Immersive art is taking over the town July 19 | Arts & Entertainment

Ah Haa School for the Arts’ HAHA is the most exciting community event and fundraiser of the summer! Returning in its third year, for a 3-day run, the one-of-a-kind immersive artist takeover and art experience transforms the entirety of the Ah Haa’s Silver Jack Building into multiple interactive environments and participatory realms. 

Participation supports Ah Haa’s ability to provide high-quality, affordable art classes and experiences for people of all ages, year-round.

New this year, HAHA’s curatorial team opened a call for project submissions. Over 65 artists (local, national and international) proposed installations for the event. 

Striving to create a contemporary art event that is accessible, exciting and engaging for all participants, co-curators Christin Marcos and Kris Kwasniewski selected 14 artists who will transform every room of the 10,000-square-foot Silver Jack Building. 

Full of collaborative pop-ups, rooftop revelry, discoverable rooms, a pop-art disco, delicious craft cocktails, a curated gift shop, one-of-a-kind artworks and generative art making; the HAHA offers an unmatched arts experience that draws 1,200 participants each year. 

The 2024 HAHA artist lineup proudly includes global pop culture artist Bruce Asbestos from Nottingham, England, known for creating playful spaces full of absurd fantasy and participatory environments. 

Artist Seth Berg, based in Telluride, mashes up traditional art forms and queer culture. Peter Bussigel creates participatory musical installations. From Vancouver, the beat-making mastermind engineers electronic instruments from found objects. Ivan Cash, a prominent filmmaker known for viral films, beloved concept-driven projects and TEDx talks, explores human connection in the digital age. 

The New York, New York, based artist has been featured in SXSW, Tribeca and Sundance Film Festivals as well as collected by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. 

Abby Erdman, a multi-disciplinary artist fascinated by form and function in Telluride will create the unimaginable within a tiny unexpected space. Mallory Feltz, an architect and sculptor who explores installations through traditional craft-based techniques, joins HAHA from Dayton, Ohio. Noted as the most accomplished pop-up book paper engineer in the world, Bruce Foster from Houston, Texas, will collaborate on an installation bringing his talents to a grand scale. 

Dan Gundrum Telluride’s special effect and laser savant will put his spin on several spaces within HAHA. Ladies Fancywork Society (pictured) is an artist collective of crochet-loving friends who excel in yarn-based antics in Denver. Their work can be seen permanently at Convergence Station-Meow Wolf, Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and Denver Art Museum. 

They describe their upcoming HAHA installation as having, “Lots of art for you to touch, feel, get to know, chat with, get up close and personal with, take photos with and just generally be weird with. Also, we’re fun at parties.” Sam Lao, a fiber installation artist from Dallas, Texas, encourages touch and play in their tufting installations. 

MOM, a multidisciplinary artist using paint and silkscreen in a monumental scale from Dallas is currently featured at Meow Wolf in Grapevine, Texas, and is co-founder of Dallas artist co-op and studio, Trade Oak Cliff. 

Owen Rendel, from Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a maker and designer who creates hyper-detailed products and reimagines classic items and games to create unique experiences. 

Wendy Rolosen is an artist creating extraordinary pieces in upcycled and alternative materials based in Telluride. The HAHA’s fantastic ambiance and mystery will be crafted by the talented Tree Dawn of Tree Dawn Lighting based in Telluride.

“The HAHA strives to highlight artists whose artistic practices embrace creative chaos, silliness and above all accessibility. They are creating art that makes you giggle, or even better, art that makes you want to join in and play along, art is for everyone,” says Kswaniewski.

Get lost in color, play in new environments, create from the heart, imbibe and enjoy everything HAHA while supporting Ah Haa! 

Adult participants can join in the fun on Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 20, from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. with timed entry tickets or a VIP Silver Jack Pass which includes unlimited entry for two with event merchandise and a private artist walkthrough. 

Kids ages 3-17 (accompanied by a ticketed adult) can explore HAHA too, at Little Giggles on Sunday, July 21, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. sponsored by Alpine Bank.  

Tickets for the HAHA events are on sale at ahhaa.org.