Colorado: Then & Now II. In the late 1990s, internationally known photographer John Fielder came up with the idea of re-photographing old shots done by William Henry Jackson. This idea led to an exhibit at the Colorado History Museum in 1999, with this current show being the long anticipated sequel to that one. The CHM has a vast collection of Jackson's work, dating back to his first photos of the state done in 1873, when he was part of the federal Hayden Survey of the American West. In 1880, he opened a Denver studio, which he closed in 1896. As he did for that first Then & Now, Fielder went through the vast Jackson archives and selected the images he wanted to re-create and then revisited those locales. This time, however, he picked more views of buildings rather than depictions of the wilderness. During the show's run, the CHM gift shop will have Fielder's accompanying book, Colorado Then & Now II, for sale, as well as Volume I for those who missed it. Through April 5 at the Colorado History Museum, 1300 Broadway, 303-866-3678.
Early Colorado Contemporary Photography. Most of the photographers whose work appears in this show at Gallery Sink are fairly obscure, though one of them, Jim Milmoe, is well known. A photographer in the area for more than fifty years, Milmoe is also the primary force behind the exhibit. For the show, he includes his own work along with that of five of his contemporaries: Walter Chappell, Arnold Gassan, Syl Labrot, Nile Root and Winter Prather. This loosely affiliated group of kindred modernists worked in town in the '50s and '60s, and most of them participated in the workshops conducted in Denver by legendary photographer Minor White, who encouraged experimentation. All six explored vanguard ideas in fine-art photography. The reason the names are unfamiliar is because there is a lack of local institutional support for the topic; as a result, most of the pieces in the show are out of Milmoe's own collection. A few loans were used to beef things up, but the predictable idiosyncrasies of a personal trove are still clearly evident. Through February 12 at Gallery Sink, 2301 West 30th Avenue, 303-455-5601. Reviewed January 12.
5 Portfolios, et al. The Colorado Collection at the University of Colorado was launched in 1939 as an aid to teaching. In the intervening decades, it has become a cultural treasure that includes some 5,000 works of art. 5 Portfolios is the latest in an ongoing series of exhibitions spotlighting different aspects of CU's horde. There are a lot of big-name modernists in the collection, like the five that director Lisa Timiris Becker chose to feature this time: Alexander Calder, Salvador Dalí, Philippe Halsman, Louise Nevelson and David Álfaro Siqueiros. Each artist is represented by an entire portfolio: Calder's "Our Unfinished Revolution," Dalí's "Imaginations et Objets du Futur," Halsman's "Halsman/Dalí," Nevelson's "Façade/Homage to Edith Sitwell" and Siqueiros's "Mountain Suite." All of the portfolios were created in the '60s or '70s. In addition, the museum is presenting The Way We Live Now, a show of artist-made books from the Mark and Polly Addison collection. Through March 24 at the CU Art Museum in the Sibell-Wolle Fine Arts Building on the Boulder campus, 303-492-8300.
METALisms. This show is the first significant effort put together in its entirety since the draconian budget cuts that hit the Center for Visual Art last year. Called METALisms: Signature Works in Jewelry & Metalsmithing, it demonstrates that there's still life in the struggling institution. The show, a national survey of contemporary metalwork, was organized by the CVA's interim director, Jennifer Garner, and Yuko Yagisawa, who teaches at Metropolitan State College, which sponsors the CVA. Garner and Yagisawa invited a diverse group of more than sixty artists; many do functional work, which is expected in this kind of exhibit, while others are interested in the non-functional and the sculptural. The organizers also took on the challenge of highlighting as broad a range of techniques and materials as possible while still ensuring that everything was finely crafted. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, February 9, from 7 to 9 p.m.; on Friday, February 10, there will be an artist talk with Robert Obendorf at 9:30 a.m. followed by a workshop at 10:30 a.m. Through March 16 at the Metropolitan State College Center for Visual Art, 1734 Wazee Street, 303-294-5207.
Revealing the Muse and Colorado Innovators. Hugh Grant, founder and director of the Kirkland Museum on Capitol Hill, curated both Revealing the Muse and Colorado Innovators at the Lakewood Heritage Center using pieces borrowed from his institution's permanent collection. The Kirkland Museum has an impressive assemblage that includes paintings by Kirkland himself, work by other Colorado artists and an extensive group of decorative arts. Colorado Innovators provides a survey of mid-twentieth-century artists working in Denver. Most of the objects included have either never been exhibited or haven't been seen in living memory. Revealing the Muse is a Vance Kirkland retrospective that begins with his work from the 1930s and ends with pieces done right before his death in 1981. I think it could be argued that surrealism was Kirkland's most important influence, and one of his most important innovations was the mixing of oil paint and water poured onto the surfaces of his pieces. Beginning in the 1950s, this mixture led to some of his greatest paintings ever. Through February 10 at the Radius Gallery, Lakewood Heritage Center, 801 South Yarrow Street, Lakewood, 303-987-7850. Reviewed September 8.
Tracy Felix, et al. Well-known Denver-area artist Tracy Felix is the subject of this self-titled show at William Havu Gallery, the artist's longtime representative. Felix has a special interest in the art history of Colorado and New Mexico, and in many ways, his idiosyncratic style is a reaction to his research. Classic Felix paintings feature meticulously painted mountain scenes that are marginally realistic and complete with seas of simplified trees, conventionalized peaks and cotton-candy clouds. In addition, he's been doing cubistic versions that are even more abstract. Both the classic paintings and the cubistic ones are neo-transcendental. This is Felix's first show in years, and the first in memory without his wife, Sushe Felix. Also on display are ceramic sculptures in the form of abstracted boats by Margaret Haydon, who lives in Boulder but teaches at the University of Wyoming, and hyper-realistic landscapes of local scenes in drawings by Denver artist Michael Burrows. Through February 11 at the William Havu Gallery, 1040 Cherokee Street, 303-893-2360. Reviewed January 19.
TRINE BUMILLER, et al. There are currently three floral-themed shows at Robischon Gallery. The main attraction is TRINE BUMILLER, which spreads through the main space and into the smaller space adjacent to it. Bumiller, who lives in Denver, is a well-established artist who began to exhibit in the '80s. Her signature is the creation of mural-like compositions of abstracts on multiple panels in varying sizes. Typically, her subject is nature -- in this case, flowers. The second show, in the space near the entry, is JUDY PFAFF, filled with gorgeous prints that sport various techniques all done simultaneously by the internationally known art star. The prints have been hand-touched with paint, giving them a three-dimensional character. The frames are notable, as well, because Pfaff has printed on the moldings, essentially extending the compositions. Finally, in the Viewing Room, is ANA MARIA HERNANDO. Hernando, who lives in Boulder, is originally from Buenos Aires, and there's a definite Latin American flavor to her giant flowers, which are done with bold and slashing stokes. Through February 18 at Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee Street, 303-298-7788. Reviewed January 26.
