Giasco Bertoli’s 2001 piece “I went to see a friend of mine who turned thirty-three years old, in his room I found a pile of 33 lp’s with the word blue on each cover title, I compiled them in alphabetical order” is a C-print photograph mounted on aluminum, and was one of the first artworks installed at Dikeou Collection. The word “blue” and the alphabetization of the albums provide the basis for the composition, but this assemblage of otherwise arbitrary images resonates with one another and builds a story about the owner of these albums and the people who made them.

Sting, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, and Madonna are some of the standout artists in this gathering because of their widespread fame and appeal, but there are some lesser-known names like Terje Rypdal and The Chasers or Claire d’Asta that can leave one wondering how they found their way into this person’s collection in the first place. Despite any of these musicians’ level of fame, though, is the fact that the people who created these album covers rarely get the acknowledgment they deserve for bringing music into the visual realm. Compounding the situation is the proliferation of digital music exchanged over the internet, which has drastically reduced the need for album art in general. The next time you find yourself with a record in your hands, take the time to scan the fine print and find the name of the individual(s) who produced the imagery, as their work is an integral part to the musician’s identity.

The following is a list of the art directors, designers, and photographers who created the album covers in Giasco’s photograph. The artists for albums by Status Quo, Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, and Elvis Presley are unknown. Like the musicians, the artists vary in their degree of recognition.

Abbey Lincoln, Abbey is Blue - Cover designed and produced by Paul Bacon, Ken Braren, and Harris Lewine. Photography by Lawrence N. Shustak
John Coltrane, Afro Blue Impressions - Cover and layout by Norman Granz and Sheldon Marks
Johnny Cash, All Aboard the Blue Train with Johnny Cash - Cover by Neil Lewis
The Rolling Stones, Black and Blue - Photography by Hiro, layout by Bea Feitler
Double, Blue- Cover design by Hans Inauen. Photography by Barbara Davatz and Marco Schaaf
Joni Mitchell, Blue - Art Direction by Gary Burden, photography by Tim Considine
Terje Rypdal and the Chasers, Blue - Cover design by Dieter Rehm
Status Quo, Blue for You - unknown
Heavy D and The Boyz, Blue Funk - Art Direction & Design by The Drawing Board, photography by Danny Clinch
Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, Blue Jean Bop! - unknown
Massive Attack, Blue Lines - Art and Design by Michael Nash
Elton John, Blue Moves - Art direction by David Costa
Emmylou Harris, Blue Kentucky Girl - Design and photography by Tom Wilkes
Kiri te Kanawa and Nelson Riddle, Blue Skies - Photo by Zoe Dominic
Cassandra Wilson, Blue Skies - Cover design by Steve Byram
Midnight Oil, Blue Sky Mining - Front cover photography by Gunther Deichmann, back cover photography by North Sullivan
John Coltrane, Blue Train - Photography by Francis Wolff, cover design by Reid Miles
Tom Waits, Blue Valentine - Art Direction and Design by Ron Coro, hand lettering by Bill Franks, photography by Elliot Gilbert
The Escorts, From the Blue Angel - Front cover photo by Dezo Hoffmann, back photo by Campbell McCallum
Herbert von Karajan, Herbert von Karajan does Johann Strauss: Le beau Danube Bleu - Portrait provided by Eisenmenger Ektachrome Archive for Art and History
Eric Serra, Le Grande Bleu Soundtrack - Designed by P.Huart and P. Cholley, illustration by Malinowski
Elvis, Moody Blue - unknown
Frank Sinatra, Ol’ Blue Eyes is Back - Art direction and photography by Ed Thrasher, design by Dave Bhang
Carl Perkins, Ol’ Blue Suede’s Back (Tribute to Rock'n'Roll) - Art Direction by Bill Banks, design by Jeff Lancaster, photography by Gary Young
Wynton Kelly, Kelly Blue - Cover produced and designed by Paul Bacon, Ken Braren, and Harris Lewine
Miles Davis, Kind of Blue - Cover photo by Jay Maisel, other photography by Don Hunstein
Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue - Art Direction by Peter Nutter/Thumb Design, photo by Richard Avedon
Foghat, Stony Blue - Art Direction and Design by Peter Corriston, cover concept and photographs by Alen MacWeeney
Lou Reed, Blue Mask - Cover Design by Sylvia Reed
Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles - Photography by Max Vadukul, Danny, and a chicken
Madonna, True Blue - Art Direction by Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff with Jeri McManus, design by Jeri McManus, photography by Herb Ritz
Johnny Winter, White Hot & Blue - Photography by Art Kane, design by Paula Scher

Click here to listen to a mix of tracks from these albums curated by John A. Díaz-Cortés 

-Hayley Richardson

Image courtesy of Clyfford Still Museum

The New York School of artists often had consuming relationships with critics. Art writers like Clement Greenberg and Harold Rosenberg had the power to bolster an artist’s notoriety and embed their name in history, but they also had the ability to crush aspirations and reputations. AbEx painter Clyfford Still was unafraid to express his loathing for this dynamic, and the way critics (in his eyes) manipulated artists and their work. He aggressively responded to reviewers, famously sending art critic Emily Genauer a pair of rubber underpants for her “Sunday afflictions” after she wrote an unflattering review of his work in The New York Herald Tribune. Based on Still’s history with critics, The Clyfford Still Museum invited Jerry Saltz and Roberta Smith, the two most prominent art critics working today, to speak at their Winter 2015 Keynote. Held in Ponti Hall at the Denver Art Museum on February 12, Saltz and Smith pulled one of the largest crowds for a museum event the city has seen.

The structure of the talk was loose and meandering, with both Saltz and Smith glossing over their biographies – he as a former artist turned truck driver who took up writing criticism on the road, she as an assistant for Donald Judd and then writing for Artforum and Village Voice. They met at a gallery reception and he asked her to contribute to his book Beyond Boundaries: New York’s New Art in 1987, without having ever read her writing. They have since been married 23 years, with Roberta writing as co-chief art critic for The New York Times and Jerry as senior art critic at New York magazine. They eat, sleep, and breathe art together, yet retain individual identities in their writing styles and opinions.

Roberta stated that everyone should embrace their inner critic, and acknowledged that she and her husband are often at the receiving end of criticism themselves. In December 2006, Time Out New York compiled a list of the top professional reviewers with “…the power to shape NYC culture…rated by the artists and industry insiders who know them best.” Saltz clocked in at #1 and Smith was #2. An anonymous quote from the ratings said that while Saltz is “…opinionated and argumentative, he is at least passionate about art…” A quote about Roberta: “Considers her subjects carefully, but can never entirely endorse them. Her reserved style is respected, but not always just.” They still describe their styles as such today; Saltz having a loose, animated bravura while Smith is more controlled and focused on pace.

Their writing styles matched their personalities on stage. The volume of Jerry’s voice bounced up and down, often accompanied with energetic hand gestures, while Roberta’s tone was clear and direct, hands calm. Their shared ability, though, to express themselves concisely with intellect and humor is what made the experience truly engaging. There was never a lull in their discussion, and they made it clear that they expected the audience to keep the momentum during the Q&A session. People tend to ask longwinded questions, and Jerry gave one inquisitor a loud BZZZT! before he could even get one out. This was merely his humor shining through, and they graciously answered all questions with thoughtfulness and attention to the examiner. One person asked how they gauge their success, and Roberta answered that she measures her success by how useful she is to readers and art viewers, that she “doesn’t feel alive” if she’s not in print. Jerry and Roberta thrive off feedback from their audiences, and it showed when they fielded questions from the crowd. They are both active on social media, too, and interact with their cyber audience daily.

It was not until I reviewed my notes days after the lecture when I noticed that Jerry spoke more to and about artists, while Roberta’s discussion focused on the criticism and writing process. From this one can see how Jerry’s early history as an artist continues to influence his perspective and voice as a critic. He stressed that artists need to work, work, and work more, both creatively and at a traditional “real job.” Roberta credited her mother for encouraging a critical eye and visual literacy at an early age. She said she abstains from getting too personal to those she writes about, which explains her cool detachment in print. As a couple they strike a balance that is so difficult to achieve in their field, it makes one wonder if they would have reached the level of success they have today if they never would have developed a relationship.

Jerry and Roberta’s work centers on the New York art world, but their influence is national and they recognize the significance of art communities throughout the country. Their Instagram and Twitter feeds were full of art highlights from Denver Art Museum and Clyfford Still Museum, along with much praise of the strength of both museums’ collections. They were especially enchanted by CSM, and talked at length about how important this museum is to understanding an artist’s development and craft. It’s too bad they did have more time to spend in the Mile High so they could see how much more the city has to offer with its hundreds of galleries, theaters, artist studios, and alternative spaces, but Jerry tweeted to his 59K followers, “Denver on itinerary kids.” He and Roberta may have only gotten a tiny taste of what’s here, but they liked what they saw and will hopefully come back for more.

-Hayley Richardson

Majority of the world’s biennials take place in cities and institutions in Europe, but they have become more common in the United States in recent decades. Denver’s biennial, known as the Biennial of the Americas, is unique because it concentrates strictly within the Western hemisphere and delves into topics outside of contemporary art. The 2010 and 2013 editions of Biennial of the Americas succeeded to introduce the concept of a biennial event to the city, but there was often a lack of unity among the various significant activities taking place. This year’s execution seeks to diminish this issue and will set the standards for future biennials thanks in part to the ambitious yet focused vision of the Biennial’s new Artistic Director and Curator, Lauren A. Wright.

Originally from Colorado, Lauren has spent the past nine years in the United Kingdom earning her Ph.D in Humanities and Cultural Studies from the London Consortium and serving as Curator at Turner Contemporary in Margate. She returns to her hometown of Denver with the desire to stay with the Biennial long term and help strengthen the bonds with its partners and collaborators.

The theme of this year’s Biennial is NOW!, and while the aim of most biennials is to address current issues, Lauren believes that they still have a tendency to come off as historical or as looking too far into the future. The idea of “now” requires responsibility and response, and she sees Mexico’s art community as one that is taking action and confronting pressing issues. She describes the Mexican art scene as huge and complicated, one where the government and other public institutions do not always support artists. Despite their obstacles, young artists in Mexico remain ambitious and create their own opportunities, spurring new growth and solidarity within the community. They embody NOW! and will have prominence in Lauren’s curatorial vision for 2015.

Artists in Denver have a lot of support from the community, but they still share that sense of ambition and independence with the artists of Mexico. Lauren sees the Biennial as a way for artists from these two regions to build meaningful relationships. After a successful 2014 Mexico City Summit, an event organized in part by Biennial of the Americas, an artist residency exchange program was established between the Denver-based organization, ArtPlant, and SOMA, a contemporary art museum in Mexico City. Two artist ambassadors from each country have been selected for the exchange, and will have their work featured in one of the Biennial’s art exhibitions.

The residency exchange program is just one of the ways this year’s Biennial team is bolstering its artistic platform and solidifying relationships with creative institutions in the Americas. Lauren says that the physical design of the Biennial would also serve these means by uniting its diverse programs under one roof. For the first time there will be a Biennial Pavilion, which will have spaces for exhibitions, symposia, workshops, and collaborative projects, as well as a visitor center and café. The Pavilion will be a place where leaders in business, government, and education can mingle with those in philanthropy and the arts, creating opportunities for Denverites to connect with the rest of the hemisphere.

The Pavilion will be the heart of the Biennial’s activities, but there will still be satellite attractions to encourage visitors and participants to explore the city. Mural projects and other public art will be installed around town, and the main Biennial art exhibition will be held at Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art, a venue whose mission is in line with the theme of NOW! and will likely draw plenty of visitors. The MCA has always supported Biennial of the Americas, but Lauren acknowledges that it took great confidence on part of the museum to lend itself to her curatorial perspective and further invest in the Biennial’s legacy.

The 2015 Biennial of the Americas opening festival (which will include exhibit openings, symposia, workshops, etc.) will take place in Denver on July 14-18, with programming continuing through September 7. Lauren is committed, though, to help the Biennial become more far-reaching during the time until the next one in 2017, so that people recognize it as a constant working enterprise rather than something that only comes around every other year. It is this type of consistency and investment the Biennial of the Americas needs to maximize its potential as a landmark event for Denver.

-Hayley Richardson 

In order to experience all that the city of Miami has to offer during the week of Art Basel, you must expect to visit at least one fair, one museum, one collection, and attend one party every day. Anything less would nullify the whole purpose of the weeklong spectacle. Of course time should also be set aside for some beachcombing, meals, shopping, traffic (oh, the traffic!), and sleep if you can manage it.

But after keeping this pace for three or four days, all the new, exciting, eye-catching artwork begins to collapse into a kaleidoscope of fragmented color, light, and sound. The mission switches from looking at art to acquiring another espresso or cerveza. You search for a place to sit (good luck with that), when something recognizable catches your eye among the hodgepodge of booths and your vision comes back into focus.

Whether at one of the fairs, museums, private collections, or publicly on view, artists affiliated with Dikeou Collection and zingmagazine maintained a strong presence during the biggest event in the art world. Seeing their work brought a welcomed sense of familiarity to a scene wrought with a woozy mixture of celebrity and obscurity.

Devon Dikeou’s Between the Acts, featuring curtains replicated from Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show, sets the stage at NADA art fair. More images and information about this project can be found here .

Rainer Ganahl’s booth at NADA featured work from his El Mundo project, in which he invited opera singers and musicians to perform at a closing discount store in New York. Also on display were selections from his Hermès-Marx scarf series.

3

Yes, that’s a projector on a toilet, along with a recording of the El Mundo performance on vinyl. As fate would have it, the booth next to his also had commode-inspired art.

Wade Guyton’s Untitled, inkjet on linen from 2007, at the Rubell Collection for the ‘To Have and to Hold’ exhibition, through May 2015. 

Guyton was also on view at the de la Cruz Collection, both independently (top) and in his collaborative work (bottom) with artist Kelley Walker (Guyton/Walker) for the exhibition ‘Beneath the Surface’, through October 2015.

Eight of Vik Muniz’ extraordinary photographs of reappropriated artworks dominated an entire wall at the Bass Museum. These are from the collection of artist Peter Marino, as are majority of the works currently on display at the museum for the ‘One Way: Peter Marino’ exhibition, on view through May 3, 2015. An edition of Milan, The Last Supper (from Pictures of Chocolate) , located just below Waterlillies, after Monet (from Pictures of Magazines) , is on permanent exhibition at Dikeou Collection.

Meanwhile, Dikeou artists Lizzi Bougatsos, Paul Ramirez Jonas, and Misaki Kawai popped up all over Untitled art fair.

Lizzi signed posters and copies of her new book Her Perfume Tears

She signed the floor, too, exhibiting exquisite can control.

Paul Ramirez-Jonas also held the floor with his volcanic Publicar rocks with corkboards, which were peppered throughout the fair for attendees to pin their business cards and party fliers.

Eric Firestone Gallery presented Misaki’s paintings in all their quirky, colorful grandeur. Just a stone’s throw away from Untitled, the Mondrian Hotel showcased a teepee she painted with hieroglyphic style designs and the planet Saturn with “Home” inscribed across its center.

She likely flew this teepee back to outer space when the party ended. 

-Hayley Richardson

Judy Chicago celebrated 75 years of age on July 20, but the party didn’t stop until just a couple weeks ago. She’s been touring the nation, celebrating her life’s work as an artist, educator, and feminist by giving lectures and opening exhibitions at eight different museums across America. This scattering of her work at various institutions over the course of 2014 creates what she calls a “dispersed retrospective,” and Denver was fortunate to host the artist and her provocative artwork at the very end of the landmark journey.

Chicago gave a talk at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design on October 16. The auditorium filled with artists, students, professors, gallerists, and collectors eager to hear what this long-standing figure in the art world had to say about looking back at her decades of groundbreaking achievements. Simon Zalkind from Denver’s Mizel Museum curated an exhibition of her work at RedLine and introduced Judy to the crowd. Her husband, photographer Donald Woodman , helmed the projector and was instructed by his wife to change the slides every five minutes to keep the pace lively.

She breezed through her minimalist work of the 1960s and her struggle to find her voice in the male-dominated world of art school. There was no reference to Womanhouse or Miriam Schapiro, and she mentioned in passing how much of a nightmare Rainbow Pickett, her most famous work from that time, had caused her. (In a 2012 Flash Art interview with Glen Phillips and Eleanor Antin she revealed that she destroyed it because curator Walter Hopps “refused to look at it.” It was recreated in 2004).

The Dinner Party was the focus of the 1970s, as was Powerplay and The Birth Project in the 1980s. When the slide switched to the 1990s, Donald joined her on stage and talked about his collaborative work with Judy on their Holocaust Project: From Darkness into Light. Since he was on stage talking instead of changing the slides, a lot more ground was covered for this topic, which is great because it is one that does not get the same attention as Chicago’s earlier projects. In her years of art historical research, Chicago realized that there was little to no artistic representations of the Holocaust, and as with her previous ventures in elevating the feminine in art, she and Donald sought to do the same for those who endured this dark time in world history.

Once her talk was complete, Judy took questions from the audience.

“What advice do you have for young artists?”
“Get a job. There are too many artists coming out of MFA programs right now and the art world will chew you up and spit you out before you’re 30.”

“Is there anything from your body of work that you don’t feel the same connection to, or don’t like anymore?”
“No.”

“If someone had never heard of you before, what is one artwork that you would tell them to see first?”
“I’d tell them to go to Judy Chicago dot com.”

The exhibition at RedLine, Surveying Judy Chicago: 1970-2014, contains significant works throughout her career, including early sketch designs and test plates from The Dinner Party, beautiful glass work, and a major piece from The Holocaust Project. Curator Simon Zalkind did an excellent job of putting together a thorough representation of the artist’s work over 40 years.

Surveying Judy Chicago: 1970-2014 is on view at RedLine through December 28.

-Hayley Richardson