Arts & Venues Launches Three New Virtual Experiences

Denver Arts & Venues has announced three new virtual experiences, "Listen," "Women of Color on the Frontlines" and "Kintsugi: The Art of Healing, Finding Beauty in Repair," and the extension of McNichols Civic Center Building summer exhibitions, "Queer City of the Plains" and "Lavender Mist."

The virtual experiences and additional online components of the McNichols Building exhibits showcase how Arts & Venues is pivoting to provide cultural experiences through a digital landscape during the COVID-19 pandemic. "These were all partnerships that we had been planning early in the year, but once the pandemic hit, we had to think creatively about how we could reach our audience," explained Shanna Shelby, program administrator for Denver Arts & Venues Cultural Partner Program and curator of exhibitions at McNichols Civic Center Building. "We had to be creative in building additional website material, virtual tours, online discussions and digital workshops."

"Listen" is an audio experience hosted at McNicholsBuilding.com. Originally conceived as a listening station housed in a classic telephone booth, participants can now listen online to authentic stories told by men who spent more than 20 years in prison.

"Women of Color on the Front Lines" is a virtual exhibit also hosted on the McNichols Building website. It showcases portraits based on photos submitted by women in health care donning their personal protective equipment. The portraits, all created by women artists, vary from watercolor to pop art to cross-stitch.

Based on the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the pieces with gold, "Kintsugi: The Art of Healing, Finding Beauty in Repair" highlights how the art form is a metaphor of our own healing. Hosted on ArtsandVenues.com, this partnership will include four Friday online artist workshops on topics such as movement, karate, matcha and dumpling making. The partnership will also include other digital components such as a wellness market and a virtual Kintsugi quilt made from community members' social media posts responding to #IAmNotBroken.

"Kintsugi: The Art of Healing, Finding Beauty in Repair" was developed as a collaboration between the Japanese Arts Network and Denver Arts & Venues Cultural Partner Program. "We wanted a way to support our communities given the current tumultuous environment we are living in," explained Courtney Ozaki, creative producer and performing arts manager at Japanese Arts Network. "Kintsugi teaches us that through the process of repairing the cracks between our broken pieces, we build resilience and strength. We are excited to share this Japanese philosophy with the Denver community, recognizing the ever-present need for collective healing, especially during this time of uncertainty."

Denver Arts & Venues has also extended the two summer exhibitions at McNichols Building. "Lavender Mist" will remain open until Sept. 13 and "Queer City of the Plains" will remain open through Sept. 20. Both exhibitions incorporate additional digital experiences at McNicholsBuilding.com including virtual galleries, video tours, an artist panel and an online workshop. Individuals and groups can make appointments to visit the exhibitions in person at artsandvenues.wufoo.com/forms/mcnichols-building-reservation-request.

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