Art in the Library: February 2023

A prodigious array of artists and craftspeople call the Roaring Fork Valley home and we are honored to showcase their work. Current exhibitions include:

Central Library Gallery

Cate Tallmadge        Wildflowers            oil on canvas

"I have always been a maker. Whether it's painting, drawing, weaving, embroidery, botanical sculpture, cooking, or picture framing I am always working on something. I get antsy if my hands aren’t busy, if there isn’t paint under my nails, pencil shavings in my hair or stray threads stuck to my clothes.” 
 
Born and raised on the Western Slope of Colorado, Cate Tallmadge spent most of her formative years in idyllic Carbondale. In the early 2000s a big city life and art school beckoned. She moved to Chicago and enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduating in 2006 with a BFA in Fiber and Material Studies. She spent the next seven years in Chicago working as a picture framer and sporadically producing new works. In 2013, tired of the hustle and bustle of the city, she could no longer ignore the siren song of the mountains and was soon Colorado bound. At first the move back to Carbondale was just going to be a pit stop on the road to some new exciting place. A great job opportunity at Main Street Gallery and The Framer opened up and the move back home became a more permanent one and now Cate can't imagine living and creating anywhere else.

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Reina Katzenberger        art in process            mixed media
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In 2022, artist Reina Katzenberger moved her Carbondale studio to The Art Base in downtown Basalt for a month-long residency. The entire front gallery became a work-in-progress as she created a body of work in full view–and with the participation of–the public. The massive collaborative painting completed during this time hangs above the New Books section in the Main Room of the library.

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Lobby Gallery

The Project Shop                        mixed media

“Service-learning is an educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs.” -Wikipedia

Community Service Projects at The Project Shop engage student-artists to learn practical design development, printmaking and production skills, with access to equipment and instruction in a safe, supportive and inclusive environment. Through personal instruction and community workshops, the student-artists will be involved in every aspect of producing artwork and presenting it to demonstrate how art can encourage conversation within our communities.

Each young artist dives into the design development process in collaboration with Project Shop artists to help translate their ideas to image. Various printmaking techniques are explored and upon selecting the best application for the student's vision we head into production. Community workshops are hosted at the shop for public participation to learn printmaking and production skills while giving back to the community.  All proceeds from product sales are donated to the non-profit or cause chosen by the artist. The items displayed in the Lobby Gallery are a sample of the projects completed during the last three years.

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