La Puerta Abierta unveils its mural; Muse’s fabulous figures; abstract landscapes at Mountain Trails

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

By Planet User

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-In Spanish, La Puerta Abierta means “the open door.”  In Jackson, La Puerta Abierta is the name of a non-profit program that helps open doors for the growing Latino population by teaching English and helping children with their homework. Seven weeks ago, this organization decided to get families together to create one mural that would express their collective feelings about their Latino heritage and new American life in Jackson.

The project began with an observation of different murals and a discussion about themes. The families decided on a background of the Tetons since Jackson was their choice of destination for a better life. An open door symbolizes their entrance into the community, a river shows the flow of life, a bridge paves the way to a new start, a tree symbolizes the continuance of life in a new culture, a waterfall signifies the turbulent process of assimilating, butterflies with different flags represent a multicultural place and an open book shows that life is a constant learning process. Overall the feeling conveyed by the 8 foot square mural is that anything is possible. Inexpensive or recycled materials such as thin plywood, latex paint, recycled Styrofoam and pages from old books allowed the program to stay within their limited budget.

Bille Metzger, La Puerta’s program coordinator, explains that this program started in 2004 with a five-year grant. This grant runs out at the end of the year. Ironically, they cannot reapply because Teton County does not have a high enough percentage of low-income residents to be eligible. So beginning January 2009, the non-profit Teton Literacy Program will officially adopt the group. The unveiling of their mural, as well as a party and auction, begins at 6 p.m. on March 19 at Lyndsay McCandless Contemporary, 130 South Jackson Street.

The silent auction will offer items donated from 20 local businesses. Mad River Boat Trips donated rafting trips, Eargasm donated a free house party, JH Film Festival donated two full weekend passes and David Stubbs will give a photograph. Other donors include Jack Dennis and the Teton Recreation Center. Food and drinks will be served and the auction will close at 7:30 p.m. but the party will continue until 8 p.m. Call Bille Metzger at 733-9242 ext.228 for more information.

Art lovers should not miss “The Figure Group” show at Muse Gallery where six artists share one theme. Though the theme is common to all, the artists’ chosen media, style, colors and scale are vastly different. Muse did an excellent job of picking such a varied, representative collection. Sun Valley’s David deVillier used thick strokes of acrylic on wood panels, bold colors and surreal, deconstructed imagery that was tapped from the subconscious. The enormous “The Dream That fell from Above” is the highlight of the show with its woman’s face, bird body and large halo on a tightrope. The artist will return to Jackson in June for a solo show and seated observation where people will have the opportunity to watch him work.

Kaidi Dunstan, who grew up in Jackson but now lives in London, has already sold half her displayed pieces. Dunstan used blocks of shapes, earthen tones, textures, and mixed layers of media on canvas to portray her observation of modern dancers.

Carrie Geraci from Wilson created two pieces with texture, complementary secondary colors and abstract shapes. Her work is spontaneous, not overly worked and passionate.
Mike Piggott of Victor used a completely different palette. He experimented through oil on linen with monochromatic blacks and grays. His silhouetted, shadowy figures were painted from strange angles, often from behind or above. His pieces, often called voyeuristic, invite the viewer to feel what his subjects are experiencing.

Opposite from Piggott, Nicole Charbonnet from New Orleans shows less heavy-handed work. Since her pieces are typically large, Muse only had room for one mounted piece and instead chose to tack up her smaller studies on the wall. Her studies are ethereal, faded and aging like an old photograph. She achieved this effect by sanding the paint down and adding mixed media.

Rounding out the otherwise two dimensional show is sculptor Simon Kogan who studied the torso in his series of bisque fired clay. It takes a few seconds to visually extract the torsos from the globs of clay, but then there is an excited ‘a-ha’ moment when the figure finally emerges. The show will remain up until the end of the day on March 31 at Muse Gallery, 62 S. Glenwood Street. Call 733-0555 for more information.

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“Western Vistas” opens on Friday at Mountain Trails Gallery with pieces from Polish immigrant Andrzej Skorut. Skorut moved to the United States in 1987, and in 1995 he graduated from the University of Utah with a BFA. He now lives near Salt Lake City and paints the local landscape. His landscapes are abstract and panoramic. A sense of calm and depth is achieved by the his layering of paint and glaze and “scratching into the layers of paint with sticks, rags and other implements that leave interesting marks on the surface.” His work has been featured in “Wildlife Art” and “Southwest Art” magazines numerous times in the last 10 years. The show begins on Friday and runs through March 29th at Mountain Trails Gallery, 150 N Center. Call 734-8150.

Photo Courtesy of Billie Metzger
Member of La Puerta Abierta work on their mural.

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La Puerta Abierta unveils its mural; Muse’s fabulous figures; abstract landscapes at Mountain Trails | Planet JH News Article: Arts Beat

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