Just as he was giving up hope on ever graduating from high school, Salvador Flores found the PlatteForum ArtLabin Denver. During his student internship there, he worked on projects with skilled local artists, including a multi-media interactive exhibit at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art, a mural for the People’s Fair Mural Competition and a series of public service announcements about the vital role of arts in education. Salvador learned the art of making a difference, and that it began…
Jeff was just 12 years old when he was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form on nerves. For Jeff, the tumor on his optic nerve resulted in a dwindling ability to see. Jeff began chemotherapy and radiation when the tumor threatened to leave him totally blind. Jeff’s parents, Julie and Hal gave him a set of watercolors, so that while he was in treatment he would have something fun to do. It was when he began painting on notecards that they discovered his…
Written by Ashley Hennen. Posted on December 1st, 2011 in The Hub A mosaic that’s reminiscent of Van Gogh’s Starry Night hangs in the lobby of Mariners Inn, the Cass Corridor shelter and treatment center for homeless men. The blues and golds look like that famous painting, but instead of a night sky spanning across this triptych, there’s a bridge that spans from dark to light as the mosaic tiles move toward the door. “It’s transformation,” says Maxine Gardner a volunteering artist…
Who would think that a mosaic class could open up a world of creativity in a 46 year old woman? I didn’t, but the first class I took in mosaics truly allowed me to express my imagination and creativity in a way I didn’t expect. A blossoming creativity turned into a sense of adventure and fun, and gave me a sense of freedom as I transformed the most basic object into something beautiful and full of meaning. As I started creating mosaics as a way to express myself, I showed my work at art…
