Markelle Taylor, who was featured in the award-winning documentary "26.2 To Life," is in Colorado for a couple of events this weekend. The film, which profiles the participants of the San Quentin Prison Marathon, was screened at the Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival last fall. Taylor, who ran the marathon while incarcerated, now coaches other runners at the infamous California prison.
Taylor will be speaking at an event hosted by The Colorado Running Company and Life Strides Foundation, Friday, Jan. 26, from 5 to 7 p.m. at 5262 N. Nevada Ave, Colorado Springs. She will be answering questions during a Q&A session and there will be a run with her on Saturday, January 27, at 8 a.m.
John Madden Jr., a Denver developer known for his art-infused buildings, passed away at 94. He left his mark on Denver with projects that include Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. In 2016, Madden and his wife donated 133 works of art from their private collection, worth $10 million, to the University of Denver, now on display at the Madden Museum of Art. The collection features works by 19th-century European artists and American contemporary artists.
Paddlers race during the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival on July 23, 2022. 
Lucille Rivera, executive director of The Chicano Humanities & Arts Council.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced the first round of awards for 2024 this week. Colorado organizations received 14 grants, totaling $170,000. The recipients include:
- Aspen Santa Fe Ballet - $25,000 for its Folklorico after-school program, which teaches traditional Mexican dance to students in Basalt, Carbondale and Santa Fe.
- Vilar Performing Arts Center in Avon: $10,000 for a performing arts program for students in Eagle County.
- Colorado Conservatory of Dance in Broomfield: $10,000 to support performances of “HOME ésta en MI,” which incorporates both contemporary ballet and Mexican folklorico dance, as well as spoken word in English and Spanish.
- Creede Repertory Theatre: $20,000 for its Young Audience Outreach Tour.
- Athena Project in Denver: $10,000 for marketing costs for pop-up arts events related to the Curating Art for Impact program.
- Words to Power in Denver: $10,000 for the publication of a book of poetry by youth, as well as poetry workshops and open mic events.
- Feel the Beat in Englewood: $10,000 to support an after-school dance program at Rocky Mountain Deaf School.
- David Taylor's Zikr Dance Ensemble in Erie: $10,000 for a tour of performances to rural communities of Colorado and New Mexico.
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins: $15,000 for the Center for Literary Publishing's publication and promotion of a new poetry title and the journal Colorado Review.
- Performing Arts Academy in Highlands Ranch: $10,000 for musical theater programs for underserved students.
- Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC) in Lakewood: $10,000 to support exhibitions and workshops focused on Chicanx, Latinx, and Indigenous artists.
- Northglenn Arts & Humanities Foundation: $10,000 to support an evaluation initiative focused on diversifying youth theater programs.
- Sangre de Cristo Arts & Conference Center in Pueblo: $10,000 to support a commission of artwork, a dance performance, and a master class, celebrating Día de los Muertos.
- Colorado Dragon Boat Festival in Wheat Ridge: $10,000 to support general operations for the annual festival in Denver’s Sloan’s Lake Park.
Friday, Jan. 26
The Friends of Mesa County Libraries holds its regular Weekend Book Sale where shoppers can pick up used books, DVDs, CDs. All proceeds go towards supporting Mesa County Libraries programs such as Summer Reading, Comic Con, and Culture Fest.
The event takes place on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Grand Junction, located at 1425 N. 5th St. (Across from Grand Junction High School). Please note that the book sale is closed on holiday weekends.
Saturday, Jan. 27
Warm Cookies of the Revolution, the Denver group that attempts to raise civic involvement through off-beat arts and cultural events, is putting Artificial Intelligence on trial. The mock trial will decide whether AI should be allowed to continue roaming free in the digital wild… or if we need to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete on the whole experiment.
People vs AI, from 3 - 5 p.m. Jan 27 at Buntport Theather 717 Lipan St. in Denver.
In Breckenridge, the art exhibition "In Plain Sight: Queer Rural Narratives from the Water and the Land" challenges preconceived notions about queer history and its visibility. Through the work of five artists, this exhibition both revives and creates stories of queer existence, resistance, and the persistent strength in rural environments.
Opening reception and artist talk from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Old Masonic Hall at 136 Main St. in Breckenridge. The exhibition is on view through April 28.
Sunday, Jan. 28
Starting Sunday and running through next Wednesday, entries in the International Snow Sculpture Championships will be open to the public in Breckenridge. The massive hand-carved works of art take nearly a week to sculpt and showcase each team’s wildest imagination, before melting away in February.
The sculpture viewing area is at the Riverwalk Center, 150 West Adams Ave. in Breckenridge. Timed reservations are required for Saturday Jan. 27 but the sculptures will be open to the public from Sunday Jan. 28 through 5 p.m. Wednesday Jan. 31.
All Weekend
Veritas Productions and Parker Arts present the regional premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's “School of Rock -The Musical.” The show is based on the hit 2003 film starring Jack Black and is recommended for ages 13 and up.
School of Rock -The Musical runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Ave in Parker, through Feb. 10.
Other arts and culture events around Colorado
- Denverite Things to do in Denver this weekend
- KRCC community calendar for Southern Colorado
- CPR Classical concert calendar
- Indie 102.3 calendar
How we pick our events: CO Arts Spotlight highlights events around the state to give readers a sense of the breadth of Colorado’s arts and cultural happenings, it is not — and can not possibly be — a comprehensive list of all weekly events. Entries are not endorsements or reviews. Each week’s list is published on Thursday and is not updated. Some groups that appear on the list may also be financial sponsors of CPR, but have no input into our editorial choices.
Some groups mentioned in the Spotlight may be financial supporters of CPR News. Financial supporters have no editorial influence.
