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Open Press

a 15 Year Retrospective

August 13-October 1, 2004
Opening Reception: Friday, Aug. 13,5-7 pm.

Homare Ikeda
monotype

The Gallery of Contemporary Art proudly presents an exhibit in which 30 regional artists working through master printer Mark Lunning’s Denver based print studio, Open Press Limited, will show selected prints produced between 1989 and 2004. The origional Open Press studio opened it’s doors in Denver durring December of 1988. The first print was co-produced by Mark Lunning and Dale Chrisman from a found piece of wood in January of 1989, marking the beginning of Lunning’s vision of offering a studio open to any artsist wishing to produce hand-pulled prints. There are few places for artists to work with master printers, in Colorado or anywhere, apart from the few university based art departments that offer print making. Lunning saw Open Press as an entity that could bridge this gap by allowing area artists the opportunity to work through a master printer to produce origional multiples. The underlying rationale is that because prints are generally multiples, they are a viable alternative to the more expensive mediums of painting or sculpture.

Dale Chisman continued to work with Lunning, and both have become celebrated figures in Colorado’s art scene, with Chisman generally regarded as one of Colorado’s top abstract artists. While hundreds of artists have produced work through Open Press, Lunning invited 30 professional artists to participate in this retrospective exhibition. Each invited artist was asked to contribute up to 7 works produced at Open Press. Works by both Chisman and Lunning are featured, as well as works by Sharon Strasburg, Geoffrey Ridge, Lynn Heitler, Doris Laughton, Homare Ikeda, Randy Hughes, Joe Higgins, Dave Yust, Mark Dickson, Joellyn Duesberry, Louis Nyiri, Lonnie Hanson, Jesus Polanco, Steve Cramm, Brian Comber, Duke Berdsley, Audra Knutson, Beatriz Pestanna, Reed Weimer, Tony Ortega, Mark Sink, Shelly Williamson, Grant Williams, Ken Elliot, Dismas Rotta, Mary Macky, Dennis Pendleton, and Viviane Le Courtis.

Open Press has changed locations 4 times over the years. the first three locations were in Denver’s lower downtown,commonly known as LoDo. Due to the rise of this area’s popularity, largely due to artists and galleries moving into what was once primarily a warehouse district, property values have escalated to the point that only a few galleries remain. Most have moved to less expensive digs, and this is certainly the case for Open Press Ltd., which is now located in Denver off of Broadway, at 40 W. Bayoud Ave. This location has been the longest running home of Open Press Ltd., which is both a print studio and commercial gallery.

Many of the featured artists have worked at several, or all of the Open Press locations. Each was chosen to participate because they exemplify technical and aethetic diversity. The Gallery of Contemporary Art has had a long-standing working relationship with Mark Lunning, starting in 1993, when Lunning was an officer for the Alternative Arts Alliance, known as AAA, a currently defunct coalition of artists and artist friendly venues. The museum has sponsored two AAA based exhibitions (Aug. 1993, Dec. 1995) featuring contemporary Colorado artists, thanks largely to personal introductions through Lunning and his ongoing participation in the Denver art scene. The museum had always planned to undertake an overview of work produced at Open Press, but had been waiting for enough time to pass to include as many established artists as possible.

Support for the exhibition was provided by the Bee Vandenburg Foundation; the Colorado Council on the Arts, as state agency funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Colorado General Assembly; The CU Colorado Springs Student Govenment Association on the behalf of the Student Body’s cultural awareness; and the Gallery’s patrons.

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