As we wind down another trip around the sun, dear readers, let’s take a look back at what the world of local Arts & Entertainment gave us in 2025. From cool art exhibits to a resident appearing in a Netflix series to saying goodbye, there was something new and exciting to report about every week.
So, without further ado – and in no particular order – here are some of the stories that made 2025 a most artistic and entertaining year.
In March, Studio & Gallery celebrated its 15th birthday. The space at 1027 Main Ave. opened in March 2010, beginning as an artist studio, said Tim Kapustka, one of the four founders of the gallery (Carson Jones, Sarah Steppelman and Tirzah Camacho rounded out the group).
“Studio & pridefully is of the artist for the artist, and that’s why I keep doing it, because I am a working artist and I benefit from being able to show my work in our gallery. But it’s not the three owners and the 16 owners of the past. We do it for all of the artists, not just ourselves,” he said. “We have this saying over our door, which I lifted from one of my heroes, Milton Glaser, it says, ‘Art is work.’ It’s fun work a lot of times, but it’s still work. But (it’s) work that makes us feel like that’s what we’re here to do. I mean, you take art away from this town, it’s a different town.”
When Durango High School Troupe 1096 staged “Hadestown: Teen Edition” in April, everyone knew it was going to be a hit. And there was further validation: The Troupe was nominated for 12 Bobby G awards for the production.
The annual Bobby G High School Theatre Awards – the Bobby Gs for those in the know – is put on through the Denver Center for Performing Arts and is focused on bringing schools across Colorado together to celebrate the amazing work educators and students are doing, Troupe 1096 Director Ben Mattson said. How it works, he said, is once a school registers with the organization, four adjudicators score the show on a variety of technical and performance categories, while providing in-depth feedback and giving workshops to students.
And, according to the Bobby G awards list, DHS brought home the Outstanding Performance by a Chorus award.
Nov. 7; If Player 058 looked familiar to you in Season Two of Netflix’s “Squid Game: The Challenge,” it’s because he was Durangoan Jesse Ogle, musician, co-founder and co-director of iAM Music. “Squid Game: The Challenge,” is a reality show based off the South Korean show “Squid Game,” which first aired on Netflix in 2021, and now has three seasons. It was created, written and directed by Hwang Donghyuk. In the show, contestants compete for a massive cash prize by playing children’s games. The last contestant standing wins the purse.
“I would totally do it again. Absolutely,” Ogle said of the grueling filming. “You know, it’s not for everybody; you have to have a very strong constitution, and you cannot break under pressure. But the money is so good, right? It’s like, Hey, would you want a chance to win $4.56 million and change your life forever, you know? Hell yeah, I’m in.”
This year, we said goodbye to local creatives, including JoAnn Neviles and Kirk James.
In April, Merely Players staged its production of “Guys and Dolls” in honor of company mainstay Nevils. On March 24, Nevils, 78, died after a short illness. As the highly creative costumer for Merely Players, she already had the look of the musical in hand, but didn’t make it to opening night. The Players, under the leadership of its co-founders Mona Wood-Patterson and Charles Ford, plus Nevils’ team rallied to finish what she couldn’t.
“JoAnn’s legacy is vast,” Players co-founder Mona Wood-Patterson said. “She has left us with hundreds of costumes and many lessons, along with an example of a generous and kind spirit.”
Local music legend, artist and pinstriper Kirk James died unexpectedly on Aug. 17 at age 61. His Kirk James Band was a mainstay, and his work as a pinstriper garnered him renown throughout the region.
“Kirk touched the lives of so many people through his talents,” his wife, Mary Jo James, said. “He was also very generous in donating his time and talent to many charities such as customizing items for raffles for the car clubs, donating panels for the toy run and a lot of other events needing a donation.”
Combining visual art, poetry and augmented reality, February saw a unique exhibit, “Voices Inside My Head,” open in the former Create Art & Tea space on Main Avenue. The exhibit featured paintings by artist Tad Smith (who is also manager of creative services for Ballantine Communications, which owns The Durango Herald) and poems by mostly local poets, headed up by Larry Bourland.
The fun of the show wasn’t just the cool paintings and the poetry next to each. Along with those is an augmented-reality component: A QR code accompanied each painting/poem pair, and when scanned, viewers could hear the poem being read by its creator. Also, the image itself came to life, courtesy of an hourslong process Smith did for each with a handful of Adobe programs.
This summer, Vadim Gluzman took the helm as Music in the Mountains’ fourth artistic director in the festival’s 39 years. He follows in the footsteps of the late Mischa Semanitzky, who founded MitM in 1987 and retired in 2007. From 2008 to 2022, Greg Hustis acted as artistic director until Conductor Guillermo Figueroa filled both roles from 2022 to 2024, with Gluzman returning regularly as a soloist while his musical career skyrocketed.
“I am deeply honored and excited to join Music in the Mountains as its artistic director,” he said in an interview for violinist.com. “For me, this appointment is truly a full-circle moment.”
“Four Corners Voices,” an anthology created by the Four Corners Writers, was awarded a Colorado Book Award at the 2025 Colorado Book Awards in Denver on July 26. The book was published in December 2024 by the Cortez-based nonprofit Four Corners Writers, and features more than 40 writers from the Four Corners in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Local authors Chuck Greaves, Lisa C. Taylor and Mark Stevens edited the anthology. A second volume was recently released.
This summer, the Durango Creative District found a new home at 1135 Main Ave. The space functions as headquarters for the organization and a new community art gallery. The Durango Creative District conducts a variety of public programs, which include informational sessions related to grant opportunities; professional development classes; and now a place for a community gallery that will showcase a mix of solo and group exhibitions by local and regional artists.
The inaugural Colorado Pro Photographer Showdown, held in November, pitted five professional photographers against each other at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.
The event was the brainchild of Director Jack Turner, who founded a similar event in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, in 1997. Five photographers were invited to pull together work that filled 10 minutes. Their photographs are put together as slides that were set to music. Along with the five competitors, students photographers’ work was also shown during the Showdown in the Youth Photography Showcase, sponsored by Alpine Bank. Area middle and high school students were selected to have their photos displayed at the event and exhibited at Durango Arts Center, where they could sell their pieces.
And with that, we wish you a safe and happy New Year.
katie@durangoherald.com
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