Artist Spotlight: Adam Fuss

On display now at the Fine Arts Center is 50x50: The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection, an exhibition of 50 contemporary works gifted to the FAC by New York collectors Herbert and Dorothy Vogel. Featured in the exhibition is a manipulated photograph by British artist Adam Fuss.

Artist Adam Fuss. Image Source

Using pinhole cameras and photograms to “reject photography but still hold onto it,” Fuss desired to return to the historic origins of photography to represent elapsed time, rather than embracing the more popular modern ideas of capturing specific moments with a 35 mm lens. 

Born in London in 1961, Fuss began his career using pinhole cameras, the earliest and simplest way to photographically record an image.  

Adam Fuss, Untitled, 1997, Manipulated photograph, edition 61/100. FA 2009.12.10. Image source

Later he moved towards photograms, a cameraless darkroom process involving exposing photographic paper blocked by various objects to light, in this case keeping the paper in a water bath covered with small particles (salt or sugar, perhaps) to create the illusion of a starry sky with scattered material on the paper.  The manipulated photographs of Fuss tend to feature evocative, surreal images such as this one; inspired by nature but not directly depicting it.

Fuss now lives and works in New York City.

50 x 50:

The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection

On view May 11 - Aug. 11, 2013 | Tues.- Sun., 10a-5p

Instructor Highlight: Linda Dabeau

This summer, the Bemis School of Art is offering a variety of new courses taught by talented artists, including a new course on sculpting by Linda Dabeau. 

Sculpture by Linda Daeu.

Dabeau has been awarded both national and international commissions in sculpture. She works in multiple mediums, such as bronze, stone, fired clay, cast metals, glass and wood. Dabeau spent her formative years in Latin America and studied painting at the University of the Americas in Mexico City. In 1985, she opened a sculpture studio in Albuquerque and learned three-dimensional art and stone carving. She mingles inspiration from modern masters, traditional folk artists, and her own life experience in her artwork.

 

St. Peter, by Linda Dabeau

Modeling the Head in Clay
June 11 - Aug. 6 | 6-9p | Register Online!

Artist Spotlight: Emilia Faro

Emilia Faro, Carnival Party, 2010. Watercolor on paper.
Image courtesy of the Progressive Corporation

Closing this Sunday, May 19 is A Family Affair. This is a rare chance for the general public to experience outstanding selections of art from the Progressive Corporations contemporary art collection. 

Emilia Fargo, The Red Sledge, 2010. Watercolor on paper.
Image courtesy of the Progressive Corporation.

Emilia Faro is an artist featured in the exhibition, and is primarily a watercolor painter, working in a style that exploits the medium to the highest degree. Using a watercolor technique of “wet-into-wet”, Faro achieves a watery and dreamlike appearance for her cast of characters—many of whom are lifted from her own personal narrative. Oftentimes, she pulls imagery from old photo albums and scrapbooks, recasting the scenes in the hazy blur where all memories ultimately reside. Faro’s ethereal images are ghostlike portents from the past, yet brought to the present with lifelike exactitude and a somewhat exposed interior—as the very soul of the portrait lives on, yet only in the very presence of the painting itself. 

Emilia Faro, Snow, 2010. Watercolor on paper.
Image courtesy of the Progressive Corporation.

In an interview, the artist discusses the collapsing of her medium with the emotional content of her subject matter. She states, “I use watercolor on paper because it can lighten up a face till the point of reaching the soul. It’s a technique that reflects my impulsive temperament as it requires a speed of execution that allows me to catch a thought in the shortest possible time. Watercolor painting is like a flower, oil painting is like a fruit: the first must be caught before they wither; the second needs time to mature.”

Emilia Faro, My Sixth Birthday, 2010. Watercolor on paper.
Image courtesy of the Progressive Corporation.

A Family Affair
Selections from the Progressive Art Collection 
Closing May 19, 2013 | FAC galleries are open Tuesday-Sunday, 10a-5p

Artist Spotlight: Will Barnet

Opening this Saturday, May 11 is 50x50: The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection, an exhibition of 50 contemporary works of art that the FAC received as a gift from New York  collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel. As part of this extraordinary gift, one institution in each of the 50 states received 50 works of art. With the help of the National Gallery of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Vogels gifted 2,500 works nationwide that include paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, and prints by more than 170 contemporary artists, mainly working in the United States.

Will Barnet, Willie, Age 2 1/2, 1984. Charcoal on vegetable parchment paper. FA 2009.12.2

One of the featured artists in the exhibition is Will Barnet, an artist and educator who explored drawing, painting, watercolor, and printmaking throughout his 101 years of life. He is known for his gracefully stylized portraits depicting figures and animals, mostly based on his wife and children in scenes of both everyday life and also in colorfully imagined dreamlike atmospheres. Barnet was an influential figure in the New York-based movement of “Indian Space Painting,” in which artists based their semi-abstract work on traditional Native American art. 

The gestural charcoal portraits in the Vogel Collection are more naturalistic and detailed than the artist’s better-known work, yet they reflect the simplified economy of line typical of his paintings. 

In 2011, Barnet was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama.

Will Barnet, Self-Portrait, 1981. image source

50 x 50:

The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection

On view May 11 - Aug. 11, 2013 | Tues.- Sun., 10a-5p

Official Rough Writers Winners!

Following our first ever Rough Writers play festival, the results are in! "After two weeks of exciting readings featuring 10 playwrights and dozens of artists, I'm thrilled that the audience was able to find clear favorites of the work that they most wanted to see staged as a full production." Scott RC Levy continues,  "That the two playwrights are both locally-based women is the cherry on top!"

And the winner is....DRUM ROLL.....

Marisa D. Hebert's Pieces of Him won the play festival!
 
"I really enjoyed the collaborative nature of working with such great local actors and listening to / watching my piece come to life.  The ability to receive immediate audience and actor feedback was invaluable to the process," shared Marisa Hebert about her Rough Writers' experience.

Pieces of Him will be featured in a full production next spring, making its World Premiere as part of the FAC Theatre Company's 2013-2014 Theatre Season. 

"Now that I've heard the piece, I can't wait to see it up on it's feet. My hope in having this piece produced at the Fine Arts Center is that it will help to bring people of diversity into the spotlight a bit more in the Colorado Springs Theatre community."  

Marisa D. Hebert is a seventeen-year Actor/Director veteran of the Colorado Springs Theatre community. It is only recently that Hebert turned to writing as a way to bring people of diversity to the Colorado Springs stage. Her intent is to create roles of substance for actors of color, and actors in the GLBTQ community.  Pieces of Him is Marisa’s first full-length play, and tells the story of a close knit family whose bonds are bent, tested and broken following the unexpected death of their loving patriarch. 

Sue Bachman's Disposing of Grandma won the best short play category! Upon learning of her win, Bachman shared, "I felt there were a couple of really strong short plays in addition to my own... so I was pleasantly surprised and delighted to have mine chosen for production."

Sue Bachman grew up in Wisconsin in a multigenerational household with both Italian and German ethnic influences, and  became interested in theatre as a child. She went on to earn her theatre degree from Northwestern University, wrote a series of short skits in college, and has since written a variety of short plays and acted in numerous Colorado Springs musicals and dramas. In her play Disposing of Grandma, a mother and daughter must confront an ocean of emotion and memories as they pack up Grandma's belongings following her death. 
  
Rough Writers Present World Premieres
Pieces of Him by Marisa Hebert
Disposing of Grandma, a short play by Sue Bachman

April 24 - May 4, 2014

Explore and Be Inspired by Art this Summer!

It's never too late to engage your inner artist, nor is there such a thing as enjoying too much art! This summer, the FAC has a variety of ways for families, kids, parents — everyone — to be inspired by and explore the arts. Check out some of your options below. 

PERFORMING ARTS

Art and Acting in the Forest

Ages 6-11 | 9a-3p

This week-long day camp at La Foret Conference and Retreat Center combines a blend of art and acting along with the beautiful outdoors. Campers learn art in the morning; eat lunch, hit the pool, then learn acting in the afternoon.

June 17-21; 24-28; July 15-19; 22-26; Aug 5-9

Actors’s Tool Box

Ages 4-6 and 7-9 | 10a-12p

These week-long session will work toward building stronger theatre techniques and enhance motivation and confidence in a group. Each week is different, so students can enroll in multiple week.

June 3-7 | Fundamentals of Acting (4-6)

June 10-14 | Fundamentals of Acting (7-9)

June 10-14 | Sing Out! (4-6)

June 24-28 | Sing Out! (7-9)

Performance Lab Intensive

Ages 10-13 | 1:30-5:30p |

These two-week sessions engage students in creating a show, culminating in a performance on the last night. Students will be considered for roles in Theatre Company productions.

June 3-14 | Romeo and Juliet

June 17-28 | Schoolhouse Rocks sold out!

Youth Rep’s Pippin 

Aug. 1-4 | Ticket Details

This musical, produced by 14-18 year old Youth Rep students, tells the unconventional story of Charlemagne’s son Pippin. See page 5 for details.

ARTS EDUCATION

Summer Session at Bemis School of Art

Starting June 10 | Browse all offerings online

Offering a variety of classes and workshops geared towards all ages and skill levels, the Bemis School of Art is your ticket to ensuring your summer is filled with art. Painting, drawing, pottery, acting, art history — there's something for everyone.

Public Free Day

Explore the FAC galleries for free the third Tuesday of every month!

Summer Dates: May 21; June 18; July 16; Aug. 20

Free Family Adventure Day

Enjoy hands-on art activities at Bemis that revolve around various themes.

May 18; June 8; July 13; Aug. 17

VISUAL ARTS

Special Summer Exhibitions 

50x50: The Herbert and Dorothy Vogel Collection | May 11 - Aug. 11, 2013

Charles Bunnell: Rocky Mountain Modern | June 8 - Sept. 15, 2013

Guided Tours

Tours of the FAC galleries are available every Saturday and Sunday at 2p Guided by the FAC Docents, the tour are free with gallery admission. No reservations are required.

Group Tours 

Call 719.475.2444 or email tours@csfineartscenter.org at least two weeks in advance to book your group tour.

Scott RC Levy Makes his Colorado Springs Acting Debut!

Scott RC Levy starring as Man In Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone

"I couldn't be more excited to be making my official Colorado acting (and singing and dancing) debut as Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone,” says Scott RC Levy, the FAC’s Director of Performing Arts and Producing Artistic Director. “It is a delightful confection, a perfect musical comedy for people who like musicals, and even one for those who could care less for them."

The Drowsy Chaperone is a musical-inside-a-comedy that begins with a die-hard musical-theater fan (Man in Chair) playing his favorite cast album on his turntable, and the musical literally bursts to life in his living room, telling the rambunctious tale of a brazen Broadway starlet trying to find, and keep, her true love.

As a performer, Levy has appeared off and off-off Broadway, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and on the stage of the Globe in London, and in over 60 cities across the United States. Don't miss Levy performing in this colorful, five-time Tony Award-winning musical!

The Drowsy Chaperone
Onstage May 9 - June 2
BUY TICKETS | INVITE FRIENDS