
The film chronicles the grassroots Native-led effort to overcome many hurdles to develop a cycling culture that has become the fastest-growing recreational sport on the 28,000-mile Navajo Nation. The film screens Friday, April 5, at noon, and will be followed by a community conversation.
The festival also includes two documentaries with Colorado subjects: “How We Got Free”, about state Rep. Elisabeth Epps’ activism to eliminate cash bail in the state, and “Si Pudiera Quedarme / If I Could Stay”, which follows the lives of two undocumented mothers who spent years in sanctuary at two Colorado churches to avoid deportation.
The 9th annual ACT Human Rights Film Festival runs through Sunday in Fort Collins.
After being named semifinalists for the 2024 James Beard Award in January, several Colorado chefs and restaurants made it to the finalist list for the prestigious honor.
The Best Mountain Chef category, which covers Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, includes Penelope Wong of Denver’s Yuan Wonton and Matt Vawter of Rootstalk in Breckenridge.
Kelly Whitaker, and Erika Whitaker who were 2023 semifinalists, make the list for Outstanding Restaurateur again with for their company, ID Est Hospitality Group in Boulder. The pair’s restaurants include The Wolf's Tailor, BRUTØ, Basta, and others.
The Outstanding Restaurateur category is described as: A restaurateur who uses their establishment(s) as a vehicle for building community, demonstrates creativity in entrepreneurship, integrity in restaurant operations, and is making efforts to create a sustainable work culture, while contributing positively to their broader community.
Friday, April 5
The Kinder-Padon Gallery at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte, CO, is showcasing a mixed-media series titled "Where Are They Now?" by Denver-based artist David Chatfield. The works in the show, which will only be up for two weeks, were inspired by comparisons between the Great Depression and the Great Recession of 2008. The series prompts viewers to ponder over the current economic situations of the type of people depicted in iconic images from the 1930s.
“Where Are They Now?” exhibition at the Kinder-Padon Gallery, opening reception Friday, April 5, from 5 - 7 p.m., show runs April 13 at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte.
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center looks forward with its First Friday Art Party. The FAC will unveil its 2024-25 theatre season, preview upcoming museum exhibitions, and introduce Bemis School of Art classes with live demos from its instructors.
The Fine Arts Center Look Ahead 2024 - 25, Friday, 5 - 7:30 p.m. at the Fine Arts Center on Dale St. in Colorado Springs.
Saturday, April 6
Visual arts and live music intersect with a performance at CSU’s Gregory Allicar Museum of Art Saturday. Keyboardist and music producer Borahm Lee will play original compositions on Charley Friedman's immersive aural installation, “Soundtracks for the Present Future”. The work consists of dozens of stringed instruments — guitars, mandolins and basses — hung together into a single, playable “constellation.” Lee will experiment with ambient electronic noises and futuristic soundscapes. Space is limited, so reservations are required for this free concert.
Borahm Lee x Soundtracks for the Present Future concert, Saturday, April 6 at 1 p.m. in the Griffin Foundation Gallery at the Gregory Allicar Museum of Art in Fort Collins.
Sunday, April 7
The Standley Lake Library’s regular gathering, Coffee and Create, takes a mind-bending turn this month with “Everything is Backward” — backwards paintings and reverse coloring. The goal is to let people getting creative and caffeinated at the same time. No prior experience is necessary, and supplies are provided.
Coffee and Create - Backwards paintings & reverse coloring on Sunday, April 7 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at the Standley Lake Library in Arvada.
All Weekend
The Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra presents the "Hello Cello!" — a hallmark concert of the GJSO’s 45th season. The program features cellist Mark Kosower performing the world premiere of Daniel Perttu's concerto for cello and orchestra, titled "The Guises of Love." The work was inspired by Antonin Dvorak’s unrequited love for one of his music students (he eventually married her younger sister). “Hello Cello!” also features a work by Dvorak himself, “Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88” as well as Louise Farrenc's “Overture No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 24”.
Grand Junction Symphony Concert - Hello Cello, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at The Avalon Theatre in Grand Junction.
Montrose’s Magic Circle Players presents Neil Simon's “The Good Doctor”, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's short stories exploring the absurdities, vulnerabilities, and eccentricities of human nature. The show is directed by Kim Santich as a Readers Theatre production. Readers Theater involves actors reading stories without costumes, props, scenery, or lighting.
Neil Simon's “The Good Doctor” presented by Magic Circle Theatre, Friday April 5 - Sunday April 7 in Montrose.
The Ralph Opera Program and the University Symphony Orchestra bring the famous Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel" to life in a performance of Engelbert Humperdinck's opera at CSU’s Griffin Concert Hall. The nineteenth-century composer called his opera a “Märchenoper,” or opera based on a fairy story, with a libretto written by his sister.
“Hansel And Gretel” runs Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at University Center for the Art Griffin Concert Hall in Fort Collins.
Other arts and culture events around Colorado
- Denverite Things to do in Denver this weekend
- KRCC community calendar for Southern Colorado
- CPR Classical concert calendar
- Indie 102.3 calendar
How we pick our events: CO Arts Spotlight highlights events around the state to give readers a sense of the breadth of Colorado’s arts and cultural happenings, it is not — and can not possibly be — a comprehensive list of all weekly events. Entries are not endorsements or reviews. Each week’s list is published on Thursday and is not updated. Some groups that appear on the list may also be financial sponsors of CPR, but have no input into our editorial choices.
