The Beet Street Blog

“A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed and is, thereby a true manifestation of what one feels about life in its entirety.”  -Ansel Adams (1902 – 1984)

The Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art is now the Fort Collins Museum of Art and to celebrate this transformation the museum is hosting an American legend. Currently, MOA is exhibiting Ansel Adams: Masterworks from the Collection of the Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Redding, California.

The exhibit not only represents some of Ansel Adams most famous photographs, the artist handpicked this particular collection as some of his personal favorites. Adams, born on February 20, 1902 in San Francisco, California, was the only child of a businessman and grandson of a wealthy timber baron. The family lost their fortune in 1907, and Adams’ father was never able to gain it back.

Not particularly successful in school Adams loved the outdoors. At age 12, Adams began playing the piano and by 1920 he had set on this activity as a career path. It was not to be. In 1919, Adams had joined the Sierra Club and he took a lot of photographs during his time working for the club in Yosemite. His first published photographs appeared in the club’s bulletin.

You can find out more about Adams’ life at the museum’s display, which includes a timeline of his life and work on the walls of the exhibit room. Get an in depth look at the artist at www.anseladams.com.

At the opening night of the Adams’ exhibit, the crowd learned that it has been 30 years since Fort Collins has seen an art exhibit of this kind. In 1981, Andy Warhol exhibited at Colorado State University.

Ryan Keiffer, Executive Director of Beet Street spoke at the event, and stressed that it is important to for Fort Collins residents to see the city as an arts community, not just for outsiders to consider Fort Collins as an arts community.

Melissa Katsimpalis, president of the museum board, spoke about the new mission of the museum. She said the museum board listened to the community and realized that they needed to broaden their horizons and feature “a variety of arts across the ages.” The museum wants their new logo, a black and white design by Anne Vetter, to express that they are a vibrant organization. “We believe this new logo will stand the test of time,” said Katsimpalis.

The Ansel Adams exhibit is upstairs in the main gallery, but when you visit don’t miss the Michael Gregory show downstairs. Gregory’s work, colorful paintings featuring gigantic skyscapes and decapitated barn buildings, is definitely in contrast with Adams’ black and white photography, yet the art is connected. Both men enjoyed capturing the scenery that depicts the American experience. The simultaneous shows work well together.

Both exhibits run through March 15, 2011. The Fort Collins Museum of Art is open Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Monday and Tuesdays. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors, and $5 for children ages 7 to 18. Children 6 and under are free. Admission is free for museum members.

For more information about the museum, including membership, visit www.fcmoca.org.

Enterprise: from entreprendre to undertake, a project or undertaking that is especially difficult, complicated, or risky; readiness to engage in daring or difficult action; initiative; a unit of economic organization or activity; a systematic purposeful activity.

As we have discussed in previous posts about the creative economy and creative communities, at the center of these phenomena lie partnerships between enterprise and creativity, or at least creative and entrepreneurial agents. Such partnerships are also connections between the work we do and the people we are. Many entrepreneurs are highly creative people and many creatives people are also enterprising. That is, both groups take into their own hands (undertake) work they see in need of completion. These people see needs many of us do not; they are also compelled to jump into these voids, in a spirit of true creativity, in order to meet such needs. They spark conversations with their risk taking, and in doing so, open up new conversations about how we should think and be together. Some are driven by the imagination of individuals, others by familial bonds, but all by a deep passionate commitment to making a part of the world just a little more livable for all of us.

In these late modern times, we are so concerned with the economic dimensions of society that we see entrepreneurial activity in terms of start-up businesses and industrial clusters. Indeed, it does not take much to see all the entrepreneurial sprouts in green technology in Fort Collins. All of them innovative ideas driven by pressing social and economic needs, both here and abroad. These creative enterprises (yes, creative, because they are bringing to life new forms) are highly vulnerable and like most creative enterprises and entrepreneurs of old, dependent on benefactors and sponsors for their continuing production. To keep their creative and economic fires burning, they organize in clusters such as RMI2, Clean Tech, and Bio.

Artists also, no matter of what stripe, seek the same cluster of familiarity in order to support each other in their fragile early careers as we have discussed in terms of the diverse artist groups and collectives that exist in Northern Colorado.  For example, in a small arcade on Oak Street, near the Taj Mahal, a new gallery called Leap of Faith Fine Art Gallery features a diverse group of upcoming artists, offering them a chance to display their work for low fees. There is local photography by Mike Murphy, Paul Weber and James Leveillee; original paintings from David Fedeli, Dave Reiter, Don Brown, Bereniche Aguiar and Connie Uroze; as well as ceramic sculpture from Don Campbell, alabaster by Karin Troendle and hand crafted oil candles by Lady D. My son fell in love with a river scene coffee table by Robert Franklin while the work of Georgia Rowswell inspired me. Stop by and check out their work! Leap of Faith is currently running a ‘people’s choice’ contest with different works of art until the end of June. Each artist in the contest submits a piece for $5 and then the public votes on their choice. The winner is awarded the pot of submissions! These contests are held every 2 months, so if you would like to enter, contact the folks at Leap of Faith at 970.493.LEAP or leapoffaith@q.com.

Finally, there is perhaps a quintessential meeting of enterprising creativity at the French Nest Market, held in the Civic Center Park from 9am to 3 pm every second Saturday between July and October (July 11th, August 8th, September 12th, and October 10th). It’s the allure of Paris in the springtime transported to Northern Colorado, featuring an open-air vintage, antique, and artisan market. As Alissa Bush, co-owner puts it, “It’s a destination. A place where you can spend the entire morning; a little shopping, a little eating….” So, if you are interested in vintage, antique, new, unique, funky, homemade, handmade, or otherwise made goods and if you’re local, eco-friendly, and/or ultra-hip, the French Nest Open-Air Market may be just the place for you! The French Nest group of entrepreneurs will take care of the enterprise part so you can do the creative part and get your work known in Northern Colorado! For more information, email info@thefrenchnestmarket.com.

I hope to see you there!

With thanks to Bob.Fornal and tanakawho for their wonderful images

Here’s to enterprising creativity in everyday life!

Kirsten Broadfoot