exhibitions
Memory Movements: Justin Ankenbauer, Moe Gram, & Thomas Scharfenberg
05/05/2017 - 06/17/2017
Alto Gallery's next six-week show brings together a selection of abstract paintings from a trio of local artists: Moe Gram, Thomas Scharfenberg, and Justin Ankenbauer. Despite their differences in approach and inspiration, a strong commonality exists in the sense of innate pattern-making and vibrant movement inherent in each artist's work. From the charged graffiti-inspired pieces of Moe Graham to the colorful patterns of Thomas Scharfenberg to the organic play and process of Justin Ankenbauer, linework squiggles and dances in a lively spectrum of geometric order and electric chaos.
ABOUT MOE GRAM
Moe Gram is a local Denver artist and designer. Born and raised in southern California, Moe Gram’s life became heavily influenced by hip hop culture, weed culture, and urban LA street art. These memories and exposure to 1990’s animation are huge inspirations for works by Gram. In 2012 Gram flew home from Florence, Italy where she spent 6 months studying both historical and contemporary European art. In 2014 Moe Gram graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a special focus on Studio Fine Art and a minor in Cultural Studies from California State University Bakersfield. The summer of 2014 lead to the unexpected opportunity to move to Denver, Colorado and work in the Lower Downtown Denver Arts District. Currently in 2017, the Moe Gram Art & Lifestyle brand is active in the Denver and Aurora Cultural Arts Districts as a Fine Art Education and Community Enrichment Resource.
ABOUT THOMAS SCHARFENBERG
Painter, Photographer, Color, Pattern, and Found Material-Enthusiast, Thomas Scharfenberg is an Elyria resident and Colorado native. Received a BFA from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in 2007. A Wazee Union creative resident 2010-2015. Held Rhinoceropolis winter wall painting residencies 2013-2016. Active member of Birdseed Collective 2015 to present. Docent at Kirkland Museum 2006-2010. Considers frequent bike rides to a day job at Tagawa Wholesale Greenhouses in Golden (2010 to present) a significant inspiration...
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Work currently on view and available in Denver through Alto Gallery, Birdseed Collective, Fiske Planetarium in Boulder, LowBrow, Pablo's Coffee, Scratch Burrito, and directly at tscharfenberg@hotmail.com.
ABOUT JUSTIN ANKENBAUER
Acting skeptically with spontaneity, shapes are found through feeling his way across the surface. Through acting and then assessing, refreshing and then expanding, each work is organically found. He creates work to convey how we connect through process and to reinforce the importance of caring for and exploring the unknown through play.
Justin Ankenbauer was born 1987 in Kentucky. He received his BFA in painting at Western Kentucky University. He now lives and works in Denver, Colorado.
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Denver Collage Club
03/10/17 - 04/22/17
The Denver Collage Club is a gathering of local and international collage artists who have been gathering, sharing, and exploring ideas on the topic of collage today.
Exhibiting Artists:
Adam Milner, Alex Huninghake, Alicia Bailey, Amber Cobb, Andrew Huffman, Bruce Price, Coleman Mummery, Colin Ward, David H. Tippit, George Perez, Jaime Carrejo, Janice McDonald, Jeromie Dorrance, John Barnard, Jonas Zoots, Kate Brackley, Kelton Osborn, Koko Bayer, Kyle Huninghake, Laura Shill, Lucas T. McMahon, Mado Reznik, Mario Zoots, Mark Sink, Matthew Rose, Melissa Lynn, Paula Gillen, Phil Bender, Richard Shaffer, Samuel Mata, Suchitra Mattai, Susan Goldstein, Taylor Balkissoon, and Theresa Anderson
Flyer: Paula Gillen
The Denver Collage Club
Founded by Mark Sink and Mario Zoots on January 1, 2014.
The Denver Collage Club is membership by invite.
"In the beginning we invited our community of collage artists to gather on the second Tuesday of each month at RedLine Studios Denver.
The idea is to share and learn about current and historical work and forward-thinking ideas on the topic of collage today and form a group that will get international notice.
The meetings are a very informal social. Members bring something to show and tell or just drink and snack and listen. This is not a workshop or a club you simply join. The core members are formed out of quality of work and passionate drive in the field and their career. Some will stick and rise into the core membership...some will fall off, it not being their thing. Some will be core members and never come.
I have personally found success in the past with a Denver photography salon, curating serious and talented artists with common interests. From the core group, exhibitions are assembled and traveled to hub cities around the world. Success is high when presenting a pre-curated show of great talent to top galleries and museums. Power in numbers. Everyone got a lot out of it at many levels. I hope to achieve this with our group." -- Co-founder, Mark Sink.
www.facebook.com/denvercollageclub
http://denvercollageclub.blogspot.com
instagram.com/denvercollage
Nuevo Antiguo: Victor Escobedo, Julio Alejandro, Moeh Haywood, Kevin Hennessy, Jae Mo, & Tom Bond
01/14/17 - 02/25/17
“Nuevo Antiguo” is Alto Gallery's first group exhibition of 2017. The show runs from Saturday Jan. 14 to Saturday Feb. 25 and features art work by Victor Escobedo, Julio Alejandro, Tom Bond, Kevin Hennessy, Jae Mo, and Moeh Haywood.
Special musical score by Gregg Ziemba.
About "Nuevo Antiguo"
"Nuevo Antiguo" translates to “New Ancient,” and it’s a contemporary artistic style that reflects ancient culture with an emphasis on hand-made processes with an “aged” look. The style embraces both eastern and western philosophies while championing an ancient aesthetic.
This particular group exhibition is based around the theme of nature and how it influences culture. Culture defines who we are and what we hold dear. When we are apart, we yearn for it. Our conscious and unconscious mind expresses culture through an array of mediums -- art, music, and writing to name a few. Nature simply provides the setting from which culture plays.
Rush Before the Reaping: Meredith Feniak, Michael Dowling, & Raymundo Munoz
11/19/16 - 01/06/17
Meredith Feniak is a Denver native and mostly self-taught artist specializing in botanical illustration with a strong emphasis on realism and process. Certified by Denver Botanic Gardens, Feniak is inspired by the life of plants from intial sprout to final wilt. In her newest series on display for "Rush Before the Reaping," the artist paints with pure carbon pigment and crushed mica on silk that is stretched onto hand-gilded custom frames. The results are luxurious and stunning.
Michael Dowling is a Denver native who specializes in charcoal and oil works that are classically-inspired yet definitely contemporary. Dowling studied at Il Institio de Arte - Scola Lorenzo de Medici in Florence and with various teachers throughout Tuscany. Inspired by myths and lore and how they fit into Western culture, Dowling's work is bold and easily recognizable. He is represented by Leon Gallery in Denver, G44 in Colorado Springs, Blue Azul in California, The Breath in New York, and Giovanni Rossi in Miami.
Raymundo Muñoz was born and raised in El Paso, TX, but has made Colorado his home since 1999. He received a B.S. in Biology at UCD and is a self-taught artist specializing in linoleum block relief printmaking and other drawing media. Raymundo is inspired by the chaos-order dynamic and how it plays out in our social interactions. In his latest series on display at Alto Gallery, the artist's detailed pen and ink drawings are composites of nature scenes and people at art gallery receptions.
Lightning Blend Vol. 2
09/24/16 - 11/05/26
"Lightning Blend Vol. 2" is a group art exhibition curated by Tom Bond and features a small selection of his favorite artists working in Denver and around the country. This year's lineup includes:
AUSTIN ENGLAND (@mochelife) (@alienghostcollective)
TOM BOND (@wellingtonprojects)
IAN FERGUSON (@hydeon)
SCOT LEFAVOR (@scotlefavor)
JON MACNAIR (@crispycopper)
SARAH MICHAELS (@nautilegs)
SAM PIERSON (@hampierson) (@alienghostcollective)
BRIAN SMITH (@tallboysclub) (@alienghostcollective)
MADELEINE TONZI (@madeleinetonzi)
Luis Valle: The Eagle and the Condor Together in Flight
09/09/16 - 09/19/2016
Alto Gallery is proud to present "The Eagle and the Condor Together in Flight," a solo exhibition by Luis Valle aka El Chan Guri curated by Lorenzo Talcott in conjunction with Alto Gallery.
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Nicaraguian-born Luis Valle is a staple in the world reknown Wynwood Arts District in Miami, FL and force in the art world. His large-scale murals can be viewed all over souther Florida and internationally. His paintings consist of multiple vibrant colors forming patterns and waves of pulsating energy. The artist's goal is to imprint on a surface and allow you to see the frequency, flow, and vibration of the creative life force -- that which holds and makes up all that is.
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The Eagle and the Condor is an ancient Amazonian prophecy that speaks of human societies splitting into two paths: that of the Eagle and that of the Condor. The path of the Condor is the path of the heart, intuition, and the feminine. The path of the Eagle is the path of the mind, the industrial, and the masculine.
The prophecy say that the 1490s would begin a 500 year period during which the Eagle people would become so powerful that they would virtually drive the Condor people out of existence. This can be seen in the conquering of the Americas and the killing and oppressing of the indigenous peoples in the subsequent 500 years up to and including today.
The prophecy says that during the next 500 year period, beginning in 1990, the potential would arise for the Eagle and the Condor to come together, to fly in the same sky, and to create a new level of consciousness for humanity. The prophecy only speaks of the potential, so it's up to us to activate this potential and ensure that a new consciousness is allowed to rise.
Away & Anywhere:
Contemporary Landscapes
08/06/16 - 09/06/16
"Away & Anywhere" is Alto Gallery's August group exhibition of contemporary landscape works. From vast mountain ranges to dense city streets, this show offers viewers space to wander and explore. Featuring the talents of Ava Van Deursen, Brian Holmes, Heidi Annalise, and Clay Brooks, "Away & Anywhere" presents various stylistic interpretations of real and imagined sceneries.
DJ sets by A23P and Vahco plus a special listening party for Pterrorfractyl's new album due for release on Sept 9.
Charles Russell Pop-Up
7/18/2016 - 07/30/2016
Alto Gallery presents the electronic works of Charles Russell as a two-week pop-up exhibition to cap the month of July.
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Russell's interactive pieces are made from vintage electronic parts and repurposed with the addition of buttons, switches, and LED lights. The results blink and glow and move and make noise in unexpected and delightful ways. Viewers are invited to touch and play with the 16 works on display for a limited time.
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Two-night fire-themed video installation by Orchid Z3ro and Anthony Garcia is set to accompany Russell's exhibition.
Woven Worlds:
An Adventure in Textiles
06/04/2016 - 07/16/2016
“Woven Worlds” is Alto Gallery’s all-textiles June - July show. Each artist chosen for the exhibition approaches fiber art in a unique and striking way, and we’re excited to share such craft with our audience. After a big open-themed group show, “Woven Worlds” is our first proper show, presented in a more focused and intimate manner.
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Featuring works from Christa Pistoli, Emilie Luckett, Curtis Tucker, and Alexander Hernandez. Special window installation by Olivia McLean.
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Live music by Church Fire and Konohana.
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6th Annual Birdseed Collective Presents:100 on 100
04/09/2016 - 05/21/2016
"100 on 100," Alto Gallery's inaugural exhibition invites over a hundred artists on the hundredth day of the year. This is Birdseed Collective's 6th year presenting the open-call open-themed show. With a strong emphasis on community-building, "100 on 100" has brought together new and established artists of all media and styles year after year. All sales for this particular showcase go straight to the artists.
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Live music by members of Rubedo, the Other Black, Wheelchair Sports Camp, and Joshua Trinidad Trio.
