INSPIRE Arts Week Lakewood June 6, 2012

INSPIRE Arts Week Lakewood

Get ready to be INSPIRED!

The City of Lakewood will host INSPIRE Arts Week Lakewood from Wednesday, June 6 to Saturday, June 16 with a broad array of free and discounted events presented by art and cultural organizations throughout the city. This 11-day event will encourage local residents to get out and experience Lakewood's heritage, culture and arts.

“This year will be bigger and better than last year, with some new participants. And, the groups have really had some time to plan additional activities and events,” says Harvey Fleet of the Lakewood Symphony and 40 West Arts District.

The week kicks off Wednesday, June 6, with an open dress rehearsal 7:30-10 p.m. for the Lakewood Symphony at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway. If you have always wondered how the conductor brings the diverse instruments together into a beautiful sound, you are in for a treat with this open rehearsal. Then join the symphony to see how it all comes together during its 7:30 p.m. performance “The French Connection” the next evening.

Friday, June 8 brings a unique event to the Lakewood Cultural Center with “Laughter Saves Lives,” with shows at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Laugh ’til it hurts, and the firefighters respond! This evening of comedy supports West Metro Fire Rescue Foundation in its efforts to raise money to build a representation of Lakewood’s first fire station at Lakewood Heritage Center.

The Rockin’ Block Party is back at Lakewood Heritage Center, 801 S. Yarrow St., from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 9 with museum tours, family games, music and a movie under the stars. The event has a ’50s theme this year, featuring the Chuck Hughes Band playing all of your do-wop favorites and the screening of the classic movie musical about high school life in the 1950s, “Grease.” The event will also see INSPIRE Arts Week organizations participating on “Arts Avenue” with activities, games and demonstrations as well as handing out information. It will be a great way for the public to learn about concerts, theater, performances, art districts and visual arts right here in Lakewood.

Two Lakewood arts districts are participating with 40 West Arts District hosting an open house and community art project the weekend of Friday, June 8 through Sunday, June 10 at the 40 West Studio, 1560 Teller St., and all the studios and galleries of Block 7 on Saulsbury Street in Belmar are open for an art walk on Friday, June 15. Rockley Music and the West Colfax Community Association have become partners on two events for Tuesday, June 12,”Music through the Decades and Colfax Cruise Cars” from 5 to 8 p.m. at Whitlock Park, 1555 Dover St., and two piano “Teachers in Concert” from 5 to 8 p.m. at Rockley Music, 8555 W. Colfax Ave.

The Lakewood Art Council will have several events at its Community Arts Center, 85 S. Union Blvd., including “Experience the Arts” interactive art demonstrations from 10 a.m. to noon and a Night of Music from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 14.

The week ends with a bang on Saturday, June 16 with the Water Tower Art + Craft Market from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the campus of Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, 1600 Pierce St., providing an alternative to traditional art fairs.

For a complete listing of events, visit www.Lakewood.org/Inspire, or visit the websites of the participating organizations.

INSPIRE Arts Week grew out of Lakewood’s participation in a long-term planning and visioning process for arts and culture supported by the then Colorado Council on the Arts (now Colorado Creative Industries).

“We really listened to what people were saying about how many art groups, art businesses and talented artists we have in Lakewood and how we really needed to get the word out about all these fantastic organizations. We convened a meeting with all the organizations, and INSPIRE Arts Week was developed to showcase what groups were already doing during a week last year,” says Lorene Joos, arts curator for the City of Lakewood.

This year includes participation from Performance Now Theatre Company, which has made its home at the Lakewood Cultural Center for over nine years, and the new 40 West Arts District.