"COMMON/MYTH" INTRODUCES KRISTIN STRANSKY TO DENVER PLUS GALLERY TO HOST OPENING RECEPTION FRIDAY, APRIL 25TH FROM 7-9PM

Plus Gallery continues our current focus on the future of art, specifically through local new-media artists working with unprecedented materials and techniques.  Kristin Stransky's  "common/myth" is an explosive solo debut by an artist whose conceptual work involves a unique engagement with digital imaging, complex 3D printing techniques and audience interaction. The works in "common/myth" examine the transitions between consciousness and universal mythologies, presented in a playful environment that is often lacking in the commercial sphere. Steeped in digital methodologies and interactions, the work urges the viewer to move, touch, wear, listen, add onto and most importantly think about sensations of and within the body in thoughtful new ways. Collectively they encompass a vision of the future in both concept as well as material approach. The works on display in the exhibition are described as follows:

ImagingProfiler

Proximity-detecting robots that react to motion and explore cultural and technological views of the body, relating to particularly loaded gender-neutral body parts. The viewer interacts with the robots by stepping towards or away from the profilers..

Medi-topology Reconnaissance Initiative (MRI)
A gender-specific dissection of body parts in two dimensional stacked planes.

EmotiScan
Wearable accoutrements that translates the users organic material into a sensory output. Users are encouraged to remove the devices from their stations and place on head, as per instructions provided in the exhibition.

SentiHubs
An exploration into the digital manifestation of emotional mapping. Users may add components provided to the hubs as they desire.

"common/myth" will open with a reception on Friday, April 25th from 7-9pm. Kristin Stransky will present a 3D printing demonstration and artist talk in conjunction with the exhibition on Saturday, May 3rd at 4pm, the first of its kind to take place in a Denver gallery context.  Stransky will also present an all-day 3D print demonstration on Saturday, May 17th in conjunction with the River North Art District's annual Safari art tour, from noon-5pm.

Read (or listen to) today's report by Carrie Saldo for KUNC Community Radio (Northern Colorado and NPR network) that intersects with Stransky's exhibition and recent advances for technology in art, including a visual demonstration of Stransky's "EmotiScan" at:

KUNC Community Radio

Find out more about Kristin Stransky's work at kristinstransky.com

ADDITIONAL ARTIST NEWS

Plus Gallery artist Jenny Morgan's second commissioned painting for the NY TImes appeared full-page last Sunday in the NY Times Magazine, corresponding with an interesting article about the low-key musician Sia, who happens to have achieved her fortune writing major hits for Pop artists.  Those who didn't already read the article in print can check it out online at:

http://www.nytimes.com

The Colorado Photographic Arts Center in Denver is currently hosting a three-person exhibition "Constructing Images Post-Photography" featuring four works from Plus Gallery artist Milton Croissant III's transformative "House Party 6" series. The exhibition will be on view through May 24th.

Plus Gallery artists Wes Magyar is featured with a major solo exhibition "Means to an End" at the Arvada Center for the Arts, on view now through May11th. The exhibition features paintings from the past decade alongside new works by the artist, in a stunning display of depth and artistic development.

FINAL WEEK FOR "TRANSITIONAL FRAGMENTS" AT PLUS GALLERY

Plus Gallery's current exhibition "Transitional Fragments," featuring recent collaborative works by Chris Coleman and Laleh Mehran, will conclude this weekend.  Please stop by and view one of the most striking exhibitions of the year during our regular hours of noon to 5pm, now through Saturday April 19th.  Read more about the exhibition in the Denver Post review from March 23rd:

http://www.denverpost.com/

HOUSE PARTY TONIGHT AT THE COLORADO PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS CENTER! "CONSTRUCTING IMAGES POST-PHOTOGRAPHY" OPENS WITH A RECEPTION FROM 6-8pm

The Colorado Photographic Arts Center, located at 1513 Boulder Street in Denver Highlands neighborhood just on the edge of downtown, will open the three-person exhibition "Constructing Images Post-Photography" this evening, Thursday April 18th, with a reception from 6-8pm.  Curated by Conor King, "Post Photography" is an exciting exhibition that explores how artists, through a variety of mediums, use and are influenced by photography.  The premise is solid and forward thinking:  in a time when photography so saturates both the art market and all aspects of the world we live in, it becomes difficult to distinguish the difference between what is and is not influenced by the medium. The exhibition features works by Libby Barbee, Anthony Baab and Plus Gallery's own Milton Croissant III.

Croissant's work is an exceptional case in point.  When his "House Party 6" series was first introduced at Plus Gallery in last summer's group exhibition "Mirage," most everyone had to do a double-take when confronted by his impressive, large-scale images.  Some swore they were paintings, others photographs....few initially understood that they were digital compositions of uncanny and almost pristine detail. The images depict the aftermath of what seems like a rather unconventional party, one where kids perhaps tripped out on electronics, paint-ball and movies, over soda pop and possibly cake (one with a basketball seemingly embedded prior to being eaten). Full of mystery and exuding some of the most sensitive surface qualities possible in the medium, Croissant's "House Party 6" series was one of the most outstanding discoveries of the year, by an artist known quite well in Denver's underground art-scene but new to the more mature contemporary market in which his latest developments so deserve to reside.

This year the CPAC continues the forward momentum for Croissant and his work, taking off from Denver Digerati's inspired recent commissions featuring Croissants superior talent in motion-based art, and overlapping their nightly screenings at the now-revered "Monkey Town  4" project taking place in the River North Arts District through June 1st.  The Arvada Center picks up the ball next, injecting their space with a handful of some of Colorado's most advanced and thrilling new-media artists this summer in an exhibition that will extrapolate on all previous efforts exponentially.  We are thrilled to see the appreciation that is continuing to build for an artist who only three years prior was noted as "One of the top artists under 35 years old" by then Denver Post art critic Kyle MacMillan, alongside the likes of Plus Gallery artist Xi Zhang and Denver Digerati commissioned artist Justin Beard.

Milton Croissant III has this to say about the body of work on view at CPAC:

"The adolescent Id played out in a modernist home: pre-dusk snapshots. The youths are gone or dead. Fan Fiction for the never-to-be-made movie in the "House Party" legacy movie series."

Much of my recent work deals with the embedded narratives within real or imagined architectural spaces. I create these spaces using opensource, 3D modeling software. The working environment of 3D software enables me to control all visual aspects of a scene in a nearly infinitely scalable world to simulate an imagined scenario. These features make my work very similar to photography: the only required components are light and a camera. However in this work I have complete control over appearance, material, and even physics. This artifice of control allows me to play in the uncanny valley, the hinterland between fiction and concrete reality.

The scenes that unfold in the "House Party 6" series take place within a single home - one that is fashioned after the aesthetics of teen party movies made in the 1980's and early 90's. Each room is laid waste by the churning id of youth, but the kids are all gone. What remains is the silent, detached gaze of a television or computer monitor. The screens emit a Hopper-esque light, highlighting the paradoxical loneliness of modernity.

Croissant is currently based in Baltimore, but his connection and appreciation for his hometown of Denver is everlasting.  Please join us this evening in celebrating the work of a fascinating young artist firmly on the rise.

For more information visit

http://cpacphoto.org

SAVE THE DATE: COMMON/MYTH INTRODUCES KRISTIN STRANKSY TO DENV

While we are on the topic of new, progressive talent, Plus Gallery invites you to join us next Friday evening, April 25th for the opening reception of a very different and exciting exhibition:  Kristin Stranky's "common/myth" is an explosive solo debut by an artist whose conceptual work involves a unique engagement with digital imaging, complex 3-d printing techniques and audience interaction. Her works examine the duality of emotion and physicality in popular cultural's examination of the body and mind. Rooted in society's rapidly advancing, collective "digital memory," Stransky creates a thought-provoking, interactive environment that is a vision of the future in both concept as well as material approach.

Plus Gallery intern Nicki Maggiore sporting Stransky's "EmotiScan"

Plus Gallery first discovered Stransky's talent through her contribution to the 2013 USA Pro Challenge Bike Art project, hosted by Visit Denver and the Denver International Airport.  Stransky's bike (in collaboration with fellow artist Audrey Seiler), a dazzlingly complex creation representing Steamboat Springs, utilized advanced 3-d printing techniques to stunning effect. The project deservedly took the top prize for that year's competition, a clear winner amongst a pack of talented and highly creative Colorado artists.  The bike is now part of DIA's permanent art collection and is prominently featured on this year's annual wall calendar. Stransky's work has also been featured on the Creator's Project, the Ars Electronica blog, and Instructables. She completed her BFA from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana in 2007, with a concentration in Sculpture. Stransky is currently a MFA student at the University of Denver in the Emergent Digital Practices program. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Denver, teaching Imaging, Coding and Wearables.

PHOTOS FROM RECENT PLUS GALLERY RELATED EVENTS

Wes Magyar's opening reception for "Means to an End," on view at the Arvada Center through May 11th.

"Connecting with Collectors" event last night, sponsored by DAM Contemporaries

MONKEY TOWN 4 LOVE AND ACCOLADES KEEP COMING!

Get tickets now:
http://5280.com/culture/magazine/2014/

Check out the review by Telluride Inside:
http://www.tellurideinside.com/

AND SHOULD YOU FIND YOURSELF AT THE CORNER OF 14th AND ARAPAHOE:

Feast your eyes on these gems from Dutch artist Jules Julien, part of Denver Digerati's new "10-seconds of relief" effort for the downtown LED screens:

http://youtu.be/KGspfTT15vM

http://youtu.be/mn4gdVLpKmQ

WES MAGYAR AT THE ARVADA CENTER

It has been some time since Plus Gallery artist Wes Magyar has had a solo show, but his return to the forefront takes place tonight when the Arvada Center presents his exhibition "Means To and End." Join us for the opening reception from 6-9pm this evening, the exhibition features selections from throughout Magyar's career as well as some recently completed gems such as this painting "Singular Fragment"

MILTON MELVIN CROISSANT III - SEE THE WORK, AND REMEMBER THAT NAME!

When we first debuted a new series of works by Milton Melvin Croissant III last year for our "Mirage" group exhibition, we knew they were supreme. So supreme that they will go on view this year at the Colorado Photographic Center's new exhibition "Post Photography" opening next thursday April 17th. From there they will go to the Arvada Center for a group summer show also featuring Plus Gallery artists Alex McLeod, Chris Coleman and Laleh Mehran. We are thrilled to see others in the community rallying around such great artists and their work. Some might even recall that Croissant was named one of the top artists under age of 35 a couple of years back by then Denver Post art critic Kyle MacMillan, just prior to Croissant moving to Baltimore. We could not agree more.

NEW SHANNON NOVAK BOOK RELEASED IN NEW ZEALAND

A special package arrived in the mail last week, the newly published volume on New Zealand artist Shannon Novak whom we have exhibited on select occasions here at Plus Gallery. "Manhattan Phrase 40.74279,-74.008981 to 40.728411,-73.975679" may be a mouthful, but it digs deeply into Novak's history and recent residency in New York City where he used his applications in augmented reality in the "Art in Odd Places" context.  It's an exciting book that we highly recommend checking out:

http://www.chartwell.org.nz/

HIGHLIGHTS ON OUTSTANDING ARTISTS WE'VE WORKED WITH IN LIMITED CAPACITY IN THE PAST

A recent interview with new media sensation Jeremy Bailey, who just took second place in the online-only Tgif competition last week:

http://nooart.org/pos

And an interview with Brendan Tang, whose amazing ceramic works we introduced to Denver in 2010 in our Biennial of the Americas exhibition. Tang is currently teamed up with Plus Gallery artist Alex McLeod for an exhibition in Vancouver:

http://blogs.vancouversun.comf-high-and-low-art-in-manga-ormolu/

Finally, Jonathan Monaghan, who we regard as one of the absolute best in the new field of contemporary digital animation, will have last year's Denver Digerati commission "Office" shown in NYC at Eyebeam in the upcoming exhibition  "The New Romantics

http://eyebeam.org/events/the-new-romantics

LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP FOR DAM CONTEMPORARIES APRIL 16TH COLLECTION TOUR

Featuring some of the most outstanding highlights from Plus Gallery's 12 year history, we hope you will consider attending..

                                                               Connecting with Collectors

Wednesday, April 16th 2014, 6-8 PM
$70 DAMC members

Join DAMC for a lovely spring evening of Connecting with Collectors, a chance to explore collecting with Denver-area collectors Pam and Bob Neufeld. The Neufelds strongly believe in supporting the local art scene, having built an in-depth collection featuring notable artists such as Bill Amundson, Frank Martinez, Jenny Morgan, Allie Pohl, Dave Yust and others from Colorado's exciting contemporary scene. Hear from our generous hosts about their entry into collecting, and ask them your own questions about what inspires them over cocktails and delectable hors d'oeuvres created by local favorite The Squeaky Bean.

Make your reservations quickly as this will be a popular event and is limited to 25 DAMC members.

To purchase your tickets call 720-913-0130 or go to  https://tickets.denverartmuseum.org

CURRENTLY ON VIEW AT PLUS GALLERY

TWEET No. 1

Stop by gallery tngt for 1st Friday extra-hours open till 8pm. Gr8 show up by Coleman + Mehran, raved about in Dpost and by all who have seen.  Check out pluswebsite for imageshttp://www.plusgallery.com

TWEET No. 2

New Alex McLeod RAINBOWCLOUDS arrived at Plus Gallery, 3-d printed ceramic sculpture gems in B&W.  Rock your world now by obtaining a pair before McLeod's upcoming show at #arvadacenter June 2014 and currently #monkeytown4

TWEET No. 3

Brendan Tang + Alex McLeod reunite for Fan Fiction @ Vancouver's Gallery Jones April 3rd - 26th.  Two of Canada's best contemp talents, 1st seen together @ PlusGallery Denver Biennial of the Americas 2010 grp exhibition "you are here."  A little jealous of GJ # http:galleryjones.com/index.html

TWEET No. 4

PlusG artist Allie Pohl debuts new Ideal Woman - Ruby Slippers nxt wk at Dallas Art Fair through Gallerie Urbane. Majorly striking new finish on Pohl's signature form in full-totem.  #wowwowwowWOW

TWEET No. 5

Save the date April 17th for PlusG artist Milton Mlv Croissant III debuting at #CPAC in Denver in 3 prson exhibition "Constructing Images - Post Photography."  Croissant is doing outstanding digital work that is blowing minds both in print and with animations (latest featured #MonkeyTown4). Not to be missed! #hardtotweet http://www.cpacphoto.org

TWEET No. 6

Join PlusGallery + artist Wes Magyar for his solo exhibition "Means to and End" @ Arvada Center opng Friday April 11th.  Several stellar new paintings mixed w/some of best from last decade by one of Denver's most notable painters.

TWEET No. 7

Denver Digerati receives "Best of Westord" award last week for lst year's Friday Flash and other public art initiatives on dwntwn LED screens.  2014 sched is currently in progress #tobereleasedsoon

TWEET No. 8

DAM Contemporaries host Connecting with Collectors Wed April 16th with awesome collection focused on the local scene featrng lots of PlusG top works from last decade.  Get tix now call 720-913-0130 or visit https://tickets.denverartmuseum.org/

TWEET No. 9

The Knife play Fillmore Auditorium in Denver on April 21st, a very rare visit to the US by a very rare and glorious band.  Tix for rest of their tour are sold out in most locs except Denver, so get yours now! http://theknife.net/show/