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Current Exhibition
Lessons from a Cloud
Poetry and photography by artist Meca’Ayo
With poems hastily scribbled on notebook pages and photographs sporadically captured on the move, Meca’Ayo’s visual and poetic journal gives us a glimpse into the often-overlooked details of everyday life. You’ll find nature at the heart of their work, a response to the lack of access to the outdoors many city-dwellers’ experience.
This unique collection of poetry and photography invites you to engage, to find connection in our shared human experience, and to embrace hope amidst adversity.
View their work at the Gallery at Taza Coffee House through May.
 "Rose Colored" by artist Meca'Ayo |  Artist Meca'Ayo |
Taza Gallery is supported in part by SCFD.
Past Exhibitions
None But the Rain
paintings by Jahna Rae
featuring Adams County Poet Laureate Kerrie Joy
 | The women in Jahna Rae’s portraits look to a space beyond the viewer–to the future. Jahna’s paintings, with their bold colors ablaze with gold leaf, envision a radiant future created through communal healing both personal and cultural. Jahna works out of Denver and her paintings, murals, and illustrations can be seen throughout Colorado Poetry and music inspire Jahna’s work. Her painting Blossomed responds to a new work by Adams County Poet Laureate Kerrie Joy written to encourage Black People to |
Your Light Illuminates the World: portraits by Shaunie Berry
In the Spring of 2023, artist Shaunie Berry created space for artistic exchange as residents used laundry, food, and showers at Crossroads Mobile Services in Northglenn. Every week, Shaunie arrived with open ears and art supplies in hand. She listened as residents shared their stories and used artmaking to affirm each participant’s creativity and unique form of self-expression.
The portrait series “Aura” is a reflection on her experiences. The colors in each painting represent the aura or vibe of the people she came to know. “Aura” is an energetic exchange honoring these individuals. “Aura” and other works by Shaunie will be on view through January.
Aura, 2023, by Shaunie Berry
From left to right: Stephanie, Dwaine, Justin, Yeti, and Richard
 | Shaunie Berry creates multi-layered portraits that capture the extraordinary essence of individuals as they move through their daily lives. Personal experience, growth, spirituality, and pride are common themes in her work. Shaunie uses her MA in Public Health to integrate health promotion within her art practice. As Art Education Manager at RedLine Contemporary Art Center, she runs community advocacy programs. Originally from Kansas City, MO, she is the descendant of black country folk whose elders passed down a love of growing food, nature, gardening, and remembering one’s roots. Learn more about Shaunie here. |
Just Beyond the Underbrush: paintings and drawings by artist Brandon Vargas
The hum of a lawn mower, dinner conversation floating through an open window... Brandon Vargas finds comfort in the ambient noise of suburban life and the inferences they draw from snippets of lives. Inspired by trail cam footage, the animal subjects in their artwork are an extension of this dynamic. Vargas finds humor in interpreting the actions of wild animals through a human lens, and expresses a spiritual connection to animals, both predator and prey, and their daily fight for survival.
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Seen, 2023, 36” x 48”, oil paint and oil pastel on canvas | All Together, 2022, 12x12 in, oil paint and oil pastel on wood panel | Oversight, 2023, 48"x36", oil on canvas |
 | Vargas uses analog and digital tools to layer narratives derived from identity, mythology, and nature. Inspired by aesthetic techniques and symbolism from Middle Ages portraiture and surrealism, they experiment with deliberate styles of rendering to depict personal and universal experiences through metaphor and narrative, creating vivid and colorful worlds that feel fantastical and dramatic. Brandon Vargas grew up in Adams County and resides in Denver. Find Bandon on Instagram @Rebirah.Art. |
BUILT ENVIRONMENTS: paintings by artist Craig Rouse
Craig Rouse employs a limited color palette, geometric shapes, and crisp lines to construct imagined architectural landscapes. Built Environments explores human-made spaces, large and small. Some paintings are based on paper cubes the artist has stacked and arranged. Others are inspired by buildings.
 Afternoon Stillness in Palm Springs, Acrylic on Panel |  Escaping the Heat in Palm Springs, Acrylic on Panel |
Craig Rouse is a graphic designer and fine artist. He works in computer-aided illustration, silkscreen, linoleum block printing making, and, most recently, painting. Rouse lives in Lakewood, Colorado with his wife Carrie and their rescue dog Riley.
Stop by and say hello to Rouse and Riley at his studio in the 40 West Arts District on First Fridays.
FOLKLÓRICO ESPECTACULAR featuring Amalia Hernández and Emilio Garcia
Presented by the General Consulate of México in Denver, the Mexican Cultural Center, Adams County Cultural Arts, and Colorado Conservatory of Dance.
The Queen of Mexican Folklore, Amalia Hernández’ dynamic and soulful choreography brought regional dances from villages across México to stages across the globe. Her dance company, Ballet Folklórico de México, helped to preserve cultural and religious dance and introduce it to modern audiences. Ballet Folklórico de México’s repertoire includes dances from pre-Columbian times to the present. Hernández’ innovative choreography combines classical ballet and modern dance with Mexican folk tradition to tell the story of México’s past and present.
Folklórico Espectacular celebrated the life and legacy of one of the most influential artists of the 20th Century. The historic images on display chronicle the life and performances of Amalia Hernández. Emilio Garcia's photography of the Ballet Folklórico de México's contemporary performances captures the vibrancy of the company's movement, production design, and costumes.
 A 2011 performance of Hernández’ Tarima Tixtla choreography, photo by Emilio Garcia. |  Exhibiion photography by Cam Margera. |
Living TRADITION: Individual and Collective voices of Women’s Caucus for Art Colorado
Living TRADITION features “Speak Her Name,” a mural series honoring influential Colorado-based artists Eppie Archuleta, Senga Nengudi, Elizabeth Spalding, Jean Smith, and Betty Woodman. These women shaped Colorado’s rich artistic landscape and continue to inspire future generations of artists.
The mural series was painted collaboratively by members of the Women’s Caucus for Art Colorado Chapter (WCACO). Living TRADITION shows paintings, drawings, and multi-media works by those individual artists. By placing solo works next to the jointly painted mural series, we celebrate distinct artistic voices coming together in harmony.
Participating Artists
Carol Bivins, Annette Coleman, Anne Emmons, Melody Epperson, Susann Gordon, Susan Hershman, Haley Knowles, Jenn Merz CQ, Lisa Michot, Kathy OConner
The mission of the WCACO is to create community through art, education, and social activism. WCACO furthers this mission by providing members with professional development and exhibition opportunities and a network of fellow artists to collaborate with and learn from. Female-identifying artists from all backgrounds and career levels are welcome. Learn more at www.wcaco.org .
Tracking Time
paintings by artist Sidney Masuga
Tracking Time presents two painting series by Sidney Masuga.
In her dense, textured series, Masuga builds and removes layers of paint with an airbrush, palette knife, and sandpaper. She must wait for each layer to dry before adding a new color. This process of addition and subtraction is inspired by the slow growth and decay of ecosystems and represents time passed.
Masuga's geometric paintings freeze time. This series chronicles historical events through coded astrological data. Color blocks represent the position of the sun, moon, and planets on a specific date.
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 | Sidney Masuga is an interdisciplinary artist based in Denver, CO. She holds a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC. Visit https://sidneymasuga.com/ to learn more about her work. |
Corridor Creative Arts League Group Exhibition
Corridor Creative Arts League nourishes the artistic community in the 1-70 corridor with enriching art experiences for the public and professional development opportunities for artists.
The paintings, photographs, and mixed media works on display reflect the wide range of workshops CCAL hosted in 2022.
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Sarah Bennett, Pam Erickson, Laurie Leftwich, Jamie Z Lockwood, Angie Perryman, Carl Steitz, Regina White, Nicole Zacharias
ABOUT CCAL
Corridor Creative Arts League (CCAL) was created in 2020 to support artists in the I-70 corridor. Founders Jamie Zerr-Lockwood and Laurie Leftwich identified a need for adult arts programming in their rural town of Bennett, CO. They created CCALL to bring a greater understanding of art and the creative process to their community through art education classes in a variety of media. CCAL is open to artists of all career levels.
Main Street Creatives Showcase
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Main Street Creatives is a vibrant artistic community just around the corner! What you see here is a taste of the collective’s vast talent. Visit their gallery in Brighton to see more works by this group of local artists. This showcase celebrates the long-standing relationship between art and nature. Artists have always mirrored and interpreted the world around them. Some artists explore the impact nature has on our daily lives by depicting a bounty from the garden or the simple love of an animal. Others transform natural materials to create their artwork, turning feathers into flowers. Main Street Creatives invites you to see the beauty, majesty, and inspiration found in nature through their eyes. |
EXHIBITING ARTISTS:
Judith Dickinson, Sheri Farabaugh, Jo Griff, Terry Hagen, Edward Hansen, Kathy Hansen, Sharon Krohn, Sandie Mackenzie, Kary Mayes, M.J. McCafferty, and Millie Young
ABOUT MAIN STREET CREATIVES:
Main Street Creatives is a studio space, gallery, and arts academy in downtown Brighton. What began as an experimental art space in 2011 has become a community that supports local talent, nurtures the next generation of artists, and offers programming for art enthusiasts of all ages.
The artists of Main Street Creatives are dedicated to sharing their knowledge and talents with all who walk through their doors at 36 S. Main Street, Brighton. Visiting hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Stop by on Tuesdays or Thursdays to meet one of the seventeen studio artists. Work on your own art and socialize at Open Paint every Thursday.
Visit mainstreetcreatives.com to learn about upcoming events, classes, and art demonstrations.
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Flora, Fauna, and the Cosmos Artworks by Christine Nguyen
Left to right: Mountain Water I, Mountain Air II, Mountain Water IV
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:
Christine Nguyen’s art practice is devoted to the natural world and its curiosities, big and small. She is inspired by the cosmos and the ground beneath her feet. These works explore the fluctuation of micro and macro worlds - the way that looking into a microscope can reveal a galaxy.
Cosmic Sun And Moon Light is a 10 foot wide photo-painting with salt-crystals sparking across its surface. Elk, bison, and bald eagles move through a cosmic landscape of sunflowers, cottonwood trees, ash trees, and native grasses. These animals are on a sacred journey to the tree of life. Nguyen created this piece for her exhibition at Taza Gallery. It is inspired by the plants and animals of Adams County.
Visit Nguyen’s website to purchase prints of all her artworks on view at Taza Gallery.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Christine Nguyen was born and raised in California and resides in Aurora, Colorado. She is a lover of animals, plants, nature, and the cosmos.
Nguyen received her B.F.A. from California State University, Long Beach and an M.F.A. from the University of California, Irvine. Exhibitions of her work have been shown nationally and internationally. Her works can be found in museums such as the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum; the J. Paul Getty Museum, Department of Photographs; the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts at UCLA; The Hammer Museum at UCLA; and the Long Beach Museum of Art. Nguyen’s works are also found in the collections of Cedars-Sinai; Cleveland Clinic; the Getty Research Institute; Los Angeles World Airports; Microsoft; Burger Collection, Hong Kong; and The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Hanoi.
www.christinenguyen.art | instagram.com/seamoonshe | @seamoonshe
Earth's Bounty
A collaborative art project featuring paintings by Roger Quist Middle School students and 17th Judicial District Attorney staff.
Quist teachers Taylor Marino Fallik, 8th grade Science, and Beth Marks-Berner, 8th grade English Language Arts, created a unique art club comprised of Quist students and District Attorney staff.
From October 2021 to February 2022, students and staff created more than 100 oil pastel paintings and 60 paper butterflies. Each of these artworks represents the wonder of Earth and is a visual response to the simple but powerful question: WHAT DOES THE EARTH GIVE US?
To learn more about Earth's Bounty contact Taylor Marino Fallik at [email protected].
Capturing Landscape by Angel Estrada
Angel Estrada is an educator and artist based in Denver. Angel’s art practice is largely based in printmaking and his work celebrates the tradition of printmaking – from intricate carving to stamping – and his work often depicts local Colorado landscapes. He is a teacher at Thornton High School.
Learn more about Angel and his work and follow him at @estrada_printmaking.
