The Santa Fe Art Walk: Art, Architecture and Ambiance

My visit to the Art District on Santa Fe Drive during their first Friday of the month ‘art walk’ took me to a whole other planet. I was shocked and put in a state of awe by not just the wildly unappreciated art that is collected here but by the nature of the people that are housed by these streets and the voyeurs in which visit.

During my visit to Denver’s art walk I became enriched with the history and life that these streets entail. I couldn’t help myself but had to look into the background that lies within these buildings. The Art District became what it is in 2003, by the conjoining of seventeen different types of art-related museums, theaters, and galleries. This group was organized as a non-profit group and thus their mission statement was born: "The Art District on Santa Fe is dedicated to promoting public awareness of Santa Fe Drive as a unique art and cultural district, and furthering the arts and art education in the metropolitan community."

What I found most interesting about the Art District was not only the opportunity to see different kinds of art not just through the photography medium, but through the theater where they host plays every month, and even the tattoo shop that is included on this strip. The Art District is not blind to only one source, medium, or influence of art. Even in Santa Fe’s little coffee shop, there is canvas art hung on the walls, although I did notice that many of these portraits did not receive much attention, yet still had prices noted—indicating that they are working artists.

The diverse multiculturalism that the Art Walk defines is a multitude of observers, painters, musicians, gallery owners, dancers, restaurateurs and Santa Fe Drive residence. When I was just beginning to warm up to the vibe that the Art District brings, I found myself walking up a flight of stairs with a sign and arrow indicating there were more galleries in the upper floors. I then realized I was walking into a person’s studio apartment. Doors wide open, candles lit, art displayed, and snacks provided. I felt instantly uncomfortable just bombarding someone’s home and voyeuristically peering into their lives. My friends however, had no issue and reached for the bowl of provided pretzels and offered me one. I whispered to them, “Let’s go! We can’t just go waltzing in stranger’s homes! You just don’t do that!” Just minutes after my uncomfortable escape we had reached another supposed ‘gallery,’ but to my dismay we were in yet again…another stranger’s home! It was confusing to decipher which art was created by the artist and what was bought at Pier One. But the fact that these artists merge their lives into their galleries and welcome viewers is showing how in sync they are with their art. What these artists have going on here is more than just a “home business,” it’s their livelihood.

The smell of wine and the sound of music down Santa Fe made for not just an eclectic appeal, but the way the community is fully enriched in their craft resonates in the atmosphere. By having the first Friday Art Walk, average Joe’s and art critics alike are given the opportunity to be exposed to art’s many different mediums and twists in genre. The lack of direction and signage within the Art Walk allows viewers to mosey through galleries and apparently homes without a biased influence so that they are able to decide for themselves, which is ‘art’ and what is simply graffiti or a print at a coffee shop.

Art is defined as the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations and modes of expression. The Art Walk has become the place to be on the first Friday of the month. Its popularity allows the Denver community to express their interest in the art that is show cased during the Art Walk and in a way has become a work of art itself. It reminds people that outside of their small personal bubble they live their daily life in, there is more. More people to encounter, more places to see and more moments to remind you new creations are ever evolving around us. To allow not only the viewers to be surrounded by the unknown but also the shop owners and artists who one night will have the pleasure of finding or reencountering the delicious food, exotic dance, uplifting music or work of art, that takes their breath away.