October is Arts Month in the Pikes Peak region and a month-long celebration where our creative community takes center stage across the region. The following is just a taste of what the region has to offer.
FIRST FRIDAY
First Friday in October Art Parties continue at the Fine Arts Center in downtown COS, Green Mountain Falls and the Stone, Bones, and Wood Gallery, Manitou Springs and the Manitou Art Center, and Hunter-Wolff Gallery, Velez Galleries and Colorado Creative Co-Op on Colorado Avenue in Old Colorado City.
ARTS UPRISE
Manitou Arts Center, 513 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs · From the base of the Big Red ChairsAlthough Arts Month is the favorite month at the highly touted Manitou Art Center (MAC), as the name implies it is art month year around. “Three galleries showcase local and regional artists year around,” explains Communications Director Laura Ettinger. “Arts Month at the MAC brings two new gallery shows at First Friday Artwalk; a pop-up show curated by the multimedia Arts Uprise; and the Moonlight Market, featuring handmade local art, created to foster a vibrant community experience.”
Justin Huehner will be featured at the Hagnauer Gallery and is a contemporary American artist known for his innovative approach to multimedia paintings. Drawing inspiration from diverse sources such as the early internet, graffiti, comic books, and street fashion, he infuses his creations with a dynamic fusion of influences. The annual MAC fundraiser will take place on October 11 at the Manitou Springs “Penny” Arcade.
ROOTED IN NATURE’S WISDOM
Carol A. McIntyre – solo artist | AURIC Gallery, 125 E. Boulder Street, Colorado Springs · October 1–31 · Opening Reception: October 3, 3–9 p.m.Carol A. McIntyre’s work has been described as “fantastical and almost surreal.” Denali, a 30×24 oil on wax and featured in Rooted in Nature’s Wisdom. Reflecting on a childhood spent amidst the serene confines of suburban forest, McIntyre finds inspiration in the beauty and authenticity of nature.
In Denali, a lone tree stretches skyward revealing the consequences of environmental destruction. McIntyre explains, “Denali reflects the surreal dissonance between what is seen and what is ignored. Above ground, the world appears still, pristine, even calm, yet below, something else pulses—dark, tangled and alive. A hidden mycorrhizal network spreads underneath illuminating nature’s hidden intelligence and connectivity.”
TRANSCENDENT FEMME
Block Gallery, 119 Costilla St. and Sierra Madre, Colorado Springs · Throughout OctoberThis exhibit explores self-discovery and features paintings within an enchanted forest. The Meanwhile Block is an immersive gallery and directed by artist Kai Gaynor, where people experience exploring self-discovery through art and nature and where they can enjoy visual art, relax, commune and reflect. During the whole month the space will have 20 different workshops and events on Mind, Body and Spirit. Viewers are encouraged to discover their own personal stories within the exhibit’s narrative and fantastical environment.
OPEN-HEARTED
Holaday and Seagraves Galleries, Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale, Colorado Springs · Sept. 26, 2025 – Jan. 17, 2026Open-Hearted examines the history, meaning, and contemporary realities of health care and well-being. Moving beyond the individualistic framework of “self-care,” the exhibition reframes wellness as a collective project — one that necessitates an expansion of public health infrastructures across many levels of society.
PATRICK SHEARN
Green Mountain Falls · Through October 19, 2025On display on Gazebo Lake in Green Mountain Falls until October 19, 2025, is Off the Beaten Path. Suspended above Gazebo Lake, Off the Beaten Path is an expansive aerial sculpture that engages the natural and invites you to slow down, look up, and watch a choreography of wind, color, and light.
It is suspended over the lake in the center of the town. Created by multidisciplinary artist Patrick Shearn of Poetic Kinetics, this 6,000-square-foot aerial sculpture is the newest in his celebrated Skynet Series and the first aerial sculpture to debut in the heart of Colorado’s Pikes Peak region. “When you’re here and you’re watching the movement of it and the wind and the colors, it does kind of take your breath away, and all I can say is, wow!” said visitor Amanda Abeyta.
MARGARITA CABRERA: SPACE IN BETWEEN + CARE
Fine Arts Center, 30 West Dale, Colorado Springs · Through December 13Margarita Cabrera is a Mexican American artist and activist. Her medium spans smaller textile-based soft sculptures to large community-involved public artworks. Cabrera collaborates with local communities to encourage conversations about migration, labor, border politics, food justice, and other social issues. At the Fine Arts Center, Cabrera presents two ongoing projects that connect our local communities to broader social issues.