That is certainly true of two such offerings that are on view at two Denver-area nonprofit art spaces – the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities and Metropolitan State College of Denver’s Center for Visual Art.
The former, titled “Trading Voices,” showcases works by artists in Colorado and Arizona. Dianne Vanderlip, curator of modern and contemporary art at the Denver Art Museum, chose the works from Arizona, and Marilyn Zeitlin, director and chief curator of the Arizona State University Art Museum, picked the Colorado pieces.
Marking Metro State’s 40th anniversary and the Center for Visual Art’s 15th anniversary, the latter exhibit, titled “Metro Effect,” highlights artist alumni from the school. A jury consisting of Kathy Andrews, the center’s former director, and two members of the art faculty made the selections.
On the plus side, each show gives viewers a one-stop look at a wide range of pieces by artists from across the region and beyond – 37 in the Arvada exhibition and 26 in the Center for Visual Art’s presentation.
Given this diversity, viewers are bound to find at least one selection they like, and they will no doubt encounter some surprises – creations by artists they have never seen before.
On the negative side, these offerings provide only a passing glimpse at an artist’s work – rarely more than one or two examples by each participant – and, thus, the shows have an inevitable air of superficiality about them.
Regardless of how hard the jurors strived to choose the strongest pieces for these exhibitions, they were at the mercy of the entries.
And, as is often the case with juried exhibitions, some of the best artists who fit the parameters of these offerings chose not to participate for whatever reason. As a result, the quality is inevitably erratic.
Neither exhibition can be called a must-see. Neither offers a cross-section of the contemporary art scene that is exceptionally compelling, insightful or forward-looking.
Some works in the two offerings do stand out, especially two abstract paintings in “Trading Voices.” These pieces by Henry Leo Schoebel, a professor of art at Arizona State University, depict swirling, overlapping milky bands with bursts of color at each end.
Even though these canvases were executed by hand using a painstaking process, the overlay of urethane, a kind of clear, glossy, synthetic resin, gives these pieces a slick, manufactured look. That seeming contradiction supplies much of their dynamism.
Other Arvada show highlights:
“Soon to Fall,” Steve Hilton, Tempe, Ariz. This 55-inch-wide medallion-like wooden relief, which is incised with grooves in a kind leaf pattern and covered in air-brushed green tones, possesses an engaging iconic presence.
“Ryoanji,” Travis Keyoshi Hough, Golden. Set off nicely by a contrasting, crude frame made of reused wood, this dark, monochromatic canvas, with its subtly textured surface, suggests a rock face or perhaps dried earth.
A key work in “Metro Effect” is “A Fine Time for Dine,” by Carlos Fresquez, an always-engaging Denver artist. This ambitious installation pays tribute to pop artist Jim Dine through references to some of his most familiar imagery.
It adroitly commingles such allusions with elements of contemporary pop and Chicano culture, including an array of found objects, such as books and toy figures, that have long been part of Fresquez’s work.
Other noteworthy pieces include “Track Trajectory” by Shaun Acton of Brooklyn, a nuanced white-on-white drawing, and “Little Burma Road, Wilson Creek” by Marsha Wooley of Centennial, a panoramic landscape with a commanding presence.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
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“Trading Voices”
Through Nov. 21|Juried exhibition of works by Colorado and Arizona artists|Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, 6901 Wadsworth Blvd.|Free|9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays (720-898-7200 or arvadacenter.org)
“Metro Effect”
Through Oct. 29|Juried exhibition of art by Metro State alumni|Metropolitan State College of Denver, Center for Visual Art, 1734 Wazee St.|Free|11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays (303-294-5207 or mscd.edu/news/cva)
