'Welcome Back' Opening Reception

LOCATION: Truss House - 3400 Arkins Ct

CATEGORIES: Art Events | First Fridays

PAST DATE AND TIME:

• Friday, Aug 7, 2026  5pm - 9pm

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Welcome Back opens with a free public reception during RiNo's First Friday Festival. Guest curated by RiNo Art District co-founder Jill Hadley Hooper and emerging curator Jonas Sanchez, the exhibition brings together over 50 local artists spanning generations—from the artists who helped establish one of Denver's oldest Certified Creative Districts to the emerging voices shaping its future.

The exhibition spans both the RiNo ArtPark Gallery & Welcome Center (1900 35th St) and Truss House (3400 Arkins Ct), featuring visual art, performance, and collaborative activations that celebrate RiNo's artistic legacy and ongoing evolution.

Participating artists include:

Sabin Aell • Zak Ashburn • Sharon Bankert • Stephen Batura • Ashlyn Bennett • Racheal Bennett • Jeffrey Bludeau • Sharon Bond Brown • Tonia Bonnell • Caroline Boyd • Karen Bozik • Beau Carnes • Michael Clapper • Josephine Clark •  Lanny DeVuono • Brady A. Dollyhigh • Caitlyn Dolphin • Sharon Feder • John Ferguson • Ian Fisher • Camille Garcia • Jordan Garelick • Debra Goldman • Stephanie Hartshorn • Kristen Hatgi Sink • Matt Holman • Heidi Jung • Lisa Kowalski • dona laurita • Bryan Leister • Kendra Lewis • William McDonald • Dawn McFadden • Myron J. Melnick • Susan Meyer • Patricia Murphy • Tori O'Dea • Matt O'Neill • Chandler Romeo • Cyrena Rosati • Vicki Ann Rottman • Randy Rushton • Yoshitomo Saito • Robin Louise Schaefer • Annalee Schorr • Dave Seiler • Mark Sink • Kevin P. Sloan • Elsa Sroka • Jeff Starr • Brenda Stumpf • Ruby Sumners • Luke Thinnes • Polly Urethane • MaryV • Tracy Weil • Reed Philip Weimer • Where Wood Meets Steel • Susan Wick • Craig Wright

The opening reception takes place Friday, August 7, from 5–9 PM. Admission is free and open to all, but advance RSVP is encouraged: https://rinoartdistrict.multipass.com/first-friday-festival-august

Can't make it on August 7th? The full exhibition (Truss House + ArtPark Gallery) runs through September 12th, while the ArtPark Gallery portion runs through October 24. More details here.

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About the Curators

Jill Hadley Hooper is a Denver-based artist and co-founder of RiNo Art District. As co-owner of Ironton Gallery and Studios from 2002 to 2018, she helped shape the neighborhood's identity as a home for working artists. Her illustration work has appeared nationally in the New Yorker and the New York Times, and she has illustrated four books, including The Iridescence of Birds.

Jonas Sanchez (b. 2003) is a Denver-based curator with a BA in Art History from the University of Colorado Denver. Drawn to the DIY ethos that runs through this exhibition, he founded Marine St. Gallery in Boulder, where he curated three exhibitions working with local and international artists and curators. He has served as curatorial assistant for Dateline Gallery for over three years, serving as chief curator for I Don't Believe in Anything or Anyone, and I Don't Believe in You Either and Vis-à-Vis, and has worked at
MCA Denver as both a curatorial intern and, currently, a research assistant.

With Thanks To

KeyBank, presenting sponsor, and the RiNo Business Improvement District, for their generous support.