May 12 - July 8
Download the Colorado Masterpierces Release
Timeline with Artist Biographies
Contemporary Artist Statements
Lesson Plans
Educator Introduction
Venn Diagram (Grade Level: 3 - 6)
Weather (Grade Level: 1 - 4)
Abstract Landscape (Grade Level: 2 - 6)
Water Detective (Grade Level: 1 - 4)
Colorado Promotional Campaign (Grade Level: 4 - 12)
Landscape and Value (Grade Level: 5 - 12)
Abstract Landscape Printmaking and Collage (Grade Level: 6 - 12)
Drawing and Writing at the Gallery (Grade Level: 4 - 8)
Web and Descriptive Paragraph (Grade Level: 5 - 12)
Clay Landscape Plaque (Grade Level: 2 - 8)
Landscape Painting (Grade Level: 9 - 12)
Colorado Council on the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts present
Masterpieces of Colorado
A Rich Legacy of Landscape Painting
Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Colorado Council on the ArtsAdditional Sponsors Include:
El Pomar Foundation
Western States Arts Federation
Rocky Mountain News
Xcel Energy Foundation
produced and toured by Foothills Art Center
Foothills Art Center, with the creative support of guest curator Rose Glaser Fredrick, presents a blockbuster exhibition celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Colorado Council on the Arts with a stunning visual exploration of landscape painters of Colorado.
Since the days of gold rushes and railway expansion, artists have been painting the landscape of the West, drawing a wealth of visitors and settlers to the region. This rich tradition is deeply rooted in Colorado, as this exhibition reveals with a breathtaking look at the artists who have captured the majesty of the Colorado landscape.
This major landscape exhibition will showcase over sixty works by artists from the late 19th century to the present. In the words of guest curator Rose Fredrick, I am thrilled with the wonderful group of both prominent 19th century and contemporary Colorado landscape artists in this show. I have met with the most generous collectors and artists who have opened their doors to me and allowed precious works to travel throughout the state. Many of the paintings of late 19th century artists have never been in shows outside of these collections, and therefore, never before accessible to the public. I am particularly pleased with the mix of styles and impressions of Colorado's landscape from the romanticized early works by such artists as Thomas Moran, Helen Henderson Chain and Joseph Hitchins to the more modern views of Ernest Lawson, Charles Bunnell and Vance Kirkland. The same is true of the contemporary artists whose works range from those of Clyde Aspevig and Gordon Brown to Len Chmiel, Charles Forsman and Karen Kitchell.
Artworks are on loan from a number of public and private collections, as well as from the artists themselves. Notable private collectors include (in alphabetical order): Doug and Lynne Erion, Katherine and Dusty Loo, Nelson A. and Susan D. Rieger, and Drs. Greg and Sheila Campbell. Lending public institutions include (in alphabetical order): Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Denver Public Library, El Pomar Foundation, and Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts. Wherever possible, artworks were borrowed from the artists themselves, offering a look at the newest in Colorado landscape works.
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