The Yearbook is a Denver-founded art collective focused on bringing creatives in the city together. They do this by putting 24 artists together — eight musicians, eight photographers and eight illustrators — to create layered installations that are then showcased at a recurring, rotating gallery event and concert. This event serves as a haven where some of the most interesting and brightest creative minds can meet and interact and continue to build the incredibly eclectic and vibrant art scene that calls Denver home.The Yearbook is a wholly unique enterprise that recognizes how much music and art floods our city’s streets and seeks to turn creation into interpersonal relationships that then bolster the community. It’s a moving, breathing testament to how this city fosters artists, encourages collaboration and celebrates a DIY spirit that forms the backbone of nearly every locally-created creative event. Plus, it’s just really fucking cool.
Ahead of the next iteration of The Yearbook’s showcase — which was held on March 28th at Deep Space Drive In —, Denver Dive recently spoke with Yearbook organizer Eric Baker about The Yearbook’s history and goals, how the collective has grown over the rather short time it’s existed, what to expect from future installments and more.
The Yearbook was formed in 2024 by a Denver local named Javier Lozano, a longtime patron of Denver’s art scene. He sought to find a way to join all the different media he found himself immersed in, namely music, photography and illustration. He saw these people, his friends and loved ones working in similar circles, orbiting around each other, collaborating at times but not always and wanted to create greater opportunity for collaboration in a public way. This was the first seed of what would become The Yearbook.
The way The Yearbook works is this: a musician is paired with a photographer who is then paired with an illustrator. The musician creates or submits a song to the photographer who then holds a photoshoot with the musician, capturing their vibe as best as they can. That shoot is then shared with the illustrator who creates a piece of their own based on the photos. It all culminates in this layered, multimedia final product that highlights each artists’ individual style while showing how these styles have merged and complemented each other. Each finished piece is a monument to collaboration that shows what can be possible when creative minds work together. Each event showcases 24 artists, eight groups of three: musician, photographer, illustrator. That number may be growing in the near future.
Though founded by Lozano, Eric Baker now runs The Yearbook in Denver as Lozano is currently in New York trying to get a chapter of The Yearbook running there as well. Describing himself as something of a nomad, Baker has lived a lot of lives. Prior to his arrival in Denver, he lived in LA working as a PA on reality shows.He got into the restaurant industry while living in Seattle. He was the head chef of an ice-fishing resort in Minnesota which got him through COVID. Finally, in 2024, he landed in Denver, saying that Colorado is his “eighth state” and that these past years are the longest he’s consecutively lived in one place since adulthood. This does not look to be changing anytime soon.
It wasn’t long before Baker found himself working at some of the best restaurants in the city. It was while working at the beloved sushi spot Uchi that Baker first met Lozano, his then co-worker. Fast friends, Lozano soon confided in Baker about his idea for The Yearbook. It was already starting to come together but hadn’t fully taken shape at that point. A songwriter, musician and rapper himself, Baker tried to become one of the featured artist for The Yearbook’s first iteration only to find that the spots had already been filled. Knowing that he has such a diverse background, Baker became involved in any way he could. He started out running socials and doing anything that needed doing, eventually rising to an informal level of partnership with Lozano and is now the main organizer of The Yearbook in Denver.
That first event was more of an emotional success than a financial one, more a proof of concept. Still, the turnout was strong enough that they felt motivated to do it again, even though Lozano and Baker lost some of their own money in the process. It took them a little less than a year to get the next one organized and their time and effort paid off when the next event happened in Summer 2025. It was a hit, a word-of-mouth indie darling of an event that saw everyone involved loved and taken care of. A large portion of the profits made from the event goes to various charitable organizations and Baker said that he was happy that a profit was made, the venue did well and there was enough to make sizable donations to the charities the event supports.
The latest iteration of The Yearbook happened on March 28th and Baker believes that it was the biggest event yet. In the past, the event has used a raffle model where attendees enter a raffle in order to potentially win whichever piece or pieces speak to them. This year, however, they switched to a silent auction model which Baker believes “added some class” to the proceedings. Held at the Deep Space Drive In art space, Baker also mentioned that he used his connections in the Denver high-end food space to make sure that the food served went above and beyond previous years. If you or anyone you love works in any kind of creative capacity in the city or just appreciates the arts, be sure to keep your eyes open for the next iteration of The Yearbook as this is an event that the city will remember always. Baker is currently working on putting together Yearbook’s next iteration— set to be held in September — so follow their socials and keep your eyes peeled for that upcoming announcement.
It’s an exciting time to be alive in Denver right now and collectives like The Yearbook prove that. We need art and community more than ever these days and it’s up to us, those that call this city home, to keep such noble endeavors alive. Let’s all do this together.
Check out The Yearbook’s IG page here!
