Update

The opening on Friday was a well-attended success. Thanks to everyone who came out. There was a article in Sunday's Denver Post about the part of the exhibition that I curated in which Kyle MacMillan wrote that it was a "welcome burst of freshness" and that I had chosen six artists "who share [my] meticulous attention to detail and fascination with the less obvious, sometimes indistinct aspects of the world around [me]."

Emerging Artist of the Year!

Denver Post Fine Arts Critic Kyle MacMillan named me Emerging Artist of the Year! He writes,

Abels, a promising 29-year-old artist who moved to Denver in 2007, grabbed the local art scene's attention in January with a solo exhibition of paintings at Rule Gallery that exuded an alluring sense of emotional detachment and mystery. An additional boost came last spring when Heinrich awarded him a juror honorable mention at the Foothills Art Center's "Colorado Art Open."

A Trip to the Moon

In honor of this mornings moon bombing - I present Georges Melies' 1902 classic film "A Trip to the Moon" (Une Voyage dans la Lune):

Paintings by Joy Garnett

Joy Garnett - "New Spaces of Catastrophe..."

Adam Lerner - New Director at the MCA

photo by shopcomposition

MCA DENVER Announces New Director

I got this email today:

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce that the MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART DENVER (MCA DENVER) has selected Adam Lerner as our new director. This decision comes after a comprehensive, six month, nationwide search. The search committee, working with a search consultant, looked at a broad range of nationally respected candidates in the field of contemporary art. At the end of the process, it was clear that Adam was the ideal candidate.

Adam comes to MCA DENVER after serving as the Executive Director at The Laboratory of Art and Ideas at Belmar (The Lab) for the past five years. The Board of Directors chose Adam because of his curatorial expertise and unique ability to advance MCA DENVER's vision for engaging broad audiences and our efforts to explore the intersection of art and ideas. He received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and his Masters from Cambridge University.

Adam is recognized as a leading innovator in redefining the museum experience. He frequently serves as a speaker and consultant to museum and educational institutions across the country. He also has created programming that is being emulated by a number of prestigious contemporary art institutions. MCA DENVER's Board looks forward to having Adam bring his expertise in erasing the traditional boundaries between curation and education in contemporary art.

As part of Adam's acceptance of the director position at MCA DENVER, the Board of Directors of both MCA DENVER and The Lab at Belmar have agreed to a merger that will integrate The Lab's important work and unique programming into MCA DENVER. MCA DENVER has built a reputation in the contemporary art world for exhibiting established, cutting edge artists alongside young emerging talent.

By integrating The Lab programs into MCA DENVER's solid curatorial platform, the museum will continue to move forward as a world-class institution. Incorporating dialog-provoking programs, such as Mixed Taste, will enhance the experience for audiences and promote further understanding of contemporary art. In this way, MCA DENVER will engage people throughout the metropolitan area and advance Denver as an innovative center for arts and culture nationwide.

As we carry out the transition, we will invite members of The Lab's Board of Directors to join the MCA DENVER Board. Members of The Lab will receive comparable memberships at MCA DENVER and will have the same access to MCA DENVER as current members effective May 1, 2009.

We will be hosting a reception for MCA DENVER and The Lab members this spring. At that time, Adam will talk about the programs and exhibitions that will be coming to the museum and his creative vision for MCA DENVER.

We are excited about these changes and will welcome Adam in joining MCA DENVER on March 16, 2009. We hope you will join us in doing so, and we thank you for your past support and continued dedication to the presentation of contemporary art in Denver. We hope that you will welcome the members of The Lab as we begin a new and exciting journey together.

One Week Left...

If you haven't seen my exhibit at Rule gallery yet- it is up for one more week.

EDIT (1/5/09) : The exhibition has been extended one week until the 17th.

Coming up

I will be the guest artist at this month's "Action Figures" hosted by Katie Taft. It's a monthly Q&A with area artists that will be at the Shoppe this month. Come on by, eat a cupcake and drill me with difficult questions.

Updates

I just finished updating a lot of things on my dot com -including the press links and images, the exhibition postcards, and the exhibitions section. Speaking of press - Dear Ada just posted about my new works, writing, "“I really do adore the subject matter he explores, the architecture and landscapes of modern life, all beautifully rendered and conceived. It doesn’t get much better than this as far as I’m concerned.”

Yesterday's Paper

I had an image in the Rocky Mountain News - here's the online article.

Bobcats claim foreclosed home

Headline today: "Bobcats claim foreclosed house" (photo via LA Times)

I'm certainly not the only one interested in the topic of nature taking back man-made constructions. When I posted about Scott Silvey's work back in April I explored the concept, referencing Josh Keyes as well. Then just yesterday I saw a great show on the history channel (future channel?) called "Life After People". If you get a chance to see this - do. I really enjoyed the show and it was especially interesting with all of the computer generated time-lapsed decaying cities.