Two of Denver’s oldest cooperative galleries, which typically showcase their members’ art on a rotating basis and cater to a loyal following, are offering exhibitions this month of uncommon ambition and scope.
The Chicano Humanities and Arts Council is among the first area art institutions of any kind to address head-on the continuing Iraq war. Its show is titled “New Millennial Guernica: Antiwar Art by Chicanos & Latinos.”
In today’s charged sociopolitical climate, where taking an antiwar position is sometimes equated with being unpatriotic or even anti-American, such a presentation is a daring undertaking. The arts council should be commended for its willingness to tackle it.
The 15 Chicano and Latino artists featured all reside in Colorado or have ties to the state.
They range from prominent veterans such as Tony Ortega and Carlos Fresquez to up-and-comers such as Venezuelan native Isabel Rivero-Marshall, a graduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. George Rivera, a CU-Boulder professor of art and art history, is the curator.
In part because of the show’s potential controversy, some of the artists Rivera invited to participate declined to take part. But those who agreed have hardly shirked the topic.
Showing particular zeal is Sylvia Montero of Denver, who is represented by two brash, boldly colored works from her “Men Make Wars” series, combining monotype and mixed-media collage. In one, she draws connections from the Iraq war to the Sand Creek massacre, and Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Other notable works include “Suppress,” a digital print in which Denver artist Raquel Vasquez cleverly manipulates the cover of a lozenge case, adding this sales slogan: “Fast relief from discomfort associated with fear of the truth.”
As imaginative as some of the selections are, there is no piece in this exhibition with the gravitas or sting to really linger in the memory. And too many are simplistic or predictable.
But even if it has not lived up to its potential, “New Millennial Guernica” bravely confronts an uncomfortable yet important topic. For that reason alone, it is worth a visit.
In a very different vein is an exhibition at the Edge Gallery celebrating book art, a branch of contemporary art that remains little seen in Denver but has exploded in importance in other parts of the United States.
Book art is an amorphous label used to describe any kind of artwork that is related in some way to the shape and structure of books, the printing and binding techniques used to produce them, or more philosophical or conceptual notions of what a book represents.
To help fill the void in Denver, Alicia Bailey of Aurora has organized “Sculptural Bookworks.” The small, smartly installed exhibition offers a revealing slice of happenings in the field, emphasizing pieces that are more sculptural than conventionally booklike.
As a board member of the Guild of Book Workers, one of the leading organizations in the field, Bailey has become acquainted with book artists across the country. Drawing on those connections, she has invited seven top creators to take part in this show.
Among the most prominent is Daniel Essig of Asheville, N.C., who was featured in 2004 in “The Penland Book of Handmade Books.” He is represented with three exquisitely crafted pieces, including “Book of Nails,” with its obvious allusions to African art.
Two carved and painted mahogany boxes, with mica and fossils tucked into tiny cavities of top of each and dozens of old nails protruding from the other sides, are linked together via an open book made with an intricate Ethiopian, sewn binding.
Other highlights include text-adorned, wearable paper garments by Betsy Dollar of Boulder that address female identity; partially disintegrated books that take on a new life in the hands of Mary Ellen Long of Durango; and “Room of Her Own,” a multidimensional look at Mount Rainier by Elsi Vassdale Ellis of Bellingham, Wash.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
“New Millennial Guernica:
Antiwar Art by Chicanos & Latinos”
THROUGH JAN. 28|Group exhibition|Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, 772 Santa Fe Drive|Free|10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon-10 p.m. Fridays and noon-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (303-571-0440 or chacweb.org)
“Sculptural Bookworks”
THROUGH JAN. 29|National book-art exhibition|Edge Gallery, 3658 Navajo St.|Free|7-10 p.m. Fridays and 1-5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays (303-477-7173 or edgegallery.org)
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TRACY FELIX A new selection of this popular Colorado artist’s fanciful landscapes remains on view through Feb. 11 at the William Havu Gallery, 1040 Cherokee St. 303-893-2360 or williamhavugallery.com.
“WINTER BOUQUETS” Robert Kushner puts the accent on unabashed beauty in his Asian-inspired floral paintings, which can be seen at the Sandy Carson Gallery, 760 Santa Fe Drive, through Feb. 17. 303-573-8585 or sandycarsongallery.com.
“MARKING THREE PATHS” Interrelated landscape-inspired works by Bill McDonald, Jennifer Bowes and Tonia Bonnell are featured through Feb. 4 in an exhibition at the Ironton Gallery, 3636 Chestnut Place. 303-297-8626 or irontonstudios.com.
-Kyle MacMillan
