Thursday, May 20, 2010

FINAL WEEK FOR "EXCELLENCIES" AT PLUS GALLERY

Our current group exhibition "Excellencies" will be on view till this Saturday, May 22nd, we'll be open for regular hours from noon to 5pm for viewing or by appointment.

SAVE THE DATE FOR OPENING OF "INVINCIBLE COHORT," MAY 28th

Plus Gallery blows another hole through complaisant tendencies of the contemporary gallery scene with the group exhibition "Invincible Cohort," a spectacle that merges some of Denver's leading artistic talents together in an expression of unity and elasticity!

Plus Gallery artists Bill Amundson, Susan Meyer and Bruce Price comingle with five others dedicated to contemporary ideals within the Denver scene including Jason Appleton, Justin Beard, Mary Ehrin, Matt O'Neill, and Jeff Starr.  Diverse in subject matter and style, the group shares an interest in humanity within an abstract, disjointed physical or psychological environment.

Conceived by Plus Gallery artist Susan Meyer, who delivers one of her most spectacular works to date, and her husband, the renowned artist Jeff Starr, "Invincible Cohort" is an audacious celebration of possibility in art.   The exhibition is supported by an essay from esteemed Singer Gallery director Simon Zalkind, and the opening reception is going to be a ton of fun, with a DJ set by Bill Amundson and other musical ventures by Matt O'Neill and others.  The kickoff will take place on Friday, May 28th from 6-10pm.

Susan Meyer: detail of "Shaft" for upcoming Invincible Cohort exhibition

TUNE IN TONIGHT OR ONLINE FOR UNTITLED ART SHOW FEATURING IVAR ZEILE, SUSAN MEYER and JEFF STARR

Plus Gallery owner Ivar Zeile will be this week's guest on the Untitled Art Show, along with artists Susan Meyer and Jeff Starr who will be discussing their upcoming exhibition "Invincible Cohort."  Tune in tonight live or listen to the podcast anytim you please:

BILL AMUNDSON WORKS HEADING OUT TO KOHLER ART CENTER EXHIBITION

Want to have your name on the walls of a prestigious american museum?  The famed Kohler Art Center in Wisconsin is hosting the exhibition "A sense of humor" this summer and has 9 great works by Plus Gallery artist Bill Amundson slated for inclusion.  The artworks are shipping out next week, now is your chance to see them before they leave and consider acquiring one for your own collection.
Here are thumbnails of a few of the works that are being sent out that are still available:


Cheney Plant (dour Cheney)


Self Portrait as an exciting new development


Wisconsin Landscape with Tom Cruise Kohlrabi


Tuscan Landscape with Starbucks


Nine Walmarts, two exploding

And in advance of tomorrow night's art salon with the DAM Contemporaries, we offer another video clip of Bill speaking about his masterpiece "Amundson's New Babel" that offers great insite and entertainment into one of Dr. Brian Tschumper's recent acquisitions



PLUS GALLERY ARTIST FEATURED IN THE VERY INTERESTING BOOK "DATA FLOW - Visualizing Information in Graphic Design 2" OUT NOW

We just received a copy today of the major new book "Data Flow - Visualizing Information in Graphic Design 2" from Gestalten Press (and available via amazon.com).  The book is a fascinating and extremely well-curated visual reference for today's super-saturated, technologically motivated, moving-faster-than-a-freaking-freight-train world we live in, and features some of the extraordinary artwork by Plus Gallery artist R. Justin Stewart including images of last years installation "Systems of Knowing."  Here's the opening statement in the book:

Within just a few years, the once unglamorous task of giving form to abstract data has become a favortie among designers.  This book serves as evidence.  Published a mere 18 months after its predecessor, Data Flow 2 is filled to the brim with interesting, innovative and inspiring examples of creative data visualization.

We highly recommend checking it out

http://www.amazon.com/Data-Flow-Visualizing-Information-Graphic/dp/38 99552784/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274281693&sr=8-1

TSEHAI JOHNSON'S WORK MENTIONED IN RECENT ARTFORUM CRITIC'S PICK

Plus Gallery artist Tsehai Johnson's work in the NYC exhibition "Who's afraid of ornament?" was mentioned in the prestigious Artforum's Critic's Picks last week.  Read what Ara H. Merjian has to say about the artist and exhibition online:

VIEW ART LTD. WITH JENNY MORGAN COVER/FEATURE ONLINE

http://www.zinio.com/browse/publications/index.jsp?productId=500461021

BLOGOSPHERE CONTINUES COVERAGE OF JENNY MORGAN


Thursday, May 13, 2010

ART LTD. WITH MORGAN PAINTING ON COVER OUT NOW!

The new edition of Art Ltd. with artwork by Jenny Morgan on the cover should be hitting the newsstands any day now, and we've received a number of copies here at the gallery this week to share.  You can also link to their site to view now:

http://www.artltdmag.com/index.php?subaction=showfull&id=1273606066&archive=&start_from=&ucat=38&page=show

Congratulations to Morgan for her exquisite work, this should be the first but likely not last time she garners cover attention in the uppercontemporary art circles.

REPORT ON PLUS GALLERY'S "EXCELLENCIES" IN YESTERDAY'S DENVER DAILY NEWS

The Denver Daily News posted a nice report on our current exhibition "Excellencies" in yesterdays paper, if you happened to miss it you can link to it here:

http://www.thedenverdailynews.com/article.php?aID=8428

REVIEW OF MORGAN'S LATEST NYC GROUP EXHIBITION POSTED LAST WEEK

Jenny Morgan's contribution to "Mirror, Mirror," which concluded its run at Chelsea's Postmasters Gallery last weekend, was mentioned in a report on the show in the NY publication City Arts.  You can read the post online at:

http://cityarts.info/2010/04/20/mirror-mirror-a-show-of-portraits/

BLOGOSPHERE ALSO PICKING UP ON JENNY MORGAN

Check out the link from "Creep Machine," perhaps not the most glorious site but very astute nevertheless, and one of just a few blogs to make mention of Morgan's work in the last week:

http://www.creepmachine.com/artist-profiles/artist-profiles-jenny-morgan.html

JOIN DAMC and PLUS GALLERY FOR ART SALON GATHERING AT BRIAN TSCHUMPER RESIDENCE


THURSDAY, MAY 20TH @ 6:30PM
Dr. Brian Tschumper has been one of the most devoted Plus Gallery collectors of the last eight years, showing tremendous support not only for the gallery but for the talented artists who have developed their careers in Denver.  The DAM Contemporaries are the support group for modern and contemporary art at the Denver Art Museum, and under the new leadership of Arpie Chucovich have recognized the importance of collecting locally.  They will host the first date of their fantastic summer salon series on Thursday, May 20th at Dr. Tschumper's loft at 930 Acoma Street overlooking the Denver Art Museum, followed by an after-party at Vesta Dipping Grill.

We encourage you to join us to see major works by Bill Amundson, Jean Arnold, William Betts, Patti Hallock, Jenny Morgan, Riva Sweetrocket as well as others from the Plus Gallery stable and beyond, including the most recent acquisition, a self portrait by current national sensation Jenny Morgan, acquired from the group exhibition at Chelsea's Postmasters Gallery in NYC.


Jenny Morgan: We are all setting suns

The summer salon series is just one of an amazing array of programs put forth for Denver's contemporary art community, become a member of the DAM Contemporaries to get a discount price for this event as well as the other terrific salons to follow during the summer.

Reservations are required, contact 720-913-0052 or AChucovich@denverartmuseum.org to sign up or receive more info
$75 DAMC members
$110 General Admission
$45 Young Patrons
Sponsors:  Argonaut Wine & Liquor, Bartenders and More, Mike's Camera

Salon Committee:
  Kathy Andrews & Gary Emrich, Jessica Brunecky, Trine Bumiller, Chad Chisolm, Alex Christianian, Jennifer Doran and Jim Robischon, Susan Erlich, Mardee Goff, Jorge Gonzalez and Baltazar Solano, Carol Keller, Carmel & Doug Koeltzow, Solveig & Rob Lawrence, Peggy Mangold, Amy Metier, Anamaria Osborne, Emily Reaser, Robin Rule, Lisa and Philippe Schoen, John Tobey, Bobbi Walker, Jenny & Josh Wolkon, Ivar and Karen Zeile
A support group of the Denver Art Museum, DAM Contemporaries champions the mission of the department of Modern and Contemporary Art through a wide range of educational programs that enhance appreciation of art.  Programs include lectures, sumposia, salons, film and video exhibitions, tours of artists' studios and private collections, travel with curators to domestic and international art destinations, and special fundraising events for acquisitions and special programs of the department.

DAM Contemporaries puts you in the inner circle of contemporary art!




PLUS GALLERY OWNER IVAR ZEILE TO BE ON NEXT WEEKS UNTITLED ART SHOW

Listen in next Wednesday evening, May 19th as Ivar Zeile takes to the airwaves on the Untitled Art show for a preview of upcoming exhibitions and other topics relating to contemporary art in Denver.  http://www.untitledartshow.com

CALLING ALL SUPPORTERS OF CHRISTO'S "OVER THE RIVER PROJECT"

We are happy to announce that Christo will be returning to the Arkansas River Valley next week for a series of Supporter Appreciation Receptions with Friends of Over The River (FOR). Christo wants to personally express his appreciation for all the hard work and support of our members.

Christo also wants to encourage you to not let up in your efforts. We are approaching the most important time in the history of Over The River -- the public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. What happens over these next few months could well determine if the artists' vision for Over The River becomes a reality. We'll use our time together at the receptions to discuss ways to get more involved as we move into a critical phase of the permitting process this summer. We need your help now more than ever before!

New supporters and potential supporters are welcome to attend, so please invite your friends and neighbors (even the skeptical ones!). We will have receptions in Salida, Texas Creek and Cañon City:

Salida Reception
Tuesday, May 18th, 6-7 p.m.
Salida Community Center
305 F Street, Salida

Texas Creek Reception
Wednesday, May 19th, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Barry's Den
27077 US Hwy 50, Texas Creek Junction

Cañon City Reception
Wednesday, May 19th, 6-7 p.m.
Fremont Center for the Arts
505 Macon Avenue, Cañon City

A drawing will be conducted at each of the meetings to give away a signed Over The River poster print and book. We will also be giving away the official new FOR T-shirt free-of-charge to the members who attend the meeting.

We hope that you will join us in welcoming Christo back to our community as we meet with other supporters to discuss Over The River. Looking forward to seeing you there!


Elizabeth Ritchie
FOR Area Coordinator, Salida

Terri Madigan
FOR Area Coordinator, Cañon City

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Jenny Morgan painting makes cover of Art Ltd.

Great news reached Plus Gallery earlier this week, we found out that the recent painting "Covet" by Jenny Morgan will be filling the cover of the May/June issue of Art Ltd., set to hit the newsstands later this week.  This is largely unprecedented news, Morgan's career track has been unparalleled since emerging on the scene with us in 2003 but it is still quite staggering to have her work chosen for the cover of a national contemporary artspublication at this still-early stage.  The issue will also feature an article on the artist by award winning writer Leanne Goebel, which should bring her even higher visibility than she's achieved to date.  As in the past, we are very proud of Jenny and we highly, highly recommend acquiring any of her remaining works now.

We are also particularly impressed with those in the contemporary arts-journalism sector who recognize that Denver is not just worthy of coverage but one of the leaders in the Western region, we value their support and understanding of the talent being generated and exhibited here.



Jenny Morgan's 2009 painting "Covet"

RMCAD STUDENTS PAY TRIBUTE TO JENNY MORGAN

Morgan has been more than an inspiration to students at her alma matter the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.  During the final week of the semester students of Sandra Caes paid tribute to Morgan through a performance as part of a team-building assignment focused on researching a particular artist in a specific genre of art, the finished art required to reflect the influence of the artist studied.  We're very glad to see Morgan's career taking on new dimension at RMCAD and are sure you'll see the relationship to her recent work in this photo sent to us by Sandra.


CHECK OUT PLUS GALLERY'S FULL PAGE AD IN THE NEW EDITION OF AMERICAN ART MAGAZINE

Advertising of course our wonderful group exhibition which you can view currently here at Plus through May 22nd during regular hours, by appointment, or till 8pm this Friday May 7th.

ROBIN SCHAEFER AT THE MEADOWLARK THIS THURSDAY EVENING MAY 6TH!

Plus Gallery artist Robin Schaefer will unveil a small body of experimental works "Alpha and Omega", along with a selection of excellent recent paintings at The Meadowlark this Thursday night, May 6th.   Please join us in celebration starting at 6pm, followed by four great bands playing the intimate stage at the Meadowlark, located at 27th and Larimer just two blocks north of Plus.

KATE PETLEY'S WEATHER BALLOONS GO ON VIEW IN COLORADO SPRINGS MAY 7th

If you happen to be down in Colorado Springs this Friday, we encourage you to visit the gallery at the University of Colorado for the opening of  "4x4: 4 artists, 4 curators" featuring Plus Gallery artist Kate Petley's enormous installation "Nothing," comprised of multiple large-scale weather balloons that create an awesome presence in the space.  An article on the process of installing the work can be read online at

http://csartsblog.freedomblogging.com/2010/04/29/weather-balloons-play-with-scale-space-and-metaphors-for-living/6485/

4 artists, 4 curators developed out of a series of conversations between four local contemporary art curators. After many informal discussions about artists and exhibitions we decided to explore further the similarities and differences of our curatorial approaches by collaborating on a project featuring four Colorado artists.

CURATORS: Caitlin Green (GOCA), Blake Milteer (Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center), Jessica Hunter Larsen (The I.D.E.A. Space at Colorado College) and Holly Parker (Smokebrush Gallery & Foundation)

ARTISTS: Andrew Beckham, Carol Golemboski, Kate Petley, and Stacy Steers




MOTHER'S DAY CONSIDERATIONS FROM PLUS GALLERY

You love your mother, don't you?  Well, show her you really mean it with a work of art that won't just sit on a shelf, pedestal or hang on the wall, but that can even go in the cellar or attic only to be uncovered years later and sold at auction for phenomenally more than you paid!  It's just practical business sense. Though all works from the Plus Gallery inventory are worth considering, we might recommend the following as particularly mothers-day worthy:

Nothing says "I love you" more clearly and directly to the point than a painting by Colin Livingston.  Choose from several works that send sincere messages that show you care and will do right by your mom this mothers day.  She'll be fascinated to know the work is from the most talked-about, highly praised art exhibitions of the last decade too!

Mike Whiting's "Skull" as featured in the current exhibition "Excellencies."  Skulls are cool, what mother wouldn't be happy with this pixelated masterpiece to place on the mantel.

New works on paper by Karen McClanahan, hot out of the studio, you have to ask to see them but boy are they worth it.


Anything by Jenny Morgan, my god haven't you figured it out by now!

Tsehai Johnson's historic "Implements on hooks," what every mother secretly wishes she had and only a few left in stock.

DAM CONTEMPORARIES WANTS YOU TO JOIN THEM TONIGHT, WEDNESDAY MAY 5TH FOR FUN EVENT

The DAM Contemporaries will be hosting a number of exceptional programs for those who collect, consider and appreciate contemporary art.  To announce their upcoming spring and summer programs, the group will host a free reception tonight for those interested in becoming members or getting involved.   The location of this undertaking is the Robischon Annex at 1732 Wazee Street from 6-8pm.  Meet artists, museum luminaries, gallerists, and movers and shakers who all contribute to the vibrancy and impact of Denver's contemporary community.  We'll be on hand to provide more information and to tout the initial salon of the summer series, hosted by collector and Plus Gallery supporter Brian Tschumper.

Besides complimentary drinks and food that night, you can reserve your tickets for Summer programs or buy a membership and be entered into a raffle to win an original piece by Embrace! artist Rupprecht Matthies, Embrace! catalogs, a hard hat signed by DAM architect Daniel Libeskind, as well as bottles of special edition wine. You are invited and encouraged to bring your friends!
Hope to see you there!

BIENNIAL OF THE AMERICAS BEING COVERED BY ACTUAL PROFESSIONAL ARTS REPORTER!

Arts writer Leanne Goebel, who is covering Plus Gallery artist Jenny Morgan in the coming issue of Art Ltd. (See above) is also now being featured on Huffington Post with her coverage of the upcoming Biennial of the Americas.  You can get her initial insites by linking at

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leanne-goebel/denvers-biennial-of-the-a_b_552691.html

Leanne Goebel's Art Writer blog was just awarded First Place in the Top of the Rockies regional contest hosted by the Society of Professional Journalists. The contest was open to all members of the SPJ in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming and received 508 entries in multiple categories for 2010.  The judges said of Goebel's Art Writer blog that "this blog is unique, helpful to a variety of artists, had good archives and multi-media."  We fully agree and recommend you get on her beat, it is so important for Denver's art scene that people start paying attention to it as it deserves.

DINNER AND THE AVANT - GARDE MAY 8th AT OBJECT + THOUGHT

Win Wear will host an inaugural film showcase May 8th at O+T -- Dinner and the Avant - Garde - an evening of experimental cinema curated by local experimental filmmaker Rett Rogers and generously supported by Denver's epicurean community.

The screening will explore the diverse aesthetic methodologies of essential avant-garde cinema through the work of its most celebrated artists, including Stan BrakhageBruce Conner, Phil Solomon, Gunvor Nelson - and more. The films will explore land-and-dream-scapes, dance and sex, and utilize found footage and chemical manipulation, objective representation and holy abstraction. The program is designed towards sensorial and experiential discovery, academic familiarity is not a qualification for appreciation.

All films will be projected in 16mm (!) by Jacob Barreras, Head Projectionist for the Film Studies Program at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Preceding the screening will be a three course spring meal using locally sourced ingredients from In Season market paired with beer from our friends at Great Divide brewery.

"Dinner and the Avant-Garde" is the first in Win Wear's continuing series of events exploring canonical and contemporary Avant-Garde cinema. The seating will be limited, for reservations and more information
contact Rett Rogers at sirstarrett@gmail.com or call 303.887.5157.

Vegan and vegetarian meals will be offered, please specify in your reservation request. $15 suggested donation.

DAMC HOSTS DISCOVERY: ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST CINEMA

A collaboration with the DAM Contemporaries and the UC Denver College of Arts and Media with Series curator and moderator, Howie Movshovitz, film critic and Director of Film Education at UCD's College of Arts and Media

At the Denver Art Museum Sharp Auditorium

Part 1: May 12, 2010; 7pm
During the 1940s and 1950s, an avant-garde emerged among American filmmakers who worked against traditional modes of narrative, production, distribution, and presentation. The films they produced-utilizing non-narrative structure, filmic abstraction, high-key color, and expressive cinematic textures and gestures-provide thought-provoking comparisons with American painters of this period. This program includes work by Maya Deren, Harry Smith, and Stan Brakhage, among others.

Part 2: June 10, 2010; 7pm
Within traditional commercial cinema of the 1950s, American filmmakers were also interested in the changing mores and values of the post-World War II era. While abstract expressionist painting was a reaction to World War II and an attempt to undermine the assumptions of American mass society, the lurid melodramas of such filmmakers as Douglas Sirk are also part of this milieu and spirit. The second evening in this series will present Sirk's 1955 masterpiece All that Heaven Allows as emblematic OF how Sirk and other mainstream filmmakers challenged conventions of movie-making.