We all know people who absolutely adore their cars—like the people who look forward to a nice day just so that they can spend it in their driveways washing their cars. But in Boulder, people are sharing their affection with two-wheel transportation instead: the bicycle. Boulder residents love to use their bikes, but now they are taking it one step further and celebrating the beloved vehicle with Bike Art! at The Dairy, a bicycle-themed exhibition.

The Dairy Center for the Arts promotes the expansion of the arts in the Boulder County area and seeks to increase “public understanding of the role the arts play in building a quality community.” With at least 10 different gallery shows throughout the year, a resident cinema, Boedecker Theater, and three live-performance spaces, the 42,000-square-foot once milk-processing plant is definitely providing a place for the arts.

Bike Art! has its free Grand Opening this Friday from 4–7 p.m. The Opening will feature 126 artists from 22 states vying for a $500 Best in Show prize, a bicycle-themed, interpretive-dance-performance film by the Artistic Director of Boulder Ballet, Peter Davison, and a bicycle nonprofit expo featuring Community Cycles, BVSD Cycle Initiative, US Cycling Monument, Seniors on Bikes, International Mountain Bicycling Association, and Kids on Bikes. Bring an old bike part to donate—the used parts will go toward a live art sculpture—and receive a discount beverage coupon. Raffle tickets can be bought for $5 and include a commemorative event poster, as well as, the chance to win a cruiser bicycle and other prizes. The walls of The Dairy will be put to use too and will showcase the famous video footage of the Morgul-Bismark Loop stage of the Red Zinger/Coors Classic Race.

The bike appreciation doesn’t end there though—different art performances, displays, and films concerning bicycles will take place all month long. On the 17th from 10 a.m.–4 p.m., sculptor Jimmy Descant will create a piece out of bicycle parts while a DJ plays. Freedom Riders, a movie about the past and present development of freeriding cycling in North America, will be shown at the Boedecker Theater on the 12th and 26th at 7 p.m. Bicycle Dreams, a documentary about the extremely challenging 3,000-mile bicycle race, Race Across America, can be viewed on the 29th and 30th at 7:30 p.m. in one of The Dairy’s performance spaces. A Boulder Cycle Sport sponsored bike clinic will be held on the 31st from 9 a.m.–12 p.m. and bike enthusiasts can bring their bikes to be serviced by experts for free. Check in with The Dairy all month long to see tag artist Evan Colbert’s progress on a bicycle-inspired mural on the east side of The Dairy and Nelson Walker’s bicycle-influenced sculptural design for The Dairy’s entryway. Who knows, maybe after this exhibition some people will take to washing their bikes on sunny weekends instead of their cars.

 

The Dairy Center for the Arts
2590 Walnut Street
Boulder, CO 80302
303.440.7826
TheDairy.org