Coming Attractions

Explore a new planet at Wings Over the Rockies

Recommended activities for the coming weeks

Column by Clarke Reader
Posted 11/10/22

The idea of traveling to another planet seems closer than ever in recent years — no longer is it an idea solely left to the science fiction writers among us. And the Wings Over the Rockies Air …

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Coming Attractions

Explore a new planet at Wings Over the Rockies

Recommended activities for the coming weeks

Posted

The idea of traveling to another planet seems closer than ever in recent years — no longer is it an idea solely left to the science fiction writers among us. And the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum is embracing this fact with the unveiling of the new Planet Pioneers Exhibition.

“We’re always trying to bring in something new. Sometimes we do it ourselves and sometimes we get traveling exhibits like this one,” said Stewart Bailey, collections manager at the museum. “This exhibit focuses on space flight and what it’s like to travel to another planet and set up a colony there.”

Created by Scitech in Perth, Australia, and produced by Imagine Exhibitions, Planet Pioneers runs at Wings Over the Rockies Lowry, 7711 East Academy Blvd. in Denver, through Sunday, Jan. 8. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

 

According to provided information, the exhibit is made up of 17 interactive, immersive exhibits that offer potential explorers of all ages the chance to prepare for the journey to and then explore a distant planet.

“Some of the beginning exhibits allow visitors to establish who the crew members will be, what equipment to take and things like that,” Bailey said. “You have to make the proper choices when considering things like what to take with you as part of space travel.”

Visitors can also get a taste of what it’s like to prepare for time spent on a new planet with activities like driving a 4-D Surface Exploration Vehicle, flying a virtual drone and experiencing the G-Force in a spinning capsule. And once the travelers arrive on the planet, they need to tackle the all-important tasks of finding water and oxygen and growing food.

“Some exhibits are very hands-on, some are more cerebral and this one hits people on all different levels. It’s a really well-designed exhibit,” Bailey said. “It’s particularly timely with all the renewed interest in space exploration.”

The exhibit’s arrival at Wings Over the Rockies couldn’t be more perfectly timed and will be a great way to spend a day during the holidays. And while it will undoubtedly entertain all visitors, the hope is it also inspires the next generation of travelers.

“We want people to understand that space exploration is open to everybody and that everyone has something to contribute to the future of space flight,” Bailey said. “It’s exciting, because the generation coming through the exhibit today are the ones who may be going to places like Mars.”

Tickets and more information are available at wingsmuseum.org.

 

Peace at all costs in Wheat Ridge’s ‘Lysistrata’

Do you ever just stop and think how astounding it is that many of the works we have from ancient Greek times still hold meaning millennia after they were originally written? Those universal truths are just what will be explored in Mellisa Taylor’s production of Aristophanes’ “Lysistrata.”

The classic play runs at the Wheat Ridge Theatre Company Playhouse, 5455 W. 38th. Ave., through Sunday, Nov. 20. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.

For those unfamiliar, the show focuses on the Greek women’s efforts to stop their husbands constantly going off to fight in some war by refusing to sleep with them until peace talks are held.

Visit https://wheatridgetheatre.com/ for information and tickets.

 

A new perspective on creative map-making

PlatteForum — an arts, youth development, and artist-in-residence program — is hosting a new fall exhibit by Jennifer Maravillas-Bell, who has been in residence at the gallery’s ArtLab since early September. Collected Perspectives: Cartography, Belonging, Place and Identity will be on display at the PlatteForum Annex Gallery, 3575 Ringsby Court, Unit 103 in Denver, through Saturday, Nov. 26.

According to provided information, Collected Perspectives explores map-making through a social justice lens. Maravillas-Bell is from Brooklyn, New York, but is now based in Denver and as part of the work’s creative process has been walking the streets in the area, collecting debris and putting it into concrete shapes that match each block.

Information on the exhibit and gallery can be found at https://platteforum.org/.

 

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Son Little at the Bluebird Theater

One of the many great things about R&B music is how eclectic the genre is — there’s an approach to soul music that will appeal to practically any listener. Take the music made by Philadelphia’s Son Little, who since 2014 has been releasing music that owes as much to classic Motown sounds as it does to electronica. It’s easy to see why he has recorded with artists ranging from Mavis Staples and RJD2.

 

In support of his latest album, this year’s “Like Neptune,” Son Little will be performing at the Bluebird Theater, 3317 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver, at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 12. He’ll be joined by openers Moorea Masa & The Mood.

Get tickets at www.axs.com.

 

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.

Clarke Reader, Coming Attractions, Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum, Wings Over the Rockies Lowry, Planet Pioneers Exhibition, Stewart Bailey, Scitech, Imagine Exhibitions, space, space travel, theater, Wheat Ridge, Wheat Ridge Theatre Company Playhouse, Lysistrata, Greece, Denver, PlatteForum, Jennifer Maravillas-Bell, PlatteForum Annex Gallery, Collected Perspectives, music, live music, concerts, Son Little, Bluebird Theater, Moorea Masa & The Mood, Mavis Staples, RJD2, Mellisa Taylor

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