YOUR AH HA MOMENT: JULY HAPPENINGS

03 Jul YOUR AH HA MOMENT: JULY HAPPENINGS

The Ah Haa School for the Arts is participating in a number of great events throughout the month of July, a number of which are dress rehearsals for the BIG EVENT: our school’s auction, themed “Cirque d’ Ah Haa.”

On the Fourth of July for example, Ah Haa’s float, built by summer camp students, has a circus theme. The very next day, Thursday, July 5, is Telluride Art’s Art Walk, when the Daniel Tucker Gallery will be filled with work regional artists have donated to the auction. (Bidding also begins that day).

Telluride’s Art Walk on Thursday, July 5th kicks off the Cirque d’Ah Haa auction celebration.  The Ah Haa School is supported by a community of artists whose donated pieces will be displayed in the Daniel Tucker Gallery throughout the month of July.  Bidding will begin on July 5th and culminate at the Ah Haa’s Art Auction on July 20th.  Brooke Bailey and Dieter Runge’s exhibitions will also open on July 5th.

For committed art lovers, Thursday July 19, is a special opportunity to attend an artist talk followed by an exclusive auction of works that are not unavailable at Friday’s Cirque d’Ah Haa. Michelle Curry Wright, Michelle Montague, Sally Simpson, Corinne Scheman and Ryan Bonneau are on deck to talk about their art and artistic processes in an intimate setting where attendees are encouraged to participate. Each artist represents a different medium to showcase Ah Haa’s commitment to all forms of visual art and individual creative expression. In this setting, enthusiasts are able to relate to each of  on a personal level with each artist and his or her work. (Wine and canapés are provided, compliments of the school.)

Friday July 20, Cirque d’Ah Haa opens its doors at 6 p.m. The live auction begins promptly at 8 p.m. The night of festivities includes live art, creative entertainment, and a silent and live auction featuring the work of local, regional and international artists, all of whom come together in support of our non-profit whose reach extends far beyond Telluride’s box canyon. This year’s list of artists participating in the live auction includes photographer Eileen Benjamin, encaustic/mixed media artist Judy Kohin, London Times photographer Michael Ward, jewelry designer Jennifer Dewey, and other standouts. Silent auction items range from design pieces to paintings, photographs, jewelry, drawings, trips, and much more, including an unreleased Michael Ward Beatles print, Adirondack chairs designed and painted by local high school students, a Cirque d’Ah Haa-themed Las Vegas trip, a custom electric guitar by Derek Tuohy, hand-painted by artist Danielle DeRoberts and a Stella Art Scooter and Sidecar.  For more information, please call 970.728.3886.

For an overview of July, watch the following video:

Unrelated to the auction, but an important part of Ah Haa exhibition schedule are two other shows opening at Art Walk.

Brooke Bailey is a long-time friend of the Ah Haa School and visiting instructor. We are excited to showcase a line of work she has never exhibited anywhere. Bailey’s exhibition, “Field Work: An Excavation,” is inspired by years of finding and collecting old belongings and fabricating a story among the items.

“This idea that we live in a throw-away society is one that I have fixated on for many years, and in these small, intimate creations we can take a moment to reflect and discover our own unique story,” says the artist.

Dieter Runge’s “Fear Nothing” compiles 108 12”x12” woodblock prints to tell the story of one person: Dieter Runge. These images were selected from 100s Runge produced in his Oahu studio over the past few months. For those who don’t know Runge’s personal story, the images all portray a vital element in his life’s journey from yoga to rock ‘n roll.