Gallery Walk is a Durango institution. Now that the skies have cleared, we can hope for a mild Friday evening for strolling downtown and visiting a slew of art exhibitions.
Studio &, once again, has outdone itself when it comes to adventurous theme shows. “Visions of Johanna” is the title of a Bob Dylan song and the operating idea for the gallery’s May exhibit. Tim Kapustka, co-owner and curator of the exhibit, said he has dreamed of a show inspired by this particular song – for decades.
If you go
WHAT: “Visions of Johanna: An invitational art exhibit.”
WHEN: Opening reception: 5-9 p.m. Friday. Artist Talk 2 p.m. May 18.
WHERE: Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.
ADMISSION: Free.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit www.anddurango.com.
“This is an invitational art exhibit centered on one song,” he said. “It’s about a man and two lovers; one he’s with and one that’s on his mind. Dylan’s imagery is so powerful, and there are many interpretations. It’s what we are as human beings.”
Dylan fans say the song captures the darkness and disillusionment of an existential crisis as the singer explores his obsession with Johanna, an idealized lover.
To create the exhibit, Kapustka said he took the long, five-stanza lyric and broke it into 33 segments.
“Each line would become the title of the work,” he said. “I could have assigned them, but I didn’t. Randomness has its own energy.”
Kapustka invited 33 artists, regulars and invitees, to each take one line, summon imagination and produce a work for the show.
“Studio & is an arena to do stuff like this,” he said. “And every artist said ‘Heck, yeah.’”
Some works arrived early, including those of well-known local artists with national reputations. Fiber artist Ilze Aviks a submitted a luscious collage on a silk organza bedspread that combines a variety of technical approaches from cyanotype and digital printing to hand stitching. Aviks has the opening line: “Ain’t it just like the night to play tricks when you’re trying to be so quiet?”
“Louise Grunewald bookends the exhibit,” Kapustka said. The celebrated calligrapher and artist-book master closes the show with a wildly elegant calligraphic piece that contains some of Dylan’s most intriguing metaphors.
The multimedia exhibit ranges from watercolors and acrylic paintings to a glass mosaic and a bold mixed-media sculpture of found objects.
Works will be displayed in song order, Kapustka said.
“From the beginning, I thought of this as group experimentation,” he said. “Hanging this show in our space has been a challenge – 33 works is pretty much the max.”
Expect music to be played at the opening, and a Sunday talk will be offered at 2 p.m. May 18, after which the too-short schedule will conclude.
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
