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The exhibit is the newest aspect of Building Denver, History Colorado’s current series of exhibits and events that explore and reflect the local built environment to collectively envision a healthier, more inclusive, more equitable city. More information is available at h-co.org/building.

Brick & Soul features more than 30 photographs captured by Geneyro in Denver between 2016 and 2021, almost all of them taken outdoors. Gatherings for both leisure and mass action feature prominently, as do noteworthy landmarks such as the Brown Palace Hotel, Grandpa’s Burger Haven, La Raza Park, and the historic Rossonian Hotel. Locations lost to gentrification and other forces also appear in the images, which juxtapose brilliant color with black and white.

“Bricks harken to the past, and embody a time that so many folks in Denver are fighting to keep from losing,” said Geneyro. “So much of my Denver photography shows how people interact with the city, and how they bring life to lifeless buildings. The streets serve as the background to so many of my subjects because that’s where I meet many of them. The streets are where they cruise and where they fight for justice and equality, sometimes both at the same time. This exhibit is an ode to the people who have built this city with brick and soul.”

A local photojournalist who was born and raised in California, Armando Geneyro moved to Denver, where he graduated from Metro State University after studying photojournalism and political science, after serving in the US Air Force. He has documented several Denver subcultures over the past seven years, from the local hip-hop scene to cruisers and lowriders. Geneyro also helped found Theyshootn, a collective of photographers who have hosted different events that have celebrated the people of Denver while also collecting resources for the community. Currently, he spends his time mentoring youth through local art programs and working for Denver Public Schools’ office of Student Equity and Opportunity.

The History Colorado Center is open late until 8 p.m. on Thursday evenings this summer through August. The bright, beautiful museum features more than a dozen exhibits designed to delight visitors of all ages. The museum is served by multiple public-transit routes and surrounded by two-hour parking meters that are free on Sundays and daily after 6 p.m. Convenient covered parking is also available at the Art Garage, 1268 Lincoln St. Youth under five receive free admission and tickets ($0–14) are discounted when purchased in advance via historycolorado.org/welcome.

About Building Denver
Stoked by climate change, public-health crises, and a burning quest for more justice within our metropolis, Denver is in the midst of accelerating urban and social transformation. Its population has exploded over the last two decades, and while the city is more diverse than ever, it was also identified in a recent study to be one of the most rapidly gentrifying cities in the nation. How did we get to this point? Where are we, exactly? And where should we go from here? The many facets of the Building Denver initiative help answer some of these questions. Exhibits on all four floors of the History Colorado Center contribute to Building Denver, including a popular namesake exhibition on the past, present, and future of Denver’s built environment that opened over Memorial Day Weekend. Details are available at h-co.org/building.

SPONSORS
Building Denver is made possible by generous support from Alec M. Garbini AIA, donors to the Executive Director's Innovation Fund, Bank of America, The City and County of Denver’s Community Planning and Development Department, Gates Family Foundation, Urban Land Conservancy, Continuum Partners--Mark Falcone, and RATIO/Dennis Humphries.

About History Colorado
History Colorado is a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education and a 501(c)3 non-profit that has served more than 75,000 students and 500,000 people in Colorado each year. It is a 142-year-old institution that operates Colorado’s oldest museum, nine additional museums and historic sites, a free public research center, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, and the History Colorado State Historical Fund (SHF), which is the nation’s largest preservation program of its kind. More than 70% of SHF grants are allocated in rural areas of the state.

History Colorado’s mission is to create a better future for Colorado by inspiring wonder in our past. We serve as the state’s memory, preserving and sharing the places, stories, and material culture of Colorado through educational programs, historic preservation grants, collecting, outreach to Colorado communities, the History Colorado Center and Stephen H. Hart Research Center in Denver, and nine other museums and historic attractions statewide. History Colorado is one of only six Smithsonian Affiliates in Colorado. Visit HistoryColorado.org, or call 303-HISTORY, for more information.