Nestled on the corner of Tejon Street and 33rd Avenue sits one of the Highlands’ most unique establishments, the BRDG Project art gallery.
On the night of May 4, the unsuspecting art gallery more closely resembled one of the many neighboring bars than a typical studio space. Star Wars fans in full costume packed the studio, while a DJ blared music to liven up the party. The day has become an informal holiday, playing off the “May the Force be with You” greeting in the franchise.
Patrons roamed the studio to view the Star Wars-themed art on display from some of Denver’s best artists, including paintings of Yoda wearing Broncos gear and masterfully crafted porcelain lightsabers. For BRDG Project co-founder Brett Matarazzo, it’s always a joy to see the artists let loose and have some fun.
“When you get great artists to do work around Star Wars, it’s always amazing what they come up with,” Matarazzo said. “The most fun thing is seeing the work and getting it up on the wall because it always amazes me.”
Matarazzo and BRDG Project’s other co-founders were thinking out-of-the-box for ways to keep new people coming to the space. Throwing a huge May 4 Star Wars bash was an opportunity to introduce many new Denverites to the art scene, so BRDG Project jumped on it.
“I think it’s great for us to continue to diversify the community that wants to come in here and see art,” Matarazzo said. “We love having new groups of people coming in here and having access to really great contemporary and general art. The more people we can get in here, the better.”
One Denver-based artist, Gregory Forber, fully embraced the opportunity to have some fun. Not only did he create pieces to sell at the event, but he also showed up in full Jedi cosplay—equipped with a lightsaber and all.
“It’s awesome,” Forber said. “I’ve seen a lot of shows here, and this one is really fun because it’s light. It’s hilarious seeing all the interpretations of Star Wars.”
Whether they knew it or not, those Star Wars fans were helping to preserve Denver’s historic art scene. The space, which opened in 2021, is one of the handful of art spaces left in the Highlands neighborhood. As the area gets more gentrified and expensive, it becomes increasingly more difficult for the arts to remain. The Highlands neighborhood specifically has a long history of art, so it’s important to Matarazzo to help preserve the area’s roots.
“We are a non-profit trying to bring arts back into a neighborhood that is incredibly expensive,” Matarazzo said. “Our main issue of why we exist is that the arts can’t afford Denver anymore.”
Running an art space in an extremely expensive area isn’t easy. Many of the city’s historic galleries, such as the Pattern Shop and the Foreign Form, have permanently closed their doors in recent years due to financial difficulties. With the arts seemingly on the brink of erasure from the city, BRDG Project hopes to flip the script and keep the arts within Denver’s ever-changing neighborhoods.
Matarazzo and the other BRDG Project co-founders have seemingly struck gold within the Denver Star Wars fandom too. After Coors Field’s Star Wars Night faded into obscurity, the fandom searched for more local events to express themselves. Fans like Meredith and Hal Wortzel were two of the many fans who showed up to the event in full costume, ready to take in Denver’s finest art from a galaxy far, far away.
“We love Star Wars and Star Wars-inspired art and that’s something we’ve sort of gravitated towards,” Wortzel said.
BRDG Project didn’t just want to appeal to Denver’s Star Wars crowd—they also wanted to allow artists to express themselves. By holding an event dedicated solely to Star Wars art, they’re providing Denver-based artists with a unique opportunity to get silly.
“BRDG Project was based on the idea that we wanted to present artists with the opportunity to present the work they want to present,” Matarazzo said. “We do a lot of serious, socially conscious things here, but it’s also important to let your hair down and have some fun.”
This unexpected team-up between BRDG Project and the Star Wars community has helped keep arts in the Highlands neighborhood. As Star Wars fans get the chance to view and purchase local first-class art, the BRDG Project has an opening to introduce many newcomers to the Denver art scene. Perhaps most importantly, they’re all having fun in the process.
“Sometimes what’s important is enjoying yourself and creating something with a little bit of humor and celebrating pop culture, which is a lot of what art is anyways,” Matarazzo said. “We do a lot of serious stuff, but we also want to have times like this where we’re having a lot of fun.”
