The inauguration of the Museum of Friends’ downstairs gallery, in the Main Street space formerly occupied by Duckwalls, coincides with the Bergers’ (co-founders of the Museum) interest in developing the downtown area of Walsenburg and raising the visibility and awareness of contemporary art in Walsenburg and the region.

“In the last 100 years of international art making, we have moved away from depicting the world in the style of realism moving towards contemporary expression which is multi-dimensional,” Curator Maria Cocchiarelli-Berger said. “The abstract works featured in both new exhibits attest to the distinctive possibilities of three different artists’ interpretations of their expression.”

Brendt Berger is a painter/printmaker with roots in Hawaii who refers to the imagery of his heritage in his more recent work.  In “Monumental Paintings,” he relies on his formal training as a painter using color, form and composition to express his creativity as his life unfolded in the 1980’s while living in New York. “Dilworth’s Rib,” “Hawaiian Heart,” “Umbrella,” “John Lennon, and ” Ricardo Meets Death at Kuster King” refer to real events in the artist’ life.  The largest work, “Dilworth’s Rib” is a memorial to Berger’s dear friend and poet Dilworth Faber, a New York street poet also known as the Penny Man.  This would need more space to see it in its entirety, but due to the height of the gallery ceilings one panel had to be omitted.  On view is a reproduction which accurately portrays the whole work measuring 15 feet by 50 feet.

In common with Linda Fleming’s Wood Sculptures from 1988 to 1992, both Berger and she used recycled materials before it was in fashion.  Fleming’s wood remnants were taken from construction sites and found in neighborhoods in which she has lived.  

These components contain the history of what they had been as they are transformed into new forms.  Interested in the demonstration of scientific theory, Fleming found a parallel between these materials and the particles out of which all matter is comprised.  Each has taken on numerous forms and she constructed her sculptures with the intent to express this in 3 dimensions.   “Flask,” the largest of these works, is 130 inches high by 96 inches wide and 48 inches deep.  Created in 1990,  it defies logic, seeming to stay balanced while suggesting it may tumble at the same time.  “Green Ring”, considerably smaller with a wonderful patina of green, is intricately formed in such a manner that the viewer is continually drawn in to understand its construction.

Upstairs, in the permanent galleries of MOF, is a special exhibition of Peggy Zehring in process.  Beginning with the entrance hall and moving throughout the space are more than forty mixed-media works and a complete wall recreation from her studio.  The “in process wall” displays the objects which become incorporated into her completed mixed-media three-dimensional bas reliefs.  Zehring’s expression is dependent on her search for inner truth.

“For 30 years now, I have been using my art to explore my Truth – mentally, physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually,” Zehring said.  “I began by painting and drawing it.  In the mid-80’s, after a trip to Mexico, my work started becoming more three-dimensional. I became interested in experimenting with materials such as sand, marble dust, chalk dust, sawdust, ashes, joint compound, plaster, string, Spackle, cardboard, found metal objects, leather, sticks, wasp nests, birds’ nests and acrylic mediums, among others.  I especially seek materials which have been softened and aged by the earth.”

In conjunction with the new exhibitions and the museum’s interest in developing the downtown area, public programs have been designed to encourage downtown walking traffic, shopping and dining.

Upcoming public programs:

New Artists Series: Artists Talk on Art
Thursday evenings at 5:30 in the new Main Street location.

August 19,

Terri Madigan, Area Director for Friends of the Over the River, will give a presentation on Over The River project to answer questions and inform supporters of how they can be involved.  Over The River is a two-week temporary work of art created by world-renowned artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The artists plan to suspend 5.9 miles of silvery, luminous fabric panels high above the water of the Arkansas River at eight separate areas between Salida and Canon City.

September 30

Peggy Zehring, Multi-Media artist with an exhibition on the 2nd Floor of MOF, will discuss her work, process and teaching philosophy.

October 14,

Brendt Berger, Painter, Printmaker with an exhibition on the 1st Floor of MOF, will discuss the formation of the Museum of Friends in relation to his Paintings on view.

October 28,

Kenny Schneider will present his film “Peggy Zehring – in process” at the Fox Theater
A documentary filmed in the artist studio that explores who she is as an artist.

Date and time to be announced:

Dennis Oppenheim, internationally acclaimed public artist with work in the permanent collection of the Museum of Friends, will present images of his new public sculpture, Light Chamber, in the Denver Justice Center.

Community Outreach

Yoga for Mind, Body, Soul

Certified Hatha Yoga Instructor Arleen Feiccabrino leads a class for adults every Tuesday from noon to 1:30 pm.  Please bring a yoga mat or towels.  Fee $5.00 per class.

School Tour Program

K-12 Curriculum-based programs offered Tuesday through Fridays, $3.00 per student

*The Museum of Friends is open to the public Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon until 5 pm.  Admission is free with suggested donation of $5.00 per adult and $3.00 per child and senior citizen.  MOF is supported in part by Colorado Creative Industries, the Faris Land and Cattle, Volunteers for Change, the Huerfano World Journal, and numerous individuals.

Children create self portraits in Liberty

On the front side is an enlarged portrait of Liberty from the collage of portraits painted on the back side.

The wooden door and the collage on the back side were originally exhibited in the “Artists in China: June 4” show from 1990. The show commemorated those who died in the brutal repression, by Chinese authorities, of the democratic demonstrations during the Tiananmen Square uprising in June, 1989.

“The Chinese demonstrators used the icon of the Statue of Liberty as a symbol and in the art work “Door”, I used images of youth working on their ‘Statue of Liberty” mural to express their freedom,” Cocchiarelli explained.

On Wednesday, September 16

Since 1996, Ms. Henderson has constructively helped to change the face of downtown Walsenburg through her refurbishment of dilapidated buildings (commercial and residential). Henderson’s retail enterprises “Southwest Imports” and “The Cowboy Connection” have created viable shops that allow the visitor to Walsenburg a venue that adds to its economy by presenting delightful and varied array of merchandize. Her elegantly restored “La Plaza Inn” Bed and Breakfast transformed the old Kirkpatrick hotel into a working reprieve for the tired traveler looking for a bit more than the usual fare. Recently, the “Gallery” at the La Plaza Inn has added to the ambiance of staying there. The Gallery at the La Plaza Inn is a commercial art gallery that features the works of contemporary local artists. Ms. Henderson and Tom Hart, a Nebraskan native developed the Art Gallery as a response to the new contemporary Art Museum one block away – the Museum of Friends.

Henderson has restored 4 commercial and 4 residential buildings since arriving in Walsenburg 13 years ago. She with other merchants in the downtown area, are promoting a cohesive re-development plan that includes the arts, restaurants, entertainment and a variety of retail stores thereby creating jobs and resources.

Previous to coming to Walsenburg Henderson published a travel magazine “Rocky Mountain Clubs and Resorts” and a 500 page travel guide called “Discover the Rockies.”

Story and photo by Brad Atchison

The Signature Newspaper

(Walsenburg, Colo. – June 4, 2009)

Fortunately for Huerfano County, Eddie Dominguez skipped over more heralded venues in Colorado Springs and Pueblo and chose the Museum of Friends in Walsenburg as the southern Colorado stop for his traveling exhibit, Tierra Culture.  

Students and patrons of the ceramic arts may be asking themselves, “How did the Museum of Friends land a show by Eddie Dominguez?” Despite his accomplishments and reputation, others are certainly asking themselves, “Who is Eddie Dominguez?”

Dominguez is, without exaggeration or hyperbole, one of the most innovative and celebrated clay artists in America. He has work in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., as well as regional venues such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Santa Fe. Dominguez is on the faculty at University of Nebraska Lincoln, but splits his years between teaching and working at his studio in Roswell, New Mexico.

Although Maria Cocchiarelli Berger and her husband Brendt performed a minor miracle in attracting the exhibit, Dominguez may have been drawn to Walsenburg because it is an unlikely location for art of this caliber. Dominguez was born and raised in Tucumcari, New Mexico, a community that has more in common with Huerfano County, than the city of New York, where Dominguez’ work sells for tens of thousands of dollars.

 Although Dominguez attended the Cleveland Institute of Art and Alfred University, his first exposure to art was through his family and community.  The art of Tucumcari and the Dominguez household looked nothing like the work displayed in 5th Avenue galleries.

Dominguez grew up in an environment where art existed in close proximity to the utility of everyday objects.  “To me, art was my next-door neighbor making a quilt; it was my aunt crocheting, or my mother making a dress,” explained Dominguez.  “Anything that involved somebody in any kind of creative expression was art. The most honest influences that I have had can be found in the little things of my home.” 

Area patrons who joined Dominguez on May 29th were treated to a guided tour and honest conversation about his art, life and inspiration.  The Museum of Friends is displaying a diverse sample of the work of Dominguez in two locations: the grand hallway of the county courthouse and in the Museum at corner of 6th and Main Street, above Duckwalls. 

After conducting a tour of the current exhibits, Dominguez presented a brief retrospective of his work at the Fox Theater and fielded questions from an enthusiastic audience.  Some of the earliest images of art that Dominguez shared with the audience at the Fox were of reconditioned curio cabinets with hammered and polished tin.  Images of later work included wheel thrown ceramics, clay sculpture, assemblages, painting, performance art and photography. 

A recurrent theme of Dominguez’s work is “transformation”.  Many of his breakthrough moments as an artist occurred in the context of loss: the death of his mother, father and niece.  Anton’s Flowers, one of Dominguez’s most acclaimed creations, celebrated the transformation that accompanied the birth of his son Anton. The “Anton” series are sculptural pieces comprised of cups, bowls and plates arranged to create a “garden”. The beauty and innovation of Anton’s Flowers is best appreciated in person, which you can do at the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian or the Huerfano County Courthouse.

On display at the Museum of Friends is Hope Rosary a sizeable sculpture that is draped across the floor of the Museum.  This work seems to represent many of the contradictions that Dominguez has experienced in terms of spirituality, art and culture.  It also reflects the amount of time that is sometimes required to take a piece from conception to fruition.

“Something that is seeded in my mind can continue to reveal itself over my lifetime,” explained Dominguez in reference to Hope Rosary.  “I was driving the road from Tucumcari to Las Vegas [New Mexico].  I looked up on the side of the mountain and

there was a giant rosary.”

Dominguez was inspired by this piece of spiritual folk art in the context of the recent death of his grandmother.  Although his inspiration was sudden, Dominguez’ completion of his own rosary project was not. 

“I didn’t know how to finish it,” said Dominguez.  “I put it in a box.  Thirteen years later, I got it out and finished it. After 13 years the urge and the need was still there.”

The Tierra Culture exhibit will run through the month of July at the Museum of Friends, 109 East 6th Street in downtown Walsenburg and at the County Courthouse. The courthouse exhibit can be viewed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week.  The exhibit at the Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.  Entry to the Museum is free but a donation is requested.  To learn more about  Dominguez or the Museum of Friends you may call 719-738-2858 or visit online at www.museumoffriends.org.

www.signaturenewspaper.com

World Staff Writers

WALSENBURG—In a continued effort to support the arts, the Museum of Friends hosted a fundraising party Saturday, April 25 for the Colorado Art Ranch and gave a sneak preview of the Eddie Dominguez show slated to open this month.The Colorado Art Ranch — a nomadic arts organization that travels from town to town throughout Colorado, sponsors one-month residencies for artists around the globe. The organization is currently a guest of Trinidad State Junior College (TSJC), where the group is sponsoring an “Artposium” titled Sex and Sensibility, an exploration of how sexuality and gender influence art, society and behavior.Museum of Friends creators Brendt Berger and Maria Cocchiarelli-Berger have recently joined the Art Ranch artist selection committee. They said they want to support the organization as best they can.“Part of the reason we did this is to gain recognition of what’s happening in Trinidad,” Berger said. “At this point, the Art Ranch is transient and they are looking at possibly starting an Art Ranch in Walsenburg. But right now we are working to raise public awareness, and this last event was pretty successful.”Artists from the ranch presented their work for as many as 100 guests at the party.Suzy Almond, a writer, songwriter and actress from London, said the Colorado landscape has definitely influenced her work.“Suddenly prairie dogs and burnt out cars are turning up in my songs,” she said. “This place is having an effect on me.”Christine Comeau of Quebec shared photos of her work in fabric. The French-speaking 29-year-old creates sculptural over-garments that are monumental in scale and meant to be worn by several people at once.“I am curious about the concept of social network, social identities and the interconnection between shapes and beings,” she said. The work explores those concepts by seemingly intertwining individuals and thereby creating one unit out of many people.Other artists included writer Kristen Iversen of Rocky Flats, Kate O’Neill, Greg Larson and Hannah Stewart.The art of Eddie Dominguez will be on display at the museum as well as at the Huerfano County Courthouse throughout the month. An art opening is slated for May 5 to coincide with the Cinco de Mayo holiday.

Read more about this on The Huerfano World’s web site 

            The Museum of Friends, located in Walsenburg, Colorado is pleased to announce the opening of Tierra Culture (Cultural Landscapes): The Art of Eddie Dominquez.   An afternoon celebration on May 5 from 2 to 5:30 pm will include tours through the exhibition at two locations.  In collaboration with the Huerfano County Commissioners, this exhibition may be viewed at both the Huerfano County Courthouse and the Museum of Friends.  Cultural Landscapes will be on view from April 25 through July 31, 2009. 

            Artist Eddie Dominquez is a native of Tucumcari, New Mexico, and currently teaches ceramics at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln.  He received his bachelor’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Art, and then completed graduate work at Alfred College in Ceramics in Alfred, New York. Mr. Dominquez’ sculptures, ceramics and works on paper express his rich Hispanic and Indigenous cultural background through contemporary art.  He commented, “By combining ideas of contemporary painting, sculpture and crafts into multimedia forms my vision becomes realized.  It is informed by my love of the land, a sense of nostalgia for home and ideas of culture.  Themes of joy, sentimentality, celebration, loss, humor, environmental beauty and destruction imbue my work with content.”

            Dominquez creates sculptures that make reference to familiar functional items found in the home.  For the exhibitions in Walsenburg, the sculptures on view explore themes found in rosaries, plant life, crucifixes, and figurative torsos.  His interest began by seeing the roadside memorials for those lost in auto accidents along the highway.  The torso sculptures also relate to the idea of landscape by incorporating imagery of sky, land and vegetation.  Dominquez work relates well to the Museum of Friends mission in that he attributes the influence of his Aunt who filled her house with quilts, doilies, crocheted curtains, braided rugs and shrines – “art was my next-door neighbor making a quilt; it was my aunt crocheting, or my mother making a dress.  The most honest influences that I have had can be found in the little things of my home.”  Similarly, at the Museum of Friends one will view other artists who have been influenced by living art and the experience of contributing their skills in every day expressions of creativity. 

            The Museum of Friends is available for group tours of this exhibition, and provides a school-tour program k-12 for our community.  The tour would include a portion of it in the Huerfano County Courthouse (except on Saturdays).  Also in keeping with Eddie Dominquez intent he states “from my earliest memories, I always felt a responsibility to do community work, to bring art to places where art doesn’t live.  I would hope that if I have ever done anything important, it would be that I brought art into the life of many people.”  Mr. Dominquez will be presenting a walk through tour beginning at the Courthouse (401 Main Street) at 3 pm, on Friday, May 29^th.  The tour will continue to the Museum of Friends where it will conclude. 

            Please call if you have any questions.

The Museum of Friends is opened on Tuesday through Friday noon to 5 pm; Saturdays noon to 5 pm; Closed Mondays, and Sundays.  For Group and School-tour programs special hours may be arranged.  The Huerfano County Courthouse is opened Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.

Huerfano County Commissioners and the Museum of Friends Present

                                                        The New Show

                                   The Third, Satellite Exhibition of 2008

                        November 14^th through March, 2009

     Many of the artists included in our inaugural exhibition at the Courthouse,

March to June 08, are currently represented in The New Show.  You will be pleased to see paintings, sculptures, and fabric works, not previously viewed in this space.

            The arts are alive in the Huerfano and surrounding communities.  All of the artists included are from this County plus Pueblo, except for Charles Strong – although a native Coloradoan – currently resides in Taos, New Mexico.  Charles’ oil painting “The White Rose” on canvas, 2008, commemorates the lives of political artist resistance fighters during the Nazi period in Germany. Charles, a world traveler, became aware of the White Rose while visiting Germany.  The White Rose student group began in 1943, in Munich, 60 years ago as resistance to Hitler and the Third Reich, passing out leaflets containing a passionate appeal to Germans to engage in passive resistance to the prevailing policies.  Ruthlessly suppressed, the students were tracked down and executed by the Gestapo almost immediately.  Charlie’s work of the last three years honors these heroic resistance fighters by asking the question:   

                                                         - Would you join the white rose?

Another work that questions our current political reality –this time – in the United States, is David Martinez’s “The Mighty War Machine”.  David is a Walsenburg resident, and descentent of La Plaza de Los Leones founders.  David attended Trinidad State Junior College, University of Southern Colorado and New Mexico State University with major interest in Art and Mathematics.

David’s water/oil painting on view is composed of various distorted pieces signifying as he stated: “…many entities engaged in the war in Iraq. The elephant eats a leaf, shaped like a coffin,

                              -            the meager gains of war.”   

            Joan Hanley in our inaugural exhibition showed a relief painting.  In The New Show we get a glimpse of Joan’s talent as a sculptor.  “The Bather with Attitude” is a bronze sculpture that represents Hanley’s figurative work from 1990’s.  She commented that this work represents “an expression of the power of the female spirit.”   Joan has successfully used her talents as an artist in many endeavors in the fine art arena – well respected in our community, and many other locales.

            Peggy Zehring is well known in our area as an instructor, painter and founder of the

La Veta School of the Arts.  Recently, she had a one-person show in New York City, at the Montserrat Gallery that met with great success and acclaim.

            Paul Alhadef was a Walsenburg resident until recently when we lost him to Pueblo.  The   photographic portrait on view called “Tammy,” depicts his wife, a multi-talented writer and artist.  His photographic portraits are very strong, while using the environment of the Huerfano and surrounding Counties with heightened color.  Paul draws from his experience as a fashion photographer to create dramatic effects.  He has a thriving photography and web site design business in Pueblo. 

            Also living in Pueblo, is Bobby Valentine who was recently included in MOF’s permanent collection.  Valentine has two large-scale photographs on loan at MOF that depict the majesty of Mt. Blanca and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  For The New Show, Valentine has included a giclee print titled “Conveyor” which shows another side of this talented photographer – his interest in urban industrialized settings.  Valentine runs Gicleeprint.net where he produces prints for many of the artists in this show.

            Dean Fleming one of the most notable artists from our area – Libre –was recently acknowledged for his lifetime achievement in art making at the University of Texas at Austin’s Blanton Museum’s Art Exhibition called “Re-imagining Space – the Park Place Gallery in New York in the 60’s,” it runs through January 09. ”   He was one of 10 artists who initiated a movement in abstract art referred to as the 4^th dimension by the curator of the exhibition, Professor Linda Henderson.  In The New Show exhibition, Dean Fleming’s “Woods #4” demonstrates how his evolution as an artist is reflected in his most recent works while remaining consistent with his original theories. 

            Dave Roberts is best known for his work as an early advocate of recycling and a mentor to young artists in this state.  Dave reuses industrial waste to create his 2 and 3 dimensional art works.  For The New Show,  Dave’s two-dimensional print, and sculpture illustrate just how diverse this artist is.  “Compositional study of “Guernica” in Architectural form” is a giclee print made from Dave’s original work inspired by Pablo Picasso’s painting “Guernica”, circa 1937.  Picasso shows the Nazi German bombing of Guernica, Spain, killing 250 to 1,600 people.  In it he shows the tragedies of war and suffering it inflicts on humankind.  Dave appropriates the composition and leads the viewer to the past while questioning the present.            

James Robieson’s limited edition laser print on canvas reflects his experimentation with computer technology, graphics and filmmaking. 

            Beth Harper has recently completed her undergraduate work at Goddard College in which she explored the rich visual inspiration of her surroundings as a resident of Walsenburg.  For more than one year, Harper’s work at MOF as our first college intern was instrumental in getting MOF on the map.  Her fabric piece “Untitled” represents her deep commitment as an emerging artist.

Judith Baker Montano is an internationally recognized fiber artist.  Her work is included in numerous public and private collections.  The intricacies and delicacies of her vision are magical.  The whole world-view represented in a miniature setting is delightful while remaining unbelievable to the viewer.  Her works for The New Show are fantasy seascapes, and called “Underwater Sea garden”, 2007, and are mixed media.

Ralph Price, a long time Gardner resident known for his home movies, and cultivation of tomatoes, exhibits a photograph and drawing for The New Show.

Brendt Berger, the curator of The New Show, chose Maria Cocchiarelli’s large acrylic on hand-made paper  “Family,” dated 2000.   Berger commented: this painting is bold with ambition, color – physically sensuous, while remaining remarkably innocent.  “Family” is a joy to behold as it suggests the intimacy of a family outing.   Cocchiarelli currently lives in Gardner and is the Co-Founder of the Museum of Friends in Walsenburg.   She has worked extensively as an educator, public and fine artist, in the museum, school, and university setting.  Her work is included in numerous public and private collections.

Berger selected his own work called “F Train” from 1989 due to his 25 year interest in using found materials.  Here he uses a packing crate found in his Brooklyn neighborhood and the red lead paint of government surplus difficult to dispose of except to willing artists.  The painting represents a late night commute on the F Train subway.  It is oil on wood, measuring 59” x 78.”

Berger currently lives in Gardner and is Co-Founder of the Museum of Friends in Walsenburg.  

He will be teaching a class at the La Veta School of the Arts in Summer, 09.

We are hopeful that as more visitors see the talent represented in The New Show, we might pique their interest to take a walk down the street and make a visit to MOF.

                                    Brendt Berger and Maria Cocchiarelli-Berger,

                                                                        October 08, Walsenburg