ABOUT US
The Terrible Wise was founded in November of 2024 by five Denver-based artists (Bella Del Signore, SJ Gingras, Ali Graulty, Ana Paula Pinto and Alisa Christiane Otte) with the goal of creating a collective of artists who support those in the margins of society.Â
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It started in a living room with a conversation between co-founders SJ and Ana Paula. Both having pursued creative degrees, they were craving the community of art school without its constraints. The Terrible Wise began as a series of art nights in that same living room; friends coming together to work on creative projects and share artistic inspiration.
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As the group grew larger, artists Bella, Ali and Alisa joined Ana Paula and SJ to create the High Council, the official team of organizers who formalized the group as an artists collective. They put their heads together to come up with the collective’s name, branding, lore, mission, and plans for the inaugural group show.
Our Events
Inaugural Group Show
The first Terrible Wise group show came to life on June 21, 2025, featuring 21 artists. The collective hosted art nights every other Thursday, encouraging members to bring the pieces they were working on for critique and coworking leading up to the show. Attended by over 150 people, the show was a fantastic success. It was an absolutely magical night of shared joy. A portion of profits were donated to Casa De Paz, a Denver-local organization supporting families impacted by ICE.
Solar Return
After the success of our first show, the collective decided to celebrate a full year of the Terrible Wise with our second show, Solar Return. In the spirit of lighthearted celebration, this event was designed around a salon-style gallery, where members could hang whatever they wanted wherever they wanted—a playful display of art of all kinds and in all stages. This show featured 40 artists, including painters, musicians, poets, DJs, and even a yo-yo performance! This was a true party (some organizers and artists never went home, but instead stayed to sing karaoke until 9am the next day).
UPCOMING EVENT:
Wishing Well
Our third group show, Wishing Well, welcomes springtime with a magical evening of music, art, poetry and dance. Themes of rebirth, revival and regeneration are reflected in many of the pieces. We encouraged our artists to create works with that lens in mind. Join us on April 25th from 6pm - 2am to experience the sights and sounds of the Wishing Well.
Community Outreach
COW
The Community Organizing Wing (COW) of the Terrible Wise was spearheaded by Ana Paula Pinto, Alisa Christiane Otte, and Hallie Dunham, with the goal of uniting our community around advocacy, mutual aid, and direct action. COW meetings can be anything from group readings and discussions to preparing and distributing homemade food to the unhoused. During the winter of 2025, COW raised over $5,000 to directly support Denver’s unhoused community.