Young artist Autour Johnson proudly discussed his work during an opening reception for “Wilderness and Other Fictions.”
“When I went to the park, I got me an idea,” the bespectacled 8-year-old said, explaining that the grass inspired him to add a tuft of pipe-cleaner fringe to his magnificent papier-mâché dinosaur.
His brother, 11-year-old Deionte, discovered other things at the Learning Lab at PlatteForum — like never giving up on something just because it’s hard — that allowed him to create a dragon named Bob.
“We got to help each other, and people helped us,” he said. “It was fun.”
The young artists — who dined on strawberries, cream puffs and other delights at the reception in the exclusive Riverfront Park neighborhood — are one step from homelessness.
They’re part of the as a temporary solution to homelessness. Across metro Denver,
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For the past two months, kids from the Colfax Community Network have explored the world of art at that pairs at-risk and underserved youths with master artists in intensive creative-learning workshops called Learning Labs.
worked with them for seven weeks to create “Wilderness and Other Fictions.”
“We did a project that piggybacked what I was working on,” said Barbee, who grew up in a small farming town in southeastern Colorado and recently earned a master of fine arts degree from Maryland Institute College of Art.
Her latest work probes the relationship between nature and culture, so the kids “went out and did some exploration around the city, and looked at the wildlife adaption that animals make in urban environments,” Barbee said.
Later, the kids sketched out animals that might be able to live in their urban neighborhoods, then spent five weeks working on the papier-mâché sculptures, which range from a vampire mouse to a zombie bat.
Angel Zamarripa, 8, created a half-shark/half-rattlesnake with eyes that hypnotize fish to swim into its mouth. German Robles, 10, created a Rottweiler that also was part frog, bird, cat, duck, bear and fish.
The kids learned how to use wires to create the body, mix paint, glue on teeth, and sculpt dragon wings. They didn’t always love sticking their hands in the gooey glue, but, as Autour Johnson said, “I got over it.”
“This is one of the few opportunities they get to do art, especially since art has been taken out of the schools,” said Jennifer Herrera, executive director of the Colfax Community Network.
Working with the kids also benefited Barbee.
“It was a great experience working with children,” she said, “and it really fit my belief … in the potential of artwork to make connections for people across all ages, cultures and demographics.”
Colleen O’Connor: 303-954-1083 or coconnor@denverpost.com
Details
“Wilderness and Other Fictions” runs through May 23 at PlatteForum, 1610 Little Raven St., Suite 135, in Denver. For more information, call 303-893-0791.
