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There's a charming little building north of the Events Center, nestled comfortably in the big buildings' shadows. Unnoticed by the average student walking off a hangover, Emmanuel Gallery has been a staple structure on the Auraria campus since 1973; it's even listed in the National Register of Historical Places.
So what is so special about this chapel-turned-synagogue-turned-art studio? Aside from keeping the structure as true to its original as possible, the Auraria campus is proud to sport its own art gallery. And what art could grace the walls of this historical structure other than student works?
In fact, the Emmanuel Gallery dedicates an entire week to the fruits of student labors. The CU-Denver's annual Juried Student Art Exhibition is a yearly event dedicated to the best of the best, as decided by a guest jury. This year, Ivar Zeile-owner of Plus + Gallery, Denver's leading contemporary art gallery-was the juror, and despite having to choose a winner, was impressed with every single piece.
Some works stood out more than others, including Dominic Muttel's works "Wasted Beauty" and "Atmosphere." Both giclée prints (fancy art talk for prints through a digital source, like an inkjet printer), the two works consist of optimistic bright blues and pinks splattered along the canvas, causing outlined figures reminiscent of stencil-graffiti to stand out. A very appropriate piece of work to which the city-dweller can relate.
Paula Onofio's "Surrounded" features a silver gelatin print of a little girl surrounded by Bratz dolls. Talk about social commentary-the girl is the proper age to which Bratz dolls are marketed, and yet she doesn't look very happy, despite the abundance of toys surrounding her. Not to mention she looks like a regular, normal kid-not a whore-y Barbie doll on crack. The shadowy effect of the photograph suggests a darker perspective, a reflection on girls growing up too fast.
Perhaps one of the simplest, and yet most appealing pieces, is Lindsey Kramer's "Untitled." Composed of cast beeswax, found objects, and a living plant, "Untitled" is a wooden head looking into a mirror-with a tiny sprout of a plant growing out of its cranium. Simple, elegant, and utterly preposterous, the piece conveys a playful tone with an underlining thoughtfulness-after all, why is he looking into the mirror?
Another piece that inspires thought of a more melancholy nature is Nikki Vail's "Life during Wartime." Her golden gun, completely made out of scrap metal, aluminum, canvas, and spray paint, speaks centuries of glorified war. While its golden hue romanticizes the idea of fighting for one's country, the realistic design of the gun suggests the actuality of living during these eras. In essence, it is beautiful but deadly.
While all the works of art were admired by the juror, he picked a very special piece for an honorable mention. Bart Ovatt's "Folding Time and Space" isn't just a drawing of time and space-he constructed his entire artwork to be a video production of him making his piece, edited to the flow of music and timing. Using digital photography and Adobe After Effects to make this possible, the work exemplifies its name, making the observer feel like the artist truly did fold time and space.
And last, but most certainly not least, is the work labeled Best in Show: Ola Faye Thompson's "Ink Blot Examination." Done entirely with digital photography, Thompson's work is a direct play off the Rorschach inkblot test.
Each separate slide consists of symmetrical black "blots" of edited photography, the blots generally being people in some sort of position. A wooden box is provided to make the test look more substantial, as if early psychologists used the art in their own line of work. T
he curious approach makes the observer wonder if she's really looking at people in the slides, or something else entirely …
And there you have it, folks. Inside this historical little building, overlooked by many, sits an entire array of artistic culture produced by our own students. Within the walls sit mantled pieces judged and rated by the harsh world of art-and passed with flying colors.
So, when will you come check it out?
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