Denver Arts Week Puts The Spotlight On Mile High Creativity

Annual Citywide Festival Offers Eight Days of Artistic Immersion â€" through Art Walks, Free "Night at the Museums," Performing Arts and More

DENVER, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The sixth annual Denver Arts Week, an eight-day celebration of all things art in The Mile High City, will run from November 2-10, 2012. The program, presented by VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau, features more than 300 events at a wide variety of art galleries, museums, theaters and concert halls â€" many of which are free or deeply discounted.

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Beginning with a Know Your Arts First Friday event that allows an unprecedented glimpse of local artists' studios, gallery spaces and creative works in all mediums, Denver Arts Week is an opportunity to meet with local artists and explore Denver neighborhoods. Visitors are also treated to hands-on workshops, artist lectures and original artwork for sale throughout the week.

"Denver's vibrant energy is felt throughout every neighborhood in the city, due to the thriving creative community that calls The Mile High City home," said Jayne Buck, vice president of tourism for VISIT DENVER. "With a thriving public arts program, the second-largest performing arts center in the nation, 40 metro-area museums, numerous artist studios and intimate theaters â€" Denver Arts Week allows residents and visitors to be easily immersed in the artistic culture of the city."

Denver Arts Week will culminate with The Sights and Sounds of Cherry Creek North on Saturday, November 10. All day long, visitors can enjoy free live music, performing arts, art shows and exhibitions and educational activities inside the neighborhood's many galleries, restaurants and shops.

Here are just a few of the highlights:

KNOW YOUR ARTS FIRST FRIDAY
Friday, November 2, 2012
Denver Arts Week kicks off with Know Your Arts First Friday, a citywide street party: dozens of art galleries stay open late, offering live music, art demonstrations, food and drink, and a chance to interact with artists. It's the perfect introduction to the city's creative community.

• Neighborhoods such as Golden Triangle Museum District, Art District on Santa Fe, Navajo Street Arts District, Tennyson Street Cultural District, RiNo, Downtown Denver/LoDo and Belmar Block 7 will all participate.
• Many galleries will offer artwork for the special "mile high" price of $52.80. (Denver is exactly 5,280 feet above sea level - one mile high.)

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUMS
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Always one of Arts Week's most popular events, the Night at the Museums event generates more than 25,000 visits to museums large and small in one evening.

• More than a dozen of the city's top museums, including the Denver Art Museum, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, The Clyfford Still Museum, the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), The CELL, and the Molly Brown House Museum stay open until 10 p.m. for free, offering special programs, music and events.
• Free shuttle buses carry people from one museum to another throughout the night, making it easy to "museum-hop" around Denver.
• In addition, six museums in Golden will participate, including: the Astor House Museum; Clear Creek History Park; Golden History Center; the American Mountaineering Museum; Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum; and the Foothills Art Center.

DENVER'S ON STAGE
November 2-10, 2012
Denver's performing arts world struts its stuff all week long during Denver's On Stage, featuring special deals and discounts for theater, dance, music and more.

• The Starz Denver Film Festival, which runs November 1-11, 2012, celebrates its 35^th anniversary this year. The event is a cinephile's paradise, with film premieres, seminars with guest actors and directors, and hundreds of independent film screenings and red carpet events.

Launching in October, a full list of 2012 activities will be posted and continually updated on the dedicated Denver Arts Week website. Additional activities and itineraries featuring cultural and art attractions, along with discounted hotel rates in Denver, are available on the VISIT DENVER website.

About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating more than 100 years of promoting the Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Tourism is the second largest industry in Denver, generating $3.3 billion in annual spending in 2011, while supporting nearly 50,000 jobs. Learn more about Denver on the VISITDENVER website and at TOURISMPAYSDENVER, on Twitter @iknowdenver and the VISIT DENVER Facebook page, or by phone at 800 2 DENVER.

With press or photo inquiries, please contact:

VISIT DENVER contacts:
Rich Grant - (303) 571-9450 or [email protected]
Debbie Park - (303) 571-9451 or [email protected] or @debdbie
Katie Adamson - (303) 571-9418 or [email protected] or @colorado_kate

SOURCE VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau