Gallery Sketches: Three Shows in Denver and Boulder for April 3-5

The return of winter be damned, First Friday is going down tonight all over metro Denver. Grab your coat: Here are a few hot new shows and events to ward off the chill.


Margaret Neumann: Inscapes
Macky Gallery, CU-Boulder campus
April 3 through June 7
Opening reception and expert talk: 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 3

BMoCA at Macky brings Margaret Neumann, a giant on the Colorado contemporary art scene, to Boulder for a solo of new and rarely seen works that focuses on what she does best: pure painting. Inspired by poet Gerard Manley Hopkins’s concept of “inscapes,” the distinguishing characteristics that define individuality, Neumann extends the idea to her own canvases, layered with paint until dreamlike forms emerge from the murk. From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. during tonight’s reception, Neumann and fellow painter Clark Richert will give an expert talk in the concert hall at Macky, courtesy of the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art.


Josh Davy: The Clockwork Souls of Automatons
Kanon Collective
April 3 through 26
Opening reception: 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 3

To quote Davy: “In order to create your very own automatons of questionable character and suspicious motivation, begin with 176 pounds of Josh Davy. This is the only step in the process which may not be substituted. Add bicycle parts, miscellaneous bits of metal scrap and fire. Lubricate sparingly with a high quality red wine. Within six months, this process should yield ten to fourteen odd and slightly disturbing robotic souls.” His show of otherworldly, patched-together robots encased in boxes and glass bells promises to be a delight. Check it out tonight or catch the show at a second reception on April 17.


Matt Scobey Residency: Tranquilo
Dateline
2 to 5 p.m. April 4

Fresh off a ten-week residency in Mexico City in conjunction with the upcoming Biennial of the Americas 2015, Denver artist Matt Scobey is now setting up shop for Tranquilo, a second, local residency at Dateline, where he’ll be hosting open studio days and other events periodically. On Saturday, April 4, Scobey invites guests to simply come and hang out for the afternoon and get to know his work, inspired by the double meaning of the Spanish word “tranquilo,” which translates to “calm” or “tranquil” or, more to the point, can refer to getting the knack of something.

Want more? See the Westword art event listings to learn more about current gallery and art museum exhibitions and openings in the metro area. 

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