(Press release)

Denver, CO – The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver) and DCPA Off-Center today announced the return of the beloved long-running series Mixed Taste, each Wednesday at 7PM from July 13 through August 17, 2022.

“Mixed Taste season is my favorite season of the year. And this year we’re especially excited because we’re bringing the program to the museum’s new performance and programming space, the Holiday Theater, on Denver’s Northside. We hope that attendees will discover something new, be wildly entertained, and shake up your weekday routine with one (or all) of these tag-team talks where anything goes,” said Sarah Baie, MCA Denver Director of Programming and Mixed Taste Co-host.

“Every part of Mixed Taste is an adventure, from the speakers whose expertise on even the most obscure topics never cease to amaze us, to the poets who beautifully and hysterically tie the subject matters together on the fly, to the wild and thoughtful audience questions. Even the most mismatched subjects find unexpected common ground and each program can and will go pretty much anywhere. We love partnering with MCA Denver to present this offbeat series each year,” said Off-Center Curator and Mixed Taste Co-host Charlie Miller.

Conceived by Adam Lerner in 2004, Mixed Taste pairs two speakers who get twenty minutes each to enlighten participants on unrelated topics, without making any connections to the other. It is only as participants begin to ask questions that these talented, sometimes hilarious, occasionally wild speakers start to take our highly engaged audience on an adventure of words with twists and turns that eventually bring the two subjects together in extraordinary ways.

Each evening will conclude with an original poem inspired by the topics performed by some of Denver’s best poets, including Suzi Q. Smith, Brenton Zola, who also this year’s guest curator, Mahogany, Bianca Mikahn, and Franklin Cruz. This year’s lineup includes:

July 13: Dream Technology & Boreal Toads

With Laurie Polisky and Stefan Ekernas

July 20: Roswell & Georgian Polyphonic Singing

With Laura Krantz and Gio Barabadze

July 27: Teacher Burnout & Trash Art

With Alejandro Fuentes & Benjamin Wong

August 3: Jackie Robinson & La Belle Epoque

With Raymond Doswell & Giulia Bernardini

August 10: Cowboys & the Overview Effect

With Nora Abrams & Rachel Lyons

August 17: Free Will & Zombie Deer

With Robert Bridge & Sam Brasch

Tickets are $15 for MCA Denver members and DCPA subscribers, $20 for the general public. Each Mixed Taste will also be live streamed. A livestream season pass for the 2022 series is $25 for MCA Denver members and DCPA subscribers, $30 for the general public. Visit www.mcadenver.org to reserve tickets.