Artnauts to make rare U.S. appearance Wednesday in Aspen

A free Artists Reception, “Artnauts: From the Archive,” will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8, at the Colorado Mountain College Aspen location, 255 Sage Way. 

The artwork will remain on view through May 22.

The Denver-based volunteer Artnauts Collective — addressing global issues and connecting artists across the world — will feature Roaring Fork Valley locals Andrea Wallace, Nancy Lovendahl and K. Rhynus Cesark. The local artists will share their mission and art through a presentation and gallery showing in Aspen.

It’s a rare opportunity, since Artnauts typically do not show in the U.S. 

The evening will kick off with a performance piece, “A Thousand Knots,” by Pamela Beverly-Quigley. Co-Curators Claire Jackal and Valerie Albicker will introduce Artnauts, followed by a Q&A with Artnauts Founder George Rivera on the organization’s purpose and scope.

“This show represents work from 2000 until now. We want to gain support from a national audience. We’re always showing up in these far-flung places, and we thought it’s important to let Americans know what we’re up to,” Jackal, an Artnauts member since 2012 and Denver-based artist, said. 

All 94 works in the Aspen show will be the same size — 8 1/2 x 11 — chosen intentionally because that’s the size of art that travels well internationally. 

The Artnauts Collective has spent three decades displaying art in communities worldwide that have experienced social, political and environmental injustices, using art to envision a more peaceful world. Artnauts has staged more than 253 exhibitions in 27 countries, from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Rwanda to the Amazon, according to a press release.

“We can bring it all in a suitcase and on the plane. So everything’s the same size, and that’s how we get it to all these super remote places all over the world,” Jackal said.

Founded in 1996, The Artnauts Collective uses art as a tool for social change, often engaging in “social sculpture” collaborative, action-oriented, site-specific installations and projects internationally.

“Part of our mission is to do social sculptures, which are sort of performative, participatory sculpture pieces — so that is going to be part of the event on Wednesday,” Jackal said.

The show is aligned with the end of term for the students of Colorado Mountain College.  No reservations are required. 

For more information, visit artsnauts.org.

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