10 Amazing Things To See, Do And Experience
At Denver's Biennial of the Americas 2013
Denver will be dancing to a different beat in July when the city stages the 2013 Biennial of the Americas, an international celebration of the ideas, art and culture of the 35 nations that make up the Western Hemisphere. The cross-cultural experience includes art shows, concerts, special exhibitions, dance, and food, as well as a series of conversational roundtables, bringing together past and present leaders of the Americas to discuss topics ranging from science and technology to politics and the economy.
Here are just a handful of can’t-miss events taking place this year during the Biennial. 1. Mexico Night - ¡La noche de México! July 18
Civic Center Park
The Biennial of the Americas in partnership with the Mexican Cultural Center Denver, Consulate General of Mexico in Denver, and the Denver Film Society will present a free public festival to celebrate Mexico! The night will be filled with free family activities, live performances of traditional dances representative of Mexico, traditional food, and finally, a special film presentation of Bajo la misma luna (Under the Same Moon) from the Denver Film Society.
2. Unleashing Human Potential: Reinventing Communities, Business, and Education with Tina Brown July 16
Buell Theater (950 13th Street)
Setting the stage for the 2013 Biennial of the Americas, this inspirational forum features innovative thinkers from across the Americas who will share their game changing stories of reinventing industries, government, and how we live. Tina Brown, the Editor-in-Chief of
The Daily Beast and
Newsweek and a leading innovator in a revolutionized media industry, will moderate the forum.
3. Butterflies On The 16th Street Mall July 16-September 2
16th Street Mall
Meyer-Grohbrügge&Chermayeff’s amazing installation for the 16th Street Mall introduces a new element, butterflies, to an already bustling and vibrant place. Suspended via cables from the roofs of nearby buildings, a series of net structures containing butterflies will enclose pieces of urban furniture along the 16th Street Mall. During certain times of day, the public will be invited into the structures to interact with the butterflies, drawing people into these spaces, and providing a new experience of the 16th Street Mall.
4. Denver Night July 19
Civic Center Park
Celebrate The Mile High City! Denver Night is a free, unique evening of music and art in Denver’s Civic Center Park, including an eclectic concert of folk, classical, jazz, rock and avant-garde music in additional video art, sculpture, and dance. Don’t miss the amazing presentation of HEARD•DAM, by contemporary artist Nick Cave, featuring local performers, life-sized horse Soundsuits, music and movement in an electrifying and inspiring performance. Note: Cave currently has an exhibition of new work at the Denver Art Museum, Nick Cave: Sojourn, which takes visitors on a journey through the artist’s imagination.
5. Gold Cup Soccer July 14
Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Enjoy the thrills of the world’s most popular sport – soccer in the U.S., football to the rest of the world. This doubleheader features Mexico v. Martinique and Canada v. Panama – one ticket is good for both games.
6. First Draft July 16-September 2
McNichols Civic Center Building
The only thing permanent … is change. This must-see exhibition of work by artists who live and works in the Denver-Metro area focuses on the concept of “iteration” or “draft” in a pluralistic sense and also as a pervasive condition to the world in which we live. By thinking about how prevalent change is, and how it is an inescapable part of our lives, these works offer new ways to think about the creative process.
7. The Hotel Rehearsal July 16-September 2
1417 California Street
Designed by the artist and architect Alex Schweder, this whimsical, but thought provoking installation features an inflatable hotel room, composed of transparent and white vinyl, which lifts in an out of a van via scissor lift. Schweder’s piece looks at the urban condition of surface parking lots within downtown Denver’s urban fabric.
8. Mine Pavilion July 16-September 2
1301-1373 Larimer Street (corner of Speer and Larimer)
It’ll be hard to miss this one. Created by Pezo von Ellrichshausen, Mine Pavilion is a gigantic wooden structure measuring 50 ft high, 50 ft long, and 10 ft wide. The installation is meant to illustrate the perceptual distance between downtown Denver and the Auraria Campus – two locations that aren’t that far apart but are divided by Speer Boulevard.
9. Reinventing Communities and How We Live with Arriana Huffington July 17
Buell Theater (950 13th Street)
In a sure-to-be-talked about symposium moderated by renowned new media pioneer Arianna Huffington, meet innovators who are reinventing how we create more affordable, reliable, and efficient systems that produce happier and healthier societies.
10. Colorado Symphony: Still Meets Beethoven July 17
Clyfford Still Museum
Join musicians from the Colorado Symphony Orchestra perform an evening of Beethoven string quartets at the Clyfford Still Museum, providing a unique opportunity for a comparison of the compositions of two iconic artists, Clyfford Still and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Go to www.biennialoftheamericas.org for a full listing of events and activities.