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Program looks to blend music with artwork
... Music in the Mountains Artists Market will not be taking a commission on sales. Not a big risk, but a risk nontheless.
Several things occurred to the native Texan, who followed her husband, Charles, to Durango when he was hired as Fort Lewis College Concert Hall Director.
"Funding for most nonprofits has been off about 20 to 30 percent," she said. "We were looking for ways to bring more people to our summer events at DMR. I thought having an open-air art show on the beautiful new plaza would be a good way to generate additional revenue."
If a reasonable number of artists sign up (the deadline is June 26) for the 10-foot-by-10-foot spaces, the rental fees will cover expenses, but not much more. Unlike most art shows, the July 18-19 Music in the Mountains Artists Market will not be taking a commission on sales. Not a big risk, but a risk nonetheless. Leslie defined her initial concept as an altruistic win-win situation by asking herself, "How can Music in the Mountains be a part of the art community as a complement to what we do?"
Seeking to attract, "fine artists," as she puts it, "we are using our previous Wine & Art Festival fundraiser as a learning experience and are looking to what Telluride has successfully accomplished in their music and art pairing, as a model for our event."
Although space for as many as 40 artists is available, only six signed on as of last week. While Leslie is optimistic, she also is realistic and understands her idea didn't germinate early enough to attract a large number of artists. In the spirit of continuous improvement, she opted to go forward anyway, hoping even the small response still will generate interest and spread the word for next year.
Among the participating artists will be painters, sculptors and ceramicists, all well-known locals and established artists from outside the county. According to Leslie, even though it may be an intimate show, the anticipated juried offerings are of art gallery quality. It's worth a ride up to the mountain to check it out, and, of course, you always can listen to the music.
On Aug. 1 and 2, after the Artists Market, the desire to marry art and music will continue, when Music in the Mountains plays host to the Four Corners Plein Air Group's "Paint-Out." It is expected that close to a dozen artists will be on hand demonstrating their talent while painting from the surrounding landscape. The art lovers on hand will get to vote for their favorite work and also have the opportunity to purchase the resulting paintings directly from the artists.
Hey, art, music and glorious scenery, what's bad about that? Stew Mosberg is a freelance writer. He has written about art regionally and nationally and is the author of two books on design. Reach him at wrtrf@aol.com.
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