2016 – Page 2 – Deidre Adams

Colorado Women in Abstraction opening reception

Last night was the opening reception for Colorado Women in Abstraction, an exhibition of “the work of women artists who have been influential in the abstract movement in Colorado” at the Center for Visual Art in Denver, Colorado. I’m so honored and grateful to have been included in this exhibition, along with the work of many women whose work I admire greatly. My heartfelt thanks go to Guest Curator Michael Paglia, (art critic for Denver Westword newspaper, art ltd magazine, and author of books Colorado Abstract and Texas Abstract), Cecily Cullen, Managing Director and Curator of the Center For Visual Art in Denver, and the many other people who mounted the exhibit and did countless other things behind the scenes. Thanks also to friends & family who came out to support me.

It was so great to see old friends and meet new ones. Here are a few of the artists I was able to snag for portraits beside their work. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to meet all of the wonderful artists. I also didn’t think to get a listing of all the artwork titles, but I hope to rectify that matter before too long.

Jane Guthridge

Sabin Aell

Skyler McGee

Carlene Francis

Deidre Adams

Margaret Pettee Olsen

Teresa Booth Brown

Tonia Bonnell

Amy Metier

Wendi Harford

We had a huge turnout for the opening. It was a wonderful evening! A few more scenes from the opening:

Cecily Cullen introducing Michael Paglia

Hugh Grant, Founding Director and Curator for the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art

July 16th, 2016|Art, Exhibitions|Comments Off

Seeing is Knowing

Seeing is Knowing, 60 x 108 inches, acrylic & mixed media on panel, ©2016 Deidre Adams

This is the next painting in the series Metaphors & Mysteries. My titles come from recent readings in “Metaphors We Live By,” by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (University of Chicago Press, 1980, with Afterword, 2003) . I’ll leave you with a quote from Chapter 30, Understanding (p. 231):

When people who are talking don’t share the same culture, knowledge, values, and assumptions, mutual understanding can be especially difficult. Such understanding is possible through the negotiation of meaning. To negotiate meaning with someone, you have to become aware of and respect both the differences in your backgrounds and when these differences are important. You need enough diversity of cultural and personal experience to be aware that divergent world views exist and what they might be like. You also need patience, a certain flexibility in world view, and a generous tolerance for mistakes, as well as a talent for finding the right metaphor to communicate the relevant parts of unshared experiences or to highlight the shared experiences while deemphasizing the others. Metaphorical imagination is a crucial skill in creating rapport and communicating the nature of unshared experience.

Lately I think a willingness to negotiate meaning is sorely lacking in our discourse. Exploring the reasons for this is beyond what I’m willing to go into here, but I will say that I myself am not immune to the urge to shut down my tolerance when confronted with ideas radically different from my own. I like to think that artwork has a function in the furthering of shared understanding, even if at a minimum merely providing some alternative ways of looking at the world.

Here are some detail views of Knowing is Seeing:

July 2nd, 2016|Uncategorized|1 Comment

A New Spin: Fiber arts at the Art Gym

July 7–30, 2016
Opening reception: July 14 5-8 pm

1460 Leyden St, Denver, CO 80220
Hours: Tues-Sat | 9am – 6pm

Art Gym Denver is excited to present A New Spin, a fiber arts exhibition curated by Jo Fitsell. A self-taught artist, Jo Fitsell’s work explores internal rhythms and unseen connections. In this show, Fitsell connects a wide range of works related to the fiber medium and modern innovations in fiber art. A New Spin features artwork from Deidre Adams, Christi Beckman, Susan Brooks, Heather Doyle Maier, Patty Emmons, Jo Fitsell, Pam Fortner, Mary Horrocks, Tom Lundberg, Barb Olson, and Jennifer Pettus. According to Jo Fitsell, “I tried to remember pieces visually, without thinking of the artists themselves. I chose pieces that connected on a personal level that would be intriguing to the general public. We have a history of idealizing art from the far past and diminishing those of the present. This was an opportunity to reveal what is happening in the fiber art world.”

Art Gym Denver is a membership-based community and creative workspace with shared access to tools and equipment for a variety of artistic disciplines including painting, printmaking, sculpting, design, culinary arts, dance, and more. It includes a gallery space with new shows opening every few weeks.

In association with A New Spin, there will be several events of interest:
July 7, 2016, 5-8 pm: Exhibition Opens

July 14, 2016, 5-8 pm: Artists Reception | Artists will be present, light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres served

July 16, 2016, 3-5 pm: Artist Talk with Mary Horrocks about Rust Printing Technique – free and open to the public

July 20, 2016, 5-7 pm: Artist Talk with Jo Fitsell about Fiber Art History, Techniques and her own Creative Process – free and open to the public

July 27, 2016, 5-7 pm: Artist Talk with Thomas Lundberg about his Stitch Techniques and Inspiration taken from the History of Textiles and from Everyday Life.

July 2nd, 2016|Exhibitions, Fiber / mixed media|Comments Off

Seeing is Knowing, 60 x 108 inches, acrylic & mixed media on panel, ©2016 Deidre Adams

Encoding: Scheme I, 58 x 56 inches, acrylic paint on stitched textile, ©2015 Deidre Adams

July 7–30, 2016 Opening reception: July 14 5-8 pm

July 7–30, 2016
Opening reception: July 14 5-8 pm