Amy Metier at Havu Gallery

The William Havu Gallery presents a solo exhibition by Amy Metier in the main gallery beginning Feb. 25 and continuing through April 10. Also featured will be kinetic sculptures by Robert Delany. Works by Jeremy Hillhouse and new works by Betsey Margolius will also be on display.

In her third solo exhibition at the gallery, Metier fills the space with exuberant abstractions of objects from Metier’s studio and recent travels. These shapes are rendered with fluid gestural lines, wiped away or partially painted over, then redrawn again, inviting the viewer to engage with the painting.

Several larger works on canvas exhibit an atmospheric gray sparked with shards and washes of bright color. While utilizing light and shadow in the traditional sense, this work implies the sensation of light through intuitively placed color and layering of transparent and opaque paint.

Many of the smaller works on paper were created during a residency in France and Sweden in the summer of 2009. These small, delicate pieces combine freely painted lines in ink with color washes and a collage of papers discovered in France.

For more information, call 303-893-2360 or visit the gallery Web site.

Art District on Santa Fe Group Show at the Buell Theatre

The Denver Office of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) is presenting a special exhibition of work representing 18 artists from 15 galleries in Denver’s renowned Art District on Santa Fe. The artwork can be viewed only as a ticketed patron of an event at the Buell Theatre or by contacting DOCA to schedule a visit. The exhibition will run through April 1.

The exhibit features a wide variety of media including paintings, photography, mixed media and textile arts showcasing the talents of artists who regularly exhibit their work in the Art District on Santa Fe.

Galleries exhibiting are Abecedarian Gallery, Alicia Bailey, Brianna Martray Fine Art, Carol Mier Fashion Gallery, Colorado Voice Clinic Gallery, CORE New Art Space, 8th Ave Creative Studios, Grace Gallery, Habitat Gallery & Studio, John Fielder’s Colorado, 910 Arts, Reed Photo-Art Gallery, Sandra Phillips Gallery, Sizzle and Bang, Spark Gallery, Studio13 Gallery.

The inspiring and culturally rich neighborhood in which the Art District on Santa Fe is located boasts specialty shops, restaurants and over 50 art galleries and artist studios with original artworks by noted regional and national artists.

On the first Friday of every month, there is a free guided shuttle coach connecting the Art District on Santa Fe to the Golden Triangle Museum District and the Denver Art Museum. On the third Friday of each month, many galleries host their openings to provide an opportunity to meet with exhibiting artists and gallery owners in a more intimate setting.

This is the eighth exhibition in an ongoing series of special exhibitions at the Buell Theatre featuring work by metro Denver artists. The exhibitions are curated by DOCA Public Art Administrator Rudi Cerri.

For more information, visit www.DenverGov.org/PublicArt.on DOCA’s Public Art Program or call 720-865-4313.

Arts Awards Announced

Mayor Hickenlooper, the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs and Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs are pleased to announce the 2009 recipients of the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.

The 2009 honorees are Flobots, Museo de las Américas and VSA Colorado/Access Gallery. In addition, the Mayor’s Cultural Legacy Award will be given posthumously to Jeffrey Wayne Nickelson. More information on the honorees is included below. Since 1986, the Mayor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts annually recognize individuals and organizations that have made significant and lasting contributions to the arts in the City and County of Denver.

Flobots was described by one astute music critic as “raw and a revelation.” Denver’s Flobots combine hyperkinetic hip-hop, live instrumentation, socially aware lyrics and action, fist-pumping live performances, and a viola.

Formed in 2005 by a group of friends, the six-person band exploded in 2008 with the major label debut Fight With Tools. Bolstered by the hit song “Handlebars,” the album went platinum, earning the band an international audience, spots on The Tonight Show and Late Night with Conan O’Brien and the loyalty of a devoted fan base.

Elevating their live shows as socially aware “happenings,” Flobots merged the wit and wallop of their live performances with appeals to their loyal audience to solidify into a force for community change. In 2007, Flobots launched their own nonprofit organization, Flobots.org, with a music therapy program for residents at Denver Children’s Home.

With programs that promote civic engagement, popular education, arts therapy and activism, Flobots.org reflects the band’s belief that music has the power to change the world for good. In 2008, Flobots.org was awarded the Cesar Chavez Award for Leadership and the Circles of Change Award from Seeking Common Ground. Survival Story, Flobots’ second release for Universal Records, will be released this spring.

Museo de las Américas: The Museo de las Américas was founded in 1991 in one of Denver’s oldest Latino neighborhoods; the area now encompasses the Art District on Santa Fe. Since its inception and under the guidance of the founding executive director Jose Aguayo, the Museo de las Américas has been the only museum in the Rocky Mountain region dedicated to the diversity of Latino Americano art and culture.

The mission of the Museo is to educate our community about the diversity of Latino Americano art and culture from ancient to contemporary through innovative exhibitions and programs. From an early exhibition in 1994 entitled Visiones del Pueblo: The Folk Art of Latin America to showcasing in 2008 the work of contemporary artists such as Vik Muniz, the Museo de las Américas offers a wide range of views in Latino Americano art and culture. The Museo promotes the role of Latino artists in the global cultural dialogue, and has become a cultural hub for the local, national and global community.

VSA Colorado/Access Gallery believes the arts play a vital role in everyone’s life. Each year, through our innovative programming, we serve more than 10,000 people with and without disabilities through the arts. We strive to break down barriers that have historically kept people with disabilities and other underserved populations from experiencing all that the arts have to offer.

VSA Colorado promotes the creative power of people with disabilities. Through integrated programming, powerful gallery exhibits and professional training for other institutions, we fight able-ism with art. VSA Colorado is committed to driving change—changing perceptions and practice, classroom by classroom, community by community and ultimately society.

Mayor’s Cultural Legacy Award Jeffrey Wayne Nickelson: Jeffrey Wayne Nickelson was the Founder and Artistic Director of Shadow Theatre, the area’s only African-American theater company. He passed away in September, 2009. More than a decade ago, Nickelson began the operation with a $500 cash donation, and he grew the operation into the recently opened 169 seat state-of-the-art facility located at 1468 Dayton St. in Aurora.

As an actor, director and producer, he received numerous awards and accolades; Shadow Theatre received the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2005 for its visionary work. Nickelson’s passion and desire to expand the artistic bar for all who came in contact with him has resulted in a model of inclusive excellence that we all can aspire to match. It is in that spirit that Jeffrey Nickelson receives the 2009 Mayor’s Cultural Legacy Award.

Art Students League Winter/Spring Events

Oil Painting Demonstration

with Ron Hicks

Art Students League of Denver

200 Grant St.

Sat., Feb. 13, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.,

$7 per person; $5 for members.

Sculpting the Figure in Clay

Demonstration

with Andi Mascarenas

Meininger Art Supply, 499 Bdwy,

Sat., Feb. 20, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free.

Pastels Demonstration with

Doug Dawson

Whole Foods, Capitol Hill, 900 E. 11th Ave., Sat., Feb. 27, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. $7 per person; $5 for members

Landscape Painting Demonstration with Don Sahli

Art Students League of Denver, 200 Grant St., Sat., Mar. 13, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., $7 per person; $5 for members.

Screen Printing Demonstration with Mark Friday

Meininger Art Supply, 499 Bdwy. Sat., Mar. 20, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free.

Intro to Collage Demonstration with Lauri Lynnxe Murphy

Whole Foods, Capitol Hill, 900 E. 11th Ave., Sat., Mar. 27, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free.

Visiting Artists Series: Public Lecture with ceramist Arthur Gonzalez, Art Students League of Denver, 200 Grant St., Fri., Mar. 12, 6:30 p.m. Free. Demonstration with ceramist Arthur Gonzalez over a two-day period. Arthur Gonzalez will demonstrate his craft by hand building a head and torso using his inside/outside technique.

Aesthetic tactics will be discussed and demonstrated, including anatomical correctness versus believability, gesture and naturalism through asymmetry and color theory. At the Art Students League of Denver, 200 Grant St. Sat.–Sun., Mar. 13–14, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. $75, $60 for members

Exhibitions: Used: Mixed-Media, Recycled, through Feb. 24. Group exhibit of members, students and faculty. Today, more than ever, society is working to preserve and protect our environment as we question the sustainability of our practices and materials. What responsibility do artists have in this paradigm? Art Students League members, students and faculty explore the concept of sustainability through the use of recycled materials.

Speaking of Clay, Mar. 5–Apr. 21. Opening reception: Fri., Mar. 5, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Invitational curated by Peter Durst, Gayla Lemke, Shelley Schreiber, and Bob Smith.

“This show is a survey of some of the best clay work being done in Colorado by established and newer ceramists. This exhibit shows the breadth and diversity of ceramics including earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain; wheel thrown and hand built; functional and non-functional; wood-, gas-, electric-, and raku-fired; glazed and unglazed,” said Peter Durst.

For more information, contact the Arts Students League of Denver.

Colour Works by Salvador Dali

This new exhibit at Habitat Gallery & Studio demonstrates the use of vibrant colour in art in oil, serigraph screen-print and lithography. The exhibit features three re-framed and re-matted lithographs of Salvador Dali. Opening reception is Friday Feb. 19. Exhibit continues through Apr. 11.

For more information, contact Habitat Gallery.

Dream Green Launched at Willis Case Golf Course

The Denver Office of Cultural Affairs’ Public Art Program is pleased to announce the installation of The Dream Green by Colorado artist Kathy Bradford at the newly built Willis Case Golf Course clubhouse (4999 Vrain St.; I-70 & Tennyson).

Artist Kathy Bradford of Lyons, Colorado created a three-panel art glass installation for the sitting room of the new clubhouse at the Willis Case Golf Course. The sand-blasted, free-standing glass screen depicts mountain forest imagery, animals and a putting green off in the distance.

The Dream Green is an imaginative artwork that adds elegance to the Willis Case Golf Course clubhouse. Kathy Bradford is nationally recognized for sand-blasted, etched and sand-carved art glass, and won the National Decade of Excellence Award for glass fusing and slumping.

Working with glass since 1979, Bradford has created many architectural installations throughout the country and her work can be seen in corporate and private art glass collections. Her small Colorado studio is capable of producing large installations, often employing a variety of techniques. Each work is original, with special attention given to the requirements of each architectural site.

A public art dedication will follow this summer, in conjunction with the Grand Opening of clubhouse.

For more information, call 720- 865-4313 or visit www.DenverGov.org/PublicArt.

Face Before the World Was Made

The William Stockman exhibition: Looking for the Face I Had Before the World Was Made, is on display now through May 23 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 1485 Delgany St.

For more information, visit www.mcadenver.org or call 303-298-7554.

Ice Cube Gallery Presents Kathy Knaus

Ice Cube Gallery is pleased to present Knaus’ installation, Meat Market at an opening reception on Feb. 26, at 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Many contemporary artists speak to something in their past that influences them and Kathy Knaus is no exception.

This installation exhibit is a presentation of objects and video based on her experiences growing up working in the family meat market. The meat cooler built for the exhibit incorporates the cooler door (pictured) her father built many years ago. This installation conveys a sense of nostalgic place, recreates memories and reveals the visceral and physical parallels between butchery and painting.

Show runs thru Mar. 20, gallery hours, Fri., 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sat., 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. 3320 Walnut St.

For more information, visit www.kathyknaus.com or www.icecubegallery.com.

Icebreaker Show at Dry Ice Factory

As a new and dynamic, contemporary art co-op located in the beautiful Dry Ice Factory, we’d like to invite you to our hot new gallery during the icy cold winter weeks of the New Year.

Congratulations to the RiNo artists chosen by our guest juror, Michael Paglia from Denver’s Westword. Show runs through Feb. 20, with a closing reception and artist talks on Feb. 20, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Joellyn Duesberry Landscape Survey at Gallery 1261

Gallery 1261 kicks off 2010 with a show featuring solo artist Joellyn Duesberry. Duesberry’s large and lively oil landscapes will be on display through February. Gallery 1261 is located at 1261 Delaware St. in the Golden Triangle just a short walk from the Denver Art Museum.

The vision of Gallery 1261 is one of enhanced freedom in the experience of art for both artists and appreciators of art, meaning it is driven not by commercial tastes or market standards, but rather by pure expression and artistic talent. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tues.–Sat. and by appointment.

For more information, call 303-571-1261 or visit www.gallery1261.com.

Love Show Opens Valentine’s Weekend

More than just an art show, the Love Show is a multi-faceted celebration love, in all of its forms, from beautiful to brutal, heartfelt to hilarious, as translated through the Denver Art Community.

Running Feb. 12–28, it involves an invitational art exhibition, an open juried exhibition, and a series of events including a contest to Win a Dream Date with Phil Bender, one of Colorado’s most notoriously good-humored and best known artists.

The Invitational show, in which several of Colorado’s leading art couples share their artwork, their love stories and vintage scrapbook photos with us, will feature: Reed Weimer and Chandler Romeo, Sushe and Tracy Felix, Wes Hempel and Jack Balas, Monica and Tyler Aiello, and Louis Recchia and Zoa Ace.

the opening reception, Fri., Feb. 12, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., features several extras for attendees: The first 100 people through the door will get a valentine card, signed by one of the participating artists. A special PDA Photo Booth will be offered by Anthony Camera for couples to have souvenir photos taken while they hug and kiss in front of the Love Show banner.

Around 9 p.m., Phil Bender and his dream date will arrive at the reception in a limo, greeted by a wall of photographers and flashing cameras. Mr. Bender will also be offering signed Jeff Ball Glamour Shot photos of himself to a few lucky fans.

The Love Show will begin with a lot of fun. By the closing weekend, however, we’ll be exploring The Break Up, with an appropriate musical soundtrack and a tear-filled closing reception as the show is dismantled. Kleenex will be provided for the Break-Up Reception on Sunday, Feb. 28, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The Love Show is at CORE New Art Space, 900 Santa Fe Dr. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Thu.–Sat.; 12 p.m. to 9 p.m., Fri.; and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sun.

For more information, visit www.DanaCain.com or www.COREnewartspace.com .

New Work Showcased on Artwork Network

Artwork Network is currently showcasing artwork by member artists Bob Maes and Sue Robinson through March 1 in the showroom located at 9th and Santa Fe in Denver’s ArtDistrict. The work is available for show and sale Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sat., 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Bob Maes’ work has been a process of working and experimenting with large color fields, mediums and texture for the creation of space and depth, giving his paintings a sculptural feel. His subject matter is minimal and often not of great concern. His earthy tones and interesting combination of materials are a soothing mixture that nicely compliment any space.

Sue Robinson works with a thin wash of white oil paint on black canvas creating patterns that repeat with variations. The paintings are a natural processes in a context of time plus the physics of flow and resonate with biology, oceanography, weather patterns and images that are suggestive of electron microscope photography. A mix of human feeling and science.

Artwork Network connects buyers and sellers via the Web and through their technology-based art consulting services.

For more information, visit www.artworknetwork.com.

Pop Installation at Walker Fine Art

Walker Fine Art presents High-Bias by Eric Michael Corrigan. This conceptual, pop-influenced installation addresses parallels in the rapid succession of audio formats to contemporary human nature.

High-Bias is aimed to provoke an emotional response from the viewer through juxtaposing the tangible vs. intangible, vinyl vs. MP3. More like a footnote, this exhibit is an incredibly personal opinion, not unlike your “top 5 songs of all time” list. Each piece attempts to invoke nostalgia in the viewer while exploiting audio format progressions.

Has the richness of life been stripped down like a misunderstood text message? Are the little things that really matter from day to day, the little pops and hisses, the ambiences of life- getting edited out? Is it better?

Lester Bangs once commented: “The best records are made with garbage equipment and played on garbage equipment…the clearer you make it the more you rob it.”

An opening reception will be held Fri., Feb. 26, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the gallery in the Prado building at 11th & Cherokee St. The reception is free and open to the public with special musical guests Paul E. Garcia and Pacific Pride. The exhibition continues through Sat., April 16. Regular hours are Tue.–Sat., 11a.m.to 6 p.m., and First Fridays 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information, call 303-355-8955 or visit: www.walkerfineart.com.

Sandra Phillips Gallery to Showcase Sampson and Douglas

Sandra Phillips Gallery is featuring new paintings by Frank Sampson and ceramics by Caroline Douglas starting Mar, 19 and continuing through May 1. The opening reception is scheduled for Fri. Mar. 19, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Now 81 years old, Frank Sampson is one of Colorado’s most highly regarded painters. His new body of work, influenced by the old European masters, is vibrant and inspiring. Meanwhile, Caroline Douglas, one of Boulder’s most popular artists, is well known for her magical realism and stunning surface details.

For more information, contact the Sandra Phillips Gallery at 303-573-5969. Gallery is located at 744 Santa Fe Dr.

Sellars Project Space Hosts Joyce Shelton

Sellars Project Space is pleased to host an exhibition of work by award winning Colorado artist Joyce Shelton. This exhibition remains on display through March 2.

Every once in a while an artist comes along whose talent, visualinterpretation and spirit make you smile. Joyce Shelton’s creativity,composition, sense of color and light never cease to amaze heraudience. Joyce has been influenced from her work in screen-printing where sheplaced simple shapes into organized compositions.

Today she carriesthose same principles into other media such as pastel and paint onpaper and canvas. As an artist she simplifies her contemporary subjectmatter into charged compositions, reminiscent of Chagall and Monet. “I am a color junkie. My love of color and design is important to meno matter the media in which I am working,” said Shelton.

Sellars Project Space Sellars Project Space presents national and international contemporaryartists working in all media. The space strives to offer a visible andwelcoming forum for collectors and art enthusiasts.

Sellars Project Space exists to act as a catalyst for the developmentand promotion of contemporary art. The goal is to actively seek linksbetween the arts and other areas of society, giving artists acontributing voice.

For more information, visit www.sellarsprojectspace.com or call 720-475-1182.

Translations Gallery Artist Chosen for Outdoor Gallery

Artwork entitled Pixie by Translations Gallery artist Sandhi Schimmel Gold has been blown up on a huge canvas that is located on the wall behind the Buell Theater on Champa Street between 13th and 14th. The banner will be on display alongside two others for the next six months including a piece from Plus Gallery and one from Walker Fine Art.

The three large-scale art canvases were curated for display by Plus Gallery owner Ivar Zeile. Zeile stated his reason for including Schimmel Gold’s piece in the outdoor gallery exhibition.

“The specific location dictated the grouping of three artworks that would be dynamic together and represent the DTD’s vision of reproducing large-scale works by artists with a strong, consistent vision and strong thematic basis. The specific selections were curated based on his knowledge of what’s happening in Denver’s contemporary art scene and of works that would translate well when taken up to the massive scale of the billboards.”

The Denver Theatre District’s vision is to fill downtown Denver with giant outdoor media as well as arts-related signage for cultural organizations and art galleries to promote artists, shows, upcoming events, and exhibitions.

The Denver Theatre District unveiled the first of a series of large-scale outdoor art canvases as part of its new outdoor gallery of contemporary art. This is the first time a privately-funded, outdoor art presentation has been attempted on this scale anywhere in the U.S., once again positioning the city of Denver as a pioneer for innovative public-private downtown development efforts.

For more information, contact 303-629-0713 or kate@translationsgallery.com.

Upcoming Events at 910 Arts

Monoprints at the Kitchen Table: Learn basic printmaking techniques to create unique prints in a small space using simple materials. Sat., Feb 20, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fee $45 (includes materials). Vickie Stevinson, Studio 301, vickies@stevinson.com, 303-831-8768.

Adventures in Paste Paper: Spend the morning creating your own original hand painted paste papers. Following a demonstration and warm up students will have the opportunity make a variety of papers for use in book arts projects, or to make boxes, baskets, mats, lamp shades and more. Materials: Included. Sat., Feb. 27, 9 a.m. to noon. Fee $45 (class size limited), Mary Jo Keller, Studio 9, bluebell@idcomm.com.

Flamenco Dancing: From Sevilla Spain, Maria Vazquez offers beginner, intermediate and advanced classes for men, women, and children. Private and group classes available. Contact Maria Vazquez, Behind Event Gallery at www.flamencodenver.com.

Fun, Functional Floor Cloth & Place Mat Art: Modern floor cloth art is created from canvas, gesso, acrylic and many coats of tough polyurethane. Floor cloths are beautiful, durable, easy to clean and add a unique touch of art to your floor. Simply wipe with water to clean the surface and walk on them to your heart’s content.

The floor cloth class can be held at your convenience. A private or group class will be designed for you. Fee $20, Ginny Abblett, Studio 5, ginnyabblett@gmail.com, 303-913-5222.

Cultivating Creativity Workshop II: Finding the Way Back: Participants will create collages representing their creative longings and goals as well as their creative blocks and demons. Saturday, Feb. 20, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fee $90 (take all 3 classes $150), Marsue Renee Todd, Studio 302, marsuerenee@yahoo.com, 303-623-0202.

For more information, contact 910 Arts at vickies@stevinson.com or 303-831-8768.