For many people, visiting an art museum can feel intimidating. There’s often an unspoken expectation that you should already know the artists, understand the work, or move quietly through the galleries with a certain level of expertise. MCA Denver has spent years challenging that idea, creating exhibitions and programming designed to make contemporary art feel approachable, playful, and deeply connected to the city around it.
Few programs embody that philosophy better than B-Side Music Fridays. Now in its second decade, the annual summer concert series transforms MCA Denver’s rooftop into one of the city’s most intimate live music venues. Each Friday evening, Colorado musicians take the stage overlooking downtown, creating an experience where discovering a new favorite band feels just as natural as discovering a new artist inside the museum’s galleries.
Rather than booking national touring acts, B-Side has always been committed to showcasing musicians from Colorado. That decision reflects more than hometown pride. It mirrors the museum’s broader mission of celebrating contemporary creativity while investing directly in the community that surrounds it.
As Denver’s creative community has expanded over the past decade, music, visual art, food, and design have become increasingly intertwined, creating a cultural landscape where collaboration often matters as much as the finished product. B-Side sits comfortably within that ecosystem, offering a space where multiple forms of creativity can exist side by side while introducing audiences to artists they may not have discovered otherwise.
For Christina Chambers, that local focus has become increasingly meaningful as Colorado’s music scene continues to evolve. Rather than bringing in national touring acts, the series intentionally spotlights musicians who represent the depth and diversity of the state’s creative community. Some attendees may already be following these artists around local venues, while others encounter them for the very first time from the museum’s rooftop, often before they’ve broken onto a larger stage.
That approach extends to the curation itself. Working alongside local event producer Demi Harvey, MCA Denver approaches each season much like an exhibition, assembling a lineup that represents different genres, communities, and artistic perspectives rather than centering on a single sound. Indie, folk, hip-hop, electronic, soul, and experimental music all have a place within the series, creating a summer lineup that reflects the breadth of Colorado’s music scene while ensuring every evening offers something distinct.
The venue itself plays an equally important role. Compared to many rooftop events across Denver, MCA Denver’s rooftop is intentionally intimate. The smaller setting creates a closeness between artist and audience that would be difficult to recreate elsewhere, reinforcing the museum’s goal of making creativity feel accessible rather than distant. It’s less about watching a performance from afar and more about sharing a moment with the people creating it.
That philosophy extends well beyond music. As a non-collecting contemporary art museum, MCA Denver has long embraced experimentation through rotating exhibitions, public programs, and community events. B-Side is another expression of that mission, demonstrating that a museum can be a place for live performance, conversation, and creative discovery just as naturally as it can be a place to experience visual art.
The impact extends beyond a single Friday evening. While longtime museum members return each summer for the series, B-Side also introduces entirely new audiences to MCA Denver. Music fans who come to see a local artist often become first-time museum visitors, while others discover a new favorite band after arriving to explore the galleries. Those crossover moments have helped make B-Side one of the museum’s signature programs for more than a decade.
In an era when arts organizations across the country are searching for new ways to engage their communities, MCA Denver has found an approach that feels both simple and authentic. By bringing together local music, contemporary art, and one of the city’s most distinctive rooftops, B-Side reminds people that creativity doesn’t belong to one discipline or one audience. It belongs to everyone willing to show up and experience it together.
We caught up with Christina Chambers to talk about the evolution of B-Side Music Fridays, supporting Colorado artists, and how live music helps transform the museum into a space where more people can see themselves. Check out our conversation below!
For people who haven’t experienced B-Side Music Fridays before, how would you describe what makes the series unique within Denver’s live music landscape?
With rooftop experiences being very popular in Denver, I think B-Side has become one of the first to consistently incorporate live music. In addition, with the focus on local performers, B-side is really dedicated to cultivating a true Denver/Colorado experience. You may be a fan of one of the performers, or it’s an opportunity to see performers gaining traction locally before becoming known outside of the city.
MCA Denver has always positioned itself as more than a traditional museum. How does a live music series like B-Side fit into the broader mission of creating a space for contemporary creative expression?
Actually, MCA Denver is a bit non-traditional compared to our other museum partners in the city. As a non-collecting art museum, we are committed to creative risk-taking through our changing exhibitions and assortment programs/events. We are dedicated to creating experiences for visitors that get to the whimsy and cultural creativity of Denver. B-Side has given us the opportunity to uphold those values through live music.
One thing that stands out is that B-Side exclusively highlights Colorado artists. Why has it been important for the series to invest in the local music community rather than simply booking touring acts?
As someone who has been in Colorado for several years, it is very evident that the music scene is growing exponentially. Colorado has embraced this through various festivals around the state. We are so impressed by the talent coming out of Colorado. Through the series, we are dedicated to having performers who represent the community. Also, choosing Colorado performers for B-Side gives artists an audience they may not have reached otherwise.
Curating an art exhibition and curating a concert series seem like very different disciplines, but I imagine there are similarities. What do you look for when selecting artists for B-Side each year?
Similar to curating an exhibition, the series is dedicated to creating an experience or vibe that visitors may not experience elsewhere. The needs for the series can change yearly, so there is not a set measure for the type of performers we are looking for. Over the past few years, we have worked with Demi Harvey, an Event Producer who has had a pulse on local music for a while. In my conversations with Demi, we have discussed selecting a diverse group of performers who play a multitude of genres, who are touchpoints for different communities in the city, and collectively have a bit of something for everyone.
The rooftop setting creates a really intimate experience that’s very different from a traditional music venue. How much does the space itself shape the way people engage with both the performances and the museum?
The space itself speaks to the intimacy of the performance and the creativity of the museum. The reality is that the space is probably smaller than your average rooftop concert, and it creates a special, intimate experience that is unique in the city.
Denver’s creative community has grown tremendously over the past decade, with music, visual art, food, and design becoming increasingly interconnected. Where do you see B-Side fitting into that larger creative ecosystem?
I think B-Side fits into the creative ecosystem as a live, rooftop experience dedicated to the creative music community of Denver and Colorado. There is an energy in the series that I’m not sure we have duplicated in other rooftop events.
One of the things MCA Denver seems to do really well is remove some of the intimidation people sometimes associate with museums. How important is programming like B-Side in introducing new audiences to contemporary art?
We love to bring new audiences to the museum, whether through exhibitions or through events. B-Side is just one opportunity to support the community and give new Deverites or those visiting from out of town a unique experience. B-Side has become a staple in our programming for the last 10+ years, and it is what moves new audiences to become members of the museum and return to see the other programs we are hosting.
As someone who helps shape programming at MCA Denver, what excites you most about creating experiences that bring together different forms of creativity under one roof?
What excites me most about programming at the museum is the opportunity to quell the stigma or intimidation that museums often have. Museums can often feel like they are for certain people. Being able to create spaces where different communities can start to see themselves is very important to me. Also, showcasing an experience outside of just the amazing art in the galleries, is also very special.