Itap easy to overlook the art at Denver International Airport, even though the curators there put together a sizable number of exhibits each year. With flights to catch and security to clear, the last thing travelers have in mind is spending quality time contemplating paintings or sculpture.
But the temporary shows there deserve a moment of your attention — even if you only have a few minutes to spare. They are, generally speaking, quick and easy to consume, sometimes educational, and always family-friendly. Plus, they give some of the region’s most talented artists a chance to get their work before the public.
The current exhibition, “A Cut Above,” is a good example. Nestled into a small space on the walking bridge that leads to the A Concourse, itap a neat little showcase for 20 Colorado craft makers who work in wood. The objects are all impressively made.
The exhibit does not have a complicated theme; it is more about showing off a wide range of materials and techniques that woodworkers use today. But that variety is what makes it interesting.
There are some traditional pieces that set a framework for the exhibition — functional objects, like a rustic rocking chair made from logs hewn from pine and aspen by Jon Weekly, who owns Medicine Wolf Furniture, headquartered in Denver. The company is known for harvesting trees destroyed by the recent beetle infestation and turning them into tables and dressers.
There is also a small, stand-out walnut console with copper door panels made by Chris Parnell, who works out of Colorado Springs. The piece is quietly detailed and notable for its delicate balance. Parnell says in his artist statement that the object is intended to bring “a sense of calm to the user.” That is an interesting task to assign to what is basically a cabinet, but a viewer can see what he means just by looking.
Other, more traditional pieces of furniture, though manufactured with a hand-made precision, include a sleek, updated rocking chair, coffee table and dining bench by Kevin Anderson, who works out of Lakewood. He uses woods like cherry and black walnut to create objects he describes as “enjoyable to use, repairable and built to outlive the fast-furniture trends of tomorrow.” Like many of the makers in this show, he has his eye on current economic and social issues.
One of the strengths of “A Cut Above” is that it moves easily between the ideas that woodworking can be both a functional trade and an avenue for pure artistic expression. This is where it takes some wild turns.
Consider Chris DeKnikker‘s dreamy, wall-mounted works installed in a row on the gallery’s main wall. The pieces are made from woods such as holly, cherry, walnut and poplar, which DeKnikker deconstructs into tiny fragments, nearly all the exact same size, and reconstructs into looping and curling abstract sculptures. The pieces are asymmetrical, almost psychedelic, and viewers can see whatever imagery they want in them.
Other works that tap more current art world sensibilities include Kailee Bosch‘s wall-mounted sculptures that transform finely-turned sections of cherry and maple into something resembling the abstract, geometrical art that became popular in the late 20th century — only reimagined with wood. The pieces rely on repeated gestures — like lines and circles — joined together with bronze brackets to create grid-like compositions that are interesting to look at while retaining a rustic feel that honors the organic nature of the wood.
The show takes an even more fantastical turn with three-dimensional works by Denver artist Sean O’ Meallie. His “Light Drops” transforms basswood, maple and poplar into a pair of sculptures shaped like foot-tall balloons. O’Meallie uses spray paint and a clear topcoat to give the pieces a reflective, ultra-white surface.
In his artist statement, O’Meallie, who is also a toymaker, explains that it is the paint, and not the wood, that he wants viewers to focus on. The wood is just there to give it shape. “I imagine it could be anything behind the paint doing the job, though, like dirt or cheese,” he writes.
Like a lot of O’ Meallie‘s work (he made the popular “Ballon Running Man” public art piece installed at RTD’s Central Park train station), his objects in this show have a broad sense of humor.
There are other examples of both serious woodwork and whimsy in “A Cut Above,” though the trait that brings it all together is craft. Things are exceptionally well-made, from Cindy Drozda‘s refined jars and vases made from eucalyptus and boxwood; to Laura Kishimoto’s nuanced vaulted stool, made from oak; to Nikki Pike’s giant, three-dimensional, nut-shaped “Ovum” sculpture, made with bark gathered from local open spaces.
There is quite a bit of content packed into this offering, but many of the pieces are a quick read, and the work is spread out so that viewers can get a full, 3-D view of objects, which are set up along aisles wide enough to accommodate whatever carry-on baggage a traveler is carting around on the way to their departure gate.
All in all, itap a good example of how art can be done with busy consumers in mind. Slow down — just a bit — and have a look before, or after, the next flight.
IF YOU GO
“A Cut Above: Colorado Artists Working in Wood” continues through Aug. 31 at Denver International Airportap A-Bridge. Itap free. More info: .
