IN THE GALLERIES: Assemblage & Recyclates

By Mary Voelz Chandler, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 28, 2008 at 7 p.m.

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Betsy Blumenthal's Tyvek Tapestry.

Assemblage & Recyclates

* What: Sculptural and fiber work made of recycled materials

* Where and when: Translations Gallery, 855 Inca St.; through Sept. 13

* Talk about mixed media: I've always considered that a catchall term, something tacked to a piece of art when it's not clear how to identify the materials.

But in the case of "Assemblage & Recyclates," mixed media somehow works. After all, this somnolent title - "recyclate" is a word, but ... - covers an exhibition that is all about turning leftovers into a feast.

Granted, artists have been doing this for years, not allowing scrap wood to go to waste, for instance. But the wall-mounted works by Leo Franco and Anne Bossert on exhibit here are so beautifully crafted and cohesive, there's no sense of "scrap" about them.

Meanwhile, Betsy Blumenthal's idea of using old Tyvek envelopes - which apparently only that company can recycle - to create a tapestry is an ingenious way to use an industrial-strength material that is transformed when painted.

Translations, which opened as a space devoted to fiber art, moved off the Santa Fe Drive art speedway in May. It now fills a space in a complex with various art-related enterprises. The move allowed Translations to keep a back gallery devoted to its stable of artists, and overall it's easier to navigate a visit.

* Information: 303-629-0713; translationsgallery.com

Mary Chandler is the art and architecture critic. chandlerm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2677

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