First Friday in April: Solar Signs Lights Up Denver and Gallery Shows Bloom Everywhere
From narrative paintings at Alto to happenings at the Museo, here are the best art activities this weekend.
By Susan Froyd
April 4, 2024
It’s a rich First Friday weekend for indie galleries, with a wide cross-section of art, plus a sun-powered spectacle and happening brought to town by the internationally known team of Beatie Wolfe and Aaron Rose. What more can you do but head out to wander and wonder at it all?
Beatie Wolfe and Aaron Rose, Solar Signs
Solar Signs Denver Takeover: Night Lights Denver, Daniels & Fisher Tower, 1601 Arapahoe Street, nightly through April 30, 7:45 to 11:55 p.m.
Solar Signs Exhibition: Understudy, 890 C 14th Street, daily, Friday, April 5, through May 12
Exhibition Opening Celebration: Friday, April 5, 6 p.m.
Solar Signs Eclipse Project: Monday, April 8, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tivoli Quad, Auraria Campus
Beatie Wolfe and Aaron Rose juggle countless disciplines between them, with the ability to create events across a spectrum of music, fine art, multimedia, writing, filmmaking, science, technology, research — and no doubt more. Aside from what they've accomplished together, Wolfe has worked with Brian Eno, Mark Mothersbaugh, Allee Willis and producer Linda Perry, while Rose has collaborated with directors Mike Mills, Spike Jonze and Harmony Korine, as well as artists Barry McGee, Margaret Kilgallen, Steven "Espo" Powers, Chris Johanson, Harmony Korine and Shepard Fairey.
The visionary duo is bringing the spectacle Solar Signs to Denver this week and next, where the solar eclipse-related happening will occur in various downtown Denver locales. The intermedia display of shadow poetry and sun prints, driven by solar power using cutout letters of a unique font, has already begun its month-long program through the Night Lights Denver video-projection evenings at the Daniels & Fisher Clocktower, while an ongoing exhibition debuts Friday, April 5, at the Understudy art incubator. The final puzzle piece, the Solar Signs Eclipse Project, happens on eclipse day at the Auraria campus, where eclipse glasses will be available (while they last) to view Denver’s portion of the spectacle.
