RiNo’s in Westword’s Best of Denver

Best Design Shop
P Design Gallery
2590 Walnut St.
303-291-1005

Design-forward couple Paul and Pifuka Hardt took a leap when they opened P Design Gallery in the RiNo arts district last summer. With the flip of a light switch over the showroom floor, Denver entered a brave, new modernist world that stretches from Brooklyn’s burgeoning design enclave to European shores. There’s Jason Miller’s tongue-in-chic antler chandeliers and chairs patched with leather “duct tape,” Tobias Wong’s rubber-dipped lighting and infamous coke-spoon replica, Denyse Schmidt’s edgy quilts, Takashi Murakami pop-art pillows, Tord Boontje’s detailed etched-metal and feathered polyester lamps, and DoubleButter’s witty locally made furniture. This is the modern world.

Best Design Show
DoubleButter Boontje
P Design Gallery

Paul and Pifuka Hardt opened P Design Gallery last year, and since then, they’ve presented a regular show schedule devoted to furniture and decorative arts. What set DoubleButter Boontje apart was that two of the three featured designers live right here in Denver. David Larabee and Dexter Thornton were the “DoubleButter” part of the show, and their elegant, sturdy furniture relates well to several international trends. The “Boontje” part highlighted the work of European hotshot Tord Boontje, someone who sets the trends. Boontje’s high status as a high stylist was confirmed when the Denver Art Museum acquired several of his works during the P Design show.

Best Blog — Cultural
www.hughgrahamcreative.com
What do Spalding Gray, good design, a dog named Maddie, environmental awareness and “Mile High Stories” have in common? Hugh Graham! A longtime fixture on Denver’s arts-and-culture scene — a former Significant Guy, and the other half of artist/River North Arts District co-founder Jill Hadley Hooper — Graham is fascinating to chat with, whether discussing his time as a stage manager for Spalding Gray; the design of the Frederic C. Hamilton Building; his dog, Maddie; the funny environmental newsletter Grist or his involvement with “Mile High Stories.” If you can’t get your daily dose of Graham in person, stop by his blog, which is as eclectic and delightful as Graham himself. And be sure to comment: He likes to know who’s stopping by.

Best Gallery Show COLIN LIVINGSTON
+ Gallery
Last fall, Ivar Zeile’s + Gallery mounted the imaginative COLIN LIVINGSTON: Palettes, Patterns, Logos and Slogans, in which potential collectors were invited to come up with their own compositions by selecting from a menu of — you guessed it — palettes, patterns, logos and slogans. Livingston offered several hypothetical combinations at the show, giving patrons ideas on how to help him create one of his signature post-pop paintings. By offering these made-to-order works, Livingston posed questions about the nature of art-making, art collecting and, in the process, art itself.

Support of the “Artist Deduction Bill”

Hello everyone,

I just received this information from The Art Students League. Definitely worth a look-

http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=9521951&type=CO

This bill supports individual artists by allowing them to take a fair-market value tax deduction for works they donate to nonprofit organizations.

Under current law, a collector may deduct the fair-market value of a donated work, but creators may deduct only the cost of materials such as paint and canvas. 

Please support this important legislation by sending a message to your Members of Congress.

http://capwiz.com/artsusa/issues/alert/?alertid=9521951&type=CO

MySpace?

I set up a MySpace page for the gallery awhile back with the intent of just keeping friends from out-of-town informed of happenings.  So I was quite surprised at the last First Friday to find that about 20% of the folks who showed up had heard about the event from the many MySpace bulletins I’d posted there, all of which led to the MySpace event page I’d set up for it.

This got me wondering:  Other than the folks I’ve found and “friended” already, do any other RiNos use MySpace for marketing?  If so, what has your experience been with it?  Are there other online venues you use to help promote yourself and your business?

Besides this one, I mean.  *grin*

studio space in RiNo

Please post any information you have regarding your space here, don’t forget your contact info. The spaces listed here are official RiNo’s! Scroll to the bottom for the most recent posts. Thanks.

This looks like an interesting event! We are hoping to learn more soon… we’ll post on the blog. t

What is SEED?

“Creative Camp” might be a bit vague.  As mentioned in other places on this page, Denver is entering into an exciting chapter of its history.  Many significant events have all happened in a short period of time.  Not many major U.S. cities are standing on the edge of evolution as Denver is.  We feel this is the time to put Denver on the global map as a premeire creative city.  Bringing together the creative energy in Denver will inspire the next generation of creatives to shape the cultural landscape, which ultimately will lead to better jobs.

On Fridy September 21, the fall equinox, SEED will have a sensory environment where all 5 senses will be inspired.  Once attendees have had a chance to relax and mingle, the host(s) and featured speakers will talk about their repective topics.

More here….Seed My Space Page

Best Bets – Jared Steinberg!

This just in! Jared Steinberg made it into the Best Bets column in 5280 Magazine this month! Pick up your copy now! Well deserved! Congrats Jared!

4. An Inside Perspective
Mile-High native Jared Steinberg paints Denver as he perceives it, based on his own connections to a city he knows intimately. For this month’s First Friday, he opens his studio to share “Slices of Denver”—new oil paintings of his favorite landmarks, including the Wash Park boathouse, Wazee Supper Club, Larimer Street, the Mayan Theatre, his alma mater East High School, and more. Steinberg’s art is interpretive, using elements such as people and symbols to tell a story about the place; his hope is for viewers to derive their own stories from these elements as they connect to the landmarks.

Click here for 5280

Industrial Oasis – RiNo Artist Susan Wick

Congrats to Susan Wick for this fabulous article in today’s Post. They’ve truly captured everything that is special about Susan and ZWick Place.

“Standing in Susan Wick’s backyard, a vibration races from the bottom of your foot to the tip of your spine. Soon a rumbling sound accompanies the rattle. Both seem out of place in the snowy quiet of this Denver artist’s aspen-filled garden.” Sheba R. Wheeler – Denver Post

See Article Here