The Durango Creative District has a new home at 1135 Main Ave. The space will function as headquarters for the organization and a new community art gallery.
“We’re very different from other Durango galleries,” Kathryn Waggener, executive director said. “We serve the public as a physical hub for local and regional arts resources, and we’re grateful to the 11th Street Station for giving us access to their office and gallery space to make this happen.”
If you go
WHAT: Durango Creative District Soft Opening: “Command-Z.”
WHEN: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday.
WHERE: 1135 Main Ave.
MORE INFORMATION: Email hello@durangocreativedistrict.org or call (970) 403-9186 or (757) 810-4890.
The Durango Creative District conducts a variety of public programs, which include informational sessions related to grant opportunities; professional development classes; and now a place for a community gallery that will showcase a mix of solo and group exhibitions by local and regional artists. The community-based exhibitions are all connected to local cultural initiatives, Waggener said, like the First Friday Art Walk or the incubator program for emerging artists.
Two emerging artists will have work on display at the soft opening 5 to 8 p.m. Friday: film photographer Wyatt Richards and multidisciplinary artist Cason Pool. Their show title, “Command-Z,” refers to computer lingo that is a “keyboard shortcut used to perform the ‘undo’ command, which reverses the most recent action taken by the user. It is commonly used in software applications to correct, revert and retry.”
Through Richards’ film work and Pool’s acrylic airbrush paintings and graphic designs, the show promises to “dive into the creative psyche” – by looking into the culture that surrounds us.
Waggener coordinates the Incubator for Emerging Artist Series along with Marketing and Projects Manager Jared Reed. The program identifies and mentors new and emerging artists while also providing a space for a first solo or group exhibition experience.
“Artists go through a training program in advance of an exhibition, with the goal to improve the professionalism … and develop an opportunity to increase community ad collector engagement and education,” the DCD brochure says.
A more extensive grand opening will be held on July 18, with a group exhibition. Titled “Portrait Lotto,” the show will feature 38 local artists. Through an unusual community-building scheme, Waggener said, each artist will be assigned a fellow artist. The pairs will then meet, interview each other and work out a portrait plan.
All Creative District exhibits are free.
Judith Reynolds is an arts journalist and member of the American Theatre Critics Association.
