AURORA | Thinking about shopping? Maybe a walk on the greenbelt? Tacos?
Think different.
Here’s a short list of unusual ways to spend the weekend in and near Aurora.
Bright Nights at Four Mile Historic Park
Bright Nights is a collaboration with Tianyu Arts an Culture, Inc., the largest producer of Chinese lantern festivals in North America. This event transforms the Park into a captivating realm with larger-than-life sculptures illuminating the night across its 12 acres. Each year brings a fresh theme, new experiences, and captivating sculptures.
Bright Nights at Four Mile is the only opportunity to experience a Tianyu festival in the Mountain West. The event features art by day and magic by night, and with each new year will come a new theme, a new experience and new sculptures to the festival.
IF YOU GO:
Tickets: $13 – $42
July 19 through Sept. 29, begins at 7 p.m. and runs through 11 p.m. or midnight, schedule varies
Four Mile Historic Park
715 S Forest St.
Tickets and info: www.fourmilepark.org/
Vanity and Vice: American Art Deco
Delve into the vibrant era of 1920–1933 and explore the dynamic designs that emerged during this period of rebellion.
Step into the story of a progressive Prohibition-era woman as you journey through her boudoir and a speakeasy, immersing yourself in the Art Deco objects that defined her world. Experience the freedom and change of the time, as American women embraced independence both at home and in society.
From chic bobs to cocktail parties, this exhibition showcases the evolution of the modern woman through fashionable perfume atomizers, vanity sets, and stylish drinking and smoking accessories. Vanity & Vice: American Art Deco invites you to indulge in the glamour of a bygone era.
This special exhibition is included with admission and does not require a separate ticket.
IF YOU GO:
Through Jan. 12, 2025, opens at 11 a.m.
Kirkland Museum
1201 Bannock St.
Info: www.kirklandmuseum.org/vanity-vice/#
Fazal Sheikh: Thirst | Exposure | In Place
Fazal Sheikh: Thirst | Exposure | In Place is an exhibition created from three projects photographer Fazal Sheikh made on the Colorado Plateau from 2017 to early 2023. Sheikh’s portraits and landscapes shed light on the far-reaching consequences of extractive industry and climate change.
The exhibition presents Sheikh’s recent work in three interrelated sections: Thirst is a new series of aerial photographs that document the decline of the Great Salt Lake in northeast Utah, which is shrinking due to overconsumption and dwindling rain and snowfall. Exposure examines the impacts of uranium, coal, oil and natural-gas extraction on the American Southwest and on its Indigenous inhabitants. In Place evokes the enduring landscapes of the Bears Ears region in Utah, bringing Sheikh’s photographs together with contributions from scientists and Indigenous communities in and around Bears Ears in southeastern Utah.
Visitors will reflect upon the transformation—and often devastation—of these landscapes in the context of the past, present and future, while considering the juxtaposition of beauty and catastrophe, as well as intimate, human-scale stories and those spanning vast geological eras and changes.
IF YOU GO:
Tickets: Free- $27.00
Through Oct. 20, 10 a.m.
Denver Art Museum
100 W 14th Ave Pkwy
720-865-5000
Info and tickets: www.denverartmuseum.org/en/exhibitions/fazal-sheikh
The Power of Poison
The Denver Museum of Nature & Science exhibition provides an interactive experience and incredible way to discover what you’ve always wanted to know about nature’s toxic arsenal.
Through a live performance and interactive dioramas, the spellbinding “The Power of Poison” will take Museum visitors into familiar and novel tales of illness, enchantment and death by poison. Journeying through the Colombian forest, they will uncover fascinating secrets about the many plants and animals that wield poison as a potent tool for defense and survival. Finally, the exhibition will uncover how scientists are studying poison’s effects on human cells to protect, repair and heal our own bodies and improve our health.
IF YOU GO:
Open every day, 9 a.m-5 p.m., Most Fridays 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
Included with museum admission ticket, $19.95-$24.95
2001 Colorado Blvd.
Info: 303-370-6000 and www.dmns.org/
Biophilia: Nature Reimagined
Biophilia: Nature Reimagined brings together more than 70 imaginative works, including architectural models and photographs, objects, fashion, digital installations, and immersive art experiences that collectively highlight the transformative power of nature. “Biophilia” is a term popularized by American biologist and author Edward O. Wilson to describe his theory that, as humans have evolved as a species, they have been intricately intertwined with the natural world. Wilson’s hypothesis invites deep reflection and poses relevant questions for audiences to consider life in our hyper-accelerated digital and urban-centric world. Organized by Darrin Alfred, Curator of Architecture and Design, Biophilia provides a space for leading architects, artists, and designers to re-examine and reanimate our intrinsic bond with the natural world.
The exhibition features works by an international roster of designers and artists including Iris van Herpen, Studio Gang, teamLab, Joris Laarman and DRIFT, among others. Included in general admission, which is free for members and for all visitors 18 and under. #BiophiliaDAM #DenverArtMuseum @denverartmuseum
IF YOU GO:
Exhibit is included in museum admission. Free for those under 18, tickets range to $27
Beginning July 12 10 a.m.
Denver Art Museum
100 W 14th Ave Parkway
INFO: 720-865-5000 or, denverartmuseum.org
Wings Over the Rockies premiers Snoopy And The Red Baron
Our newest exhibit Snoopy and the Red Baron opens June 8.
Immerse yourself in the thrilling world of aerial combat as you explore the daring escapades of Snoopy and his arch-nemesis, The Red Baron. From vintage aircraft displays and aviation activities to interactive exhibits, this experience is sure to delight all ages. Bring the whole family and explore this fun-filled exhibit and journey through aviation history.
Enjoy special activities including a paper airplane station, VR experience, selfie station, coloring activities and more!
IF YOU GO:
Through July at 10 a.m.
Tickets: $19.95
Wings over the Rockies Air and& Space Museum
7711 E. Academy Blvd
info: https://cli.re/71547-new-exhibit-opening-snoopy-and-the-red-baron
Bubble Planet: An Immersive Experience
Enter Bubble Planet, where the bubbles are the biggest and most fantastic ever. Prepare to explore an incredible planet that will challenge your imagination, amaze you with the magic of science, and unleash the child in you. Inside this spherical planet full of bubbles, you will have the opportunity to hop from one immersive space to the next, experiencing them all with your five senses. With oversized bubbles, balloons, soap, and more, this sensory universe will give you the opportunity to see the world in a whole new way—even allowing you to travel the globe with a hot air balloon flight simulator.
IF YOU GO:
Ongoing, opens at 9 a.m.
Tickets $20-$45
Exhibition Hub Art Center
Denver
3900 Elati St.
bubble-planet.com/denver/
NEXT WEEKEND
‘4000 Miles’ at the Vintage Theatre
Insight Colab Theatre company presents ‘4000 Miles’ by Amy Herzog through Aug. 4 at the Vintage Theatre.
After suffering a major loss while on a cross-country bike trip, a 21-year-old grandson seeks solace from his feisty 91-year-old grandmother in his West Village apartment. Over the course of a single month, these unlikely roommates infuriate, bewilder, and ultimately reach each other. 4000 Miles looks at how two outsiders find their way in today’s world.
Amy Herzog’s 4000 Miles won the 2012 Obie Award for Best New American Play and was a finalist for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Insight Colab Theatre features plays with non-traditional, diverse casting while creating acting workshops to train the new generation of diverse actors along with a writers’ series to explore identity, race and privilege.
IF YOU GO:
July 25 – Aug 4
Opens July 25 @ 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets: $25-$35. Student discount available.
Info: www.insightcolab.org or 303-437-8917.
Vintage Theatre,
1468 Dayton St.