Leaving Aztln. The Center for Visual Art in LoDo is presenting a provocative show, Leaving Aztlán: Rethinking Contemporary Latino and Chicano Art. Kaytie Johnson from the Peeler Art Center at DePauw University put it together with input from, among others, CVA director Kathy Andrews. The show examines new trends being embraced by Latino and Chicano artists -- and by Latinas and Chicanas -- and in the process explores the convoluted relationship between art and ethnicity. Ten years ago, this would have been an overtly political show, but now, though politics are still in the mix, there are also many pieces that express cutting-edge aesthetic theories. Artists from across the country were selected -- including Jesse Amado, Connie Arismendi, Javier Carmona, Alex Donis, Diana Guerrero-Mácia, John Hernandez, Benito Huerta, Chuck Ramirez, Juan Ramos and Rubén Ortiz Torres -- but Johnson also chose two local talents, Carlos Frésquez and Maria Michelle Gonzalez. A reception for the artists, along with curator Johnson and collector Cheech Marin, is scheduled for February 24 from 6 to 9 p.m. Through April 23 at the Center for Visual Art, 1734 Wazee Street, 303-294-5207.
IN LIMBO. Internationally known contemporary-art collectors Vicki and Kent Logan maintain a residence in Vail and, lucky for us, have become involved in the cultural life of Colorado. In addition to providing a raft of works partially promised to the Denver Art Museum, the collecting couple has facilitated a relationship between the museum and the University of Denver. IN LIMBO is the second Logan-connected show at DU, but the first in which students -- under the direction of curator and professor Gwen Chanzit -- have been allowed to use the DAM's Logan Collection as well the couple's private stash to come up with it. More often than not, too many cooks spoil the broth, but not in this case. The show is first-rate but surprisingly conservative, considering the tender ages of the organizers. The students chose mostly representational paintings and photographs, and there are only two sculptures. Among the artists included are Bo Bartlett, Jack Pierson, Ron Mueck, Cindy Sherman, Su-En Wong, and almost a dozen others. Through March 11 at the Victoria H. Myhren Gallery, 2121 East Asbury Avenue, 303-871-2846. Reviewed January 20.
Pictures from Sonny's Place, et al. Nationally known Colorado painter John Hull has been described in the New Yorker as a combination of Corot and Quentin Tarantino. That tongue-in-check appraisal really hits the mark with Pictures from Sonny's Place, now at + Gallery. The paintings are set in a junkyard, the "Sonny's Place" of the title. Hull's established method is to create a series of related paintings based on sketches done in the field. Each paintings has a narrative component that connects it to the others. When all the paintings are taken together, the narratives build on one another creating a plot worthy of a novel. All Hull's favorite subjects are here, in particular young thugs and the cars -- in this case, wrecked ones -- that are at the center of their lives. Paired with Hull's solo is Selections from New American Paintings, Issue #54, which includes pieces by Waddy Armstrong, David Leonard, Kevin Lucero Less, Thuong Nguyen and Kate Petley. Through February 19 at the + Gallery, 2350 Lawrence Street, 303-296-0927.
Three Dimensions and David Mazza. The William Havu Gallery is presenting Three Dimensions, an ambitious group show made up of monumental sculptures by three important artists working in the West: Denver's Lawrence Argent; Austin's Stephen Daly; and Tempe, Arizona's Mary Bates Neubauer. Argent, who is well known in town for his prominent public commissions, is represented by recent sculptures and a selection of his cerebral photo-enlargements of pacifiers. Daly presents his large installation, "Controller," along with a selection of his signature heads. Neubauer is represented by a few major bronzes, as well as by a large selection of her smaller cast-iron pieces. On the mezzanine -- humorously dubbed the "Mazza-nine"-- is David Mazza, which is made up of recent sculptures by the local whiz kid. Mazza is also represented by a new large piece installed on the sidewalk near the gallery's entrance, and by works on display in the sculpture garden out back. Also outside is the work of Michael Clapper. Through March 12 at the William Havu Gallery, 1040 Cherokee Street, 303-893-2360.
Transversal and Entelechy. Minimalist master Richard Serra is definitely one of those blue-chip artists, which is why his work is being shown at Robischon, one of Denver's premier galleries. Though best known for his monumental sculptures, Serra is also renowned as a print maker, and it's his prints that are on display in the elegant if severe exhibit Transversal. There are only six prints in the show, but they're so large that they more than fill the front spaces at the gallery. Plus, they have a charismatic quality that is generated by their utter simplicity: Each print is nothing more than a black field. The resulting austerity helps to fill the room, too -- at least intellectually. Beyond, the show continues with neo-minimalist work by gallery artists, including Jamie Brunson, Jae Ko, Gary Komarin, Ricardo Mazal and Tony Coulter, who also lives in Colorado. In the back is Entelechy, a solo dedicated to highly glazed organic abstractions by another Colorado artist, Trine Bumiller. This show coincides with the unveiling of "Wood, Water, Rock," her installation at the Colorado Convention Center. Through February 19 at the Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee Street, 303-298-7788.
Upstarts and Matriarchs. Feminism transformed American society in the '70s, allowing female artists to turn the art world upside-down. Surveying this trend is the topic of Upstarts and Matriarchs: Jewish Women Artists and the Transformation of American Art: 1970-Now. The exhibit was curated by Simon Zalkind, the director of the Singer Gallery of the Mizel Center for Arts and Culture, who has presented a formidable roster of first-rate shows over the years. It's hard to say that he's out-done himself this time, but he has. The scholarly show is installed both in the main multi-part space and in the nearby atrium gallery. The extra room was needed because Zalkind has included pieces by more than a dozen artists, among them major historical figures such as Judy Chicago, Audrey Flack, Nancy Grossman, Joyce Kozloff, Martha Rosler, Miriam Shapiro, Joan Semmel, Nancy Spero, Joan Snyder and Mierle Laderman Ukeles. Through March 27 at the Mizel Center for Arts and Culture, 350 South Dahlia, 303-399-2660.
