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Art exhibit opening Friday challenged artists to evoke all five senses

Audrey Dwyer
Local artist Malcolm Perkins-Smith works hanging a new show at the Depot Art Center in downtown Steamboat Springs. Palettes: A Taste for the Senses will open Friday and will feature the work of several top local artists.
John F. Russell

If you go

What: Palettes: A Taste for the Senses

When: 5 to 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Depot Art Center, 1001 13th St.

— Stepping outside of the preconceived way to explore an art gallery, artists ask viewers to engage all five of their senses at an exhibit that opens today.

For this month’s featured exhibition at the Depot Art Center, 25 artists submitted their work and ideas as part of the second iteration of “Palettes: A Taste for the Senses.”

Greg Block — who initially conceived the idea — describes the exhibit as an everyday way of navigating the world brought into a gallery setting.



“Most of us experience our everyday lives as a rush of sensory information that comes through five channels: vision, hearing, smell, taste and touch,” Block said. “My vision was to use this platform to encourage an audience to draw attention to those beautiful everyday moments when each of the five senses work in concert to create a singular reality.”

The First Friday Artwalk that will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 6 is the first time the pieces have been on display.



The gallery transports viewers to a new place or idea as they go from piece to piece. Because the show is diverse in mediums and subjects, the inspirational work evokes emotions that vary from incredibly light to elegant depictions that are dark and morose.

“If someone gives you information through all of your senses, they really have a great power to transport you somewhere, almost literally in terms of what your mind’s eye can and can’t see,” Block said.

To be selected for the show, each piece went through a jury process conducted by members of the Steamboat Springs Arts Council. Artists were expected to push their limits further than ever before, according to Kim Keith, executive director of the SSAC.

To elevate the feelings the artwork evokes, viewers have the option to access music — via the SSAC website — that is paired with each piece through a mobile device with headphones.

“It’s a multi-sensory event,” said Eva Luna, one of the exhibit’s featured artists. “For me, it was a way to combine the flow of movement and abstraction through water colors and wine and extract all the things I do and incorporate where I’m from [Chile].”

To delve deeper into the artistic experience, SSAC will host a seated banquet, “Feast for the Senses,” allowing the artists to share their vision on a larger scale. The event will be presented in a banquet-style with a seven-course meal relating to the featured artwork plus live music and performances throughout the night.

“Feast for the Senses” will be held Feb. 19 beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m. The event is limited to 100 tickets, which are $50 for non-members and $25 for members.

To reach Audrey Dwyer, call 970-871-4229, email adwyer@ExploreSteamboat.com or follow her on Twitter @Audrey_Dwyer1


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