Heidi Jung, March 2 thru April 7th

Lanny DeVuono and Melissa Furness, April 13th thru May 19th

Andy Sweet, May 25th thru June 30th

Ironton Group Show and Party, July 6th thru July 28th

Nicole Banowetz, Aug 3rd thru Sept 8th

Mike Mancarella, Sept 14th thru Oct 20th

Jessica Kreutter, Oct 26th thru December 1st

Yoshitomo Saito, December 7th thru January 12th, 2013

Michael Paglia at Westword~ “Denver artist Monique Crine is known as much for her photos as she is for her remarkably accomplished photo-realist paintings. She doesn’t feel, as might be assumed, that her work is based solely in photography, however. It also comes out of the moving-picture tradition, she says, especially classic films…”

One idea I found myself returning to when looking at Monique Crines paintings is the familiar. These paintings are indeed familiar in the sense that the images Crine constructs make use of certain tropes within the North American popular imagination, particularly those images of the West we have received through films such as John Ford’s The Searchers, or Martin Ritt’s 1963 film, Hud. Unlike forms of painting that propose a knowing side-long glance from within the esoteric discourse of painting-as-painting, Crine’s choice of imagery—more particularly of the language of cinematography most evident in her use of the “rule of thirds” for medium shots, and centralizing the figure in “close-ups”—speak to us in the shared language of cinema. Rather than painting or still photography, Crine’s actual medium is the arrested cinematic image.

Anyone familiar with American Westerns will find the depictions in “Tony James” oddly familiar. In one particularly striking image Tony James, the subject and protagonist of Crine’s cycle of paintings, is silhouetted by sunlight that streams into the mouth of a dark tunnel. This image unmistakably quotes the final scene of The Searchers, but Crine has replaced John Wayne’s melancholic, aging, civil war veteran with a young soldier just returned from duty in Iraq. The figure stands at the mouth of the tunnel and appears to be turning back to look at us. It is tempting to think of this image as indicative of a dying or dead form of laborer, the ramblin’ cowhand. Instead the young men who might have once occupied this social position are now soldiers at the far boarders of American Empire.

We see Tony spending his time in fleeting pleasures, a beer in hand, smoking a cigarette, the passing light of an afternoon sun. He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying himself. He looks nervous, sour, and sad. Given our current economic crisis and the American wars abroad, these moments of leisurely consumption can be read as reminders that the forms of freedom this Marlboro Man once represented now contain as much substance and promise as the glare of sunlight on a camera lens, or a passing cloud of exhaled smoke.

In the care with which Crine attends to the framing of her figures she shows how individuals are enmeshed within the dialectic of identity, as both the creators and as the effects of spectacularized and reified identities. (Hence my reference to the mythic Marlboro Man.) This is not to say that Crine’s paintings are caricatures—type and caricature, often confused with one another, occupy two different yet critical roles within the history of graphic representation. Crine does not resort to the satirical use of caricature, but her use of “type” is perhaps the distant child of social analysis and factographic photography that perceived individuals as indicative of broader social phenomena.

The stock character Crine’s paintings present is certainly strong and silent, but exceeding this trope are the historical status and the personal future of Tony James, both of which are certainly uncertain.

Anthony Graves is a NY based artist, his work can be see at anthonygraves.net

Program Overview
Ironton is seeking submissions for 2012 exhibitions. Ironton Studios & Gallery (IS&G) is a privately owned space committed to supporting the livelihood of the arts by hosting exhibits and other proposed events throughout the year. The artist’s chosen will have the responsibility, including financial, of installing and directing their show. These exhibitions might include but are not limited to; an individual artist exhibition, installation art, a juried exhibition, a group show and/or performance events. We are interested in both traditional and non-traditional uses of our exhibition space. Please become familiar with the gallery before submitting, visit the space Monday- Friday 10 am –4pm and Saturdays 12-4pm.
The exhibits are 6 weeks long (including the installation week).

We have 3 exhibition dates to fill for 2012:
April 9 – May 19
July 30 – September 8
October 22 – December 1

New this year: ‘Introduction’. One of the three exhibit dates will go to an artist 30 years of age or younger. Ironton will offer a $400 stipend to pay for card, postage and opening expenses.
Kyle MacMillan of the Denver Post will be the guest juror of the ‘Introduction’ exhibit.

Review Process
There will be one review of proposed exhibits. Individuals made up of the Ironton community will look at the proposals.

IS&G Responsibilities
Once a proposal has been selected, the artist will work with the gallery director to establish deadlines and coordinate details. IS&G will provide:
the 900 square foot gallery space that is open to the public 40 hours a week,
full kitchen and garden for receptions,
the gallery mailing list of 600 names,
listing in the RiNo Crow,
layout of the back of the card,
formatting and sending press release,
email to 600 subscriber list and posting on facebook.

Exhibiting Artist Responsibilities
Ironton offers the artist a great place to exhibit and a lot of control and responsibility over the execution of the show. All expenses including: printing postcards, postage, reception costs and insurance (if desired) will be the responsibility of the visiting artist. The artist is responsible for installing and removing the work, hosting First Fridays, opening and sitting the gallery on five Saturdays from 12-4, any repairs to the space after the show, labeling and signage in the gallery. Ironton expects the artist to use it’s 600+ mailing list for the show. Because of these personal responsibilities we are not soliciting proposals from artists who do not reside in Colorado.

Submission Format
Limit proposal to no more than one succinct page, things to include:
*Preference of exhibition date, include any that would not work for you. See dates above.
*The purpose and concept of the exhibit
*Please include any exhibits you anticipate having in the Denver area in 2012.
*Submit one copy of visual aid; no more than 8 jpgs, 1200 pixels max dimension on cd rom or dvd. no slides please.
*If you are submitting for the “introduction” exhibit (and are 30 or younger) please clearly indicate that on your proposal.

Send or drop off all material to:
Ironton Studios & Gallery
Attn: Jill Hadley Hooper
3636 Chestnut Place
Denver, CO 80216

Application Deadline
September 15, 2011

Questions
Please direct your questions to hadley@hadleyhooper.com

Read the rest at http://www.westword.com/events/andy-berg-rebirth-of-the-deity-1861126/

In his tech-driven, boundary- blurring art, Bryan Leister creates hermetic, contemplative worlds which draw inspiration from nature yet, ironically, are manufactured and artificial.

Read more: The artificially natural art of Bryan Leister blurs borders – The Denver Post

Opening reception Friday February 25th, from 6-10 pm

link

by Peter Illig,   Sunday, November 7, 2010

Painter Sharon Feder’s work fills the main gallery at Ironton. The paintings are hung neat and orderly but they reveal nothing less than the hidden tensions of contemporary life.

Oil paintings of quotidian scenes and subjects: commercial spaces, warehouse districts, gas stations. Geometric shapes suggested by old buildings and modern businesses. Muted complex browns and grays, accented by reds and sky blues. Highly personal brushstrokes remind us of the materiality of paint and subject. But these spaces are not what they seem. They stand in for human relationships, analogous to isolation, despair and the constant contradictions of appearance versus truth.

The complete text of Peter’s review may be read at his website