Long before there was an Auraria Campus, there was the Emmanuel. Built as an episcopal chapel in 1876, the building is Denver’s oldest standing religious structure. But, in its 150 years, it has served many purposes. From 1903 to 1958, it was a synagogue, the home of the Shearith Israel congregation. When enough of its congregants moved to other neighborhoods, the community sold the building to artist Wolfgang Pogzeba, who used it as his studio. In 1973, it changed hands again and became the art gallery that it is today.
As part of the Auraria Campus, the space shows the work of students from the campus’ three institutions in juried exhibitions, as well as curated shows featuring professional artists of national and international stature. College of Arts & Media Dean Lucinda Bliss said these dual roles of the gallery make it a uniquely valuable space for both CU Denver and the Denver arts community. “I believe it is this commitment to excellent curation, while keeping students as the north star, that has made the Emmanuel so successful as a community gathering place,” Bliss said.
This year, the Emmanuel Art Gallery is celebrating its 150th anniversary with the exhibition “Come Together: 150 Years of the Emmanuel.” Read on to learn about three of the local artists featured in the show.
Meet Isabella Briganti
Isabella Briganti discovered the Emmanuel Art Gallery as a student at CU Denver in 2019. She and some friends happened on what they thought was a cool-looking building, wandered inside, and found German artist Oliver Herring. He was doing a residency at the gallery at the time and was hiring student workers to assist him. She ended up working at the gallery for that month—and until she graduated in 2023. This year, she was commissioned by CU Denver Associate Professor of History Rachel Gross, PhD, to illustrate buildings on Denver’s west side.
She credits the Emmanuel Art Gallery for some of her success. “Having an institution like this on a college campus is so important for students,” Briganti said. “You get real-world opportunities, real-world connections, real-world experience that will follow you into whatever you do after.” For her, one of those experiences is now showing her drawings in the Emmanuel Art Gallery not as a student, but as a working artist. Her depiction of the gallery drawn for Gross’ project can be seen in the 150th anniversary exhibition.
Meet Carlos Frésquez
Frésquez’s first show in a professional setting was at the Emmanuel Art Gallery in 1976. Back then, he was a student at Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU). Fifty years later, he’s an accomplished visual artist who has gone on to show his paintings and other multimedia pieces around the globe. His work explores themes of his Chicano heritage, politics, and more.
Throughout his career, Frésquez remained close to his roots. He taught at CU Denver for four years and at MSU. He still calls the Mile High City home. Frésquez said that the Emmanuel Art Gallery, where his career began, is particularly special to him. “It’s community. It’s family. It’s history,” he said. “I’m really lucky to be a part of this history.”
Meet Max Kauffman
Max Kauffman has been living and working in Denver for two decades. He describes his painting style as “new folk.” He focuses on folk imagery and storytelling, typically exploring what he calls “the lived energy and spirit of a place.”
For Kauffman, the history of the Emmanuel Art Gallery is particularly meaningful to him. “As a Jewish person, knowing that this was a synagogue, and before that a church, it was initially an incredibly safe and almost magical place for people to go in the early days of Denver,” Kauffman said. “Considering that there’s been a century and a half of people living and existing in here—and showing art for the last half a century—is amazing.” His painting of the Emmanuel Art Gallery, included in the upcoming exhibition, aims to capture that meaning.