Denver Art
My flash-point experience of the Colorado Month of Photography entailed hitting three openings in one night. In Denver to attend and portfolio review at the annual Society of Photographic Educator conference, Homecoming, I made the most of my limited free time. The first stop was the Combined Caucus exhibition, which Jess Dugan juried and held, in a star-shaped naturally lit solarium. This unique format made for an engaging interplay of the work by dozens of SPE members exploring connectivity, to self and others, in a reflective and evocative melange of genres. The output was a variety of innovative display options.
Next up was Rule Gallery, where I made a point to investigate Soft Mirror, a group exhibition including work by Tabitha Soren and Kei Ito. I did not want to miss an in-person encounter with Tabitha’s impactful large-scale images. Long before she was my guest on Got Punctum? I had been a curious fan. I met Kei reviewing his thesis project at SPE Las Vegas, and it has been a privilege to witness his expanding conceptual explorations ever since. Sensitively guest curated by fellow artist Britland Tracy, this show included work by Dionne Lee and Rafael Soldi. Each artist confidently pushes the bounds of the photograph to reckon with and represent a transformation of individual and collective violence. A bonus was being introduced to Tracy, and viewing Rupture, her conceptually rich work that actualizes the numbing effect of mass media’s normalization of gender-based violence.
And lastly, it was a true homecoming at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center where the Director & Curator culled a powerhouse exhibition of 45 works from their richly varied collection. I loved viewing Judy Dater in conversation with Zora Murff. All this in a packed room of colleagues, artists, and photo friends. So grateful to be together again.
