Neighborhood: 40 West Arts District

Some Assembly Required
February 24 – March 30, 2023
ART Gallery at Red Rocks Community College

Opening reception: Thursday, March 9th (4 – 6 pm)

Free & open to the public!

The Eyes of Photographers
February 24 – March 25, 2023
CHAC Gallery (Chicano Humanities & Arts Council)

Opening Reception: March 3, 6 – 9 pm

“Photographs are taken with the idea that there is no one right way to see and appreciate an image. In this exhibit, it will come together through the Eyes of the Photographer. The visual image plays a role in our everyday changing world. This exhibit is about explorations and discoveries that inspire and enlighten us.” –Curator Judy Miranda

VAMA Art Gallery Exhibition
March 3 – April 1, 2023
40 West Gallery

Opening Reception: March 3, 6 – 9 PM 

VAMA Art Gallery Exhibition creates engaging opportunities within the community, empowerment in the workplace, and manifesting behaviors that align with RRCC and VAMA values. As an expression of our department, we pull together a collection of work created by our students in collaboration with Foothills Art Center and 40 Arts West to bring a multimedia experience to the community.

The exhibition began over 6 years ago when a group of ambitious students came together with a plan to present artwork at the Foothills Art Center. They proposed a partnership that would present real-world experiences for all students. This launched the beginning of the VAMA Art Gallery Exhibition.

In Partnership with 40 Arts West, we bring our multimedia experience to a new audience. 40 Arts West is an inclusive non-profit volunteer organization that enriches the community and enhances the creative, cultural, and economic vitality of Lakewood.

40 West Gallery is a community gallery space located in 40 West Arts District, inside The HUB building.

Teen MOP Show: Forward Looking
March 3 – April 1, 2023
Red Rocks Community College, Library Atrium 

A juried exhibition of high school photography work hosted by Red Rocks Community College’s Visual, Audio and Media Department.

Organized by Denver Public School teacher Alexandra Overby for the past four MoP festivals. Jurors Mark Sink, Angela Belt, and John Kenney selected from hundreds of submissions, excepted and awarded outstanding work which will be on view.

40 West Gallery Members Photography Showcase
March 3 – April 1, 2023
Opening Reception: March 3, 6 – 9 pm 
40 West Gallery 

We have designated our two pop-out gallery spaces for a 40 West Arts Member Photography Mini-Exhibition. We asked our 40 West Gallery members to submit their most poignant, playful, unique, vivid, interpretive, wild, creative, and favorite photographs for a showcase in conjunction with our partner exhibition through Red Rocks Community College’s Video, Audio, Media Arts Department.

Enchanted
March 10 – 26
NEXT Gallery 

On my first road trip to New Mexico in 1971, I was hooked on the landscape, the light, the colors. Visiting New Mexico is a lot like visiting another country because the architecture, the geology and the culture are so different from the rest of the US. I have driven those roads too many times to count, and keep finding new places to explore, details not noticed before, new photos to be taken. In this exhibit of photographs and artist books created over the past 50 years, I explore the unique place that is New Mexico. I am enchanted!

–Barbara Gal

Around the World in 100 Days – Group Exhibition
March 10 – 27, 2023
NEXT Gallery

Participation in a group on Facebook can have far-reaching effects in real life. This show will exhibit the work of a group of people from all over the US and the world. The group found one another online 10 years ago to share photography, and since then many of them have ended up traveling to meet in person. The bonds formed within this community led to an exhibit in 2016, and now this one seven years later. This year’s show will highlight the work of photographers from countries such as Australia, Finland, and France, and states from coast to coast in our country.

About the Curator

Based in Denver, Barbara Gal comes from a long family tradition of compulsive photographers. She grew up surrounded by photography, and was inspired by her family’s massive collection of prints dating back to the 1890s. She began photographing at age 10 and taught art and photography at high schools for 26 years. Later, she taught at the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design and the University of Denver. Now retired, Gal works as a full time artist and is a member of 40 West Gallery and NEXT Gallery, both in Denver.

Field of View: Photographic Expressions
March 10 – 26
EDGE Gallery 

Field of View: Photographic Expressions is a community show for artists to express themselves through the wonders of light, observation and composition. EDGE Gallery is dedicated to highlighting contemporary art which falls outside the norm and photography that pushes the boundaries of technique or concept.

Please visit our website for gallery hours and up-to-date event information.

The Silhouette Project: Newcomers
March 11 – April 2, 2023
Valkarie Gallery

Opening reception: Sat., Mar 11, 5 – 8:30 pm
Artist Talk: Sun., Mar 12, 2 – 4 pm
Newcomer Share: Sat., Mar 18, 2 – 4 pm
Live Music: Sat., Mar 25, 2 – 4 pm
Closing Party: Sat., Apr. 1, 2 – 6 pm

The Silhouette Project: Newcomers illuminates the power of the shadow voice of local High School refugees. Dona Laurita’s ongoing photographic project continues to give a voice to segments of our population in our local and national communities that are too often being relegated to the shadows. Silhouettes is a visual story expose that shares the unique and immensely different stories and backgrounds of Newcomers in America today. Within these individual stories, there exist many commonalities and themes across their narratives.

Gallery hours: Weds 4-7, Thurs 4-9:30, Fri 4-8:30, Sat 12-6, Sun 12-5.
Please continue to check online for programming additions to this special exhibit.

The Toy Camera Photo Show!
Featuring Barb Pullin and Gary Reed
March 12 – April 22
Edgewater Library

What exactly is “Toy Camera Photography?” It’s the use of inexpensive, plastic, old-school film cameras that have cheap plastic lenses with limited options for exposure and focusing that were originally made for training purposes. We find the vignetting, soft focus, light leaks (which we sometimes fix with duct tape) and other distortions give us an ethereal and sometimes just plain wacky effect that cannot be duplicated with traditional cameras. Toy cameras like the Holga and Diana, which we use, have been recognized worldwide as an art form all unto itself.

We have been involved in photography for over 40 years so we come from the film era and can appreciate how something so simple and basic like a toy camera can change the way we see the world. This body of work is a collaboration covering a period of several years right up through 2022. Enjoy our not-so-serious photographic take on how we see the many spaces, places, and things we all experience every day.

Pause – Diana Photographs by Reed Weimer
March 31 – April 16, 2023
Opening Reception: March 31, 5 – 10 pm
Core New Art Space, Lakewood

Gallery hours: Friday 5 – 10 pm, Saturday / Sunday, Noon – 5 pm

VAMA Art Gallery Exhibition
March 3 – April 1, 2023
40 West Gallery

Opening Reception: March 3, 6 – 9 PM 

VAMA Art Gallery Exhibition creates engaging opportunities within the community, empowerment in the workplace, and manifesting behaviors that align with RRCC and VAMA values. As an expression of our department, we pull together a collection of work created by our students in collaboration with Foothills Art Center and 40 Arts West to bring a multimedia experience to the community.

The exhibition began over 6 years ago when a group of ambitious students came together with a plan to present artwork at the Foothills Art Center. They proposed a partnership that would present real-world experiences for all students. This launched the beginning of the VAMA Art Gallery Exhibition.

In Partnership with 40 Arts West, we bring our multimedia experience to a new audience. 40 Arts West is an inclusive non-profit volunteer organization that enriches the community and enhances the creative, cultural, and economic vitality of Lakewood.

40 West Gallery is a community gallery space located in 40 West Arts District, inside The HUB building.

Teen MOP Show: Forward Looking
March 3 – April 1, 2023
Red Rocks Community College, Library Atrium 

A juried exhibition of high school photography work hosted by Red Rocks Community College’s Visual, Audio and Media Department.

Organized by Denver Public School teacher Alexandra Overby for the past four MoP festivals. Jurors Mark Sink, Angela Belt, and John Kenney selected from hundreds of submissions, excepted and awarded outstanding work which will be on view.

40 West Gallery Members Photography Showcase
March 3 – April 1, 2023
Opening Reception: March 3, 6 – 9 pm 
40 West Gallery 

We have designated our two pop-out gallery spaces for a 40 West Arts Member Photography Mini-Exhibition. We asked our 40 West Gallery members to submit their most poignant, playful, unique, vivid, interpretive, wild, creative, and favorite photographs for a showcase in conjunction with our partner exhibition through Red Rocks Community College’s Video, Audio, Media Arts Department.

The Silhouette Project: Newcomers
March 11 – April 2, 2023
Valkarie Gallery

Opening reception: Sat., Mar 11, 5 – 8:30 pm
Artist Talk: Sun., Mar 12, 2 – 4 pm
Newcomer Share: Sat., Mar 18, 2 – 4 pm
Live Music: Sat., Mar 25, 2 – 4 pm
Closing Party: Sat., Apr. 1, 2 – 6 pm

The Silhouette Project: Newcomers illuminates the power of the shadow voice of local High School refugees. Dona Laurita’s ongoing photographic project continues to give a voice to segments of our population in our local and national communities that are too often being relegated to the shadows. Silhouettes is a visual story expose that shares the unique and immensely different stories and backgrounds of Newcomers in America today. Within these individual stories, there exist many commonalities and themes across their narratives.

Gallery hours: Weds 4-7, Thurs 4-9:30, Fri 4-8:30, Sat 12-6, Sun 12-5.
Please continue to check online for programming additions to this special exhibit.

The Toy Camera Photo Show!
Featuring Barb Pullin and Gary Reed
March 12 – April 22
Edgewater Library

What exactly is “Toy Camera Photography?” It’s the use of inexpensive, plastic, old-school film cameras that have cheap plastic lenses with limited options for exposure and focusing that were originally made for training purposes. We find the vignetting, soft focus, light leaks (which we sometimes fix with duct tape) and other distortions give us an ethereal and sometimes just plain wacky effect that cannot be duplicated with traditional cameras. Toy cameras like the Holga and Diana, which we use, have been recognized worldwide as an art form all unto itself.

We have been involved in photography for over 40 years so we come from the film era and can appreciate how something so simple and basic like a toy camera can change the way we see the world. This body of work is a collaboration covering a period of several years right up through 2022. Enjoy our not-so-serious photographic take on how we see the many spaces, places, and things we all experience every day.

Pause – Diana Photographs by Reed Weimer
March 31 – April 16, 2023
Opening Reception: March 31, 5 – 10 pm
Core New Art Space, Lakewood

Gallery hours: Friday 5 – 10 pm, Saturday / Sunday, Noon – 5 pm