Tastes in art run in myriad directions, but it seems safe to say that most people tend to enjoy landscapes. That’s especially true in Colorado, where snow-capped peaks and rushing streams rank among the state’s chief draws.
Ann Daley, an associate curator at the Denver Art Museum, has assembled a book of contemporary Colorado landscapes. She asked the Robischon Gallery if it would be willing to host an exhibition showcasing the featured paintings, drawings and photographs.
Jim Robischon, founder and director, jumped at the chance. But he quickly realized it would make sense to have a partner, so that more examples of each of the more than 50 participating artists could be shown.
“I thought it would be great if we could have more than one little token piece by each artist,” he said. “That wouldn’t be particularly exciting. So we will give them a chance to put up three or four.”
For the enlarged offering, the Robischon Gallery has teamed with the space’s next-door neighbor – Metropolitan State College of Denver’s Center for Visual Art, 1734 Wazee St.
The resulting exhibition, simply titled “Landscapes of Colorado,” will be on view Aug. 4-26 at the Center for Visual Art and Aug. 4-Sept. 1 at the Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee St.
Here’s a look at 10 other Colorado exhibitions worth checking out this summer:
“Passages: The Art of Mary Chenoweth,” Coburn Gallery, Colorado College, Colorado Springs. Through June 22. This retrospective celebrates the rich legacy of a respected stalwart of the Colorado art scene. Chenoweth came to Colorado Springs in 1953 as an instructor in the well-regarded school of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. When it closed, she moved to the newly formed art department at Colorado College, where she remained until her retirement in 1983.
Homare Ikeda, Sandy Carson Gallery, 720 Santa Fe Drive. Through July 7. A native of Japan, Ikeda moved to the United States in 1978 and later earned his bachelor and master of fine art degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder. The abstract painter created this latest body of work, which includes monoprints, watercolors and oils, during a recent residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha.
“Cold Pastoral, Sculpture and Photography by Kim Dickey,” Rule Gallery, 227 Broadway. Through July 7. Dickey, an associate professor of art at the University of Colorado, is inspired by the logical, manicured beauty of formal gardens. Her clay works, which exist in a world between the fantastical and naturalistic, draw on ceramic tradition yet remain assertively contemporary. For this show, she has created an imaginary indoor garden environment.
“Erick C. Johnson: Blind Spot,” Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art. Through Aug. 11. This Fort Collins artist, who has crafted public works for Coors Field and the Colorado Convention Center, uses found and handmade materials to create semi-abstract reinterpretations of familiar objects and shapes. This show will include 13 new works inside and outside the museum.
“Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands,” University of Wyoming Art Museum, Laramie. Through Aug. 19. Drawn from the rich holdings of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation in New York City, this exhibition offers a rare look at 85 major artworks created by ancient horse-riding steppe dwellers. They flourished in the late second and first millennia B.C. across the Asian grasslands, from northern China and Mongolia into Eastern Europe.
Roland Bernier, Walker Fine Art, 300 W. 11th Ave. Friday-July 21. One of Denver’s most inventive artists, Bernier has been exploring the intersection of words and art for 40 years. What sets Bernier’s work apart is his interest not in the meanings of words but in their shapes and appearance. This exhibition will offer a 20-year retrospective of his output.
“Clyfford Still Unveiled: Selections from the Estate,” Denver Art Museum. July 14-Sept. 30. This small but much anticipated exhibition will preview 12 of the works that will be in the collection of the Clyfford Still Museum, which is tentatively set to open in 2010. Among the selections will be “1944-N No. 1,” the first version of a nearly identical painting at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
“Sculptors Drawing,” Aspen Art Museum. Aug. 2-Oct. 14. Many sculptors are not just one-trick ponies. In addition to creating three-dimensional works, some draw. This show, which will include works by such leading-edge artists as Matthew Barney, Teresita Fernández and Thomas Scheibitz, examines how sculptors use drawing to both complement and diverge from their central pursuit.
“Eames 102: This is the Trick,” Emmanuel Gallery, Auraria campus. Aug. 9-Sept. 7. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charles Eames. He and his brother, Ray, rank among the most influential modern designers of the 20th century. This exhibition will provide an overview of their accomplishments, with objects on loan from the collection of Carla Hartman, a granddaughter of Charles Eames.
“Masters in Clay,” Sandra Phillips Gallery, 744 Santa Fe Drive. Aug. 17-Oct. 6. Signaling its growing and welcome focus on clay art, the Phillips Gallery has put together this Colorado overview of the scene. Featured will be new works by veteran ceramicists such as Martha Daniels and Maynard Tischler as well as up-and-comers such as Katie Caron and Amy Chavez.
