The Space(s) Between explores various understandings of how we experience the vastness of place and the iconic nature of the American West through contemporary art. This multi-site and multi-project exhibition is curated by DU Vicki Myhren Gallery Director Geoffrey Shamos and Independent Curator Donald Fodness, in collaboration with GOCA Director Daisy McGowan for outdoor sites.
The Space(s) Between examines the notion of the horizon as a convention through which we orient ourselves in relation to the landscape. In traditional landscape representations the horizon functions both as a formal tool to arrange pictorial space on the two-dimensional plane as well as a device to depict the illusion of depth beyond that surface. It visually divides the heavens and the earth; but as one ventures into the landscape, this liminal division becomes a non-existent destination per contra our perception. Many artists in this exhibition nod to the tradition of the landscape while advancing their own path forward, returning to the genre with revitalized visions and methodologies.
Artists included are Lisha Bai, Libby S. Barbee, Tyler Beard, Mindy Bray, Chad Brown, Terry Campbell, Beau Carey, Amelia Carley, Jaime Carrejo, Lanny Devuono, Rebecca DiDomenico, Dani Dodge, Conor Dowdle, John Defeo, Andy Ducett, Nina Elder, Gary Emrich, Ian Fisher, Tobias Fike, Megan Gafford, Anthony Garcia, Alvin Gregorio, Scott Johnson, Tsehai Johnson, David Jones, Anna Kaye, David Maisel, Patrick Marold, John McEnroe, Lance McGoldrick, Michael S. Moore, Mia Mulvey, Lauri Lynnxe Murphy, M12 Studio, Charles Parson, Collin Parson, Sarah Wallace Scott, Natascha Seideneck, Gretchen Marie Schaefer, Elspeth A. Schulze, Chip “Jetsonorama” Thomas, John Thrasher, Devon Tsuno, and Letha Wilson.
About the Curators
Donald Fodness earned a BA degree in Art History from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and an MFA in Painting from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Fodness has an interdisciplinary practice that includes drawing, sculpture, furniture and installation. His drawings have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Regionally he has created site specific installations for the Denver Art Museum, The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, The Gallery of Contemporary Art in Colorado Springs, two Biennial of the Americas, and Harmony Hammond's Material Engagements at Redline. His work has been published in New American Paintings, Sculpture Magazine, Yahoo home page, Found Magazine, Vice Magazine’s Creators Project, art LTD, and as a guest on Modern Art Blitz along with Oriana Small.
Fodness is an active community member, curator, and collaborator with The Flying OHNO Twins and The DMB Collective. He co-founded Showpen Residency, is a founding member of Hyperlink art collective. Since 2007 he has served in higher education at various institutions including University of Denver, Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, and Metro State University of Denver. He currently lives and works in Denver, Colorado.
Geoffrey Shamos is an art historian, educator and curator based in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Yale University and has a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, where he specialized in Renaissance art from Northern Europe. He has served as the Development Director at Redline Art Center, and has also worked at the Yale University Art Gallery, the Cantor Center for Visual Art at Stanford University, and the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York. Currently, Geoffrey serves as the Director of Vicki Myhren Gallery, where he engages with students and faculty, plans exhibitions and programs. In his dual role as Curator of University Art Collections he also helps grow the university’s collection.
Daisy McGowan is a curator and arts administrator currently based in Colorado. She has served as director for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) Galleries of Contemporary Art, or GOCA, a position she has served in since 2010. McGowan has independently and collaboratively curated over 90 exhibitions for GOCA, Colorado College IDEA Space (formerly Assistant Curator), Colorado College Coburn Gallery (formerly gallery director), as well as regional and national contemporary sites including RedLine Contemporary Art Center (Denver) and Durden and Ray (Bendix Building, Los Angeles, 2018).
Daisy McGowan was awarded her BA with honors in Studio Art from Colorado College (1997) and MPA with a focus in arts administration from the University of Colorado (2010). McGowan is an instructor in the UCCS Visual and Performing Arts Department, Museum Studies and Gallery Practice, teaching Arts Administration and internships, and a frequent speaker and published author on the topics of contemporary art and art economics. She was born in Italy and raised around the world by an artist and a writer, and currently lives in Denver, Colorado.
