01 Aug ‘Open’ and ‘Images from the Archive’
[slideshow_deploy id=’8630′]
Photographs by Brenda Biondo, Karen Divine, Ashley Olsen and Glenn Cuerden open CPAC’s new gallery at 1513 Boulder Street in Denver.
Exhibition Dates: July 25 – August 24, 2013
Read the Denver Post review here
Open, featuring works by Biondo, Divine, and Olsen, presents a concise survey of three of this region’s most exceptional contemporary photographers, selected from their entries to the 2013 Members’ Exhibition. A detailed description of their series’ follows below.
B&W images from the archives of Glenn Cuerden, taken at CPAC events in the late 1970s and 80s, show concurrent with Open.
Gallery hours: Wed-Sat. 12-6 PM
INFO ABOUT THE ARTISTS & THEIR WORK
Brenda Biondo: Remnants & Revival is an ongoing series of work addressing both the value and challenges of preserving Western lands. The diptychs in this series reference both the dwindling remnants of undeveloped land throughout the West, and the restoration efforts that are bringing back native plants to many farmed and grazed areas. Each diptych combines an image of a Colorado landscape that is protected in some way (such as through its designation as open space, a state park, etc.) with a close-up of a wild-growing plant, either native, introduced or invasive. Brenda Biondo has been a resident of Colorado since 1999, and currently lives in the small town of Manitou Springs with her husband and two children.
Karen Divine was first introduced to photography in the early 1970’s and went on to study painting, drawing and alternative photographic processes. After learning Photoshop in 2001 she began creating the images she imagined using her photos and in the past two years transferred that process to the iphone. While learning to create a beautiful single image is crucial to being a fine art photographer, the multi-image is what speaks to her heart. Karen lives in Boulder, CO, and currently teaches with CPAC, the Santa Fe Workshops, and Anderson Ranch in Snowmass, CO.
Ashley Olsen: Olsen’s images reflect her emotional and mental preparations for being a Christian wife and eventual mother. “As a Christian, I create subjective self-portraits as a way to capture the most intimate moments and sensations experienced between my husband and I, paying special attention to the Christian religion’s expectations of a woman’s role in marriage, in comparison to our popular culture’s conflicted views. From constructed reenactments to documented moments, I hope to reconcile the morals and lifestyles I have faithfully devoted myself to, with the liberal art world that so often portrays Christianity in an ironic manner. The Good Wife is Olsen’s 2012 BFA Thesis project for the University of Colorado Denver, and was shown at the Emmanuel Gallery in the 2012 BFA Thesis Exhibition. She recently moved to Portland, OR.
[slideshow_deploy id=’8631′]
Images from the Archive, by Glenn Cuerden, includes portraits of several former CPAC board members and founders – Eugene Lang, Hal Gould, Dick Nosbisch, R. Skip Kohloff, and Lis Neergaard-Kohloff – as well as striking portraits of Duane Michals, Judy Dater, Walter Chapell, and other photographers visiting CPAC in the late 70s and early 80s for workshops and exhibitions. Cuerden’s fine art photos are a part of many permanent photographic collections. His historical and architectural photography appears in over two dozen books on Colorado History, and in many varied publications. He served as CPAC board president November 1982-October 1986, and was a long-time board member of the organization.
[slideshow_deploy id=’8522′]