Only in Denver: Have an Immersive Journey at Spectra Art Space

An otherwise unassuming storefront on South Broadway in Denver is a portal into another world.

A little more than a mile before the city gives way to the suburbs, the door to Spectra Art Space doubles as a launchpad for a psychedelic journey into a labyrinthine indoor/outdoor environment, with secrets around every corner.

For five years running, Spectra has produced a pair of elaborate and engrossing immersive art installations that change and evolve over time. They’ve become Spectra’s differentiator, catalyzing the gallery and its ability to showcase a wide range of artists.

Immersive art wasn’t always the plan. Sadie Young, Spectra’s CEO and chief curator, started out managing the space for absentee owners, who originally had an idea for a cannabis-friendly art gallery.

When that model didn’t succeed, Young had the option of taking over the lease in 2015. She jumped at the opportunity and rebranded it as Spectra Art Space in early 2016. There was only one problem: “I didn’t know how we were going to make money,” she says.

Experimentation led to the idea for an immersive Halloween installation called Spookadelia in 2019.

“It was an absolute hit,” says Young. “It just changed everything.”

In 2021, Spectra hosted a summer “solarpunk” installation, Novo Ita (meaning “The New Way”), to run until September before the October return of Spookadelia.

With the help of her husband, Alex Clifford, and longtime collaborator Douglas A. Schenk, Young has spearheaded the dual immersives every year since. The installations are clad in all kinds of quirky artwork ranging from miniatures to structures to high-tech displays. There are surprises to be found in most every nook and cranny, and QR codes launch apps that help with the storytelling.

“There’s always some fun way to interact with the story,” says Young.

Both of the installations change every year, but they incorporate work from the previous incarnation and an ongoing narrative.

“Spookadelias are always more introspective,” says Young. “They’re not supposed to be scary, they’re supposed to be spooky.”

She says Novo Ita’s solarpunk themes are the opposite of the post-apocalyptic world of "Mad Max."

“In solarpunk, something really dramatic happens to the world, but out of that, people become more sustainable and better to each other.”

Young says she has worked with more than 1,000 artists in her near-decade running Spectra.

“Because of all these immersives that we’ve done and the revenue that it has been bringing in, it’s amazing: I’m able to pay so many artists every time to come to do new installations. For Spookadelia, we have actors now, and we pay them. So we’re providing so many jobs and opportunities and ways for artists to make money here, outside of just the gallery, which has been incredible.”

Young says she sees Spectra as filling a void in the city’s arts scene.

“We needed something that was off the cuff and something that was really inclusive and accessible to artists, but also patrons,” she says.

While the immersive experiences change twice annually, Spectra’s gallery walls change monthly with themed shows, and the space also sells a wide range of stickers, prints and other works by dozens of different creators. That’s all by design.

“I’m proud to have been so many artists’ first art sale or first art show,” says Young. “I’ll be your biggest cheerleader if you want me to be.”

The opening nights for new shows are good times to check out the space, she adds. “Our art openings are so fun because everyone gets to meet the artists, people are hanging out in the immersive all night. We have free beer from Ratio Beerworks, and the vibes are just so good.”

When Meow Wolf Denver opened in 2021, Young feared Spectra might get “pancaked” in its wake, but it has actually proved symbiotic.

“It’s cool, because a lot of people started traveling here for that, and it made people understand what we meant when we said immersive art experience,” she explains.

Young notes that many patrons find Spectra to be a soothing alternative to the oft-overwhelming maximalism and commercialism of other immersive experiences.

“If you want a true taste of local Denver art with a lot of heart and soul, this is where you should visit,” she says.