There will be music and there will be art. There will be music as art. There will also be … gold-sprinkled sushi served by human goldfish? What does that even mean?  

You’ll have to go to the Manitou Art Center (513 Manitou Ave) during the August First Friday Art Walk to find out. Don Goede’s art show “AMuse’d,” featuring decades of Goede’s art, will debut in the Hagnauer Gallery Aug. 2 from 5 to 8 p.m. concurrent with entertainment by the BMuse’d band covering decades of Goede’s songwriting. The art show runs through Aug. 31. 

The title of the art show, “AMuse’d,” is a nod to and a celebration of the muses throughout Goede’s life. It is a retrospective or, as Goede calls it, a “retrospastic.” 

AMuse’d is sure to feature a variety of types of art.  

“I don’t discriminate. I use any material I can get my hands on,” Goede said.  

“I’m a clown artist,” he explained. “Sometimes heavy with concepts, other times light as feather and silly.” 

There is also an element of closure, or renewal – or perhaps both – to this exhibition. 

“I will be either burning, composting, shredding or soaking a lot of the work from the show,” Goede told the Bulletin.  

He said there will be many installations within the exhibit.
“Two of my favorites will be for my grandmother GG and my beloved Dalmatian Oblio,” he said.  

“They may be disturbing to some people,” he added mysteriously.
Goede said other works within the show will include a 9/11 exhibit called “Odium Theologicum” plus “hundreds” of drawings from Goede’s school days, as well as “writings, lyrics, doodles and scribbles.”
“I will have some unauthorized collaborations with famous artists,” Goede said. “Some local, some international.”
Unauthorized collaborations? Again, you’ll have to come see for yourself.
As for the musical numbers, Goede told the Bulletin, “I am fortunate to have the BMuse’d band with me. Michael Kimbrell on guitar and mandolin, Vincent Chase on drums, Keith Varney on bass and Cynthia Lynn on violin.”


Goede said he’s been composing music since childhood, using songs to capture moments and experiences. While alt/indy is his favorite, he said he writes in all genres.  

“I have written over a thousand songs and will pick 40 for the night of the performance,” he said.  

First Friday Art Walks are held April through December in Manitou Springs, Old Colorado City and Downtown Colorado Springs. Galleries and other businesses open from 5 to 8 p.m. or later and showcase local artists, musicians, food and drink.