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Dr. Heide Ford, left, CU Medicine Endowed Chair in Pharmacology, shows U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper around the Ford Lab at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus on March 18, 2025 in Aurora, Colorado. The cancer lab studies the parallels between normal development and tumorigenesis/tumor progression. (Kathryn Scott, Special to The Colorado Sun)
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Good morning, Sunriser readers!

The weekend forecast calls for a nice, heavy shake of snow in the Denver area, which I’m reading as museum weather.

If you’re near the metro, the Denver Art Museum is opening its new Kent Monkman exhibition, “History is Painted by the Victors,” on Sunday. I was lucky to preview the show earlier this week and, oof, it’s a force.

Monkman spent 12 years as an abstract painter trying to figure out how to make his mark, so to speak, but felt hindered by the inability to paint a clear message. So he turned to the greats and learned the Western canon by recreating it himself, developing his version of the Hudson River School, with a twist. The massive paintings on display at the DAM — some nearly 10 feet tall — integrate Native histories into the classically styled pieces. The paintings are funny at times, disturbing at others, most often they’re both.

There are artsy Easter eggs throughout — a Picasso nod here, a Rothko reference there, some classical Greek and Roman sculpture in the corner. The biggest Easter egg, if you can call her that, hiding in such plain sight, is Monkman’s narrative guide through the exhibition: a stiletto heeled, Two Spirit shapeshifter that he calls Miss Chief.

A warning: The content can be violent at times, and nudity abounds (but hey, we’re talking 19th-century art here, good luck finding a gallery without a little violence and nudity).

The exhibition pairs incredibly well with a visit to the seventh floor of the Martin building, where the DAM’s display of Western art lives, including some original Catlans, Bierstadts and other painters referenced in the Monkman rooms. (It’s also one of my favorite places in the city).

But before you go exploring deep Western history, let’s take a look at its first draft. On to the news.

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Colorado’s U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper toured the Western Slope this week, including a stop Tuesday in Eagle to talk about cuts to public land agencies. (Jason Blevins, The Colorado Sun)

Colorado’s junior senator is getting an earful. Jason Blevins followed along as Sen. John Hickenlooper toured Eagle County, hearing the boiled-over frustrations in a region that sits in the crosshairs of some of the Trump administration’s most aggressive moves to reshape the government.

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Both fully electric (battery electric vehicles or BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles qualify as clean emissions cars under California standards. Hybrids have gasoline engine emissions but are highly efficient and considered an “alternative drive train.” (Colorado Auto Dealers 1Q 2025 report)

Between a wave of anti-Tesla sentiment and the timing of a scheduled cut in the state’s generous electric vehicle subsidy, car dealers were bracing for a drop. But as Michael Booth reports, a pre-tariff rush kept sales of clean vehicles afloat — for now.

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Preschoolers Wynter, left, Naomi and Evalyn build towers before knocking them down during open play time in class Feb. 12 at Clayton Early Learning in Denver. (Erica Breunlin, The Colorado Sun)

For six decades and counting, the Head Start program has been providing vital early education for vulnerable kids — often creating a lifeline of child care and community that allows parents stability for their jobs. But as Erica Breunlin reports, President Trump’s proposal to strike the program from the federal budget would cause disruptions that go far beyond the classroom.

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Tractors work around new model homes April 9 to dig room for another project at Hidden Valley Farm Neighborhood in Severance. The fast-growing town is in the North Weld County Water District, which has been lobbying on a controversial bill dealing with water tap fees. (Tri Duong, Special to The Colorado Sun)

A bill calling on water districts to reduce tap fees — the fee paid to connect a new building to an existing water system — when conservation efforts are included in new developments is headed to the governor’s desk. Shannon Mullane reports on why water districts pushed back and what’s next if the bill becomes law.

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Drew Litton illustrates fans’ sentiments around the inspiring return from severe injury of Colorado Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog.

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In “What’d I Miss?” Ossie and Myra explore the growth of hypocrisy as consequences disappear — with particularly egregious instances around elections.

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Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

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