RedLine kicked off 2024 with our annual Resident Artist exhibition Home Dreams, on display from January 27-March 10th, 2024.

This year’s show explores how the human desire for “home” is universal. In simple terms, it’s a place of respite, a shelter offering basic resources and safety. But “home” is more than protection: it’s a deep-rooted sense of belonging, made up of place, identity, culture, and relationships. 

While entering the last week of Home Dreams is bittersweet, we are honored by the chance to interview the exhibition’s curator, Jeff Lambson.

Jeff Lambson is the Director and Curator of the Emmanuel Art Gallery and CU Denver Experience Gallery at the University of Colorado Denver. Prior to his position at CU Denver, Jeff was founding Curator of Contemporary Art at the BYU Museum of Art, the most-attended university art museum in North America. He began his arts career at the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, DC, the nation’s museum of modern and contemporary art.

Lambson is the recipient of the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Award for Service in the Arts, and was named by Salt Lake Magazine as one of Utah’s most significant people of the past 20 years.

His work has received publicity in W magazine, Art Ltd, Artforum, Sunset, PBS, and BBC’s The Culture Show. Jeff is married to Ann Lambson, Associate Director of Creative and Public Engagement at the Denver Art Museum.

We recently sat down with Lambson to learn more about the fascinating inspirations and influences behind his curatorial career, and to get exclusive behind-the-scenes details about his experience curating Home Dreams.

Can you share the inspiration behind Home Dreams? What inspired the theme, and how did you envision it addressing the universal human desire for "home"?

Collaborating with RedLine and the amazing artists in this exhibition was an incredible experience. Often when curating an exhibition, you've been thinking about a theme or idea to explore that feels relevant to your audience. You research and meet with artists in studio visits to see if they have work that supports the thesis of the exhibition.

Sometimes this can have a cookie-cutter effect, where you put the ideas inside of your cookie-cutter that you want to include. Unfortunately, this can narrow your ideas and chop off whatever doesn't fit.

For this project, we approached from the opposite direction. We knew the artists but had no idea about a cohesive theme. Louise and Leigh organized a meeting with the artists where we talked about what they were working on, their concerns, what they address in their art, and what they hope visitors and Denver's community get out of interacting with their art.

As we talked as a group and the discussion grew more meaningful, ideas began to emerge such as family, relationships, and home. Home became an overarching theme of our discussion that interconnected us. Resident Artist Raymond Muñoz brought up the idea of “Home Dreams,” and a cohesive theme for our exhibition began to emerge. 

Given the diverse backgrounds and perspectives of the artists involved, can you share insights into how you collaborated with the artists to ensure their unique perspectives on "home" were effectively communicated?

One of the best parts about working in the arts is getting to collaborate with artists. Art is a language that anyone can speak or read, but artists have the unique ability to create it. Creating meaningful art requires creativity, thoughtfulness, intention, and an awareness of the world around you.

One of the jobs of curators and educators is to help facilitate the experience between the art and visitor. Some people like to read every label and hear quotes from the artist about their work. Others prefer no interpretation and would rather have a direct experience with the artwork.

I don't think there is a right or wrong way to experience art, as long as you're open to new experiences. The challenge of the artist and the curator is to have powerful work ready to engage with visitors. This show was wonderful because all of the artists are intentional and thoughtful about what they are doing, and why they do it.

Part of a curator's job is to help arrange work in conversations to help illuminate different nuances and aspects of the art.

One of the first galleries visitors encounter features the work of Laleh Mehran, Taiko Chandler, Sarah Darlene, and Sam Grabowska. Sam, Taiko, and Sarah's works feature portals or entries into other spaces. Taiko communicates with her mother through practiced calligraphy in a garden-like setting, while Sam's haunting sculptures frame portals into human experiences.

Sarah's flowing textile installation transforms curtains and fabric into a portal of her past, prompting questions about how relationships affect our identities. Laleh's landscape-like installation is a peak into her relationship with her father in Iran, the conversation traversing the landscape below while being surveilled by unknown forces.

Experiencing each of these stunning works individually is powerful, and thinking about them together in a gallery reveals new understandings about the importance of relationships and how they affect the idea of what home can be. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in curation, and how did you get started in the field?

My mom dragged me and my siblings to a lot of museums when we were kids. At the time I resented the seemingly endless museums and only wanted a bench to sit on, but it had a powerful effect on how I viewed the world.

I started as an art major in college but changed to pre-dental so I could have Wednesdays off and drive a fancy car. I was studying for the wrong reasons (we need inspired dentists!) and my wife Ann could tell I wasn't happy.

I remember a pivotal moment on campus late one night when she asked me what I really wanted to do. She was studying art history and I shared that was my passion as well, but I didn't know how we could make it in the future as two art history majors. She encouraged me to follow my passion and we both studied art history and curatorial studies.

True to prediction, her first job after graduate school was in childcare while I was working graveyards as a trash man and forklift operator at a factory.

These experiences profoundly affected us and helped lead to our jobs in museums in unexpected ways. We picked up and moved to Washington, DC in a tiny studio apartment. Ann's experiences helped her get a job as an educator at the National Building Museum, and I was able to get on at the Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

We have absolutely loved being in Denver the last eight years where Ann is in the learning and engagement department at the Denver Art Museum and I'm profoundly lucky to work at CU Denver's Emmanuel Art Gallery in the College of Arts & Media. 

Reflecting on your career, what is your overarching curatorial philosophy, and how does it influence the way you approach exhibitions like Home Dreams?

Art is a vital way we communicate as humans. I once had a boss who would say, "art isn't for everyone, but it can be for anyone." I believe a museum or gallery's job is to help make art accessible to visitors, and show the profound art of our time. Artists have the ability to change the way we see, how we interact with others around us. 

How do you envision the audience engaging with Home Dreams, and what emotions or reflections do you hope they will take away from the experience?

The nice thing about Home Dreams is that we all have a relationship with the idea of home. In Colorado (and around the country) affordability and access to a house has become untenable. Perhaps someone is dealing with houselessness, wanting to flee home, or experiencing trauma. But home can also be about family, cultural ties, and identity.

The artists in Home Dreams explored many different facets of home: some comforting, some hopeful, and some traumatic. I hope that visitors will bring their own experiences and be moved to think about their own lives, but particularly the experiences of others. We live in tumultuous times.

There is conflict around the world, and much of it is centered on wanting a place of safety, a land that is respected by others where citizens can pursue their dreams. Art has the ability to fill us with compassion and empathy for others. 

Lastly, for aspiring curators, what advice would you offer based on your experiences with Home Dreams and your broader career in curation?

For aspiring curators, I think the best advice is to engage with the art community and find opportunities to share your voice. You don't need a massive institution to start. Curate a show as a pop-up in an empty store front, offer to put together a show at your local library, and participate with art institutions in your community.

Some of the best advice I've received in my career is to get out there and do it. Denver has some amazing art spaces. Some are grand like the Art Museum, some are inspiring like RedLine, but others have created galleries in their garage and hosted residencies in their basements.

Go to as many art shows and openings as you can, meet artists, and you'll be surprised at the opportunities that present themselves. 

Experience Home Dreams Today!

Home Dreams Resident Artist Exhibition is on display through March 10, 2024.

Plan your visit today to experience this incredible exhibition before it’s gone!