On Thursday, June 18, CU Denver community members, creatives, and supporters convened at the Emmanuel Art Gallery on the Auraria Campus to celebrate two significant milestones: the 150th anniversary of the building’s construction—it is Denver’s oldest standing religious structure—and the 50th anniversary of its conversion to an art gallery. In that time, it has served an important role in Denver’s dynamic arts community. “This historical celebration gives us a moment to think about the contribution that this space has made to arts, culture, and community,” said Lucinda Bliss, dean of the College of Arts & Media (CAM), which manages the space.
The opening reception of “Come Together: 150 Years of the Emmanuel” unveiled the vibrant and unique artwork of 20 professional artists, including work by CU Denver alumni and a current student. Curator Andrew Palamara, in collaboration with the former Gallery Director Jeff Lambson, the current Gallery Director Sarah Watson, and CU Denver students, selected each piece of art to create a contemporary show that captures the building’s rich history. Each artist has been featured at the Emmanuel at one point in time dating back to the 1970s. “We’ve been working on this for three years, maybe longer,” Palamara said of the exhibition. “I feel a lot of gratitude. It’s such a beautiful, unique space.”
The building is a Romanesque and Gothic-style church that was constructed in 1876—the same year that Colorado became a state. At the time, it was called the Emmanuel Episcopal Chapel. Around the turn of the 20th century, it was converted into the Emmanuel Shearith Israel Chapel. When the city changed and the congregation dispersed to other neighborhoods, the community sold the building. It became the studio of artist Wolfgang Pogzeba in 1958, a space to create his Western paintings, sculptures, and photographs. In 1973, the building was purchased by the Auraria Higher Education Center (AHEC) to become a nonprofit campus art gallery.
Five decades later, the gallery remains open to the public and deeply connected to the Auraria Campus and the Denver arts community. That’s evident in the latest exhibition. “The exhibition gives viewers an incredible opportunity to learn about the legacy of the gallery’s programming and about the important history of the building,” Watson said.
“Come Together: 150 Years of the Emmanuel” is on display through Sept. 19. Visitors can learn about art and history through various mediums and perspectives. August Balderrama, a student studying art practices in CAM, is showcasing a colorful silkscreen print series with images of his home in the nearby Capitol Hill neighborhood accompanied by a sheep icon. His work is intended to symbolize vulnerability as a strength. The piece was first featured in the student art show, “Guilty” at the Emmanuel this spring. “This is such a big deal for me,” Balderrama said of the latest exhibition. “I feel so incredibly grateful to be part of an exhibition with so many other talented artists.”
For Palamara, who has worked in several art galleries throughout his career, the exhibition brings him a great sense of gratitude. “This is probably the most lovely and beautiful space I’ve gotten to work in,” he said. “Not just the architecture, but the way people feel when they come here.”
