Rio Del Sol, located in the heart of historic downtown Evergreen, features an eclectic menu to heat up the palate. Come in, enjoy the food and drink and ponder the art that adorns the walls provided by the Stoneheart Gallery located just down the street.

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Jennifer Yoswa - The Exhibit

Body acceptance is a huge issue right now in the news — models are dying from anorexia, childhood obesity is on the rise, and fashion designers are revamping their sizing structures to meet the ever-changing figures of clothing consumers. In the midst of all of this, fine artists have always explored the human figure as an object of artistic inspiration. In celebration of human figures of all sizes, Stoneheart Gallery is hosting a show titled “Every Body’s Beautiful: A Collection of All Nude Works,” opening on Feb. 4.

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Mark Anthony King, owner and founder of Stoneheart, is excited to bring a diverse group of more than 20 artists together for this show focused on a common theme. King’s original motivation was to curate a show with a romantic theme that would fit into February’s Valentine’s Day spirit. The result was much more complex.

“I ultimately decided to take the show beyond romantic to something more intimate,” King says. “How much more intimate can you get than when you’re naked in front of your audience? The show is truly a celebration of the beauty of the human body.”

The show includes the work of artists regularly represented by Stoneheart, in addition to work from several invited artists.

One such artist is Adam Schultz, a sculptor who lives and works in Larimer County. Schultz has been sculpting in bronze for more than 20 years. Five years ago, he began exploring a series of sculptures that promotes size acceptance and seeing the beauty in curves.

“In our society, we are trained that skinny is the only body type that is acceptable,” Schultz says. “I wanted to create sculptures that celebrated the fullness of the human figure in a way that is beautiful and delightful.”

Schultz will have several pieces in the Stoneheart show, traditional bronze figures as well as some raku-fired pieces. “Every Body’s Beautiful” will show work in a variety of artistic media, including oil paintings, acrylic and mixed media work, and bronze and ceramic three-dimensional pieces.

Although galleries throughout Evergreen have shown nude works, King believes that Stoneheart is the first to curate a show based entirely on the idea of the nude human figure.

“I just felt that it was time for me as a gallerist to step out of the comfort zone and get a little more daring. Artists have been painting nudes for many years, and I felt it was time for us to have a show that celebrated the human figure,” King says.

King, along with at least 10 other artists, will attend the opening reception on Friday, Feb. 4, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the gallery. The reception is open to the public and kicks off the show, which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Feb. 18. For more information, visit www.stoneheartgallery.com or call 303-670-0565.

Sara Miller, a freelance writer and a resident of Evergreen, lives with her husband, two children and a dog.

It appears that, for all the supererogatory publicity, all the celebrity promotion, all the doomsaying, all the prevarication, the green agenda is breaking on the shoals of reality.

Recently, the (British) Institute of Physics — as Mencius Moldbug wryly comments “only the national physics society of the country that invented physics” — released a statement on the Climategate emails which begins with about as thorough a rebuke as can be imagined from a bureaucratic institution:

The Institute is concerned that, unless the disclosed e-mails are proved to be forgeries or adaptations, worrying implications arise for the integrity of scientific research in this field and for the credibility of the scientific method as practised in this context.

(Emphasis added.) In a word, they are calling into question, not merely a handful of deceitful scientists, but the entire field of climate science.

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Susan Szajer paints a piece called "Ruby Fall," in her studio at Yello on Yankie. A combined opening at Yello on Yankie and Moonstruck Art 106 & 108 W. Yankie St. will be held tonight during First Fridays and will feature Szajer paintings entitled "Dwellings." (Courtesy Photo)

SILVER CITY – Thank God It’s First Friday kicks off in downtown Silver City tonight with opening receptions at several downtown galleries.

First Fridays is a partnership between the Silver City Gallery Association and the Downtown Merchants Association. The First Friday of each month, merchants and galleries stay open late to host downtown shoppers and art enthusiasts as they head downtown to take in art openings, dinner or entertainment. Tonight’s first Friday falls on the Mimbres Region Arts Council’s Folk Series event, the Boulder Acoustic Society playing at the Buffalo Dance Hall.Opening receptions beginning at 4 p.m. at the following art galleries:

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After the Boulder Creek Business Association declined to sponsor the community’s annual Labor Day Art and Wine Festival this year, the event will be canceled if the planner can’t find another sponsor. Press-Banner file photo

A nearly $10,000 loss during an event meant to be one of the Boulder Creek Business Association’s largest fundraisers has caused the group to drop its sponsorship and participation in the annual Labor Day weekend celebration.

“Sponsoring the (Art and Wine) Festival would be financially irresponsible of the Boulder Creek Business Association after last year’s losses,” association president Morgan Scarborough said.

The festival is run by event planner Gary Walker Productions, which still has the rights to put on the festival. Without its primary sponsor, however, the art and wine fest is likely to be canceled for 2010. Gary Walker could not be reached for comment to find out if the planner has another sponsor for the festival.

The association pulled the plug on its sponsorship — which included paying for insurance, security and many other costs — after it lost $9,712.50 after all the receipts were counted in 2009.

“A lot of people don’t realize that the resources we produced from the Art and Wine Festival were in fact spent on other events in town,” Scarborough said, noting Fourth of July, Halloween and Christmas festivities in Boulder Creek.

Now, the association is exploring alternatives to the three-day festival that would allow more participation by local businesses and reduce the costs associated with the festival.

Suggestions from the community are appreciated, Scarborough said, and can be e-mailed to postmaster@bcba.net.

Macon Cowles doesn't necessarily want to declare Boulder to be Colorado's medical-marijuana capital

Medical marijuana is a smokin’-hot topic in Boulder these days, what with the city council this week implementing assorted restrictions on dispensaries — and almost (but not quite) legitimizing any and all weed sellers, whether they’re supplying licensed patients or not.

Shortly thereafter, councilman Macon Cowles spoke to the Boulder Daily Camera about the possibility of creating a “‘city marijuana facility,’ where local growers and providers could bring excess product to have redistributed to other dispensaries” — a notion that shares some common ground with state senator Al White’s idea for the state to take charge of growing and distributing medical marijuana.

Cowles hasn’t backed away from this concept — but he does take issue with a line in the article about Boulder becoming the nexus for medical marijuana in the state. Here’s that passage:

He also said that as long as medical marijuana is being legally grown — and taxed — in Colorado, Boulder might as well be the epicenter for it and reap the benefits.”I think this is potentially an important industry,” Cowles said.

 When contacted about the Daily Camera piece, Cowles replied via e-mail that he didn’t have time to go into detail about a city marijuana facility — but he did want to “clarify what I think is the wrong impression left by the article.

“I do not advocate that Boulder become the epicenter for Medical Marijuana,” he wrote. “I do advocate that a commission be put together of local people to study how the needs of medical-marijuana patients can be satisfied in an orderly way and within the bounds of the law. In this way, law enforcement, the City, patients, and providers can be assured that the legitimate needs of patients are being met legally, removing uncertainty and increasing the safety surrounding the implementation of Amendment 20.”

Guess there’s no need add the phrase “The Epicenter of Medical Marijuana in Colorado” to those “Welcome to Boulder” signs.

Broken Lizard, the comedy troupe behind cult flicks such as "Super Troopers," plays the Boulder Theater on Thursday as part of its five-month, 50-date tour. (Dean Hendler )

The road is a way of life for most working comedians, so playing clubs and theaters is no big deal, right?

Wrong. One of the most terrifying things performers can do is hit the road, especially if they’re better known for their movies than their stage shows.

Take Broken Lizard, the comedy troupe behind cult flicks such as “Super Troopers,” “Club Dread” and “Beerfest.” Members Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske have played countless clubs and college campuses over the years since forming at Colgate University in 1990.

But other than a handful of stage appearances, including at Aspen’s defunct U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, Broken Lizard has barely registered as a live entity recently, so undertaking a five-month, 50-date North American tour was a gamble.

“This is the first time we’ve done a full-fledged, cross- country show,” Soter said from the road earlier this week. “A lot of people didn’t know what to expect.”

Luckily for Broken Lizard, it’s gone far better than they could have imagined. The tour, which takes them to the Boulder Theater on Thursday, has become a rallying cry for fans of the troupe and its silly, profane movies.

“Some nights, it’s just a bunch of people dressed up in costumes as your characters,” Stolhanske said. “Every night is different, and you don’t know what kind of crowds are going to come. But it pleasantly surprises me when we come to different cities and have so many fans show up.”

No one would confuse Broken Lizard with better-known troupes, such as Kids in the Hall, Upright Citizens Brigade or even the State. Despite the members’ raft of writing and acting credits, they remain firmly in the cult sphere.

Still, the prolific quintet boasts more brand-name films than all the aforementioned troupes combined. Chandrasekhar has directed TV shows (“Undeclared,” “Arrested Development”) and movies (2005′s “The Dukes of Hazzard”) and all the members have lately dipped their toes into producing. They also have a new movie dropping next month, “The Slammin’ Salmon,” and no shortage of projects in the hopper.

The tour, it seems, came at the perfect time, especially since the group will celebrate 20 years together in 2010.

“The biggest compliment I’ve heard from people is that (the live show) is funnier than they expected,” said Soter, who grew up in Littleton. “There’s a little bit of improv, and we take some sketches from ‘Beerfest’ and ‘Super Troopers’ and bring people up from the audience.

“A lot of people just haven’t seen us in this medium, and they’re impressed because it’s more of a variety act. There are songs, some sketch, some stand-up, improv and stories. People leave with higher expectations.”

Of course, “higher expectations” is a relative term in comedy. Broken Lizard is usually pegged as crude and lowbrow — and unreasonably proud of both — by critics.

That description often obscures the troupe’s wide-eyed absurdity and deft timing, or its intricately cut characters. An oft-quoted scene in “Super Troopers” consists of nothing more than a couple of troopers psychologically terrorizing motorist Jim Gaffigan by casually inserting the word “meow” into as many sentences as possible.

“It basically comes down to five guys and a microphone with our live show, and that’s going back to our roots in New York,” Soter said. “It’s been fun to just use dialogue and crowd reaction and crafted jokes, and it’s been really eye-opening for us to see the reactions.”

John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com

Homegrown film fest keeps growing, even after tragic loss

"Journey of a Red Fridge" is one of 30 films screening at this year's Adventure Film Festival in Boulder.

There was never any doubt among the loyal crew of the Adventure Film Festival: The show must go on.

Those outside the Boulder-based festival might have wondered whether it would be orphaned after May’s death of festival director Jonny Copp, who was killed in an avalanche — along with Micah Dash and Wade Johnson, both of Boulder — on an expedition to climb a remote mountain in western China.

But it never occurred to anyone working on the film fest to quit. Not only is the Adventure Film Festival returning Thursday for its fifth year, but it will feature the film Copp and his colleagues were making when they died.

“It’s not like Jonny left and we all threw our hands up in the air,” said Sara Close, membership and development manager for Leave No Trace, the festival’s nonprofit partner and beneficiary. “If anything, we put them down in the dirt.

“A physical presence is missing, an energy is missing, but that’s not to discredit any of the great ways that everybody else has stepped up to fill that void. And that has been beautiful to watch.”

The Adventure Film Festival was born amid adventure. Perched in a tent high on a mountain in India, Copp, a pro climber and photographer, woke in the middle of the night — in a storm — with an idea: Create a film festival back home to spotlight the work of independent filmmakers and their stories of adventure, environmentalism, social issues and more.

Back at basecamp, he shared his idea with Mark Reiner, a photographer and childhood friend, and they refined the concept with friends back in Boulder.

Nurtured by Copp, Reiner, and an ever-growing team of enthusiastic friends, the Boulder Adventure Film Festival debuted in 2004 and has morphed into an international event. The festival (which dropped “Boulder” from its name as it grew and spread to other continents) drew crowds in Santiago, Chile, and Chamonix, France, and universities around the U.S. last year; more than 5,000 people attended shows in Boulder.

This year, in addition to showings in the U.S., Chile and France, Reiner said the festival is planning shows in South Africa and perhaps Australia.

 ”It changed from this one-town film festival to this desire to create a global platform for these filmmakers,” said Reiner, who now serves as festival director.

Reiner said a tight-knit community has formed around the film festival in the past five years, and it has only increased with the loss of their friend.

“It’s really a global community,” said Nick Rosen, co-creator of Boulder’s Sender Films, which often submits films to the festival. “People all over the world knew these people and respected them and were inspired by them.” Friday night, Sender will premiere “Point of No Return,” a film about Copp, Dash and Johnson’s fateful expedition on China’s Mount Edgar.

J Johnson was filming the climb for Sender’s new First Ascent series for the National Geographic Adventure Channel. Rosen said that, at first, he didn’t want to do the film, but the friends and families of all three men were supportive of the idea. “Both Jonny and Micah were really committed to bringing their stories home,” Rosen said. “It’s all of their work, but Wade, this is his work — he shot all of that footage in China, so we wanted to highlight that he did a brilliant job over there, and we and his parents were really proud of it.”

Of course it is emotional, Close said, but that’s part of people’s passion for the festival. “People go in thinking one thing, and they come out completely affected by what they saw — they come out crying, or inspired, or in a heated discussion,” Close said. “I know it’s going to be an emotional thing. And I’m excited about that.”