Five hidden Denver art galleries to visit this weekend

By Tiffany Fitzgerald Thu., May 24 2012 at 9:48 AM

Categories: Art

Photo courtesy of Core New Art Space

Johnny Nicoloro, The Annex

While most art galleries in town do all they can to promote themselves, some of them provide back room spaces, which are not advertised as often and usually feature the work of up-and-coming or associate-member work. This weekend is closing weekend for many shows, as galleries gear up for next week's First Friday openings, which makes it a perfect time to peruse art without the crowds. Here's a list of hidden galleries to visit.

Courtesy of Pirate

Jason Theel's show

"Associate Space," Pirate: Contemporary Art

Where it is:

3655 Navajo Street, by Zip 37 and EDGE galleries.

What it is:
Pirate has a reputation for showing edgy, experimental artwork. A mainstay of Denver for thirty years, and one of the surviving co-ops from the "old art district," Pirate helped create the art scene in Denver. It still does that by offering associate members the chance to show in this lesser-known space.

Showing now:

Associate member Jason Theel's work shows through May 27.

"CHAC Norte," Chicano Humanities and Arts Council

Where it is:

772 Santa Fe Drive, by Kanon Collective and Space Gallery.

What it is:

The Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC) is dedicated to celebrating Chicano and Latino culture through visual and performing arts. The organization has a lot of members, though, because it takes anyone who wants to show in the gallery. So CHAC Norte provides another space, aside from the main CHAC gallery, in which to explore the cultural complexities of Chicano art.

Showing now:

CHAC Norte is featuring art from Michael Penny, Robert Maestas, Joe N. Martinez, Bob Martinez and Suzanna Martino.