Facebook   Twitter   Instagram
Search
Superkids Expo 2026    Current Issue   Archive    Donate and Support    
New Exhibitions Opening at Museum of Art Fort Collins

New Exhibitions Opening at Museum of Art Fort Collins

 Like 0

Donate TodaySUPPORT LOCAL MEDIA-DONATE NOW!

Press releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

Friday June 19th, 2026 

Media Contact: Lisa Hatchadoorian, Executive Director, [email protected]

MUSEUM OF ART | FORT COLLINS OPENS A CELEBRATION OF COLORADO AND PATRICK DUNFORD EXHIBITIONS

FORT COLLINS —On Friday, June 26, through September 13, MUSEUM OF ART | FORT COLLINS will open the following exhibitions to the public: A Celebration of Colorado and On the Plains by Patrick Dunford. The Celebration of Colorado exhibition is juried by artists living and working in Larimer and Weld Counties in Northern Colorado. Artwork media include woodwork, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, painting, fiber art, drawing, and multi-media artwork.

Juror Beth Venn reviewed 780 images and applications from 184 artists to narrow down the exhibition to 65 artists and 103 artworks. Beth Venn is currently the Executive Director of the Neltje Center for Excellence in Creativity and the Arts, University of Wyoming. Before she became executive director of the Neltje Center, Venn served as the founding executive director of KinoSaito, a multidisciplinary art center and artist residency program in the lower Hudson Valley in New York.

She has held curatorial positions at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Newark Museum. Venn has consulted for museums, performing arts centers, and public libraries on strategic planning and program development, and she advises community-based arts nonprofits. She also serves on the board of the Wyoming Arts Alliance. A native of northern Illinois, she received her bachelor’s degree in art history at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. After relocating to the Northeast, Venn completed a master’s degree in art history at the University of Delaware.

“We are so pleased to host an exhibition of such creative talent from artists all across Northern Colorado and celebrate the breadth of creativity in our community,” says Lisa Hatchadoorian, Executive Director.

After moving with his family to Moorhead, Minnesota, a year and a half ago, Patrick Dunford found himself returning to the Great Plains region of the Red River Valley after eleven years away. Upon returning to the Plains — or the Prairies, as they are known in Canada — Dunford became newly captivated by the region’s vast expanses. Frequent travel between Moorhead and Winnipeg led Dunford to observe the agricultural structures, grain hopper railcars, and open spaces lining the highways of this fertile landscape.

He became especially interested in the grain elevators and sugar beet factories scattered throughout the region. Dunford began documenting these spaces through small drawings and photographs made on site, later bringing them back to the studio as source material for his oil paintings. Over time, his focus has shifted away from majestic or conventionally picturesque scenery toward overlooked and everyday spaces such as rail yards, roadside attractions, signage, and agricultural factories.

Patrick Dunford was born and raised in Winnipeg, MB, and completed his MFA at Concordia University in Montreal.

This exhibition is curated by Dinghy Rig, a collaborative artist-run art production and exhibition program launched by Aitor Lajarin-Encina and Marius Lehene. This exhibition is the seventh installment of a long-term collaboration with the Museum of Art | Fort Collins, which is hosting the Dinghy Rig shows in what used to be the building’s safety vault room. The project benefits from the generous support of Peter D. Springberg, MD.

Support for these exhibitions and programs comes from: City of Fort Collins, Colorado Creative Industries, National Endowment for the Arts, First Western Trust and Da Vinci Sign Systems, Inc, Signarama, OBC Wine Project and The Elizabeth Hotel.

List of Participating Artists in A Celebration of Colorado:

About Museum of Art | Fort Collins:

The museum is open Wednesday/Thursday from 10 am to 5 pm; Friday from 10 am to 7 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday from noon to 5 pm. Admission is $10.00 for adults, $8.00 for students with ID, and seniors (over 65). Youth 17 and under and museum members are always free. For more information, visit www.moafc.org. The mission of the Museum of Art | Fort Collins is to boldly explore contemporary society through art–enlightening, educating, and providing arts leadership for our region. We connect art, artists, and community.

###

Author

Guest Contributor

Related Posts

Leave a Reply