The Soft Museum is an artist co-lab and design studio located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, founded by Autumn Dawn Gomez and Nicholas Salazar, with the support of fellow artisan Max Sanders. They have been friends for nearly 15 years thanks to their shared love of nature, music, video games, comics, fantasy, and their equally matched creative energies. Autumn, who is Comanche/Taos Pueblo/Navajo, and Nic, who moved throughout the western coastal regions and Hawaiian Islands before his family settled in Santa Fe, both earned their BFAs from the Institute of American Indian Arts. While proficient in almost any artistic media, it was a basic set of Hama Beads that crystallized the trio’s “vision of being children in adult worlds” into a unique and highly marketable DIY brand.

Photo by Jane Phillips, The Santa Fe New Mexican

The tiny Hama beads are arranged on a grid and then fused together with applied heat. The result is a lightweight yet sturdy plastic pendant with the signature 8-bit graphic appearance, which is central to The Soft Museum aesthetic. These pendants are then attached to necklaces, earrings, hair clips, etc. and become SoftWear.

Nic’s sister, Sara, models “Wordplay” chest piece and “Alma” mask

Autumn and Nic gave these items to friends and family, sold them at arts & crafts fairs, mailed them to artists and musicians they admire, and did tons of promotion online. It wasn’t long until people like Dirty Bird Records honcho Claude Von Stroke, DJ group The Glitch Mob, and underground rappers Jean Grae and The Big Dipper are sporting SoftWear at shows and giving #shoutouts to The Soft Museum on social media. Having people you admire as fans of your work is an amazing feeling, but the greatest honor came when The Soft Museum was selected to represent Native arts and culture through a major company.

In 2012 the brand known as Paul Frank came under fire for hosting a party with an “Indian” theme, complete with neon warpaint, feather headdresses, and tomahawk props. There was a major uproar in the media and the folks at PF removed online photos of the event and issued a formal apology. They also consulted with members of the Native community to review their entire inventory and removed any item deemed culturally inappropriate. The company then decided to release a line of accessories designed exclusively by Native artists, which is when they reached out to Autumn Gomez.

Autumn created a line that included bracelets, pendants, and crowns. She states:

“This partnership allowed for this group of artists to share Native American historical legacies of creativity and tradition, while also blending the fun and colorful aesthetic that is Paul Frank. For this project, I created Hama Bead jewelry using a bold and neon palette combined with strong elements of geometry to create 5 different nature scenes - each captured in the silhouette of Paul Frank’s mascot, Julius. Each design is based on a landscape that I feel close to. I know that basing my concept on nature may sound cliché, but when done in classic Soft Museum style, it becomes very vivid and almost ultra modern. The result suggests neon video game backgrounds from the early ‘90s paired with the bold geometry of Southern Plains beadwork.“

This sums up what The Soft Museum style and mission is all about: combining traditional artist methods with contemporary crafts, achieving balance with nature and technology, and uniting indigenous and mainstream cultures through creative ingenuity.

Since the release of the Paul Frank line, Autumn, Nic, and Max have continued to work on building the SM brand and explore new creative pursuits.

Recently Autumn has been re-purposing scraps of fabric and thrift store finds into handmade fashions that express her love of meaningful design and content. The act of recycling clothes for the sake of avoiding poor corporate business ethics and creating designs that are both wearable and posses a social message has strong connections to her Native heritage. “By using recycled materials I want to encourage others to think about where and how clothing is made as well as the fact that true individuality simply can’t be mass manufactured. … As an indigenous woman I see content and craftwork as a way for my one of a kind designs to speak realistically about my time here on earth.”

Nic graduated with his BFA in illustration in May and has exhibited his own work at numerous venues in Santa Fe like the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts and the annual Armory Show at the Center for Contemporary Arts. The work of comic artists and illustrators like Junko Mizuno, Jack Kirby, and Jaime Hernandez are big influences on Nic’s artistic style, but his subject matter remains personal: “The content in my work often serves as metaphors for my experiences with asthma, food addiction, spirituality, and emotions. My work is more of a personal commentary rather than political or media inspired.” He has also been creating his own fashion wear and manifesting opportunities to show his work in galleries and boutiques on an international level.

Max has developed into a toy design extraordinaire, and has had his custom creations shown twice at Toy Art Gallery in Los Angeles, once in conjunction with the Paul Frank line and another time for BLAMO Toys. The toys allow him to explore his infatuation with “other worldly beauty and extraterrestrial cuteness.” He’s also quite the crochet master, and makes sweet little creatures that are cuddlier than their rhinestone encrusted counterparts.

While each of these artists have their own talents, their imaginations and output grows exponentially when they combine forces as The Soft Museum. The focus on youth culture and the child’s gaze helps spread their message of cultural awareness and unity to a young generation grappling with complex social issues. “It’s been a blessing to showcase our work to a broader audience,” Nic says. “Since then many people have told us that we have inspired them in some way or another. It is amazing to hear such words ~ I believe that by example and hard work you can inspire others to follow their dreams whatever they may be, even if you start from nothing.”

The Soft Museum has plans to move more toward the world of fashion/apparel. Models Cameron Russell and Chloe Nørgaard are already fans, which shouldn’t hurt when it comes to spreading the word about this up-and-coming style house from the future. Projects in graphic design, animation, music, video production and set design, toy creations, and custom commission work are also on the radar. The Soft Museum sees no limit to their creativity, and with all their originality, hard work, and growing fan base, there is no limit to their success either.

Visit www.thesoftmuseum.com to see more from this up-and-coming collaborative and purchase your own SoftWear. Purchases can also be made from

Beyond Buckskin.

-Hayley Richardson

Robin Rule at Dikeou Collection, photo by Mary Barone

The benefit of a mid-sized city like Denver is that it is easy for members of the art community to bind together and become a small yet mighty army of people who support one another’s endeavors. The downside, though, is that the loss of just one crucial player can have a distressing effect on the rest of the team. With the passing of Robin Rule last December, founder and owner of RULE Gallery, the local art community proves that it can pull together and continue an important legacy in spite of death and mourning.

Robin Rule entered the Denver art scene in 1987, and quickly established herself as a woman with great enthusiasm, taste, and straightforward honesty. She opened RULE Gallery in 1992, which became recognized for its psychologically inquisitive stable of artists and cohesively curated exhibitions, which were often inspired by dreams Robin had. Her keen eye and candid point of view helped artists harness and refine their work. Perhaps one of the reasons artists valued her opinion so much is because she lived much like them – a frugal life fueled by a passion for sharing meaningful art and connections. It is for these reasons, and certainly many others, that her absence has been sorely felt in the city.

The decision to continue the gallery or not was not an easy one for Robin’s family or staff to make. There wasn’t even a physical space for the gallery at the time, but it was the artists who made the push to keep things moving forward. Valerie Santerli took on the role of Director, and is supported by her colleagues Rachel Beitz and Hilary Morris. RULE Gallery is now settled into a permanent location in Denver’s River North (RiNo) Art District, which has grown into a thriving area in recent years. I had the opportunity to exchange a few emails with Valerie and meet her in the new space to learn what it’s been like to carry on without the gallery’s namesake.

Valerie and Robin met in 2006 through a collaborative curatorial project. Robin offered her a job on the day they met, but it wasn’t until a few months later, at a reception at Dikeou Collection, that she accepted. Robin became an invaluable mentor and friend to Valerie, and she believes in carrying Robin’s values in the gallery today.

Valerie Santerli pulls two works by Nathan Abels from the flat files.

Prior to moving into the current location, RULE opened a pop-up exhibition featuring the work of Nathan Abels at the Hinterland gallery space, and during that time a permanent space in the same building became available.

Convenience aside, the space is ideal because it shares certain qualities with previous RULE Gallery locations (there were 3 last time I counted). It is a single room with high ceilings and immaculate floors and walls. The spartan environment allows for that trademark cohesiveness in curation to shine, and as Valerie describes, distills the visitor experience into one purely based on looking and absorbing

The current exhibition, (in parentheses), features minimalist paintings and sculpture by Joseph Coniff, an artist who gained representation from RULE Gallery when he was barely out of college. He first exhibited with Robin in 2010 in a show called 4.0, which included recent art school graduates, as well as current students. It was the first commercial exhibition for these artists, and they have since become dedicated to their studio practices and exhibit their work regularly.

Joseph says that first exhibition served as a springboard for his transition out of art school, and that Robin continued to offer her knowledge and honesty for the benefit of his artistic development. Joseph recalled a day when he dropped by the gallery to show her some new prints for an upcoming exhibition. Her reaction: “I don’t like them…Art can be good, but not good for the gallery.” As much as it may sting, this is probably the greatest and hardest lesson an artist has to learn.

His current work of tri-color canvases and delicate grid work demonstrate a high level of restraint and personal understanding that takes most artists decades to develop. The sculpture “Post Lantern” shares these traits, but adds some humor to the mix.

Coniff doesn’t have complete reign over the gallery’s walls, though. Hung up high near the ceiling is a portrait of Robin from when she was a child, painted by Rosie Fisher, a friend of her mother. This memento reminds all who enter the gallery of the individual who started it all. Not everyone will recognize the portrait or understand why it’s there, but it will certainly bring lots of smiles and questions about the story of who this cheerful looking girl is and why she watches from above.

Valerie expressed that it still doesn’t feel like she is working without Robin, and that her wisdom still pervades. Robin believed in the power of collaboration, and that it is better to combine forces rather than divide. The initial pop-up exhibition at Hinterland is a testament to this idea, which they intend to build upon further. RULE’s next exhibition is a collaborative Pop-Up Project with the Carmen Wiedenhoeft Gallery, which will have two solo exhibitions. RULE Gallery will present Overlook, a series of paintings and drawings by artist Nina Elder in the back gallery while Carmen will present Imposition, new photographs by Evan Anderman in the front space. Both shows/artists address the contemporary Western Landscape using different mediums but with a unified perspective depicting man’s influence on the land.

“Goddess,” by Dale Chisman (1943-2008), given to Robin on her birthday in 1990

Although I never had the opportunity to meet Robin, I feel her enthusiasm for life and art come through when the people who knew her talk about her. She touched many lives and helped shaped Denver’s art scene into what it is today, and with the continuation of the gallery her vision and sensibilities are sure to carry on.

(in parentheses) is on view through October 5, 2014 at RULE Gallery, 3254 Walnut St, Denver, CO 80205. Normal hours are Tuesday - Saturday 12 - 6p but the gallery will be closed August 29 - September 2 for the Holiday. The gallery will be open extra hours for First Friday, September 5 from 6-9pm.

The joint pop-up exhibition will open Friday September 12, from 6-9pm at the Carmen Wiedenhoeft Gallery located at 3542 Walnut St in RiNo and will remain on view through October 18, 2014. A free artist talk with Nina Elder and Evan Anderman will take place on Saturday, September 27 at 2pm.

-Hayley Richardson

Game Changer, an exhibition curated by Ruth Bruno and Cortney Lane Stell, opened July 17th at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art. According to the exhibition statement, Game Changer aims to “examine artists’ relations to the aesthetics, rules, and cultural significance of competitive sports. … While addressing various components of sports, the works in Game Changer illuminate the potential of art to foster many different types of critical contemplation.” The show features twelve artists from around the world, including Devon Dikeou, a sports aficionado whose knowledge and appreciation of athletic competition permeates several works in her oeuvre.

The large open space, high ceilings, and hardwood floors of BMoCA’s main gallery has always reminded me of a gymnasium, making it a fitting arena for a sports-themed exhibition. Artist Ana Soler’s “Starting Point: Causa-Effecto” activates the space and the audience experience at the front entrance of the museum. With multiple tennis rackets suspended to mimic the movement of someone swinging and hitting the ball, which travels throughout the museum in a state of suspended animation, the piece celebrates the kinetic aspect of sports and prompts visitors to get in the game. The tennis balls bounce in front of Denver artist Phil Bender’s “Soccer Jerseys” and reach the next crescendo before disappearing at the entrance of the next room, only to reappear on the second floor in frozen bounce frenzy.

Alejandro Almanza Pereda’s “Veinte y uno exquisito” does very well at affirming my gym comparison. A basketball begs to be dribbled across the pale wood floors and dunked into the basket overhead. However, doing so would cause some bodily injury and probably a lawsuit or two considering the hoop and backboard are made of a vintage mirror and neon lights.

It’s best to save the MJ impression for the court in your driveway.

There are other works like Pereda’s that appear as an invitation for play, only to prove their uselessness when the participant actually tries to accept that invitation. David Andamo’s “Untitled (Ping Pong)” paddles have holes and are made of heavy bronze, and Brett Kashmere’s “Anything But Us Is Who We Are” involves a NBA 2K10 videogame with LeBron James that cannot be played because there is no controller. Actually many of the artworks are comprised of materials that are meant to be touched, worn, or played with. Putting these objects in the context of a museum, where “do not touch” is still the standard, gives the viewer that itch to dig out their own favorite jerseys and enjoy the sports they love. However, Devon Dikeou’s piece reminds viewers of the intangible reasons why our culture is so obsessed with athleticism and competition, which stems from the hearts and souls of the athletes themselves.

Dikeou’s five black and white photographs are part of a larger installation titled “Marilyn Monroe Wanted to be Buried in Pucci,” and were originally exhibited at the Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia in 2009. This work reflects on the relationship between the iconic actress and baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, and how that relationship, along with their fame, endured in life and in death. The photos depict an American flag at half-mast in New York City, and were shot by the artist on March 8, 1999, the day DiMaggio died.

The images, though somber, speak volumes about everything Americans treasured about DiMaggio beyond the playing field. He was one of the most idolized figures in American culture yet retained his sense of modesty, a quality Hemmingway surmised best when he penned, “’I would like to take the great DiMaggio fishing,’ the old man said. ‘They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are and would understand.’"

Game Changer

is on view at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art until September 14, 2014.

-Hayley Richardson

With the DVD release of El Topo (1970) and its successor, The Holy Mountain (1973), in 2006 and 2007, Alejandro Jodorowsky’s heady and often unsettling filmic visions were finally available to permeate the sheltered minds of a new generation. Although his first film Fando y Lis (1968) and later work Santa Sangre (1989) had been available to the public on VHS and DVD, they did not have the same intense cult following as El Topo and The Holy Mountain. With the reintroduction of Jodorowsky’s name and work into millennial pop culture, the time was right for him to return to the big screen with new stories to tell.

In 2013 Jodorowsky had the benefit of a double booking at the Cannes Film Festival, which featured the premiers of Jodorowsky’s Dune and The Dance of Reality. Jodorowsky’s Dune is a documentary directed by Frank Pavich that tells the story of “the greatest film never made,” and features interviews with Jodorowsky and other individuals involved in the pre-production stages of the sci-fi film interpretation. The Dance of Reality is based off Jodorowsky’s autobiography of the same title. It is interesting that both of these films share a relationship with books, contain elements of biography, and were released at the same time. I hardly consider myself an expert on this artist, but I have a hunch he had this whole sequence planned out in his head many years ago.

In assembling his cast and production team for Dune, Jodorowsky sought one specific quality – a warrior spirit. There are several instances when he refers to himself as a god (in the least egotistical way a person can), and even called the Dune project a creation of god. Therefore, anyone involved in the film had to be willing to make significant sacrifices to their minds, bodies, and spirits.

Concept illustration for Dune by Dan O’Bannon

Dan O’Bannon, the man tasked with special effects, had to commit himself to psychiatric treatment when the film never got picked up for production. It was during this dark time that he wrote the screenplay for Alien. Symbolic resurrection at its finest.

Character illustration for “Paul” by Jean Giraud aka Moebius

The person who most embodied this warrior spirit was Jodorowsky’s 10-year-old son Brontis, who was set to play the lead role of “Paul.” For two years Brontis trained every day for 5 hours a day in mixed martial arts to prepare for the physical and mental demands of the role. His preparations never came to fruition.

Alejandro and Brontis in El Topo; Brontis as “Jaime” and Jeremías as “Alejandro” in The Dance of Reality

It is apparent that Alejandro cultivated the warrior spirit in Brontis at an early age, considering he played the son of the main character (played by Alejandro) in El Topo and was shooting guns naked in the desert at 6 years old. His unorthodox introduction to film and the defeat of Dune did not hinder Brontis from pursuing a very full career in acting and directing for cinema and stage. He stars in The Dance of Reality, playing the role of his own grandfather, Jaime. His presence on screen is intense, showing that this man has fully become the warrior his father always wanted him to be. Brontis’ own son Jeremías plays Alejandro as a child, and Alejandro appears in the film as an angel-like being that consoles his young self in times of fear and confusion.

Three generations of the Jodorowsky clan acting out the harsh realities and epic fantasies that permeate their bloodlines is amazing to see play out on the movie screen, and was meant to be a cathartic and bonding exercise for all involved. It is important to note that Alejandro is a practitioner of psychomagic and psychogenealogy, and that The Dance of Reality is the cinematic manifestation of these beliefs. According to Alejandro’s biography , “Psychomagic aims to heal psychological wounds suffered in life. This therapy is based on the belief that the performance of certain acts can directly act upon the unconscious mind, releasing it from a series of traumas, some of which practitioners of the therapy believe are passed down from generation to generation. Psychogenealogy includes the studying of the patient’s personality and family tree in order to best address their specific sources.” I encourage others to familiarize themselves with Alejandro’s biography because it provides insights to important themes in the film that may otherwise go unnoticed and will enhance one’s appreciation for the narrative.

Even though Jodorowsky’s Dune and The Dance of Reality are two completely different types of film, they maintain a dialogue with one another and I enjoyed picking up on the areas of overlap. The Dune documentary was a great primmer to The Dance of Reality, as it explains Jodorowsky’s approach to filmmaking and his current attitudes toward his past and future projects. The strongest connection between the two films is the god-like mentality Jodorowsky describes in the Dune documentary and how it flows throughout The Dance of Reality, particularly in the Father/Son/Holy Spirit trinity he creates with himself, his son, and his grandson. The notion that art imitates life is extremely potent in Alejandro’s world, as his successes and setbacks exemplify the cycle of creation, sacrifice, and rebirth.

-Hayley Richardson 

On June 7th families came to the Dikeou Collection to make storyboard collages inspired by artist Luis Macias’ “A Fine Monday Morning."

Our Family Saturday Workshops take place on the first Saturday of the month for the rest of the summer. The Workshops, along with all other events at Dikeou Collection, are free and open to the public. Join us for our next workshop on July 12 as we explore concepts of “anti-painting” and negative space as used by Dikeou artist, Sarah Staton.

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-Dikeou Collection