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Sculptor inspired by kinetics

By Mary Voelz Chandler, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 11, 2005 at 12:36 p.m.

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Joseph Shaeffer began showing his industrial-strength sculpture a little more than two years ago, a series in which sections of each piece were held together by magnets.

Later, he moved into creating sculptures that depended on kinetic qualities to come to life, pieces that drew inspiration from the work of George Rickey.

Now, Shaeffer has installed an homage to the late sculptor - Erratic Synchronization: 3 Elements at 23 degrees - in the ever-changing backyard at Artyard, a silent sentinel that symbolically watches over a show of the artist's new pedestal and wall pieces on view inside.

In ". . . Manifest As Tension," through Dec. 3, Shaeffer moves into the concept of "tensegrity." That sliding together of tension and integrity refers to the way in which structure affects the strength of an object. Think R. Buckminster Fuller and Kenneth Snelson as explorers in that field. "Sustension," too, plays a role in Shaeffer's new work, especially a collection of suspended acrylic cylinders titled TNS H5N1: Containment of Anticipation . . . As It Becomes Apprehension, where thorns in some tubes hint at a potential threat, perhaps here a virus.

In several pieces that look as if they were maquettes for much larger works, Shaeffer uses cables to support elements that appear to want to defy gravity. In TNS 7-2604: The Unresolved Argument . . . , a web of wire helps keep two vertical pieces in place, since each comes in contact with the lower segment via one point of metal. In TNS 550-S: A Dark Tower . . . From the Confines of the Mind and TNS 1-967: T Zero, which share aesthetic attributes, a decorated central post is supported by a nest of cables stabilized by variously shaped "arms."

As in the past, Shaeffer mixes aspects of science, engineering and art in his work, which challenges a viewer to approach each piece with plentiful curiosity and more than a little respect.

LAST CALL: Sarah McKenzie wrote recently to note that she has had a busy and productive year in her studio, since she is still very much a working artist while finishing a period teaching at the Cleveland Institute of Art and pondering a move back to the Denver area.

The proof of that can be seen, through Saturday, at Sandy Carson Gallery, in the paintings of "Constructions."

Before her move East, McKenzie began to earn a reputation for paintings that offered a hyper-realistic view of the ravages of sprawl, residential growth that was tearing up the metro area's countryside.

Now, she has moved inward, from the large works that offer an overview of site (though there are still a couple of those here, from the Aerial series) to the more individual and personal aspects of building a building - more specifically, a house. Construction 1, Construction 2, and Frame offer a bird's-eye view of the framing process, a complex mix of lines and perspective that show the extreme precision with which McKenzie works.

In the process, McKenzie has reached beyond creating almost photographic depictions of the land and man's mischief to find an abstracted reality. She says this is as much about constructing a painting as it is a building, and that goes to the heart of the matter in terms of the evolution of her work.

"Constructions" is paired with a selection of new floor pieces by Virginia Folkestad, whose "Stoppers," in concrete and steel and rope, appear to have flown out of giant bottles and landed in the gallery. As is consistent with Folkestad's sculptural pieces and installations, the workmanship is impeccable here.

The surprise is a work hanging in the back conference room area: River, of wire mesh and embroidery, acts like a virtual fountain, with the illusion of water streaming down the wall, chilly, if nicely stitched.

The gallery is at 760 Santa Fe Drive. Information: 303-573-8585.

NEW FACE AT FOOTHILLS: Michael Chavez, an exhibition designer at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, on Dec. 12 will begin a new job as curator of exhibitions and education at Foothills Art Center in Golden.

Chavez has a bachelor of fine arts degree in sculpture from the University of Wyoming, and a master of fine arts with departmental honors from the University of Kansas.

Foothills director Jenny Cook said the search committee considered 30 applicants, 23 of which were from Colorado.

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE: AIA Colorado announced its honor awards Oct. 29, and one - the 25-Year award to a building - is a repeat of the Denver AIA chapter's choice a month before: the Denver Art Museum, designed by Gio Ponti and James Sudler. The DAM has morphed the name into the North Building (until a better name comes along), but it will always be the Ponti building to me.

The firm of the year award went to Semple Brown Design, known for many arts-related projects, including the fine new Ellie Caulkins Opera House. And someone better known for civic activities and historic preservation projects than design - Dennis Humphries, of Humphries Poli Architects - was named architect of the year. As president of the Golden Triangle Association, Humphries carried the mayor's message last spring to convince many in his neighborhood that a justice center would work just fine in their back yard. He is on the committee charged with selecting architects for the center's courthouse and jail.

And Historic Denver Inc., at its annual awards event Oct. 26, honored artist Barry Rose with the annual Ann Love Award for his work in a variety of materials on numerous architectural and preservation projects - especially terra cotta detailing, a specialty that marks many of Denver's best old buildings (and new, such as Coors Field).

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