Culture

Bruce Gomez_ Indian Summer  from Gray Head- Telluride Gallery of Fine Art
Painting by Bruce Gomez

Sponsored by the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities, the First Thursday Art Walk is a once-a-month opportunity for galleries, studios, and retail stores to strut their considerable stuff. The meet-and-greet takes place all day until 8 p.m. October 6 marks the final Art Walk of the 2011 season.

New for the summer/fall season 2011 select venues continue to welcome children and their families for a special Kids Walk. A treasure map provides a self-guided tour and simple activities that teach basic principles of art through observation. Key venues offer hands-on activities.

Among the venues not to miss:

Octoberfilm The Telluride Film Festival is not just one long weekend that happens to be the high-water mark of Telluride's summer festival season. The "Festival" is really shorthand for creative movie events it hosts throughout the year. Sunday at the Palm takes place once a month at the Michael D. Palm Theatre and focuses on family entertainment. Cinematheque, a joint venture between Film Festival and Telluride's five-star Wilkinson Public Library, is a film club and vehicle for cinephiles in the region to watch and discuss great film. Like Sunday at the Palm, Cinematheque is free.

The 2011/2012 Cinematheque program is a six-part series programmed by Telluride Film Festival co-director and film scholar Gary Meyer, who created "Ciao Cinema" as an inspiring journey through the evolution of Italian film, including a look at the work of iconic directors such as Vittorio de Sica, Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, and others. 

Rembrandt-jesus Yesterday, Telluride Inside… and Out was on the move again, this time to visit old friends and former Telluride locals Sidney and Monique Lazard in Philadelphia. Our rendezvous was set for the Philadelphia Art Museum.

In the 17th century century, the period known as the Golden Age of the Netherlands, the Dutch Republic reached unprecedented economic, political and cultural heights and saw a flowering of artistic talent to rival the tulip crop. The Holy Trinity of that period was Frans Hals, whom we talked about in a recent post about a show of his work at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Johannes Vermeer, and Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 – 1669). Ever ready to embrace synchronicity, turned out Philadelphia was featuring Rembrandt.

 

 

12073-shrovetide-revellers-frans-hals These are the faces not just a mother can love and an ethos also easy to relate to. Still, in the case of painter Frans Hals. On Firday, Telluride Inside… and Out visited the Big Apple once again. Our two key stops yesterday: the Frans Hals show at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Red Grooms show at the Marlborough Gallery, 40 West 57th Street.

Though divided by centuries, the two artists have more in common than meets the eye. Hals and Grooms convince with clear-eyed depictions of the human condition. Both became well known for affectionate yet truthful portrayals of the urban cultures of  17th-century Haarlem, the Netherlands, Hal's adopted home, and 20th/21st century New York in the case of Grooms.

Dog, Church Once upon a few years ago, Telluride Inside… and Out interviewed a group of young Russian filmmakers visiting town for the Telluride Film Festival. What did they want to talk about most? How dogs in Telluride looked like their people and were everywhere. And how cool it was that dogs were treated like family. And so on… Anyone who lives in town and any observant guest – like the young Russians – know one thing for certain: Telluride is dog heaven.

On October 9, 10 – 11 a.m., Telluride's Christ Church is, well, going to the dogs. And cats. Birds. Even gerbils. That Sunday is a belated celebration of the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the environment, traditionally celebrated October 4.

 

Band poster sept 3 Thursday, September 29, Telluride's Llama hosts a Battle of the Bands and The 525s are invited. Doors at 9 p.m. Curtain up at 10 p.m. Cover charge: $5.

“It’s a real honor to be asked to join the fray,” says guitarist and songwriter Suzanne Cheavens. “For such a small town the local music scene is very vibrant, so to be included in this contest is a real tip of the hat to how far we’ve come.”

The 525s evolved from a short-lived women’s program at Mark Galbo’s Rock and Roll Academy in 2008. Original members Barbel Hacke, bassist Cindy Eckman and Suzanne remain from those nascent years, joined this summer by drummer Phil Hamilton. And Baerbel, the lead singer, is ready to show Battle of the Band fans what The 525s have up their sleeves.

 

 

An evening of blues, jazz and boogie on Friday

Scott Promo 001 If you were around Telluride in the 1980s, you might remember the name "Scott Cossu" and a sold-out concert at the historic Sheridan Opera House back in 1988. This weekend, Scott returns to the Opera House stage for his (belated) encore Friday, September 30. The evening, which starts at 7 p.m., includes a concert, plus a party/fundraiser/ silent auction.

Scott Cossu was one of the first artists to sign Windham Hill Records in the late 1970's. Based out of Northern California, Windham Hill was a label dedicated to the sounds and spirits of New Age, Jazz, "Heavy Mental" and Classical. For four decades and counting, Scott has continued to write, perform and record jazz, blues and tail-shaking tunes. The show on September 30 features Scott on piano, Art Patience on harmonica, and Nathan Good on percussion showcasing New Age-style compositions, blues, jazz and traditional classical piano music.

 

Juan+melendez
Juan Melendez

One of the feature documentaries that premiered at the Telluride Film Festival was Werner Herzog's "Into the Abyss." In it, Herzog's cold but curious lens looked at a capital murder case that took place in Texas in 2001. Three people were killed, one man faces 40 years in prison and another was executed. But he was guilty. Juan Melendez was not.

On Wednesday, September 28, noon – 1:30 p.m., Telluride's Christ Presbyterian Church hosts a special event, a screening of "Juan Melendez 6446" followed by a discussion led by Colorado Alternatives to the Death Penalty.


Z. Z. Wei Painter Z.Z. Wei sees his little corner of the Big Blue Marble like nobody else sees it. And once you see it, ahem, his "way," you can't help but view the Northwestern landscapes of the Puget Sound or the Palouse of Eastern, Washington without seeing his work in those vistas. Just ask Clint Viebrock, who was born in Eastern Washington. That's why every Fall without fail Telluride Inside... and Out makes a pilgrimage to Patricia Rovzar's gallery at 1225 Second Avenue in downtown Seattle to check out her annual blockbuster show of the artist's work. It's Clint's way of going home again –  with the added perk of not having to pay for gas for the three-hour trip across the mountains.

 

Roger.rabbit poster The Telluride Film Festival, in collaboration with The Telluride Foundation and the Telluride R1 School District, launches the 2011/2012 program of its ongoing series, Sunday at The Palm.

The first screening takes place Sunday, September 25, 4 p.m. and is FREE to all. The featured film is "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" Special guest, local Jeff Price, the film's screenwriter, plans to be on hand to discuss his film-noiresque mystery and answer questions.

In Bon Temps, Louisiana, it's vampires. In this 1988 film, a collaboration between Disney Studios and Steven Speilberg, it's Toons and humans who co-exist in a 1947 Hollywood world. The story centers around Roger Rabbit (voice of Charles Fleischer) who has been framed for the murder of gag-gift king Marvin Acme (Stubby Kaye).  Acme was photographed playing patty cake with Roger’s wife Jessica Rabbit (voice of Kathleen Turner), and so Roger appears to have clear motive for the dastardly deed.