5:30pm members preview

6:30–10pm free public reception

Be among the first to see Viviane Le Courtois: Edible? and Jason Rogenes: SP4C3CR4FT at the opening reception. Meet the artists and enjoy cocktails, appetizers, and music as you view the exhibitions.

2012 SPRING
February 23–June 17

VIVIANE LE COURTOIS: EDIBLE?
Twenty-two Years of Working With Food
Featuring the new interactive installation The Garden of Earthy Delights

West Gallery and East Gallery

Although Viviane Le Courtois has been working with food as a medium or source of inspiration since 1990, Edible? presents the first opportunity to experience a large selection from this body of work in context. In addition to the newly commissioned interactive installation The Garden of Earthy Delights, the exhibition comprises a mid-career retrospective of food-related work of the past twenty-two years by this Denver-based artist. Through sculptures, performances, videos, photos, prints, and interactive installations, Le Courtois explores the processes of consumption, focusing on the repetitive aspects of food preparation, ceremonial food offerings, and the social implications of eating.

The earliest works in the exhibition, executed in France in the 1990s before her move to the US, include an installation of chewed licorice sticks as well as photos and video documentations of performances and sculptural work made from foraged foods, fruit peelings, and nut shells. A series of etchings employing the naturally occurring acids of the kombucha mushroom continues to fascinate Le Courtois, who has created over forty different plates since first developing the process in 1995. A number of these prints, as well as the mushrooms used to create them, will be on view alongside large-scale sculptures from a series of works created from junk food such as chips, candy, and marshmallows.

Since 2010, Le Courtois has become more interested in aspects of interaction and participation and has organized a number of events for which she prepared and served meals for a large number of guests, including How to Eat An Artichoke, held at RedLine Denver in 2010, and a curry dinner for the exhibition Do It! at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design in 2011.

The Garden of Earthy Delights, a living interactive installation created for BMoCA, is envisioned as a space for people to relax, think, and interact. Herbs such as mint, verbena, thyme, sage, and rosemary will be arranged throughout the gallery in vertical gardens for consumption in tea, in reference to the ancient process of growing, collecting, and consuming plants. During weekly performances, the artist will tend to the plants, serve tea, and offer food samples.

JASON ROGENES: SP4C3CR4FT

Union Works Gallery

Styrofoam and cardboard, the quintessential symbols of our consumer culture, are the materials of choice for Brooklyn-based artist Jason Rogenes. Making use of commonly disregarded aesthetic attributes, including their inherent surface qualities, color, and varying degrees of translucency, he creates large-scale installations, suspended sculptures, and reliefs. Illuminated from the inside, the works acquire a monumental and spiritual presence usually associated with totems or space stations, and are equally representative of human aspirations and accomplishments.

Rogenes affords as much care and attention in the treatment of his abundantly available material as a sculptor working in marble or alabaster would. Piece by individually carved piece is assembled into a complex structure, thoughtfully fit together according to the rules of his artistic vision. What he offers is not only a creative way of looking at everything in our environment beyond assigned functions and limitations but also an opportunity to reimagine ourselves with open eyes for endless possibilities.

Conceptually connected to the sculptural work are his drawings, which are sometimes created as preparatory studies for his sculptures, sometimes as documentation following the installation. A number of these drawings, executed in ink and watercolor on paper, will be on view as part of the exhibition at BMoCA, adding a two-dimensional component to the experience.

Click here for more information about the Spring 2012 exhibitions.

Exhibiting artist Jason Rogenes in conversation with his wife, Sarah Rogenes

BMoCA’s Expert Talks series presents casual conversations with the leading authorities on exhibiting artists. Join artist Jason Rogenes and his wife, Sarah Rogenes, and learn insights into his artistic development.

Jason Rogenes: SP4C3CR4FT is on view through June 17.

Experience highlights on the international contemporary art calendar by joining Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA) for an exclusive, full-immersion art tour in NYC. The tour will visit the Whitney Biennial, the New Museum Triennial, and the Armory Show 2012.

Only once every six years do these three important events in contemporary art come together at the same time. Take advantage of this excellently-priced opportunity to immerse yourself in what’s going on in the world of art right now.

Limited to 12 participants.

Package Includes:
- Private tour of the Whitney Biennial
- Private tour of the New Museum Triennial
- Private tour of emerging Lower East Side galleries with a local independent curator
- Private lecture from the architects at So-Il (formerly of SANAA), recently awarded the Frieze NY 2012 commission; architects for Pole Dance MoMA PS1 2010, fashion designer Derek Lam
- VIP tickets to the Armory Show including the opening event
- Visits to two artists’ studios
- 3 nights accommodation at the Ace Hotel Chelsea
- 2 lunches
- 1 cocktail hour at the Ace Hotel on the first night

Price: $1600
**Pricing includes items listed above and excludes airfare or airport/hotel transfers of any kind.

Total Art Immersion NYC is organized and led by Kecia Benvenuto, Board of Directors, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art; former head of art buying, Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam (1999 – 2007); independent curator.

For more information and to make reservations: please contact David Dadone at david@bmoca.org or 303.443.2122 or Kecia Benvenuto at dearkecia@gmail.com or 718.909.3669.

This tour is sure to fill up fast, book soon to reserve your space.

Study anatomy, structure, and expression as you learn the art of figure drawing. Each week will touch on one element from art history. Students will draw from both female and male models.

Bring your own materials and an easel. Gayle recommends: large sheets of paper, pencils (soft-hard), charcoal, erasers, brushes, odorless mineral spirits, a tin can, and a drawing board with clips. Space is limited and fills up fast. Pre-registration required by Friday, March 2nd.

$60 For Members
$90 Includes an Individual Membership to BMoCA

To register, call 303.443.2122.

The BMoCA Scavenger Hunt is a fun, educational, and exhibition-themed game that can be played at the museum and throughout downtown Boulder. Museum visitors can use SCVNGR, a web-based application that can be downloaded onto any smartphone, to participate in the scavenger hunt. Players can download the free app, choose their location, and begin the scavenger hunt. If a museum patron does not have access to a smartphone, printed copies of the questions and challenges are available at the front desk, including a “Just for Kids!” scavenger hunt.

Participants who answer the questions about our current exhibitions will win prizes from local businesses.

Local participating businesses include: Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse, hip consignment, Momentum, Pangea Organics, Saxy’s Cafe, and our own Museum Store!

The BMoCA Scavenger Hunt is a community-building activity that is designed to educate players about the museum’s exhibitions while encouraging interaction with and support for local businesses.

The Scavenger Hunt is made possible by a grant through the Boulder Arts Commission.  Through this grant, the Boulder Arts Commission has encouraged all of us at BMoCA to recognize the capacity for arts organizations to contribute to the vitality of the Boulder economy. The grant has allowed us to consider the arts not just as a cultural asset to our community, but as an economic asset as well. By creatively integrating art, technology, and business, the BMoCA Scavenger Hunt will have a viable, sustainable impact on the City of Boulder.

Come by BMoCA and join the fun!  It’s a great way to get to know our current artists, exhibitions and receive coupons/gift certificates from local businesses.  Happy Hunting!

Directions for participating via SCVNGR:

1. With your smart phone, download the free scavenger hunt app:  SCVNGR.

2. Once you’ve downloaded the app click on “places” and scroll down until you find BMoCA. Click on BMoCA and begin the hunt!

3. There are 5 questions. Each question is worth a certain number of points. When you receive your score, show it to the staff member at the front desk who will reward you with a treasure from a local business!

4. If you do not have access to a smartphone, just pick up a hard copy at the front desk and turn it in when you’ve completed the hunt.  If you receive enough points for correct answers you will be rewarded with a gift certificate or goody from a local business!

5. Our “Just for Kids!” scavenger hunt is available here at the front desk.