The Adams State College Cloyde Snook Gallery is featuring EDGE artists from October 23 through November 20. An artist lecture by EDGE Gallery President begins at 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, in the Art Building room 227; an opening reception follows the lecture.

There are 32 artists from the non-profit, co-op art gallery. Located on 3658 Navajo Street, Denver, EDGE, a contemporary art gallery, is dedicated to artists outside the domain of commercial art venues. Because the gallery is not dependant on sales for survival, artists have the freedom to pursue more experimental modes of expression. EDGE primary objectives are to celebrate individuality and uniqueness, to encourage shared vision, and to maintain intensity and integrity in addressing the often contradictory messages occurring in contemporary art.

For more information call the Adams State Art Department at 719-587-7823.

The exhibit includes artwork by art faculty members Nancy Anderson, Joyce Centofanti, Margaret Doell, Roger Eriksen, Kristian Gosar, Amy Kucera, Linda McGowan, Laura Murphy, Dana Provence, and Eugene Schilling.

Shodo, the way of writing, is Japanese calligraphy and has been studied for over three thousand years. It is a specialized art using a brush and black ink to write kanji and Chinese characters. Shodo is written on Japanese paper, washi, using a bamboo and animal hair brush called a fude. The ink, called suni, is obtained from charcoal and traditionally comes in sticks, which must be rubbed with water on an inkstone until the right consistency is achieved. Much cheaper, pre-mixed bottled inks are now available, but these are used primarily for practice as stick inks are considered higher quality and chemical inks are more prone to bleeding over time, making them less suitable for use in hanging scrolls. Learning to rub the ink is an essential part of calligraphy study.

Works of calligraphy are usually signed with the artist's name and stamp, seal or chop in red ink. Clark has been teaching the class for ten years. "I am very proud of the students. It is not just writing but also includes philosophy." She said the art form came from China and was first practiced by the Japanese Zen priests. "Shodo is Zen thinking, connecting with the spirit and art."

The Hatfield Gallery hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information call 719-587-7823.

Expect the unexpected during the Adams State College Performance Art show at 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, May 4 and May 5, in the Xperimental Theater. The production is free and doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Performance art has been around since early 20th century, it can bizarre and extremely creative. Throughout the semester the Adams State performance art students studied the history of performance art, including all movements. Students have created films, identity pieces, dance, poetry, and emotionally charged skits to reflect personal opinion, the state of society, or the humor in life.

As a recipient of the 2008 Adams State Presidential Teacher Award, Eugene Schilling, professor of art, had the opportunity to teach a special Presidential Teacher Course. He approached Provost Michael Mumper about offering a performance art course for the spring 2009 semester. Dr. John Taylor, professor of theater and recipient of the 2009 Adams State Presidential Teacher Award, agreed to team-teach the class. He and Schilling recruited art and theater students, each group making up half the class.

Schilling said when professors across campus ask him how the class is going, he replies, "The students show up 15 minutes early and nearly every class has full attendance." Taylor said it has been an exciting opportunity to watch the students grow and develop their personal styles. He believes audiences will appreciate the diversity and depth of the production. "Performance art has been compared to describing an elephant - what it looks like depends on where you're standing."

The May 4 and May 5 performances will include individual and group performances. Due to adult subject matter, including nudity, explicit language, references to sex and drugs, mature audiences recommended.

For more information call 719-587-8499.

Students completing a BFA degree include Donna Batzer, Janine Chumley, Dustin Hinton, Kaitlyn Horton, Kelly Robinson, Christopher Walker, and Caitlin Whitten; and BA students include Giget Brubacher, Dana Lundy, Megan Pinkerton, Cheryl Ravens, and Jamilia Ruybal. The exhibit includes ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, graphic design, and photography.

Cloyde Snook Gallery is located on the first floor of the Art Building on the Adams State campus. Gallery hours are from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For additional information, call 719-587-7823 or visit www.adams.edu/academics/art.

Graduate Thesis Exhibitions, by Tiffany L. Lee, Talia Swartz, and Susie Corbet, are currently in the Adams State College Cloyde Snook Gallery. Scott Will is concurrently showing his graduate thesis work in the Luther Bean Museum, located on the second floor of Richardson Hall. The closing reception for all the exhibits is from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday, April 17.

Swartz said her artwork showcases my passion for cities and urban architecture. The energy and excitement that cities have to offer is very inspiring to her, and she is drawn to geometric shapes. "I also love to distort the buildings and shapes in my cities and give them animated character. I am constantly inspired by all of the interesting lines, angles, and shapes that interact with each other in these urban environments."

Lee said her graduate work, "Out of Context: A Series of Cast Quilts and Companion Boxes", explores the contextual and formal relationships involved in the process of creating handmade quilts and then transforming them into cast metal sculptures. The cast quilts in this series interact with wooden forms to create new relationships and juxtapositions. Quilting is a part of her heritage, she learned sewing and quilting from her mother and maternal grandmother. "By translating the quilts into metal, I am taking utilitarian objects and making them into permanent tributes to that spirit of charity and affection."

The Cloyde Snook Gallery hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information call 719-587-7823.

The opening reception for the Adams State College Hatfield Gallery exhibit, "Graven Images", cemeteries photographs from New Mexico, Colorado & Maine, by Margaret Doell, art department chair, is from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday, March 27. An artist lecture precedes the reception at 4 p.m. in the Art Building room 227. An encore lecture begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 31. The show continues through April 17.

The series of photographs began almost 15 years ago when Doell lived in Montreal, Quebec. "I often walked through Parc Mont Royal and back home through the Mount Royal Cemetery. Mount Royal Cemetery follows the tradition of larger city cemeteries that functioned as the nineteenth century's public parks. I would wander through the park-like setting and marvel at the lengths people had gone to in memorializing their loved ones through gravestones and elaborate mausoleums. When I moved to Alamosa, and the southwest, I was struck with the very different look of the cemetery. These rural, western cemeteries more closely resemble the pioneer cemetery tradition with more minimal landscaping and less elaborate gravestones. None-the-less these cemeteries also demonstrate the importance of memorializing loved ones, often through mementos and flowers."

The exhibition of photographs includes ten photographs from cemeteries in coastal Maine, where Doell's sabbatical was spent. The remaining ten photographs are from northern New Mexico and the San Luis Valley. One photograph from the Mount Royal Cemetery is also included, as a tribute to the photograph that started this series. "While the differences between various cemeteries initially interested me, they ultimately are about the beauty of a place, of the transformative power of light, and contrasts in landscapes and contexts. They are intended to act as a beautiful and respectful memorial."

The Hatfield Gallery hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information call 719-587-7823.

Pictured, Third-grade Boyd Elementary art students, front row (holding eraser) l to r: Nick Ciasulli,Mikaila Gallardo; 2nd row: l to r: Alexys Miller, Andie Caton, Austin Powell,& Ben Vance; 3rd row: l to r: Kimberly Moreno, Juana Francisco; back row: l to r: Marisa Arellano, Jasmine McBurney & Preston Duran; are celebrating Youth Art Month with a "Pop Art Show" starting at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 5, in the Adams State College Art Building lobby. The pieces exhibited will then go to auction at 7 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Boyd Elementary Art Department.

According to Sue Patterson, Boyd art teacher, Art Goehl will auction the artwork. "We want to raise awareness about Youth Art Month, and to help meet the supply needs of our young artists with the auction."

For more information about the exhibit call Boyd Elementary at 719-589-6791.

The opening reception for the Adams State College Cloyde Snook Gallery exhibit, drawings by Bill Amundson, begins at 5 p.m. and continues until 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20. An artist lecture precedes the reception at 4 p.m. in room 227 of the Art Building. The show continues through March 13.

According to the website, http://www.amundart.com/, Amundson is a Denver based artist who works in the "Suburban Regionalist" mode, a style devoted to capturing and celebrating the true American scene rather than the idealized version so often pictured in the art of our time. His work reflects an interest in the contemporary landscape, particularly as reflected through such distinct American staples as the subdivision, the chain restaurant, retail franchises, interstate travel, SUV's and the ubiquitous cell phone. His work has been described in various publications as "ironic, compulsive, sweet, irreverent, whimsical, fanatical, hysterical and banal."

Amundson received a Bachelor of Science degree in art from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in1975. He settled in Colorado in l978. He has exhibited extensively throughout Colorado and the United States for over 25 years.

The Cloyde Snook Gallery hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information call 719-587-7823.

The week-long workshop is designed to offer instruction comprised of demonstration, mini-workshops, critiques, and on-sitepainting experience. 2 semester hours of undergraduate or graduate credit can be earned.

The beginning student will be involved with the materials, techniques, and potentials of water media. Advanced students will be provided with the opportunity to develop new directions or refine their own painting approach. Students may elect to work alone or with a group of their choice.

Workshop students will stay at the popular Sagebrush Inn and will have access to many interesting galleries and craft shops. Because of limited accomodation and class sizes, applications will be accepted in the order in which they are received.

Tuition: $325 for both Colorado and non-Colorado residents. Payment of tuition will constitute the pre-registration fee and should be sent as soon as possible.

Room and board: $449 double, per person. $599 private.

For more information contact Judy Jones at 719-587-7823