ASC Art Department Partners with Local Artists

Nancy Blevins
South Coloradan

Upon entering the ASC Community Partnerships Art Gallery you are greeted by a man made of tape in a box of bottle caps. The insides of his feet are partially filled with plastic caps, a unique way of recycling and even better way of attracting attention. Groups of school kids created him as an art project to promote recycling, and the piece has become a symbol of transformation.  ASC students and local artists spend many hours creating dynamic pieces of their own creative vision of transformation.  From stained glass paintings and various sculptures, there is a variety here.

The different sculptures on display are variants of transitions into transformation.  Debra Etter’s sculpture piece, Skin Deep, is a marble stone carved into a man’s head, sitting gracefully in the palm of a hand casted in aluminum.  Josh Henderson’s, “Paul,” piece consumes its own space and makes you want to go in closer and bend down to look into the face hiding under cast iron dread locks and balancing a hacky sack on his bare foot.  On a smaller scale, the gallery has a unique piece done by Chris Wolf titled, “Seed of Life,” made of bronze and has the ancient feel of an empty shell.  Jim Larriva’s two headed “Chino-Azteca,” seems to encircle the room as if keeping watch.

There are also various paintings and digital photography.  One digital photo looks as to be painted. Albert Kahan’s  “As Time Goes By,” shows a mammoth and elephant against a rich landscape.  Jane Jacobs’ acrylic piece, “Auschwitz Echo,” makes you stand back and study it a while as deep shadows and light awaken the subjects. In James Fuller’s, “Chicken Space,” the chicken’s eyeball is intense, drawing you into his space, where there is a creepy green thing waiting for you.

Kay Malouff’s stained glass piece, “Colorado Autumn,” speaks for itself.   Michelle Stone’s, “Flowing Water,” is an example of Arashi Shibori hand dyed silk. Tiffany L. Lee’s Jewelry pieces reside within a wooden and glass case.  She places on rocks one selvedge piece, made of Bronze, Copper, Enamel, Amythyst.  A second piece is called “Saving Scraps,” and is made from silver, bronze and malachite.  Last is “Square-in-Square,” made from silver and fossil agate.

A transformation is a very unique and unusual show, one not to be missed, and is an exhibition that may even transform you in some fashion or another. Also, if you have bottle caps or corks in need of recycling, bring them in and drop them off before checking out the gallery.