Celebrate Memorial Day Weekend at the Denver Arts Festival
May 23 & 24, 2026, MCA Central Park’s Conservatory Green
 
DENVER, CO — This Memorial Day weekend, MCA Central Park’s Conservatory Green will transform into an open-air art gallery for the 27th Annual Denver Arts Festival (DAF). A premier showcase of original works by fine artists and artisans from Colorado and beyond, it pairs the chance to shop a curated selection of beautiful art with a joyful community event for the entire family, where one can enjoy music, food and drinks, and an art activity area for both kids and adults alike. Attendance and parking are free. The park is located at 8304 E. 49th Place with the event scheduled for Saturday, May 23, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 24, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
 
More than 140 artists were selected to participate this year, exhibiting creative works that range in styles, price points, and mediums, including painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, mixed media, jewelry, glass, metal, ceramics, wood, and photography. The festival is committed to making art accessible for those who are developing their taste for original art as well as established collectors.
 
While the visual art takes center stage, the festival grounds will come alive with performances from a powerhouse lineup of musicians, including local favorites such as The Denver Concert Band, Dotsero, Bailenque, the Jacob Larson Band and many more. The full musical lineup for both days can be found on the DAF website.
The festival also features a Kids Art Zone – though adults who are young at heart are welcome as well! – featuring a mini painting party with “Gallery on the Go”. Activities include painting a 4"x 4" canvas magnet to take home, a photo booth, and you can also enter for a chance to win a painting party!
Volunteers from our non-profit partner, Colorado Pet Pantry, will staff the wine, beer & spirits garden with drink sales benefitting the organization.
 
Colorado Pet Pantry helps owners feed their pets in times of financial hardship, assisting families in caring for their beloved family members with the goal of keeping them out of shelters and in their homes.

Denver Arts Festival also welcomes anyone interested in volunteering for the festival overall; they can sign up on our website's volunteer page. Those willing to give of their time are critical to ensuring the festival is a successful event for both artists and visitors. In return, volunteers will receive a meal, a T-shirt, and the opportunity to connect with a vibrant community.
 
The DAF would like to thank their generous sponsors for helping to make this event possible, including MCA Central Park, Waste Management, Colorado Pet Pantry, Renewal by Andersen, T-Mobile, The Denver Gazette, Live @ Jack’s, Lifetime Bath & Showers, Tito’s, Home Depot Home Services, Carboy Winery, Leaf Filter, Mountain Safe Exteriors, Mettle Beverage Co., and The Dyrt.
 
Denver Arts Festival has been a cornerstone of the regional arts calendar since 1999. New owner and executive director, Jana Novak, believes that when you collect art, you collect community. She is committed to ensuring it remains an inclusive community event where art lovers can connect with original art and artists in an accessible environment, with an emphasis on supporting and valuing artists. Visit denverartsfestival.com for a full schedule and list of artists. ###
 

​Free Arts Events Power Economic Growth and
​Youth Opportunity in Denver’s Clayton Neighborhood
June 6 & August 1, 2026
 
DENVER, CO—New Cottage Arts is proud to celebrate the third year of Clayton Community Days (CCD), an embodiment of their belief in the power of creativity, connection, and community engagement to uplift and inspire. This two-event series offers a free, inclusive, family-friendly outdoor gathering in Clayton, a vibrant North Denver neighborhood, and serves as a positive and impactful platform for economic mobility, youth development, and community health. The public is invited to attend on Saturday, June 6, 2 – 6 p.m., and Saturday, August 1, 2 – 6 p.m., outside of Cohesion Brewing Company, behind 3840 York Street, Denver, CO, 80205. Live music will enliven the area while visitors discover culinary delights, engage with art and shop for goods from local small business vendors.
 
June 6 kicks off the musical acts with “Cha’Rel Ji’Cole and the Back to Love Band”, followed by “Isaac Points/Jakarta Band”. August 1st brings “Atomic Jones”, a nationally recognized funk/soul group with deep Colorado ties and the “Paloma Rose Trio”, an intimate, genre-blending act rooted in storytelling and connection.
 
CCD launched in 2024, as an accessible gathering and form of preventative community care, to build trust, prevent violence and supporting mental health through arts engagement. The 2026 series builds upon their foundation of neighborhood-based investment by continuing to host consistent and engaging events with steady participation in the effort to make a lasting impact.
 
This year, an enthusiastic group of youth creators and leaders has played a vital part in planning and production. Their involvement allows them to focus on specific areas of interest, creating a continuum from engagement to workforce opportunity. A diverse array of vendors will be featured again, adding to the 105+ small businesses (with approximately 50% women- and minority-owned) supported to date, who benefit from visibility and direct sales. Additionally, the artists and performers will continue to reflect deep neighborhood roots, celebrating Black, Latino, and immigrant cultural expression while strengthening intergenerational cultural continuity. All planners, artists, and performers are paid for their services, adding to the micro-economy created by all aspects of the event.
 
“Clayton Community Days shows what is possible when community is centered, local artists and businesses are uplifted, and families have access to free, high-quality experiences in their own neighborhood. These events are investments in connection, safety, local economic activity, and neighborhood pride. As someone who lives and works in Clayton, this series is deeply personal to me, and we want every resident to feel the creativity, belonging, and strength that already exists here.”
Victor Ngo-Smith, Founder & Executive Director, New Cottage Arts
 
CCD is spearheaded by New Cottage Arts, a Clayton neighborhood-based nonprofit leading a movement to transform lives through year-round music and art education. Grounded in access, care, and inclusiveness, New Cottage Arts equips youth—especially those in historically under-resourced communities—with the creative skills, leadership opportunities, and supportive environments needed to thrive. Their work sits at the intersection of arts education, youth violence prevention, and mental health, creating safe spaces where young people build identity, resilience, and purpose while strengthening the cultural and economic fabric of their communities.
 
This work is made possible with special thanks to The Colorado Health Foundation, The Denver Foundation, Denver Arts & Venues, The City and County of Denver Office of Children's Affairs, Colorado Creative Industries (with support from the National Endowment for the Arts), and The America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission, whose partnership helps ensure that arts access remains a public good for all.
 
For more information, visit www.newcottagearts.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 15, 2025
 
Contact:
Amy Norton, 303-204-5183, [email protected] (note: .co, not .com)
Conrad Kehn, 720-641-2414, [email protected]
 
The Playground String Quartet celebrates fall with works by Mexican composers
Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Kim Robards Dance
​
DENVER— In a climate where diversity is undervalued and often actively oppressed, The Playground String Quartet is proud to celebrate fall with a concert of string quartet pieces by two composers from Mexico. The performance will feature the Colorado premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s ceremonial “Altar de Muertos”, inspired by the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead, and “Eclectic Huapango” and “Two Dances” by composer Alfonso Molina, which focuses on pre-hispanic Mexican traditions that have endured beyond Mexico’s Spanish conquest. The show will take place at Kim Robards Dance 1755 W 48th Ave in Denver on Saturday, October 18, 2025, 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7). Tickets are $20, and $10 for students, and are available at for purchase now at www.playgroundensemble.org.

Ortiz describes her highly theatrical ‘Altar de Muertos’:
“The tradition of the Day of the Dead festivities in Mexico is the source of inspiration for [this composition] whose ideas reflect the internal search between the real and the magic, a duality always present in Mexican culture, from the past to present. The piece is divided into four parts — Ofrenda, Mictlan, Danza Macabra and La Calaca — each describing diverse moods, traditions and the spiritual worlds which shape to the global concept of death in Mexico, plus my own personal concept of death.“
Ortiz' score calls for the players to wear traditional folk masks and these are being made special for the Playground Ensemble by artist Josefina Calzada.

Molina’s quartet uses rhythmic motifs from the old and new Mexican culture. The Huapango rhythm — which is normally used in Mexican songs from the Huasteca Potosina region — is used as an ostinato rhythm at the beginning of the piece, using a ternary basic unit. The second movement (Dance I) is based on a traditional ritual from the Totonac Indians from the Gulf of Mexico, still celebrated today, representing the five elements from the indigenous world that they treasure, as well as the changes that take place during the year in their community. The third movement (Dance II) is based on the pre-hispanic conception that volcanic stones hold old souls inside them and that these souls, escape in the form of sparks when being exposed to fire.

The Playground String Quartet features Sarah Whitnah, Violin; Jackson Bailey, Violin; Allyson Stibbards, Viola and David Short, Cello
 
The Playground Ensemble is a group of professional musicians, composers, educators and fans dedicated to presenting chamber music as a living art form. Their goal is to provide stimulating performances, expand common perceptions of both contemporary music and the chamber ensemble, and nurture a community around this music that they love. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, they cultivate a thriving local composition community through a robust commissioning program and extensive education/outreach programs. For more information, photos, and a complete list of concerts and events, please visit the Playground Ensemble website at www.playgroundensemble.org.
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