Residency Dates: August 2016 (1 week only)

For 1 week only, the new Artist in Residence at VERTIGO Art Space is Matt Sesow. Please note that VERTIGO's normal hours are suspended during the Artist-in-Residence program. Hours are set by the artist, so please contact the artist directly for scheduling and appointments.

Exhibition Dates: 9 January–8 March 2014

Opening Reception: Friday, 17 January 2014, 6–9 pm

Art Talk: Saturday, 22 February 2014, 2–4 pm, with talk at 3 pm

Artist as Curator: Theresa Anderson

Artists: Jaime Carrejo, Go! Push Pops (Katie Cerone + Elisa Garcia de la Huerta), Tobias Fike + Matthew Harris, Carl Hazlewood, Kathy Knaus, Bruce Price, Pamela Reed + Matthew Rader, Zach Reini, Laura Shill, Tracy Tomko, Rebecca Vaughan

Be a Cloud Not a Grid * is a group exhibition of 11 artists (or collaborations) whose work in sculpture, performance art, fabric, video, household items, and painting reflect upon this most current time period that philosopher and aesthetic theorist, Sianne Ngai, argues in her book, Our Aesthetic Categories, Zany, Cute, Interesting, is defined in our "hypercommodified, intensively informated and networked, performance-driven conditions of late capitalism." **

Ngai posits that the zany, cute, and interesting "revolve around multiple and even conflicting feelings: tenderness and aggression, in the case of the cute; fun and unfun, in the case of the zany; interest and boredom, in the case of the interesting and that these categories are a reflection upon contemporary feelings of powerlessness."

* Quote by Bruce Price on the Untitled Art Show

** Sianne Ngai, Our Aesthetic Categories Zany, Cute, Interesting (Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England, Harvard University Press, 2012)

Exhibition Dates: 6 December 2012–29 December 2012

First Friday Art Walk: 7 December 2012, 6–9 pm

Artist Reception: Friday, 14 December 2012, 6–9 pm

Santa Fe Art District Collectors’ Night: Friday, 21 December 2012, 6–9 pm

Closing Weekend Extended Hours: Friday, 28 Dec 2012, 2–9 pm & Saturday, 29 Dec 2012, 1–4 pm

Inaugural Exhibition with Guest Artist Kieran Collins

Tracy Tomko is December's Artist-in-Residence. She will be debuting Pangloss Gravitron, a Denver-based artist collective. They begin their optimistic adventures with: Tracy Tomko, Meagen Svendsen, Mark Penner-Howell, CT Nelson, Patrick Loehr, John Haley III, and Erin Asmussen. For Half the Floating World they will be joined by Kieran Collins, from San Francisco. Kieran is the first of their efforts to work with artists from different areas. They hope to cross-pollinate their idea grounds and collaborate in more expansive ways. The title, Half the Floating World, is about reality creeping its way into our daydreams and leaving a trace of its weight on a joyful frolic.

Pangloss

noun: One who is optimistic regardless of the circumstances.
adjective: Blindly or unreasonably optimistic.

After Dr. Pangloss, a philosopher and tutor in Voltaire's 1759 satire, Candide.
The name is coined from Greek panglossia (talkativeness).

Gravitron

A popular carnival ride that pins its riders against the wall with centrifugal force. The Gravitron attains a speed of 24 rpm, which results in 4G of gravitational force, causing riders to lift off the floor. The Gravitron is the fastest spinning amusement park ride and is considered to have a "High" thrill level.

Press Coverage

Pangloss Gravitron listed as "Ten people to watch in 2013" by Susan Froyd at Westword.

Read a review of this exhibition by Theresa Anderson.

Exhibition Dates: 4 January 2012–11 February 2012

First Friday: 6 January 2012, 6–9 pm
Opening Reception: Thursday, 12 January 2012, 6–8 pm
Collector's Friday: 20 January 2012, 6–8 pm
First Friday: 3 February 2012, 6–9 pm

Presented by the Emerging Curator Series. Curated by Mike McClung.

 

Photos courtesy of Tiffany Fitzgerald at Westword

VERTIGO Art Space launches the new year with "Another Way to Go: 6 Artists, 12 Directions” developed by guest curator, Mike McClung. This show presents 2 pieces by each of the 6 artists – one piece from the body of work for which the artist is well known locally and one from a completely different series of work. Artists featured in this exhibition are Tyler Aiello, Phil Bender, Eric Michael Corrigan, Sangeeta Reddy, Lorelei Schott, and Jimmy Sellars. It is important to note that these artists are all represented by galleries outside of VERTIGO Art Space.

Curatorial inspiration for the show came from Mike's curiosity regarding the topic of artistic identity. A solid artistic identity can be a blessing for an artist, providing increased recognition and (ideally) increased sales. However, it can be a challenge, as the success of a body of work can impede an artist from moving in other directions with a change in media or technique.

McClung states, “As an artist, I am almost always associated with my burnout process, but I also explore other directions in different works using mixed media, photography, water color, etc. As I continued with the development of this show, I became more curious about tangents or diversions that other well-recognized artists take. I became fascinated with the balance between commercial success that recognition provides versus the potential for restricting creative exploration.”

Mike is the third artist who has been invited to curate a show as part of VERTIGO’s Emerging Curator Series.

Press Coverage

Read a review of this exhibition by Tiffany Fitzgerald at Westword.

VERTIGO Art Space was nominated in 3 categories for Art District on Santa Fe, Best of 2011: Best Solo Show by a Colorado Artist – Erik Isaac's Perfect Day, Best Group Exhibition – Double Diptych, and Best Gallery. See Art District on Santa Fe for more information.

Exhibition Dates: 22 September–13 November 2010

Reception with the Artist: Third Friday, 15 October 2010, 6p–10p

“Light has the power to create, define, and solidify; or leave in shadow that which we believe to be real.”   —Dorothy Tanner

About the Artist

Dorothy Tanner exhibits a lot of optical nerve. While experimenting with a vast array of media in her career as an artist, she has found acrylic to be the most rewarding. It is a material that she may sculpt, paint, sandblast, or bake and shape. Some are wall sculptures, some free-standing or hang from the ceiling, while others are water sculptures. Light is an intrinsic element of the art form. LEDs have been the primary source of lighting the works in recent years.

While each sculpture stands alone as an art expression, Dorothy's interest is to integrate the works into a total environment — installations that express a powerful visual and emotional sensibility. Her collaboration with Marc Billard creating electronic music and video adds another element to an otherworldly experience.

Artist's Statement: “The major challenge for me in art is to keep under control the tyranny of a logical mind. The spirit that moves me is capricious, unruly, and irreverent. Most of my work grows out of intuitive impulse — the rest gets underway by just playing.”

Visit the artist's site for more information and photos.

Press Coverage

VERTIGO Art Space is excited to present this exhibition as part of Denver Arts Week. Read a review of the exhibition by Ben Dayton of Westword.

Exhibition Dates: 7 May–30 July 2010

Opening Reception: Third Friday, 21 May 2010, 6p–10p

Live Podcast Interview on The Untitled Art Show: Wednesday, 21 July 2010, 8p

Artist Reception: Fourth Friday, 23 July 2010, 6p–10p

Special Engagement: Let's celebrate with a rare engagement from master painter Ralph Wolfe Cowan of West Palm Beach, Florida. Often called a "Blue Chip" master painter, Cowan began his painting career in childhood and has well-known accolades as a "Celebrity Portrait Painter" who has had an extensive career painting on private commission from true Royals and celebrities from around the world. Cowan is recognized by The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery as the only painter Elvis ever commissioned for a portrait. Cowan states, "My aim is to reflect contemporary man's ultimate desire for self-expression and living on the edge."

In the selection of paintings on display, VERTIGO shows the variety of trademark styles Ralph Wolfe Cowan has created throughout the decades of his illustrious painting career.

More About Ralph Wolfe Cowan

• Many people have seen Cowan's work in some form or another, but few have realized it. Just after Michael Jackson's passing, his painting of Michael went ballistic through the worldwide media: Newsweek, "Oprah," "Forbes Profile of Michael Jackson", and more.
• Cowan has been featured on numerous international news and talk shows including "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," "To Tell the Truth," "Entertainment Tonight," "Texas Today," and several Japanese programs and Middle-Eastern shows.
• Cowan was the only painter that Elvis ever commissioned for a portrait, and millions of people have seen his full-length painting of Elvis in the white jumpsuit hanging in Graceland, which is also the only portrait Elvis ever allowed to hang in Graceland.
• One of Cowan's paintings of Elvis is the featured painting for the "One Life: Echoes of Elvis" exhibition currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. During Elvis' 75th birthday, that painting was published worldwide, even in China, Kuwait, and the Czech Republic. Visit the facetoface blog of the National Portrait Gallery where you can listen to an interview of Cowan by “One Life: Echoes of Elvis” curator Warren Perry.
• Cowan was named the number one portrait painter in the world in a 2009 lecture by one of the curators at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
• He has painted six portraits of Johnny Mathis which were all used for album covers.
• Even Nancy Sinatra used the one her father Frank commissioned in 1967 on her recent album cover.
• Nearly every article published on Monaco since 1956 has shown his now legendary portrait of H.S.H. Princess Grace. Anyone touring the Monaco Palace will see his 1981 portrait of the entire family hanging in the Throne Room.

See more of Ralph Wolfe Cowan's work at his personal Web site.

Press Coverage

Read an interview with Ralph by Nicole Pasulka of The Morning News. Read a commentary on the exhibition by Gene Davis of The Denver Daily News.

Exhibition Dates: January 15–February 27, 2010
Opening Reception: Friday, January 15, 6-9 pm
Closing Reception: Friday, February 19, 6-9 pm
Featuring: Tyler Beard, Ben Dayton, Linda Lopez, Austin Parkhill, Alex Perrine, Lindsay Pichaske, and Allie Pohl


"Reine", 54x54 inches, Acrylic on Canvas, 2010 / Austin Parkhill


Lindsay Pichaske


Linda Lopez


"Bears" / Tyler Beard


Ben Dayton


"Female" (small) / Alex Perrine


"Ideal Woman: Astroturf A and B" / Allie Pohl

Curated by Robert D. Garner (who is also an emerging artist), the fourth annual Emerging Artist Show at VERTIGO features the talents of Tyler Beard, Benjamin Dayton, Linda Lopez, Austin Parkhill, Alexander Perrine, Lindsay Pichaske, and Allie Pohl. I am really looking forward to this one — it has been a big challenge and there is a very interesting connection that runs through the work.

Press Coverage

Read a review of this exhibition by Denver Post Fine Arts Critic, Kyle MacMillan. The Signtologist commented on the exhibition and has additional photos of the work.

About the Artist

Alvin Pagdanganan Gregorio was born in 1974 in Los Angeles to immigrants from the Philippine Islands. He received his MFA from Claremont Graduate University in 2000, and soon after conducted cultural research in the Philippines on a Fulbright Fellowship. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Painting at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Artist's Statement

In the House of Your Tomorrows
By Alvin P. Gregorio

“Because I said so!” I cannot even begin to count the times he used this reason for not allowing us to do something. What the f@ck does that phrase mean anyway? As a younger person, it seemed rude, and thoughtless, and just plain mean. Now, as I am a new father...I get it. I actually get it.

No matter how much I am refusing to agree with that way of thinking, I actually understand. It’s not that he didn’t have a legitimate reason; it is just that sometimes parents don’t have the energy to go into why we worry. It is often irrational and a bit paranoid. Although, I’m starting to realize that the wall many of us have built around our emotions as a protective barrier or defense mechanism doesn’t just instantly end with the borders of our own physical bodies. That metaphoric wall somehow, someway encapsulates our offspring. How could it not? We are together for better or for worse.

My father has seen and experienced more than one person should have. I will spare you with the details, but when I say that my father has seen and experienced more than one person should have IT IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. And so did his father, and so did his mother, and so did my own mother and so did my own sister, and so did I. So did I.

I am learning more and more how we inherit our familial trauma; it is passed down through our own actions, and energies, and through stories, and memories. If we do not resolve our painful memories, we gift them to our offspring. The protective wall that was formed to protect us now is the very culprit that suffocates and strangles our offspring. This sounds a lot like how I understand karma.

So what do we do? What can I do to protect my child from the pain and suffering that is his birthright? Can I overcome generations of unresolved sorrow? How do I create a door within my protective wall so that hand in hand, my son and I can turn that knob and push open the door within that wall that will inevitably destroy us both? How can I resolve the inherited trauma, as well as my own? I cannot do this alone; I need his help.

He is less than two years old. How can he help? I am hoping that his smiles, and his cries, and his tears, and his laughter will nourish me when I no longer have the strength to fight this battle. I want to need to build him a House for his Tomorrows. Where he can be freed of the burden that has plagued my beloved family. Where he can live with his own family, away from the yesterdays.

Exhibition Dates: Friday, August 7–Saturday, August 29, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, August 7, 6-9pm, and Friday, August 29, 2009, 6-9pm

Press Coverage

Read a review of this exhibition by Ken Hamel at DenverArts.org.

When: February 20-March 21, 2009
Opening Reception: Friday, February 20th, 5–9pm.
Featuring the works of Kim Polomka, with Assemblage and furniture by Donald Fodness


"Delicious Decadence" (detail) by Kim Polomka, acrylic on canvas


"Delicious Decadence" (detail) by Kim Polomka, acrylic on canvas


"Untitled Assemblage" by Donald Fodness, mixed media


Installation by Donald Fodness, mixed media


Installation by Donald Fodness, mixed media

VERTIGO will be open First Fridays and third Fridays for "collector preview nights" from 6–9pm throughout the event.

When: January 2–February 14, 2009 Featuring Kel Payton with Kyle Goodrich, Barry Whittaker, and  Slawomir Turynski (image by Kel Payton, this year's winner) Colorado AIDS Project is the largest community based organization in Colorado responding to HIV and AIDS. This year alone, CAP will serve 1,800 people living with HIV and AIDS through services such as case management, counseling, financial assistance, housing and the award-winning CAP food bank. To combat the spread of the disease, CAP will also reach 30,000 more individuals with messages about HIV prevention and safety. Currently, there are over 10,000 individuals diagnosed with HIV and AIDS in Colorado. More than a million people are living with HIV and AIDS in the United States, and there are more than 40 million infected with HIV around the world.

Exhibition Dates: November 7–December 31, 2008 Opening Reception: November 21, 2008, 6–8pm A collection of large scale works that are among Robert Strohmeier's most recent work, informed by his nearly eight decade career as an artist. “I want my work to be strong, not pretty,” states Strohmeier. This is not a retrospective, but a current perspective on the artist's work. Strohmeier will be present for a gallery walk through with his work at the opening reception, November 21, 2008, 5:30–8pm.

Exhibition Dates: July 6–31, 2007 First Friday Opening: July 6, 6–10 pm Artists' Reception: Friday, July 20, 2007, 6–9 pm

Exhibition Dates: April 6–26, 2007

Susan Helbig, James Garnett, Mia Mulvey & Kara Duncan
Exhibition Dates: November 3–December 29, 2006

Mentor, Artist, Gallery Making the Net Work. Exhibition Dates: August 4–5, 2006