CU Denver College of Arts & Media Thesis Review
Emmanuel Gallery Hosts Graduating Student Art Show
Nov 30, 2008
Once again, Thesis Review for University of Colorado at Denver’s College of Arts and Media is at hand. A culmination of ongoing artistic research, experiments and discovery over the course of multiple years is scheduled to be presented for a brief period, December 8th to 12th. Students of Fine Arts and Multimedia attending UCD will be having a reception on December 11th, from 4pm to 7pm. This mélange of painting, sculpture, photo and multimedia will be exhibited at Emmanuel Gallery, at the heart of the Auraria campus. Of these graduating students are three noteworthy artists, Amanda Kopp, Kelsey Beatrix Dalton and Amy Cordero.
Showcased Artists
Amanda Kopp is a drawing and painting major with a budding photography career as well. Musicians and models are among her photography clients, but her major body of work, which she is most proud, is the drawings and paintings based off of her photographs of orphans living in Swaziland, Africa. Kopp visits these children in the summer, staying at the orphanage which is run by her in-laws. These portraits aren’t what you would expect, however. These kids are smiling and dancing or intense and pensive. They aren’t being exploited for their sad situations in Kopp’s work. “They’re my best friends,” Kopp says.
Kelsey Dalton is also a painting major whose focus is the figure. With early beginnings in graffiti and an interest in photography, Dalton’s paintings reflect this influence. Her thesis painting project is an exploration of the visuals created through an infrared lens.
The lone sculptor for this show is Amy Cordero. Cordero will be receiving a both a B.A. in Art History and a B.F.A. in Sculpture. Her academic work includes installation pieces, sculptural pieces and received a Best of Show award from Christoph Heinrich, curator at the Denver Art Museum, during a student organized Salon des Réfuses art show. For the thesis show, Cordero has created two cast aluminum busts of herself. The busts are meditations on her bi-polar disorder, one representing the manic state and the other representing the depressive state. For more on Cordero's process, see the article Naked Art Therapy.
Thesis Expectations
The Emmanuel Gallery was first built as a cathedral, then converted to a synagogue and then existed as an artist studio before being transformed once again into its current gallery state. Emmanuel Gallery is directed and curated by Shannon Corrigan, but for this exhibition the students will be installing their own artwork.
The students participating in the Thesis Review have spent generous time and energy in preparation. Students are required to submit proposals, artist statements and thesis essays defining their projects. After a high pressure semester, the artist-students must present their work in an Oral Defense. During the presentation they explain their artistic decisions before a panel of faculty members who ask tough questions concerning craftsmanship, conceptual realization and art historical significance.
Cordero states, “The show is going to be awesome; everyone is really talented and working really freaking hard!”
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