Tabor Utley, Martha Graham, 1936, Watercolor on paper, Gift of the artist

Birger Sandzén, In the Red Rock Canyon, 1923, Oil on canvas, From the Loo Family Collection

Curator+10: Broadmoor to Bemis

The Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Foundation Gallery

Curator + 10: Broadmoor to Bemis salutes the 90 years of arts education at the Fine Arts Center, the Bemis School of Art and its predecessor, the Broadmoor Art Academy. The exhibition was developed by 10 Bemis students in a unique class taught by FAC Curator Blake Milteer.

The students are a diverse group with some holding credentials in museum studies, others who work as local artists, and still others with very little prior artistic background whatsoever. Under Milteer's direction, the class created the entire exhibition from start to finish using the FAC’s permanent collection as well as some selections from the Loo Collection and Jim Raughton’s collection. 

“The theme for any exhibition is based on the strengths of available art, context with everything else on view in the Museum, and the theme’s significance to the community,” said Milteer. 

With the 90^th anniversary of the founding of the Broadmoor Academy this summer – in the 1930s it became the Fine Arts Center School, and in the 1960s the Bemis School of Art – the class agreed on showcasing the long history of art education associated with these three schools.  All the pieces come from artists who have either taught or studied here at one time. 

“Selecting the artists and the pieces to hang that would represent that artist in the best light was difficult, since there is so much to choose from in the museum's collection,” said student Carol Ettenger, a former art teacher. 

Getting to rummage through the vaults of the FAC’s permanent collection was a highlight for many of the students. 

“What was really terrific was to actually get to go through the racks, to see the variety of art stored down there,” said Jan Sorkin. “It was as if the paintings have a life of their own, apart from us - that there was beauty there, even if no one could look at it.”

While the class collectively selected certain pieces in Curator + 10, each student personally chose two pieces to include.  After gathering information about their artists and pieces, the students authored labels for the exhibit. 

“I enjoyed researching and writing the labels for the paintings I selected,” said Diane Williams, an electrical engineer.  “Some descriptions in art museums are so ‘highbrow’ they make one shudder. It was satisfying to create my own.” 

The labels certainly reflect this, reading delightfully in the voices of the students who personally reacted to the pieces and cite the reasons for their selection. 

To truly experience their exhibition’s creation from beginning to end, the class eagerly contributed to the placement of the pieces and their installation in the Donald C. and Elizabeth M. Dickinson Foundation Gallery. 

“I've always been really impressed by the appearance and quality of the new FAC addition,” explains Diane Williams.  “So hanging a couple of paintings in one of the galleries was, well, special.”

The collection includes 20^th century paintings, drawings, lithographs, photography and sculptures, with a variety of styles, subject matter, and composition.  While truly diverse, all are unified in their connection to the local area, with many representing the essence of the Colorado landscape and spirit. 

“The whole experience was educational, interesting and satisfying to work individually, then to come together with all our disparate parts and integrate the parts into a cohesive exhibit,” said student Carol Ettenger.

Want to learn more about the exhibit from the teacher himself? Sign up for a lecture and tour with FAC Curator Blake Milteer on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 1 p.m. offered through Bemis School of Art.  The cost is $5 for members and $7 for non-members.  For more information, click here or call 719.634.5583.