Under Review

[On the Reed Magnet Wall] are just some of the gallery cards that Gary Reed & Barb Pullin acquired over the course of their visits — plus their well-used schedule of events

On the Reed Magnet Wall are just some of the gallery cards that Gary Reed & Barb Pullin acquired over the course of their visits — plus their well-used schedule of events

The Month of Photography 2015 was a roaring success! This year’s MoP ran from mid February to the end of May with one show going all the way to July. Gary and I put together a weekly list of openings that we planned on attending, and invited friends to join us. We were out every week from Wednesday to Saturday and hit a grand total of 72 openings — it was exhilarating!

The MoP organizers really had their stuff together on the www.mopdenver.com website. The photography and information of each Gallery, Coffee House and Sponsor was effective, colorful and clear; a helpful feature that made it super-easy to find out each day what and where events would be happening.

After a few times out, we discovered a consistent theme going on with the exhibits: White walls, white frames and white mats seemed to be the standard presentation. After several weeks everyone else was talking about it too. I have to admit, this style lent added visual punch by making the photographs stand out and not compete with their surroundings.

This event also brought the creative community together and gave everyone an opportunity to make new friends, see old ones and see to it that photography was the buzz around town!

 

There were so many fantastic photography exhibitions. Here – in no particular order – are the ones that left the strongest impression on us:

 

Donna Rae Altieri: 50 Years in Your Face / Ironton Studios and Gallery

In a word: “Fun”. Donna’s photography over the decades is just so entertaining and a joy to see.

 

Jason DeMarte: Confected / Rule Gallery

“Amazing and Beautiful” Congrats to Valerie and Rachael.

 

The Long Road: A Photographic Journey / The work and legacy of Hal Gould and Denver’s Camera Obscura Gallery Dona Laurita Gallery in Louisville

Being there at the opening and it also being Hal’s birthday made it a special day. It was like a taste of the old Camera Obscura days. Gallery owner Dona Laurita put together a fantastic exhibit.

 

Role Play – CPAC Group Show Exhibition / Redline Project Space Gallery

Well-presented and engaging. Great job Rupert Jenkins and Connor King.

 

Liz Hickok: Ground Waters / Michael Warren Contemporary Gallery

Liz’s work is so unique. We loved it and the mural at 34th and Downing was spectacular.

 

Mike McClung, Barb, Liz Hickok, Gary and Warren Campbell at the Groundwaters show

Mike McClung, Barb, Liz Hickok, Gary and Warren Campbell at the Ground Waters show

 

 

Analog / Mike Wright Gallery

Mike and Sarah hit a major home run with this blockbuster.

 

Carol Golemboski, Barb, Bill Adams, Marti Foxhoven and Gary at Mike Wright Gallery

Carol Golemboski, Barb, Bill Adams, Marti Foxhoven and Gary at the Mike Wright Gallery. Selfie by Gary Reed

 

 

Focus Spark / Gallery

A group show, this one curated by Mark Sink had wonderful style and variety and Reed’s own Marti Foxhoven sold one of her pieces!

 

Grays Space Gallery / Curated by Sarah LaVigne

Sarah always pulls together a great show and this one certainly did not disappoint — a fantastic way to kick off the MoP season.

 

Entre Nous: The Salon Romantique / Presents The Nude / Entre Nous Galerie

Elegant — to say the least.

 

Mark Sink, Rupert Jenkins, Barb and Gary outside at Entre Nous

Mark Sink, Rupert Jenkins, Barb and Gary outside at Entre Nous. Photo by Sam Nguyen

 

 

Not As It Seems & Vigorous Revelations / Valkarie Gallery

Two exhibits at Belmar that were well curated and worthy of a top MoP listing. We even bought two pieces! I’d like to put a shout out to Bob Jewett and his amazing show.

 

What Has Never Been… Is / Hinterland

When Sabin Aell puts a show together you know it’s gonna rock!

 

Travelers 5, It’s all in Black and White, Focal Points / Tbellphotographic Studio

The three shows for MoP at Tbell Gallery. The Travelers show curated by Sharon Meriash is always, always a fun and interesting exhibit. Reed’s Bob Jewett and Gary Reed were amongst the selected photographers. The Black and White show is also a MoP tradition that we would never miss, and the final show, Focal Points, was another wonderful collaboration of Terri Bell and Sharon Meriash. So good, we bought two pieces here also! And BTW, Jody Akers took Best of Show in the Black and White Show.

 

Gary and Barb at Travelers 5 Show

At the Travelers 5 Show. Photo by Mark Sink

 

 

The Origins of Photography, Past and Present / The Pattern Shop Studio

Wow, what a collection of vintage imagery. No wonder it ran for over two months.

 

Damak to Denver: A Picture Me Here Project / Curated by Brigid McAuliffe Denver Photo Art/John Fielders Colorado Gallery

Get to know their story and all you can say is “Amazing!”. Images that really make you think about how and where you grew up. Not only that but by far the best food!

 

The Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder

There were three shows here at the same time and each was well displayed, well curated and totally fascinating.

 

Alternative Processes / Art Students League of Denver

Now how great was it that ASLD was showing photography! This was a small but very interesting exhibit.

 

Lift / St. Mark’s

OK, so the girls rocked it again with fantastic images of all shapes, sizes and styles.

 

Surface Film / Anthology Fine Art

Zach and Kendra’s annual photo show/ fundraiser for Trout Unlimited. This show gets stronger every year and this one had some very cool images.

 

Barb Gary at the Anthology Show

The Anthology Show. Selfie by Gary Reed

 

 

 

Far Between / Robischon Gallery

Well done, Jim. This exhibit was definitely in our top five.

 

Gary and Barb at Robischon Gallery

At the Robischon Gallery. Photo by Richard Alden Peterson

 

 

 

Kristen Hatgi: A Tented Sky / Gildar Gallery

Delicious!

 

Redline was once again the mothership of MoP and hosted ‘Playing with Beauty’.

This was another show curated by Mark Sink that was both big and beautiful. The opening night brought everyone together for a great time, great art and a chance to see and be seen with some of the incredible talent Denver has to offer.

It was an amazing journey and we’re sorry it’s over. Looking forward to 2017!