Colorado is a state blessed with oh-wow natural beauty, and perhaps that is inspiration for its equally out-of-control art scene. Each summer and fall, art festivals in the cities of Boulder, Colorado Springs and Denver bring the state’s artists and their work to the fore.

Boulder

Boulder Creek Festival:  Boulder residents consider this event to be the actual—if not official—beginning of summer. It takes place the last weekend in May, and has a genuine carnival atmosphere. It has an artistic feel, as well, with a fine-art show and an artists’ marketplace.

Boulder Plein Air Festival: At this June event, you can watch artists create beautiful landscapes outside, while sitting right in the middle of them. And you can even try your hand at it yourself.

Pearl Street Arts Fest: This event takes place in mid-July, and Boulder’s coolest street turns into a huge outdoor carnival of the visual arts. The artists create everything from Native-American jewelry and mixed-media to photography and sculptures, to weaving and ceramics, to glass to just about any visual art medium you can imagine.

Colorado Springs

Arts Month: The city celebrates the arts the entire month of October. And it devotes an entire week of the festival to the visual arts.

Canvasses in the Canon: This is an outdoor art show on many dates throughout June, July and August. Entries are at least two-dimensional, and there are also plein air demonstrations.

Front Range Open Studios: Every year on a weekend in early September, Colorado Springs’ artistic community opens up its studios to visitors. Artists are happy to talk with you about their work.

Denver

Cherry Creek Arts Festival: Every Fourth of July weekend, the upscale Cherry Creek district hosts a world-class art festival. Both local and nationally known artists display their works along five city streets, and there are plenty of music and interactive arts activities.

Denver Arts Week: Every November, Denver celebrates Arts Week with an “eight-day week.” More than 300 events unfold at venues around the city, including free nights at museums, and open studios and galleries.

Denver Chalk Art Festival: Every June, historic Larimer Square turns into a giant art studio, with chalk being the medium of choice. Here, you might even get the chance to leave your own (chalk) mark on Denver.

Want to read more about Colorado? Read all about the Centennial State in the September issue of Smart Meetings.

advertisement