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Visual Arts

In Studio & Group Show, a mixture of musings

Six artists will be featured in annual juried show

A set of art lamps, musings in thread, driftwood wainscotting, an architectural installation and a dizzying number of birds.

These are the makings of Studio &’s fifth annual Group Show, which will open Saturday with a reception at the Main Avenue gallery plus a second location across the street – an art annex of sorts created for the occasion.

The exhibit, which is Studio &’s only juried show of the year, brings together bodies of work from six local and regional artists for a varied and whimsical art experience. The show will feature bird paintings of Miki Harder, Laura Moorefield’s found-item light fixtures and a wood and painting installation by Shawn Lotze, among other pieces.

Tim Kapustka, a co-founder of Studio &, said for the Group Show, the gallery asks artists to present bodies of work rather than just a few pieces.

“Instead of having a group show with six artists where they can show three pieces each, they are encouraged to make bodies of work. So they can dig a little deeper,” he said.

The effect, he added, is a more immersive experience into each artist’s vision. And because Studio & is using Serving Life Chiropractic across the street as additional gallery space, there is enough room to give each artist plenty of space.

“They are bodies of work to be soaked in,” Kapustka said.

Studio & put out a call to artists early in the year and received 17 applications from local and regional artists. The studio’s five member artists then reviewed the pitches and deliberated until they had winnowed them down to six.

It’s a tough process, Kapustka said, but ultimately, they aimed to achieve a balance of mediums and statement with a high caliber of artistry.

“From super progressive to traditional,” Kapustka said. “From abstract installation to utilitarian art to wall art. The balance is big.”

The Group Show’s featured artists include:

Fitz Sargent and Karl Hofmann – Sargent, a practicing architect and Hofmann, whose background is in painting and drawing, have collaborated on “Of Two Minds,” an installation that celebrates the rhythm of modularity, the utility of platonic forms and the lyrical possibilities of irregular shapes. The New Mexico artists’ installation will be built in the front of the Studio & gallery.

George Schmidt – Schmidt, a Durango painter who has exhibited his work in cities like New York and San Francisco, will present bright and blocky abstract pieces from a painting-a-day exercise he completed successfully.

Laura Moorefield – Durango artist and writer Moorefield will exhibit a set of light fixtures. Moorefield creates the pieces with found or odd pieces such as old kitchen gadgets, worn-out bike parts, rare fabrics and feathers. Nostalgia and a sense of humor pull them together.

Miki Harder – Harder, a painter and illustrator who is known locally for her work with ravens, has departed from her usual muse with a body of work inspired by birds that are threatened by climate change.

Darcy Alden – The local artist and teacher, who has worked in many different mediums in the past, has created whimsical new pieces using thread, string and line drawings.

Shawn Lotze – Durango artist Lotze’s works range from soapstone carvings to mono prints. For this show, he will create an installation of wood, painting and panels that depicts the sky.

With two gallery spaces and a wide variety of mediums, Kapustka said, the group show should be a sensory experience. But pushing bounds and encouraging out-of-the-box work is what the artist cooperative is all about.

“We kind of encourage it,” he said.

For those who miss the opening, the show will be up through July 26. Inquire at Studio & about checking out the Serving Life Chiropractic side of the exhibit.

kklingsporn@durangoherald.com

If you go

Studio &’s fifth annual Group Show, featuring the work of Karl Hofmann and Fitz Sargent, George Schmidt, Laura Moorefield, Miki Harder, Shawn Lotze and Darcy Alden, wll open from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday with a reception at Studio &, 1027 Main Ave., and Serving Life Chiropractic, across the street at 1040 Main Ave.



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