Carbondale Arts will present the opening reception of “Bauhaus Seen” from 6-8 p.m. Friday, June 7, at the R2 Gallery at The Launchpad in Carbondale.
The group exhibition, curated by Brad Reed Nelson, features Bauhaus-inspired furniture makers from across the country as well as Roaring Fork Valley Bauhaus-influenced painters Richard Carter and Dave Durrance.
This year marks the 100th year of the Bauhaus school.
When renowned Aspenites Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke invited the famed Bauhaus designer Herbert Bayer to Aspen in the 1940s, they planted the seeds of the mountain modernism that now flourishes in both the Roaring Fork area and throughout the West.
Carter and Durrance both have been directly influenced by Herbert Bayer of the Bauhaus movement.
Carter worked with Bayer from 1972-1978 producing prints, architectural designs, sculptures, and especially paintings. During this time Carter established his own career as a painter with representation in local and national exhibitions.
While Carter’s art is unmistakably his own, it carries forward the legacy of Bayer and the Bauhaus. Carter will show a collection of paintings he made during these years, alongside more recent works.
Durrance grew up in Aspen in the 1950s and ’60s, and couldn’t help being influenced by the work of Bayer and the work of other Bauhaus artists. While Durrance is more widely known for his various roles in skiing as a racer and coach, he studied art in high school, though rarely showed for the next 40 years.
Durrance recently returned to painting full time and has participated in numerous group and solo shows throughout the valley for the last 10 years.
Featured furniture artists include Russell Baldon (California), Vivian Beer (New Hampshire), Andy Buck (New York), Tom Loeser (Wisconsin), Wendy Maruyama (California), Brad Reed Nelson (Colorado), Christopher Poehlmann (Pennsylvania), Sylvie Rosenthal (Wisconsin), Jason Schneider (Michigan), Brent Skidmore (North Carolina) and Mark Tan (Colorado).
A preview for Carbondale Arts members and gallery patrons will take place at 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 7, to meet the artists and for an opportunity to see the work before the exhibition opens to the public at 6 p.m. For more information, visit carbon dalearts.com or call 970-963-1680.
