Black art, self care and the water in Colorado.
Answers What made you smile today? · see how other cities answered →
Under four minutes at First Friday in Denver, two women stopped between galleries on the art walk. The live title has them as behavioral technicians; the tape does not say what either of them does for work, only what they came out for.
The first answer is a purchase. “it’s been really nice. I bought this awesome vest”, one says. The other has been “enjoying looking at all the Denver artists out here”, which she calls “amazing seeing all the different type of art expressions, seeing the community out here”. Her highlight is not a piece on a wall but the contacts, “getting connected to other artists”. She is one herself, so “being able to explore Denver’s artists and especially a lot of black artists out here has really been the highlight” of the art walk for her. Her own work is “a lot of oil pastels and a lot of mixed media, multimedia art”. Her friend keeps it simpler: “the best thing is just looking at all the beautiful art and seeing different people and different things”.
Neither is from here. One is “from Maryland, but I moved here almost 4 years ago”, and her comparison runs both ways: “The people are nicer, but then also they lack diversity”, so “it’s a mixed bag of feelings”. The other is “originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, although I’ve lived on and off in Colorado all my life”, back seven months after “living abroad for 2 years working for the Peace Corps” in Ecuador. What she notices returning is pace and food. “the standard of living is a lot different”, she says, “Food is a lot fresher over there”, “lifestyle is a lot slower as well”, and since landing, “I have non-stop moving since I touched down”.
The week’s question is what made you smile. Friends, says one, “they’ve always made me smile this whole entire week and I’m truly blessed”. Sun, says the other, “being able to feel the sun and the warmth and have the days be longer and have more time”. They agree about the winter, and about the local boast, “It’s truly 300 days of sunshine”.
That is where the tape turns. Asked about the water situation, she does not soften it. She loves the warmth, she says, and still cannot ignore that “Colorado is in their day stage one drought”, or “the fact that we are starting to build AI data centers in here and the fact that we are not getting enough water to suffice, very concerning”. Where she thinks it belongs: “Probably should be at the top of all of our priorities.” The interviewer offers a line back, “Those who control the water control the power of the people”, and she agrees.
Their questions for the world come last, and both are aimed inward. “What does self-care look like to you?” from one. “What is your part in community?” from the other. Heavy hitters, comes the reaction, and that is where it ends.