Art as an international exploration

CMC Aspen Gallery’s Artnauts show concludes with community reception, workshops

ASPEN – Art enthusiasts will have a chance to interact with some Colorado-based international art pioneers during a series of events at the Colorado Mountain College Aspen Gallery, located in the Aspen Business Center at 0255 Sage Way.

The gallery’s current exhibition, “Artnauts: From the Archives,” includes works by members of the art collective, founded in Boulder in the mid-1990s by art faculty at the University of Colorado.

An international art endeavor, the Artnauts’ projects have gone on to feature more than 350 artists at hundreds of exhibitions held in 26 countries around the world. As their name implies, they’ve blended the ideas of “art” and “astronaut” to describe the way they’ve explored uncharted territory in the world at large.

The local exhibition’s closing reception, held from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, will include artist talks and a series of collaborative activities.

On Thursday, April 9, the gallery will also feature a Rorschach Workshop with CU art and art history professor Dr. George Rivera, one of the founding members and ongoing curator of the Artnaut collective. The workshop will take place from 2-4 pm.

According to Lauren Mayer, CMC Aspen associate professor of art and gallery director, the Artnauts were notable for using the visual arts as a tool for addressing global issues while connecting with artists from around the world.

“This is a unique opportunity to view socially engaged work that travels internationally,” she said.

The exhibition is sponsored by Obermeyer Wood Investments, CMC’s ArtShare and the CMC Foundation.

Gallery hours vary and visitors are asked to call 970-925-7740 before visiting the exhibition, or email at asgallery@coloradomtn.edu.

For more media information on the Artnauts show, please contact CMC Aspen Gallery director Lauren Mayer, at 970-236-0435 or lmayer2@coloradomtn.edu.