Denver Arts & Venues Reveals McNichols Civic Center Building Fall Exhibitions and Events

Denver Arts & Venues will present two new fall exhibitions at McNichols Civic Center Building with several exhibition-related events, including the sixth event in the Cultural Fashion Runway Series, which celebrates fashions inspired by cultures and textile work from around the globe, plus an opportunity for the audience to vote on favorite looks from local designers.

“For our next fashion show, we are focusing on community – not just here in Denver, but around the world,” said Ginger White, executive director of Denver Arts & Venues. “We are excited to present globally inspired fashions tied to ‘Culture Cloth’ on the third floor. Plus, the audience can get involved by voting on their favorite runway looks from designers selected from our local fashion scene.”

Fall McNichols Building Exhibitions:

Community Cloth  (McNichols Building, Boettcher Cultural Pavilion, Second Floor), Sept. 15-Dec. 17. This exhibition highlights contemporary artists and current designs being created with fiber and textiles. This group show will feature innovation in the very tangible artforms of cloth, fabric, fiber, thread and yarn.

Culture Cloth (McNichols Building, Third Floor), Sept. 15-Dec. 17. Co-curated by Paul Ramsey, independent expert and gallery owner, and Shanna Shelby, curator for Denver Arts & Venues, this exhibition explores multiple cultures through the lens of cloth and textiles, including clothing. Entitled Culture Cloth, this exhibition looks to the historic importance of a variety of materials and cloth.

Coming Soon! Woven Together (McNichols Building, First Floor and Buell Theatre Lobby). DAV seeks textile artists of all types to submit works for "Woven Together," a dual exhibition at Buell Theatre and McNichols Civic Center Building from October to December celebrating knitting, lacework, quilting, embroidery, crochet, cross-stitch and more! Textile artists may submit their works online for consideration through Sept. 27.

“When someone grabs a sweater or tosses a blanket onto their bed, they may not think about it as artwork, but knitting, weaving, quilting and crocheting are artforms in their own rights. Not to mention the incredible skill and talent that goes into lacework, embroidery, cross-stitch and other embellishments,” said exhibition curator Shanna Shelby. “We are excited to showcase this textile work in the galleries and on the runway, highlighting the artistry of not only traditional and historic fabrics, but also innovative and contemporary works of art using thread as the medium.”

These exhibitions coincide with Perfect Patchwork, on display at Denver International Airport Ansbacher Hall and C Concourse Mezzanine Oct. 6-Feb. 26, 2024. DEN Arts presents Perfect Patchwork, a celebration of quilting in Colorado. This exhibition represents three diverse guilds, the Rocky Mountain Wa Shonaji Quilt Guild, the Denver Metro Modern Quilt Guild, and the Colorado Quilting Council, along with the local Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.

Exhibition Related Events:

Opening Reception – Sept. 14, 5-7 p.m. Celebrate the opening of Culture Cloth and Community Cloth with a guided tour and discussion led by co-curator Paul Ramsey from 5-6 p.m. with a reception following.

Open Casting Call – Sept. 16, 1-3 p.m. Calling all bodies, models of all abilities, ages, shapes and sizes to strut their stuff at the Runway Show on Oct. 14. There is no fee to audition and selected models will receive a $250 stipend.

Cultural Runway Impact Day – Oct. 8, 1-4:15 p.m. – Join us at McNichols Building on Oct. 8 for three workshops tied to our Community Runway. From 1-2 p.m., we invite you to perfect your poses at our Model Walking Workshop led by runway model, print model and performing artist Thaiara Keoninh - $10 per participant. From 2:15-4:15 p.m., get your craft on with An Introduction to Sewing and Pillow-Making Workshop led by Denver Design Incubator or a Whimsical Yarn Class led by textile artist Andrea Fischer. All materials provided. $15 each. AXS.com.

Denver Arts & Venues Cultural Runway Series: Community – Oct. 14, 5 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. runway, celebrating the cultural heritage that is conveyed through traditional textile work and featuring fabrics, textiles and clothing from Africa, Guatemala, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey. In addition to traditional garments, local designers featured on the runway submitted designs and were selected by a panel of judges, winning a $500 stipend. At the show, the audience will vote, and favorites will be awarded an additional $1,000. Tickets start at $10 and are on sale now at AXS.com.

Additional events will be announced. The McNichols Building exhibitions are free and open to the public daily from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

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