MY CITY: Life During the Coronavirus and/or Black Lives Matter in the USA
Artists in the United States organized to contribute representation from the United States to the online exhibition on the theme of “MY CITY.” This exhibition consists of photographs and digital images created by the ARTNAUTS Collective in the United States. Artists created photographs of something in their home, neighborhood or city, etc. that referenced the coronavirus or Black Lives Matter or created a digital image that references the coronavirus or Black Lives Matter.
The Artnauts is an artist collective that uses the visual arts as a tool for addressing global issues while connecting with artists from around the world.
The name derives from combining the words “art” and “astronaut” as a way to describe the process of exploring uncharted territory in the world at large. The name also denotes the practice that is “not” art as usual, going beyond the confines of the traditional or conventional art world and blurring the boundaries between art, activism, and social practice. The Artnauts have worked at the intersection of critical consciousness and contemporary artistic practice to impact change for almost 25 years. More than 350 artists have been in the collective, participating in over 270 exhibitions on 5 continents.
PARTICIPATING ARTISTS - Patricia Aaron // Valerie Albicker // Lourdes Archundia // Barbara Arnold // Trine Bumiller // Dennis Dalton // Rebecca DiDomenico // Michael Dixon // Melissa Furness // Quintin Gonzalez // Andrea Gordon // Kari Greenberg // Kathryn Hart // Todd Edward Herman // Ben Jackel // Mary-Ann Kokoska // Beth Krensky // V. Kim Martinez // Arturo Miranda Videgaray // Faten Nastas Mitwasi // Pamela Beverly-Quigley // George Rivera // Laura Phelps Rogers // Yumi Roth // Martha Russo // Virginia Schick // Tina Suszynski // Luis Valdovino // Summer Ventis // Luz del Carmen Vilchis
GUEST ARTISTS - Joanna Bugajska // Chelsea Taylor
In "Safe" Settings: Works by Megan Scheffer
May 1 - May 22, 2021
Location: RedLine Contemporary Art Center - Project Space
In “Safe” Settings, a solo exhibition by Megan Scheffer, includes intricate drawings, sculptures, and photographs that investigate, question, and attempt to translate systems and definitions of mental health. Works in the exhibition visually abstract mental illness, asylums, and the clinical and subjective language within the Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
In a series of photographs taken in the Austin State Hospital (previously known as the State Lunatic Asylum) and transferred onto packing tape, In “Safe” Settings focuses on absence and the institutional architecture of psychological spaces.
LOAFER: Photographs by Zachary Barnes
May 7 - May 22, 2021
Location: RedLine Contemporary Art Center - Alcove
Growing up in Lakewood, Colorado, Zachary Barnes is particularly interested in what he calls, "the suburban aesthetic" The photographs selected for Loafer reflect this idea through their sense of wonder that is both aloof and spontaneous but also sincere. His portrayal of “suburbia” unfolds as a compilation of intimate and evanescent moments found in the most unassuming of locations. In this way, Barnes works to redeem the unnoticed or underappreciated character of the suburbs, formative to his identity, and celebrates the tranquility, beauty and overlooked vitality of the mundane.
#CITYSINGALONG
Created by @fouhy
Locations:
Aggie Theater (Fort Collins) @aggietheatre
Bluebird Theater (Denver) @bluebirdtheater
Boulder Theater (Boulder) @bouldertheater
Fillmore Theater (Denver) @fillmoreden
Fox Theater (Boulder) @thefoxtheatre
Hi-Dive (Denver) @hidive_denver
ILA Gallery (Denver) @ila_gallery_
Marquis Theater (Denver) @marquistheater
Ogden Theater (Denver) @ogdentheater
RocketSpace Rehearsal Studios (Denver) @therocketspace
Summit Theater (Denver) @summit.theatre
Music has a wonderful ability to make us happier, put a bounce in our step, especially when we sing it aloud or hear it live – it sparks joy and warms our souls. Whether you sing alone or together with friends, family, even complete strangers, #CITYSINGALONG is meant to encourage impromptu song to be shared with one and all. Scan the code, play the video, and sing along to your hearts content.
Look for the QR code posters at various music venues throughout the city, then connect to a unique artist-made karaoke video of Bill Wither’s classic song "Lean on Me." Film and post videos on social media with hashtags #citysingalong #comusicrelieffund #checkingindenver
The video ends with a call for donations to the Colorado Music Relief Fund and the hope of this participatory project is to support the recovery of venues, organizations and individuals during this difficult time.
Beneath the Surface: A Study of Self by Sarah Darlene Palmeri
March 6 - April 24, 2021
Location: RedLine Satellite: S*Park Pop Up/ 2570 Lawrence Street, Denver CO 80205
Beneath the Surface is Palmeri’s expressive exercise in self-awareness through abstract painting, animation, and sound. The juxtaposition of the still and animated works explores the threshold between the conscious and unconscious mind, or the surface and what sits just beyond. In this way, Palmeri is drawing a connection between her visual arts practice and meditation and how both encourage a regrounding in the body as a portal to deeper self-reflection. Viewers are invited to practice mindfulness through an immersive presentation to better visualize a space where one’s self ends and the world begins.
Image: Sarah Darlene Palmeri “Untitled (Mary)”
CHECKING IN
December 1, 2020 to January 30, 2021
Location: RedLine Contemporary Art Center - Main Exhibition Hall
This exhibition creates an emergency placeholder for a lost past and an unknown future. It forges a path through closures and cancellations, delays and uncertainties, that left many ideas without a place to land. The participating artists have explored, in a word, the half-life that we are all living. We join them in their processing of the pandemic. Whether it is Sidney Masuga’s mural, which uses a solar calendar to mark this moment in human history, or Emilie Trice’s punching bags to help us express the anger, pain, and grief that we collectively hold; each work helps us to work through this moment not knowing what the next will bring.
ENTIRELY DEVOID - Works by Trey Duvall
November 7, 2020 to January 23, 2021
Location: S*Park Pop Up 2570 Lawrence Street
Entirely Devoid presents objects in crisis through misplacement and contradiction. Repetitive actions and kinetic sculptures demonstrate disutility and articulate a mistrust between form and function.
The works in Entirely Devoid echo the breaks in continuity and familiarity of our current moment. Themes of agency, futility, absurdity, and misuse underpin the exhibition while adaptations and renegotiations of the familiar weigh heavy on the minds of individuals and communities.
Gilbert Baker Flag Memorial Project
Created by Genevieve Waller
Locations:
Arts Students League of Denver - 200 Grant St, Denver, CO 80203
Bonfils-Stanton Foundation - 1033 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204
The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art - 1750 13th St, Boulder, CO 80302
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance - 119 Park Ave W, Denver, CO 80205
RedLine Contemporary Art Center - 2350 Arapahoe Street, Denver CO 80205
The Gilbert Baker Flag is a memorial project dedicated to the Kansas born and raised artist who created the Rainbow Flag. Many people do not know the history of the flag, who Gilbert Baker is, or the fact that the flag's inventor came from a state that's not known as LGBTQ-friendly.In addition to the Rainbow Flag, Baker also created Pride flags for almost all of the U.S. states, incorporating rainbow details into each state flag design.
Fog of Memory
November 6 to December 4, 2020
Location: Suchittra Mattai Studio - 3773 Walnut Street, Denver, CO 80205
The Fog of Memory is a two-person exhibition of fiber/photo works and paintings by two artists, Nicholas D’Ornellas (Jersey City, NJ) and Toni Gallo, (Minneapolis, MN) who mine the depths of memory and experience to reveal moments of intimacy and tenderness.
In this time of uncertainty and anxiety, their work reminds us of our shared humanity and offers a quiet recognition of the resilience of the human spirit. Each artist considers how time, whether it be non-linear or linear, contributes to our sense of “self.”
Fray
November 6 to December 5, 2020
Location: ALTO GALLERY / 4345 W 41st Ave, Denver, CO 80212
Curated by We Were Wild (Meredith Feniak and Risa Friedman)
Untrimmed threads, unfinished seams, and undisciplined drape are valuable parts of the visual stories told through Fray, a collection of textile-based works by 13 Colorado artists. Fray aims to soften the traditional and institutionalized framework that separates art from craft and design into a more fluid continuum by blurring the line between creators who share processes and have aesthetic commonalities. The works are displayed away from the gallery’s walls, exposing some of the intricacies of working with fiber and celebrating the beauty of both the finished and the unfinished.
Anguish Garden - Book Release
November 6, 2020, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Location: Virtual
Anguish Garden is locally produced graphic novel set in the near future, told in 70 pages written by R. Alan Brooks, featuring layout art by Kevin Caron, pencil/ink art by Dailen Ogden, and coloring by Sarah Menzel Trapl. Learn more on R. Alan Brooks’ homepage.