Nine days ago, Haus of Other took over the People’s Building in Aurora for our third immersive art party, NEBULA. The goal was simple: raise money and awareness for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network while bringing Denver’s queer creative community together for a night of celebration, artistry, and revelry.
Our team transformed the venue into a sci-fi dreamscape, creating intricate space-themed costumes and immersive installations that included an underwater planet, an alien forest, a glowing nebula chandelier, and a UFO complete with a tractor beam. The message behind the event was, “We are all aliens,” and Denver’s creatives absolutely understood the assignment. The space and alien-inspired looks that filled the room were imaginative, over-the-top, and completely unforgettable.
The evening’s soundtrack came courtesy of DJ Buddy Bravo, Richi Ramos, and Vio the Violinist of Starlux. We love working with them because the combination of modern music, Richi’s powerhouse vocals, and Vio’s electric violin creates an atmosphere that’s worth the price of admission all by itself. Nadia Evangelina made her Denver drag debut as a radiant sun goddess, Ximena Latinx wowed the crowd with stunning acrobatic choreography, and Gila Moonstar had the entire room singing along to Rocket Man—even though I only know about half the words.
Our incredible hair and makeup team—Alien Hair Artist KJ Murphy, Passionate Hair Artist Mae Jones, and Diana Noble of LetMeDyeForYou—created truly otherworldly looks for the Haus of Other models. Those creations were beautifully modeled and captured by Becky Duffyhill, whose jaw-dropping photography is featured below.
One of the most powerful moments of the evening came from Maya Blasingame, an Afro-Latina trans activist, who delivered a moving speech about the realities facing immigrants in ICE detention while weaving in her own experiences with oppression. Dressed as Diva Plavalaguna from The Fifth Element, she had everyone’s attention from the moment she stepped on stage—and every word she shared left an impact.
Our vendor marketplace was just as stellar, with Bees Body Bars, Craving Dulce Sweet Treats, Crafty Grant, Thayne Warne, and OFM helping create an out-of-this-world shopping experience.
A huge thank you goes to our sponsors, PriCARE Health and The Center on Colfax, whose support helped make the event possible. PriCARE even went above and beyond by keeping our hungry aliens fed with 15 pizzas. We’d also like to thank Kim Salvaggio, Alex Vaughn, and Ian and Jennifer Burnett for supporting both the event and its mission.
A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas where new stars are born, and that felt like the perfect metaphor for the evening. What started as a wild idea became a fully realized immersive art party where queer creatives could come together, feel safe, express themselves, and simply play.
Take a look through the photos below, and be sure to download your favorites from Becky Duffyhill using THIS LINK.
We’ll see you at the next one.
Photos by Becky Duffy-Hill
