There are two things to be excited about on June 3. The first is that The Temple is finally ready to open its doors to the public. The second is that the artists and creatives within The Temple are throwing a party to celebrate.
The long-awaited grand opening will introduce Denver to Adam Gordon’s impressive six-year effort to restore the building originally constructed in 1882 by architects W.J. and Frank Edbrooke, and to bring together a wide range of creatives, non-profits and businesses. The Temple is more than just a curated space, it’s becoming an important community center as demonstrated by organizations such as PlatteForum and Sent(a)mental Studios.
With around 30 people working in The Temple at any given time, it’s going to be an exciting building. According to Regan Rosburg, one of artists renting space in The Temple, “The artists in the building are diverse, working in nearly every medium, including sculpting, painting, drawing, music, metal, reclaimed found objects, textiles and photography.” She also said that many events are in the works for the next year including artist talks, pop-up and rotating exhibitions, life-drawing nights and rotating murals.
On display for the opening will be the exhibit curated by Taylor Balkissoon. Bringing together Kyle Warfield, Julia Belamarich, Zach Barnes-Fagg and Kit Ramze, the exhibit aims to celebrate the joy of creating through a sense of play and wonder.
While at the opening, enjoy the art and eat the food from Temple Bakery, the intriguing collective business of Eden Myles and Shauna Lott. But also explore the building and try to imagine it as the original Temple Emanuel, a printing press or a punk then rave venue.
The Temple is a welcome reminder of what makes the art community in Denver so special. As RiNo becomes a business district and Governor John Hickenlooper encourages artists to leave the city for the “Creative Districts” across the state instead of finding a way to stabilize rents, the creative community needs more collective spaces where they can be a part of the economic and population boom. That’s why Adam Gordon wanted an accessible and affordable place for artists from all walks of life to work.
“There are very few places where people have the opportunity to work in,” he said. “So if none of us can afford to live over here, we can at least afford to work here and work here with other really good community artists.”
Come celebrate with the artists this weekend from 6 to 9 p.m. for a free open house at 2400 Curtis Street.
I follow Carlos’ shenanigans on Instagram and I have to say, the man is a creative mind.