"Reflections on Cultural Identity" art show opens at the Muse Gallery, October 8

Traditional transforms into Contemporary in Reflections on Cultural Identities

The Muse Gallery, 356 Main Street, in downtown Longmont will feature Reflections on Cultural Identities by Denver artist Kanako Uno in the WESTend exhibit space, and all new work by resident artists in the Main Gallery.

Uno’s work is a biographical travelogue of sorts, exploring the journey of one woman whose roots and origin are in Japan, but who now lives in the American West of Denver, Colorado. Her paintings employ traditional Japanese imagery and media, while incorporating her own unique, signature contemporary style.

“Our ideas and identities are shaped by cultural and social environments. I have learned how much identity means to us. As such, my experiences in the U.S. have shown me the values of identity and cultures. My focus in this series aims to share the stages of emotional development that individuals discover through time, space, and self-recognition. My goal is to stimulate ideas of identity and cultures through visual dialogues to help my viewer look into themselves so that they may become aware of greatness within their own cultures, origins, and identities.” - Kanako Uno

Kanako Uno was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan. Uno began her formal education at the University of Colorado Denver in 2003. Uno’s work has been exhibited at the Emmanuel Gallery, University of Colorado Denver (UCD) student juried shows in 2003 and 2009, the invitational student group show Fiesta at Courtyard Marriott, Downtown Denver in 2006, and at the College of Art and Media Advising Office in UCD in 2006. Uno currently has her work displayed at the UCD Writing Center and at the College of Art and Media Advising Office.

OPENING RECEPTION

Meet the artists on Friday October 8, 2010 at the opening reception from 6-9pm. The reception will feature appetizers by Sakura, wine provided by Fox Creek Wine, Beer & Spirits, and Beer from Left Hand Brewing Company. The exhibition runs through November 6, 2010. For more information contact the Muse at 303-678-7869. The exhibition is sponsored by the Boulder County Arts Alliance and the Kanemoto Families.

THE MUSE GALLERY

The Muse Gallery is a collaborative artist gallery in downtown Longmont where local artists display and sell their work. For the community, it is the Gallery where they can view and buy local art ranging from jewelry to abstract paintings. While the Muse is a member gallery, not all members show at the same time, so each exhibition is fresh and new.

The WESTend exhibit space
T The WESTend is a dedicated space within the Muse Gallery created to provide a space for diverse well-known to emerging artists with a variety of themes and are local to national and international artists. It was created for shows just like this – ones that challenge or engage Longmont with a message to share and art to enjoy.

The Main Gallery
The Main Gallery will feature new work by our resident artists. The Muse Gallery’s resident artists for this exhibition are Ana Maria Botero, Jon Clarke, Katherine Ware-Wolniewicz, Susan Strok, Angelo Ambrosia, Linda Sole Faul, Lora Becker, Carolyn Bradley, Caron Ellis, Scott Mohr, Ani Espriella, Lisa Pentz, Dan Hollingshead, Janet Aitken, Marcy Davis, and new Muse artists Kathleen Reilly, Barbara Hegy, Debra Rocchi and Doug Beall. Each month the Muse features student art from Front Range Community College. Our featured artist is jewelry artist Liz Giles. Our resident artists bring a variety of styles and mediums including hand blown glass and ceramics to jewelry, painting and photography.

Muse Community Space
Japanese Art Scrolls by Rocky Mountain Elementary 3rd Graders. Rocky Mountain students have been studying Japanese art and created their own Art Scrolls. A special student reception will be held on Sat, Oct 16 at 2pm at the Muse. During the reception student ambassadors from the Longmont Sister Cities will share their experience of their summer travels.

Gallery Hours
Tuesday - Friday, 11am -5pm
Saturday, 10am -4pm

Exhibition sponsored by the Boulder County Arts Alliance & the Kanemoto Families

It's October - It's Time for Open Studios Fall Artist Tour!

“One of the best [tours] in the nation”

(source: John Villani, “The Best 100 Art Towns in America”)

October 2 & 3 and 9 & 10, noon – 6pm, free and open to the public
October 1, 6-8pm – Public Reception, Canyon Gallery Boulder Public Library

The annual Open Studios Fall Artist Tour of 128 artist studios in and around Boulder, CO. On the first two weekends of October, 128 artists reveal the secrets of their creations to the public. Tour their studio, watch them create, talk to them about their process, try your hand at it and maybe leave with a new piece of art. Open Studios is a free event averaging 5000 visitors and over 70,000 individual studio visits. September 11 – Oct. 10, one piece from each artist will be on display at the Canyon Gallery of the Boulder Public Library.

OpenArts believes that Art must be accessible to everyone and Open Studios strives to make that happen through events that are relaxed, unintimidating, educational and free. Local artists are some of our most treasured resources that often go unappreciated. Boulder has one of the highest per capita resident artists in the country and Open Studios celebrates their valuable contribution to our lives by revealing their gifts to all.



New this year: The Guidebook has gone online! Now, everyone can easily access information about the tour, the artists and even the map online at Open Studios website. A full color Map with artist images will also be for sale throughout the Front Range for $6 + tax. Visit the Open Studios website for locations. Purchase is not required but makes the tour easier and support Open Studios, a not-for-profit organization.

Open Studios signs and the Map will direct visitors to the studios around Boulder. The Map will note wheelchair accessibility, new artists, bike routes and studios hosting special activities for children.

For more information visit the OpenArts Boulder or the Open Studios websites.