"PEAKING THE EDGE" OPENS THIS FRIDAY AT PLUS GALLERY

Plus Gallery is launching a terrific exhibition this Friday evening called "Peaking the Edge."  We have pulled together some of the top artists from the region advancing the "hardedge" style of painting, as well as two exemplary artists from New Zealand who push this endeavor into a singular status for group shows hosted by the gallery.

Catherine Green, Monica Goldsmith, Sara Hughes, Tim Jag, Jennifer Joseph, Shannon Novak, Terri Rolland and Eric Tillinghast interpret the modalities of "Hardedge" painting using various approaches that distill a sensory and psychological experience. Whether using subtly shifting patterns; vibrant, propulsive colors or other means to create their individual visual landscapes, the combined works deliver a distinct and relevant snapshot of the genre today.

Peaking the Edge will open with a public reception on Friday, April 22nd from 6-9pm.  The reception will include two special action-based performances. Featured artist Tim Jag will enhance the evening through action painting in which he will rapidly create small works relating to his "Colornova" series onsite.  Machine-based artist Gary Parkins will spin a web of intrigue with a site-specific machine, one that that utilizes hot-glue to produce an astounding three-dimensional form. Parkins is an international artist that has provided complex technical assistance for Art luminaries such as Edward Kienholz and Susan Stockwell.

You can read more about the artists on the Plus Gallery website at http://www.plusgallery.com/exhibitions/53/121

Pick up a copy of this week's Westword to read the advance notice in the "Night and Day" section, also available online at http://www.westword.com/events/peaking-the-edge-1780431/

OTHER ARTWORKS OF INTEREST IN STORE FOR APRIL 22nd OPENING AT PLUS

Plus Gallery will feature Xi Zhang's recently completed thesis painting "No One's Wonderland / Form is Emptiness" on the second floor for a few weeks before it moves to a private collection.   Zhang's 20 foot wide painting is explosive in every way, we are thrilled to have it available to those who were not able to make the trek to Boulder for it's brief run at the CU Boulder Art Museum. Zhang's painting is also available as a smaller-scale photographic print in an edition of 30, please inquire with the gallery for details.

We also have a new, extremely fascinating painting in from William Betts, an artist who has established one of the most forward thinking careers in the country.  There is far more than meets the eye in all of Betts' work, and his "Pool I Miami Beach, December 2, 2010" is no exception, taking the application of his technology based process to impressive new depths.

Finally, there is still time to add one of the singular ceramic works by Canadian artist Brendan Tang to your collection.  Tang's "Manga Ormolu ver. 5.0-a" just returned from the 67th Annual Scripps Ceramic Invitational in California and will next make its way to the Denver Art Museum for the upcoming "Overthrown: Clay without Limits," a mammoth showcase of clay-based art starting in June.

TWO NEW LARGE-SCALE ARTWORKS INSTALLED AT CHAMPA AND 15TH AS PART OF THE DTD'S OUTDOOR ART GALLERY

The latest large-scale artworks selected for Downtown Denver as part of the Denver Theatre District's outdoor art gallery were just installed last weekend.  Alvin Gregorio's "Boomerangin through history and generations" and David Tippit's "State of the Union" can be seen at the corner of 15th and Champa, adding a fresh look to an old building and enhancing a heavily trafficked downtown avenue with excellent local artwork.

APRIL 22nd DEADLINE APPROACHING: "FRAME OF MIND" DIGITAL MEDIA EVENT

The Downtown Denver Partnership and Denver Theatre District is accepting submissions through this Friday, April 22nd for "Frame of Mind,"  a showcase of digital media presented in conjunction with Create Denver in downtown Denver on May 13th, 2011.  Artist may submit original motion-based works of between 15 to 60 seconds.  All works must be formatted to the specifications of the outdoor LED screen located at the corner of 14th and Champa Street in downtown Denver.  Select works will be screened on May 13th during the one-night program "MASS MEDIA: Seeing, Making, Mapping" presented in conjunction with Create Denver, a week-long celebration of the arts and creative community in Denver.  Entries will be juried by Plus Gallery owner and DTD Creative Director Ivar Zeile and Plus Gallery intern Ryan Pattie, with a cash award of $250 for the best entry.

For full details on the call for entries visit

http://rhizome.org/announce/opportunities/57067/

http://denverarts.org/call_for_artists/call_for_video_and_motion_based_art_frame_of_mind_.html

or contact pattie.ryan@gmail.com

MAY 6TH PUBLIC ARTWORK DEDICATION AND PERFORMANCE AT PLUS GALLERY

In 2009 the Broadway Lower Viaduct Maintenance District (BVLMD) commissioned artists Mike Whiting and Mike Mancarella to create unique, enduring works to enhance the quality and character of the North-western entrance point to downtown Denver.

Plus Gallery will host a special dedication of the works and celebration of the arts on First Friday, May 6th from 5-8pm.  The evening will include the onsite art-performance "Pile" by Liz Green & her crew of collaborators.  Plus Gallery artist Mike Whiting will also be joining us from California to celebrate the release of his new limited edition small-scale "Rhinos."   We will have some of the most exquisite beer being brewed in the country that night, compliments of our neighbor Great Divide Brewing Co., as well as other beverages and light snacks.  Needless to say, you should make a point of joining us that night!

"LOCAL NETWORK: GATHERING OF NEW PIONEERS": PRESENTED BY THE DOWNTOWN DENVER PARTNERSHIP MAY 13

The Denver Theatre District, Create Denver Week and the Downtown Denver Partnership present a singular evening in Denver's history, bringing together three unique platforms within the new media landscape that complement a rapidly evolving technology-based environment.  The program for the evening is as follows:

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM: Counterpoint: One Question, Fifteen Voices - Spire 9th Floor

How will technology shape tomorrow's new economy? Tomorrow's businesses will need a new technological system that supports sustainable production and an effective exchange of ideas. A diverse 15-person mash-up of Colorado's new pioneers will answer this question in a format designed to foster unique perspectives and interactive responses. Contribute your "counterpoint" during the reception on Spire's 9th floor balcony with a taste of Create Denver Week's specially brewed beer from Wynkoop Brewery and a sampling of Spire's Organic Pizza.

7:30 PM - 8:30 PM: Speaker reception - 9th floor of the Spire

8:30 PM - 9:00 PM: Frame of Mind: Curation of Visual Art Pioneers - Champa/14th LED

The Denver Theatre District is conducting a public call for creative digital art shorts to be broadcast on the 14th and Champa LED video board. Interested artists will submit original motion-based works between 15 to 60 seconds. Ivar Zeile and Ryan Pattie of Plus Gallery will identify and curate top entries and reveal the winner of Denver's Visual Art Pioneer.

9:00 PM - 9:30 PM: Design Pioneers: 3D Video Projection Showcase - Ellie Caulkins

Get together a group of talented 3D Denver artists, project their work onto the Ellie Caulkins Opera House with a battery of powerful projectors, and you have an amazing visual experience. Local artists will custom-fit their mind-bending designs, bringing the architecture to life using a blend of technology and art with a Denver-based theme.

SAVE THE DATE CORRECTION: DAM CONTEMPORARIES ANNUAL SOIREE AND FUNDRAISER MAY 21st

The DAM Contemporaries host their next community soiree, "MAD about DAM" on Saturday, May 21st from 6-11pm.  This "Mad Men" themed event promises to be of exceptional stature for art parties this year, marking the first time that the Museum itself will actually host the event onsite.  Tickets are available and recommended in advance, and at only $60 each for DAMC members, $75 for the general public, and just $45 for the under 35 crowd, it's one of the most approachable and all-inclusive events of the year. For more info or to make your reservation contact jbrunecky@denverartmuseum.org

The DAM Contemporaries support the terrific programming for the modern and contemporary departments of the Denver Art Museum year round.

XI ZHANG UNVEILS AN IMPRESSIVE NEW PAINTING AT CU BOULDER ART MUSEUM FRIDAY, APRIL 1st

review "Fearing the Worst - Angst in new Japanese Art" with  "Ikeda is a visionary.  His large drawings in acrylic paint, applied with pens, describe masses of organic life, castle architecture, and a city, all infinitesimal in detail......... It would take you hours to explore thoroughly, and then you'd have to start over, to refresh your memory.  Does this sound like a stunt?  It's an enchantment."

We would say much the same for Xi Zhang's recently completed painting "No one's wonderland," a massive, extraordinarily dense work that conjures up many references from history as well as our most contemporary times, covering wide ground.  It's an unusual swath of life unlike anything ever seen in Colorado and maybe elsewhere, a pure merger between Chinese culture and the experiences of an artist absorbed into american life during his formative years as a painter.  Xi has always tilted the experimental curve within Denver's contemporary scene from the start a few years back.  His latest is an exciting, surreal view into the artist's brain, as close as one might get to that condition in a single work of art.

Zhang's new painting will be unveiled this Friday, April 1st from 5-7pm at the CU Boulder Art Museum for the exhibition "Beyond-2011 Spring MFA Thesis Exhibition."  Join us for the reception and to view Xi's achievement from 5-7pm that day.

CU Art Museum

1085 18th street
Boulder CO 80303

Xi Zhang with "No One's Wonderland / Form is Emptiness"

MIKE WHITING'S "RHINO" GETS BEST OF WESTWORD AWARD

Plus Gallery artist Mike Whiting received recognition in this week's "Best of Westword" for his public sculpture "Rhino" located at the corner of Larimer and Broadway.  The work was installed last October and commissioned through funds of the Broadway Viaduct Lower Maintenance District.  The BVLMD will be hosting a public dedication for Whiting's "Rhino," "Pinkie" and "Mr. Green" along with Mike Mancarella's "One Way" in celebration of the neighborhood improvements on First Friday in May the 6th.  The event will take place at Plus Gallery, more details to follow soon but save the date now.

http://www.westword.com/bestof/2011/award/best-art-district-icon-1770246/

ADDITIONAL PRESS COVERAGE FOR ALLIE POHL'S ORLANDO MUSEUM EXHIBIT

Alli Pohl's "Ideal Woman" continues to draw attention, read the latest on her contribution to the exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art.

http://www.onviewmagazine.com/apr_may_2011.html

PLUS GALLERY TO MAKE SHIFT IN PROGRAMMING: WILL CARRY WORKS FROM JOHN FIELDER, OTHERS

Plus Gallery will make a substantial shift in programming starting today, Friday April 1st, with the addition of popular photographic works by Colorado legend John Fielder as well as other artists of supreme merit.  The move was prompted by Governor Hickenlooper's recent decision to celebrate Colorado's burgeoning status as an art mecca with the addition of a giant reproduction of Fielder's work in his new office on Capital Hill, as well as the success of last month's "Month of Photography" celebration, not to mention the countless people who have said "why don't you just carry artwork that might sell?"   Once we start to see positive results from the veritable cash-cow that Fielders work is likely to present, additional artists such as Thomas Kincaid will also be considered for key positions within the gallery stable.  Reproductions of works by Vincent Van Gogh, Edward Munch and Damien Hirst are likely to follow in the coming months.  Stay tuned for more details!

In case you missed it on your last drive through Colorado