2/18/18 review of documentary Project 75, by Davon E. Johnson

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the documentary Project 75: The Mile High Medical Society, by Davon E. Johnson.

The thread gives a summary of the film and some background on the work of Davon E. Johnson and on the Black American West Museum. The film discusses Project 75, which was a program by the National Medical Association to get more black youth enrolled in college in medical studies. The thread also discusses what I liked about what the documentary says about Denver (which, via the Mile High Medical Society, became one of the hubs of Project 75).

2/17/18 review of Colorado Ballet's Romeo & Juliet

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Colorado Ballet's 2018 production of Romeo & Juliet, with choreography by Derek Deane.

The thread gives a summary of and some context for the ballet and the Colorado Ballet. It also compares -- probably a little too much -- the Colorado Ballet performance with other versions of the Romeo & Juliet story. The thread discusses some aspects of the ballet I liked, like its choreography, its costumes and sets, some of the character dynamics, some specific dances and scenes I liked, the performances of Sharon Wehner, Yosvani Ramos, and Francisco Estevez, and the work of conductor Adam Flatt.

The tweets for some of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. The coherency of this thread has been badly affected as a result. My apologies.

2/16/18 review of Denver Center production of American Mariachi

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts's production of the play American Mariachi, written by Jose Cruz Gonzalez and directed by James Vasquez.

The thread gives a summary of the play, as well as some background on its creation. The thread discusses some of the play's plot elements and character dynamics. It discusses the play's style and setting. It discusses the style and the setting of the play. It discusses the musical performances in the play. And it discusses some of the acting performances.

2/14/18 review of Sie FilmCenter lecture by Dr. Tiel Lundy

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a February, 2018, lecture by Dr. Tiel Lundy at the Sie FilmCenter entitled Bosom Buddies: Hollywood and the Lingerie Industry, 1930-1949.

The thread summarized Dr. Lundy's lecture and gives some background on Lundy. The thread discusses some themes from the lecture such as body shaming and clothing demand; censorship and clothing styles; Hollywood moguls' control over film and fashion; titillating clothing and marketing; Hollywood fashion figures like Edith Head; and the fashions of today's #MeToo movement.

I saw this lecture at the Denver Film Society's Sie FilmCenter in Denver Colorado.

The tweets on some of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread has been moderately affected as a result.

2/13/18 review of rally and hearing for Colorado Civil Rights Division

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the February, 2018, rally and House Judiciary Committee hearing for the Colorado Civil Rights Division.

The thread gives some background on the Colorado Civil Rights Division and the Colorado Senate's attempt in 2018 to get rid of it. The thread also gives a brief background on Colorado's history with equality. The thread also discusses some opinions about the CCRD given by former mayor Wellington Webb, former representative Wilma Webb, other politicians, and representatives from the Colorado LGBTQ Bar Association, One Colorado, Simple Energy, Good Business Colorado, and the Minority & Women's Chamber Coalition.

The tweets in some of my threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread is pretty badly affected by that -- as well as a set of mistakes I kept making regarding one person's affiliation with an organization.

2/12/18 review of book Josephine Baker in Art and Life

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Josephine Baker in Art and Life: The Icon and the Image, by Bennetta Jules-Rosette.

The thread gives a summary of the book, as well as on Josephine Baker and Bennetta Jules-Rosette. It discusses some of the book's themes, such as the angles all biographies have; Baker's tale as a "Marian quest"; how Baker used her public image to her and society's benefit; the role of fashion in Baker's image; Baker's own invention of her public image; Baker's agency in developing her image; the social work Baker did later on in life; and Baker's involvement with the trans community.

The tweets in my threads have been twisted out of chronological order on Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is moderately affected as a result. My apologies.

2/11/18 thread about Casa Bonita and Butterfly Pavilion

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a day I spent with my family in February of 2018.

The thread is quick, but it discusses and gives some pictures of Denver's famous Casa Bonita Restaurant and the Butterfly Pavilion, as well as talking about the birthday of one of my nieces.

2/6/18 open letter to MCA Denver and MOCA Los Angeles about Arthur Jafa

(Image source: https://www.moca.org/exhibition/arthur-jafa-love-is-the-message-the-message-is-death)

Here is the link to a Twitter thread that is a kind of "open letter" to both the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

The thread relates to Arthur Jafa's video Love Is the Message, the Message Is Death, which both MCA Denver and MOCA Los Angeles screened. The "open letter" was mostly to ask if any discussions had been held comparing Jafa's work with the work of Stan Brakhage and Mickalene Thomas, and my reasons for asking.

As you'll notice in the thread, this led to a brief email interaction between myself and one of MCA Denver's curator. The interaction didn't go anywhere. And it wasn't meant to. I was hoping to see what sort of conversations I might generate directly via Twitter with folks. But no conversations were generated, unfortunately.

2/7/18 review of three solo shows at MCA Denver

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of three solo shows at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver.

The three shows are: Love Is the Message, the Message Is Death, by Arthur Jafa; Honestly Lying, by Diego Rodriguez-Warner; and Shadows of Men, by Cleon Peterson.

The thread gives a summary and some background and technical discussion on each show. It also gives a good amount of pictures from each show.

2/6/18 discussion on the death and life of Colin Ward

(Image source: https://www.westword.com/music/denver-artist-colin-ward-dies-at-27-9969201)

Here is the link to my Twitter thread discussion about Colin Ward, who passed away in 2018.

The thread gives some background on Colin Ward, who was a well known figure in Denver's DIY art scene. It discusses some of my own personal experiences with him and why I liked him. And it discusses some of my own regrets at not having been able to do more for him.

Ward's death came at a turning point in my own involvement with the Denver art scene. And it solidified for me that I wasn't alone in feeling cast out by the community. Denver has failed a lot of its people.

2/6/18 review of meeting of Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a meeting of Denver's Commission on Cultural Affairs, which took place at the RedLine Contemporary Art Center.

The thread is brief, but it discusses how the meeting addressed developments with Denver's Safe Creative Spaces program, a safe occupancy program Denver set up for art spaces following Oakland's Ghost Ship tragedy and the subsequent closure of Denver's Rhinoceropolis DIY art space.

2/6/18 review of RedLine Denver's show 10x

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of RedLine Contemporary Art Center's 10x show.

The thread gives a summary of and some background on the show, which celebrated RedLine's tenth anniversary. The show discusses and gives pictures of work by Jaime Carrejo, Zach Reini, Derrick Velasquez, Margaret Neumann, Theresa Clowes, Kenzie Sitterud, Jonathan Saiz, Jodi Stuart, Alvin Gregorio, Daisy Patton, and Libby Barbee.

2/6/18 review of artwork by Megan Angus

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a work by British high school artist Megan Angus.

The thread discusses how I came to learn of this artwork and why I decided to buy it.

The story of Angus's piece can be found here. Basically, Angus was a high school student in the UK when she made the artwork above. The school censored the work, but claimed that it was not censored because of its lesbian imagery, but because the imagery was too provocative for other students to see.

However, this was happening at a time when other students' free speech, in junior high and high schools in the UK and US was being greatly challenged -- specifically because the schools were worried that any type of LGBTQ speech would be too provocative for other students to hear.

I bought the work, hoping I could rally Denver's art community around it -- especially Denver's LGBTQ art community.

However, as I've mentioned many times before, Denver's art community (and parts of Denver's LGBTQ community) were pushing really hard to ostracize me from just about anything they could. As a result, I was never able to do much with this work -- though I am still hoping to get it shown somewhere -- both to promote Megan Angus's wonderful skill and to raise awareness about LGBTQ youth issues.

2/6/18 review of film Tragedy Girls, directed by Tyler MacIntyre

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film Tragedy Girls, directed by Tyler MacIntyre.

The thread gives a summary of the film. It discusses the film's quick pace, the characters of Sadie and McKayla, the way the film discusses the culture of ignoring warning signs, social media, lack of empathy, cultures of violence, selfishness and quasi-tolerance, and the film's uncompromising focus. I also give some criticisms of the film, notably the film's apparent glorification of high school shootings, which sort of turned me off.

2/4/18 review of Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema's Lady of the Camellias

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema's performance of Lady of the Camellias.

The thread gives a summary of and some background on the ballet, by John Neumeier (based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils) and the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema series. The thread discusses how the dance develops the love story, how a play serves as a "story within the story," how the dance highlights the psychology of the story, how the music of Frédéric Chopin adds to the story, and the performances of Svetlana Zakharova, Edvin Revazov, and Anna Tikhomirova.

Here is the link to the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema's website.

I saw this screening at the Regal UA Denver Pavilions in downtown Denver, Colorado.

2/4/18 review of Harmony Chorale performance of Bayard Rustin: The Man Behind the Dream

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a 2018 performance of Bayard Rustin: The Man Behind the Dream, by the Harmony Chorale in Denver, Colorado.

The thread gives a summary of the choral work, as well as some background on its creators -- Steve Milloy of the Cincinnati Men's Chorus, One Voice Minnesota, One Voice Charlotte, The Quire of Eastern Iowa, and South Coast Chorale. The thread gives some background on the Harmony Chorale's Denver performance. The thread gives some background on Bayard Rustin. The thread discusses a lot of the work's themes, such as being black and LGBTQ in America, and the Civil Rights movement in America.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is moderately affected as a result. My apologies.

2/3/18 review of book Undocumented, by Dan-El Padilla Peralta

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the book Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League, by Dan-El Padilla Peralta.

The thread gives a summary of the book. The thread discusses some themes of the book, like the immigrant experience in the US, growing up in New York City in general, friends and family as support networks, the importance of the community to children, the way support networks create the support networks of the future, and the Christian Church, at its best, as a support network. The thread also gives some background on how I learned of the book.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order on Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is affected as a result. My apologies.

Here is the link to the Penguin Random House web page for the book.

2/1/18 review of Denver Arts & Venues presentation on arts participation in Denver

Here's the link to my Twitter thread review of a February, 2018, Denver Arts & Venues meeting regarding Denver's IMAGINE 2020 plan.

The thread gives some background on Denver Arts & Venues and the IMAGINE 2020 plan. It discusses the presentation given by Kate Derwent from Corona Insights about the factors driving participation in the arts in Denver. The thread gives a lot of pictures from Derwent's presentation, which give good insights into a variety of factors. The thread also mentions a show up at the meeting's venue, the McNichols Civic Center: New Regionalisms, Contemporary Art in the Western States, presented by Denver's Havu Gallery.

1/31/18 review of 2018 Colorado Climate Plan

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the 2018 Colorado Climate Plan.

The thread gives a summary of and some context on the plan, which is a 2018 update on the 2015 Colorado Climate Plan. The thread discusses the plan's structure, its insights into health equity and environmental justice, the opportunities it indicates for people who want to get involved, and its mention of the Colorado Water Plan.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is slightly affected because of this. My apologies.

1/31/18 review of YEO Network America's Cabinet 2018 press conference

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of a 2018 press conference made by the Young Elected Officials Network's America's Cabinet.

The thread gives some background on the Young Elected Officials Network and its America's Cabinet program. The thread discusses some themes from the conference, such as national and local policy making and problem solving, getting involved with local government, making sure individual needs aren't neglected by national policy, and the good work that local policy makers do.

Here is the link to the website for the America's Cabinet.

1/30/18 review of CVA show Sangre Colorado: Carlos Fresquez Mid-Career Survey

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the MSU Denver Center for Visual Art show Sangre Colorado: Carlos Fresquez Mid-Career Survey.

The thread gives a summary of the show and some background on the CVA and Carlos Fresquez. The thread discusses some of the show's themes, such as how Chicanx people deal with inner and societal stereotypes, the history of Chicanx people, and religious and commercial iconography. The thread also discusses and gives a lot of photos of Fresquez's art style, as well as discussing some evident influences and some of my favorite works by Fresquez.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is slightly affected as a result. My apologies.

Here is the link to the CVA's web page for Sangre Colorado.

1/29/18 review of Emmanuel Gallery show Belleza Mexicana

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Emmanuel Gallery show Belleza Mexicana: Art from the Abarca Family Collection.

The thread gives a summary of the show and the Abarca Family's art collection. The thread discusses some themes from the show, such as the various life stages and life experiences of Mexican and Mexican-American women, Mexican and Mexican-American women's relation to nature and the mystical, the experience of Mexican and Mexican-American trans women, and how Mexican and Mexican-American women are seen by themselves and by others in society.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is slightly affected because of this. My apologies.

Here is the link to the Emmanuel Gallery's web page for Belleza Mexicana.

1/21/18 review of Bolshoi in Cinema's Romeo and Juliet

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema performance of Romeo and Juliet, by Prokofiev, with choreography by Alexei Ratmansky.

The thread gives some background on the ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema series, and Alexei Ratmansky. The thread makes some comparison's between Ratmansky's and Grigorovich's versions of the ballet. The thread discusses Richard Hudson's set and costume designs for the ballet. And it discusses Vladislav Lantrantov and Ekaterina Krysanova's performances as Romeo and Juliet, and Igor Tsvirko's performance as Mercutio.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. The coherency of this thread is somewhat affected as a result. My apologies.

Here is the link to the website for the Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema series.

I saw this screening at the Regal UA Denver Pavilions theater in downtown Denver, Colorado.

1/20/18 thread of videos from 2018 Women's March on Colorado

Here is a link to a Twitter thread I did giving links to videos I took while at the 2018 Women's March on Colorado.

The thread includes videos of the band Alive on Arrival, singers Rajdulari and SuCh, singer Emelise Munoz, and Bella Diva Dance.

1/20/18 review of film The Road Movie, dir. by Dmitri Kalashnikov

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the film The Road Movie, directed by Dmitri Kalashnikov.

The thread gives a summary of the film, which is a montage of dashcam videos in Russia that had been posted to social media. The thread discusses the film's themes, such as how people converse about driving, how people think about dash cams, how the radio has a sort of synchronicity with life, and how humans are still often at the mercy of chance and at the mercy of other humans' stupidity. The thread discusses the film's similarity to other recent films, how the film kept me in suspense, how the film depicts Russia, and my feeling that something more could have been added to the film's overall artistic vision.

Some of my Twitter threads have been twisted out of chronological order by Twitter's platform. This thread's coherency is slightly affected because of that. My apologies.

I saw this film at the Denver Film Society's Sie FilmCenter in Denver, Colorado.