The Modbo and S.P.Q.R. (The Arts Alley District) are proud to present a First Friday opening on May 2nd, 2014. The Modbo will host Folkesagn, a new body of work by Modbo Collective artist Lorelei Beckstrom. S.P.Q.R. will have works of Dareece Walker, in his first solo show with The Modbo. Both shows will be up until Friday, May 30th. Opening reception is from 5:30 pm til midnight on Friday, May 2nd, with live music by Mobdividual at 9 pm. The Modbo can be reached at 633-4240. 17b and 17c East Bijou, 80903. themodbo.com. themodbo@gmail.com
About Folkesagn:
“Some of my favorite memories of my childhood in Minnesota are those spent watching the Aurora Borealis. Soon after my 2013 solo show ‘Fluff’, in which I told some of the great Greek myths through stuffed animals, I stumbled upon a particular Nordic folktale [folkesagn], in which the fox was the creator of the Northern Lights.
I decided to further explore this folklore of my ancestors, and found intriguing stories of the rabbit connecting the heavens and the earth, the deer who ate from the World Tree, and Odin’s ravens, Hugin and Munin, who flew the world to bring him knowledge.
I was inspired and began work for this show by creating the animal masks to be used in my photoshoots- which always become a fun and serendipitous collaboration between myself and the models. These paintings are loosely based on our interpretation of these stories.
Most of the frames in this show were given to me by the Manitou Springs artist Charles Rockey. They were among hundreds of frames collected over his lifetime that were damaged in the 2013 flood that devastated our neighborhood. Some of them were repaired, and some are left in their damaged state. It’s a true honor to give them a new life, along with this series of tales.” –Lorelei Beckstrom
About Lorelei Beckstrom:
Lorelei Beckstrom spent seven years in college in Minnesota, where she dreamt of being a professional student- studying nearly every form of art before finally settling on painting. She then took a decade off to relocate to Colorado and build an unusual off-grid strawbale home, which she considers her greatest work of art to date. After spending years running a publishing business and a yoga studio, she found herself wanting to recommit to art full-time, and began studying oils once again under Brett Andrus.
Beckstrom has since shown prolifically in Colorado, where she co-owned the award-winning Rubbish Gallery. She has also shown at Eggman and Walrus in Santa Fe and Cult Status in Minneapolis. Her work resides in collections in the United States, Mexico, and England. She is represented by The Modbo in Colorado Springs and the Carla Wright Gallery in Denver.
In 2012, Lorelei was awarded ‘Best Artist on the Rise’ by the Colorado Springs Gazette. Her 2013 solo show ‘Fluff’ was featured in a cover story by the Colorado Springs Independent, and was later voted silver for best show of the year.
About Rips and Stains of Fabric and Time:
“My experience growing up as a black man, in the United States, has yielded many questions about the history of this nation as it relates to African Americans. These questions inspire my interest in the history of black representation, and provoke me to create work in response to my discoveries. I use recycled wood and cardboard because of the color, they relate to commodities, are low quality and easily replaced. As a black American I feel underestimated, and I empathize with these qualities of being used, undervalued, and discarded.” –Dareece Walker
About Dareece Walker:
Dáreece Jordan Walker was born in 1989 in Manhattan, Kansas. He is currently living and working in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Dáreece received his bachelor’s degree in Visual and Performing Arts from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in May 2013. Recently he has shown at The Business of Art Center, Cottonwood Center for the Arts, and Gallery of Contemporary Art.
Dáreece has been published in The Gazette, CS Independent, The African American Voice, Revolution Newspaper, and the New American Paintings Blog.
Awards include the Campus Auxiliaries excellence award in visual arts at UCCS, a purchase of his piece “March With King” by UCCS for permanent collection, RAW Colorado Springs Visual Artist of the Year 2012, and the African American Voice 2013 “Talented Ten” award. Dareece will be moving to New York this fall to pursue a Masters in Fine Arts at The School of Visual Arts NY.