State of the Arts: Fort Collins

Alternate title: Still Nothing There. (Part Two)
Naming no names.

Flying over a flyover state.

My lack of interest in this blog is a good indicator of my opinions of the current state of the arts in ole Fort Collins. All too often, the community's lack luster reception of contemporary art makes it a frustrating and unrewarding experience for the artist. (At least for this artist - I speak for myself only.) The avant-garde is shunned, any artwork that is too unusual, too challenging, or different, is scoffed at, or worse, ignored. There is a serious lack of critical thinking on art, and a total lack of good dialogue going on in this town. Luckily, there IS some great work coming out of the region, there are many great artists in this town, and a few fabulous galleries. It's the reception of the art works, the faked interest, that undermines my efforts to expand my communications with my local audience. Why bother? There is nothing, or rather, no one there.

Further proving my point was the hype around the hiring of a new 'arts and entertainment' writer at our local paper. This has again proven to be a disappointment. This writer's youth, (evidenced by her twitter TL) and her lack of knowledge in the arts, (probably due to a lack of education in the area) is obvious in her writing.  It is a lack of respect for the discipline, knowing what it is to be an artist, how art is made and what makes a good gallery/museum/exhibition.  The in-ability to articulate well to the reading public, to contribute meaningful dialogue to the discourse of contemporary art, is a dis-service to the reading public, and has only managed to maintain the "blah", status quo of Fort Collins' art scene.

Photo by Alex Kuznetsov, http://www.calgarygemshow.com/2012/02/nothing-rock-shop/

I have not completely lost hope, however. Nothing motivates me more than a challenge. I do have high hopes for the Fort Collins Museum of Art with the hiring of a new executive director. Patience will be needed however, as it will take several years to see the changes in the exhibitions. Other bright spots in our local art scene include the growing group of artists active in promoting a vibrant art scene. It is not an over intellectualized state of mind that I am craving, rather a curious disposition, a mind full of wonder and a spirit engaged in raising the bar, expanding ideas, and through these interactions gaining a greater understanding of one's self, one's community and the world.

"Somewhere over the Rainbow" photo by Laura Cofrin, 2014

To see the previous post regarding my ongoing struggle with the local art scene,
please click here.

Leaping into the not so certain future...

Photographs by Laura Brent

Last night's closing reception of SKY HIGH was a successful ending to an enjoyable exhibition, although a tad bittersweet. The three month exhibition netted me my best sales period in the history of the gallery. The cloud photographing continues, however, as I plan to continue this documentary project for an entire year, capturing all seasons of skies, to complete the project of cataloging these transient objects. The future form the work may take is undetermined, but will offer opportunities for a reappearance in the future.

So what is next for Valhall Arts? This is a question that is a bit up in the air. The past status quo changed a few months ago with the sale of the historic Post Office building to a new owner. Luckily this means that many of the 'ten year past their useful life' mechanical HVAC units in the building are going to be replaced. A much need upgrade of the building will occur, and I hope this creates a new liveliness. How these changes will affect the spirit of the building remains to be seen.

There has been lighthearted talk of 'ghosts' in the building, and the entire Oak Street plaza area was once a graveyard, home to civil war casualties and honored soldiers. (although the bodies were probably moved...more research needed.*) Could it be the tainted soil which is beneath us that causes the lackluster energy? or is it the stagnant art community that pervades the area? Of the several artists that rent spaces in the building, some have decided to use this change as an impetus to move on to new adventures. Others are still debating what to do, considering possible studio trades, and/or re-locations within the building. The trouble of finding a concrete solution is compounded by the lack of information coming from the new landlords. There is gossip about other non-art tenants coming in, (possibly a restaurant), rent raises, and proposed remodeling.  It is hard to make a decision without all the facts, so I am in a 'wait and see' period of stagnation.

All this instability in the structure of my work space has distracted me from really creating any quality substantial work. I have been playing in the darkroom a bit, making photo-grams, and printing some older shots, but it has been far too long since I have used my pinhole cameras and I am lacking a clear direction of where I want my work to go. In the forefront, at this time, must be the marketing of my recent projects to other galleries in major art cities.(Santa Fe, NYC, Chicago, LA) Although I am grateful for the 2% of my local audience that appreciates my work,  I must expand my audience to reach more of those who it is intended for, the 'literati' of contemporary art, as it may be. As such, Valhall Arts, the gallery, will take a back seat. What the new year holds will be determined when it gets here.

*planning a trip to the new Fort Collins Museum of Discovery historic archive!