Because the Earth Is 1/3 Dirt. The CU Art Museum on the University of Colorado's Boulder campus is an unlikely setting for a blockbuster contemporary ceramics exhibit -- but here it is, anyway. The show was curated by a committee that included museum director Lisa Tamiris Becker and CU art faculty members Scott Chamberlin, Kim Dickey and Jeanne Quinn, and it features an international array of artists working with clay. This quartet of experts invited eleven artists from around the world to exhibit their pieces, and nearly everyone they chose is on the front lines of the ceramic medium. Some of them, such as Walter McConnell, are really pushing the envelope. His installation is made of moist clay in a plastic enclosure, meaning it's not even ceramic, because it hasn't been fired. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the hyperrealist "Bird's Wing," by Ted Muehling, crafted out of good, old-fashioned, high-fired white bisque porcelain. Leopold Foulem, Lawson Oyekan, Wim Delvoye and Annabeth Rosen are among the other talented participants in the show. Through March 19 at the CU Art Museum in the Sibell-Wolle Fine Arts Building on the CU-Boulder campus, 303-492-8300.
Jae Ko, et al. The Robischon Gallery set the standard for art exhibitions in Denver, and the current offerings reinforce that point. In the front is Jae Ko: New Sculpture; in the middle is Ross Bleckner, Terry Maker, Brad Miller; and, in the back is Judy Pfaff. The mood may be austere, but Ko's remarkable modernist wall-hung sculptures made of inked adding-machine tape are actually pretty sumptuous. Bleckner starts things off in the center space with a handful of his famous prints depicting naturalistic shapes in scatter patterns. Next comes the work of Maker, who uses that most ubiquitous of mediums: acrylic on canvas. But that's not the half of it -- she rolls up the canvases and adheres the rolls into blocks that are then sliced with power tools. Brad Miller, the last of the trio, is represented by a lyrical group of artworks that could be called drawings except for one little thing: They were made with a torch. The cavalcade of hits continues into the Viewing Room, where Judy Pfaff is ensconced. It's modest in size but is surely one of the most significant shows in town right now. Through February 21 at the Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee Street, 303-298-7788. Reviewed January 22.
Picasso: 25 Years of Edition Ceramics From the Edward and Ann Weston Collection. The Metro State Center for the Visual Arts is hosting this must-see traveling show of Picasso's experiments with clay. Beginning in 1947 and at regular intervals until 1971, Picasso would go to the Madoura studio of Georges and Suzanne Ramié in Vallauris, France, and do ceramics with them during brief, if intensely creative, visits. The Ramiés formed plates, bowls, vases and other pottery items that Picasso then carved and manipulated while the clay was still wet. Finally, Picasso painted them with glazes in his own inimitable way, decorating the surfaces with images of the kinds of strange animals and figures that had already been made famous in his paintings. The resulting pieces were the prototypes for the handmade limited editions on display in Picasso: 25 Years of Edition Ceramics. This type of collaborative and serial approach to studio ceramics may seem strange by American standards, but it's a tried-and-true practice in countries such as France. Through February 28 at the Metro State Center for the Visual Arts, 1734 Wazee Street, 303-294-5207. Reviewed February 5.
Pursuits of Passion. Walker Fine Art has started booking well-known local artists, using their good names to attract visitors -- and it's working. Bill Vielehr, a noteworthy Colorado sculptor with a three-decades-long career under his belt, is the anchor of the latest exhibit, which pairs his sculptures with paintings by Christina Chalmers, an artist who is unknown in town. Vielehr's pieces, made of bronze or aluminum, are all closely related and always have sophisticated patinas. In some sense, Vielehr's sculptures are three-dimensional corollaries to abstract paintings: Each has a linear, as opposed to volumetric, composition based on the artist's instinctual sense for free association of simple forms. Interspersed with the Vielehrs are mixed-media paintings by Chalmers, a New York artist who spends part of each year in Provence. The uneven assortment of overly romantic paintings come from several different series and actually look like the work of several different artists. Through February 21 at Walker Fine Art, 300 West 11th Avenue, 303-355-8955. Reviewed January 29.
ROBERT COLESCOTT & GLENN LIGON. This noteworthy effort is the first in a planned series of exhibits at the Victoria H. Myhren Gallery at the University of Denver. The series will explore the more than 200 works of contemporary art that have been promised to the Denver Art Museum by high-profile collectors Vicki and Kent Logan. This show represents a new era of cooperation between DU and the DAM, even garnering DU access to the Logans' private stash. Shannen Hill, a DU art historian, organized the show, and her expertise in African and African-American art was put to good use, as Colescott and Ligon are currently among the most prominent black artists nationally. Both artists address the African-American experience, but that's where the similarities end. Colescott is an expressionist, mixing a faux-naive style with references to everyday experience. In contrast, Ligon is post-pop and often employs photo-based techniques that result in super-sophisticated pieces. Through February 27 at the Victoria H. Myhren Gallery, 2121 East Asbury Avenue, 303-871-2846. Reviewed February 12.
sneak and peak, et al. There are three choice solos filling the Edge Gallery right now. In the front space is sneak and peak, which features new work by Susan Berkley, who takes up the topic of the Patriot Act with cool abstract paintings and funky box sculptures. The paintings steal the show -- especially those pop-y takes on the American flag, which Berkley intends as protest pieces. There's an outrageous show called Truth and Temperance installed in the middle space, in which ceramics by Mary Cay are used to advocate for drug use. For example, the individual elements that make up one of her wall-mounted installations may be taken down and used as bongs. In the back room is another provocative ceramics show, Post Computer Heads, which is made up of busts and masks created by emerging artist Ted Fish. These ceramics are all closely related and are finished in similar glazes. In some of the pieces, shards of pre-fired vessels are incorporated into the busts to suggest mouths, noses, eyes and ears. In association with these shows, Edge will present a concert of experimental music by Conrad Kehn at 7 p.m. on February 20. Through February 22 at Edge Gallery, 3658 Navajo Street, 303-477-7173. Reviewed February 12. .
Superhighway and Director's Choice. Ivar Zeile and Ron Judish have launched the city's newest art hot spot, (+) Zeile/Judish Gallery, in the old Cordell Taylor location, and the venue's two inaugural exhibits are knockouts. In the front space is the elegant Superhighway, featuring photo-based works by R. Scott Davis, an artist who divides his time between New York City and Denver. Several of these pieces are about Denver's T-Rex project, and although they're photo-based, they resemble geometric abstracts with dynamic diagonals running across the middle. In the back is a group show called Director's Choice. First up are neo-pop constructions by Glenwood Springs artist Jon Rietfors, which incorporate mass-produced food packages. Next are luminescent abstractions in mixed media by Aspenite Hunt Rettig and intriguing C-print photos by Longmont's Patti Hallock that depict suburban scenes at dusk. Superhighway and Director's Choice prove that the partnership between Zeile and Judish will benefit us all. Through February 19 at (+) Zeile/Judish Gallery, 2350 Lawrence Street, 303-296-0927. Reviewed February 5.
The Vessel: Voyage & Contain. For its first effort of 2004, the William Havu Gallery in the Golden Triangle is presenting a theme outing. Included in the show are ceramics, sculptures and even paintings. Gallery director William Havu organized it and interpreted the word "vessel" to include not only containers such as vases and bowls, but also boats. The grand dame of Denver ceramics, Martha Daniels, is represented by signature examples of her idiosyncratic style, such as her theatrical sculptural urns in rich flambé finishes that simultaneously parody and pay homage to the forms of classical antiquity. Also respecting tradition while being contemporary are the truly monumental vases by boy wonder Anthony Sarenpa that eloquently display his breathtaking skill at the wheel. Compelling abstract sculptures by Michael Clapper, Margaret Haydon, Margaret Josey-Parker, Darlene Nguyen-Ely and Bernice Strawn and lyrical abstract paintings by Joanne Kerrihard are part of the festivities as well. Through February 21 at the William Havu Gallery, 1040 Cherokee Street, 303-893-2360. Reviewed February 5.
