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BMoCA’s biggest party of the year is here with Artmix

Friday, art collectors can peruse more than 130 works by over 100 contemporary artists at BMoCA’s Artmix.

The museum’s largest fundraising event of the year offers folks a unique chance to bring home some truly one-of-a-kind masterpieces. From mixed-media works to photography and sculptural art, there is no limit to what one will find among the inspired and intriguing creations.

“I look forward to Artmix every year as it’s a wonderful exhibition that features so many different mediums, practices and artists,” said Kiah Butcher, BMoCA’s associate curator of community engagement. “We are so grateful to include local, regional and international artists in the exhibition. With over 100-plus works of art available, there is truly something for everyone.”

Friday, from 5-6 p.m. a VIP preview gives folks early access to Artmix, champagne and a guided tour of the exhibition. VIP tickets are $300 and allow ticketholders to purchase art prior to the start of the auction.

The silent auction and party — featuring tasty food, music and libations— will go from 6-9 p.m., and tickets for that are $150.

BMoCA members can purchase auction and party tickets for a discounted rate of $125.

“All proceeds benefit the artists, as well as BMoCA’s exhibitions and education outreach programs serving over 140,000 people each year,” Butcher said.

In May, BMoCA announced the plans for a new flagship museum in NoBo Art District that will be the anchor of a sprawling creative campus. Construction will begin in 2025.

Each year the auction spotlights the work of a number of returning artist and new makers.

“The best part of Artmix is the variety of art,” Butcher said. “It’s so hard to pick a stand-out piece as all of the work in Artmix is carefully curated and each selected work has something special to offer.”

Participating again is artist Taiko Chandler, who, before embarking on a career steeped in creativity, worked in the medical field in Japan for 15 years.

“Although I loved being a nurse, looking back at my childhood, I have always been interested in shapes, colors and movement in nature,” Chandler said. “I was always sensitive to and curious about my everyday surroundings, or life experience.”

Chandler and her husband moved to the U.S. in 2002, but due to her visa situation she couldn’t practice nursing for around 10 years.

While not being able to work in her field, she sought out the practice of creating to fill her days.

“Looking back at that time, although it was challenging to learn about a new culture and society, I was always creating things with my hands, such as sewing or making jewelry and a bit of photography,” Chandler said. “On reflection, I think that time was important as a foundation for my art career.”

After moving to Denver in 2011, Chandler began to explore opportunities to pursue different mediums on a more regular basis.

“I took my first art class in printmaking and realized that this was what I had been looking for as my life work,” Chandler said. “Though working as a nurse and an artist are very different, they both make me think about humanity and society in the same way.”

Chandler’s work — rich with movement and vibrant hues — can be found in private and public collections in the U.S. and Japan.

In addition to printmaking, she also constructs large-scale, site-specific installations. From having displays at Denver Botanical Gardens to within the galleries of BMoCA, Chandler continues to transform spaces into striking and unusual environments with cloud-like cotton structures and more.

She will have one work up for grabs at Artmix.

“The piece is titled ‘Without Constraint’ and is an original print that I created in early 2021, soon after the Jan. 6 insurrection,” Chandler said. “The pandemic and recent political turmoil caused me to reflect more deeply on our society and where we are heading. This piece is a reminder to myself about how grateful I am to be able to express my thoughts and emotions freely in art.”

For Chandler, getting a chance to see the eye-catching work of fellow creatives, and the evolution of BMoCA year after year, is part of the fun.

“I have participated in Artmix for several years, so I am excited to see how BMoCA has grown in importance within the Boulder community,” Chandler said. “I have enjoyed working with BMoCA for many years and am grateful for the opportunity to be able to support this great organization again with my art.”

Kate Woodliff O’Donnell — another returning Artmix participant — continues to dazzle onlookers with her hyper-realistic colored-pencil drawings, whose subjects radiate a comforting nostalgia.

From candy hearts that look so real one can imagine digging their hand in the pile to depictions of multicolored roses and tulips that catch the light, textured and delicate, her intricate glimpses of still-lifes are awe-inspiring.

O’Donnell credits a vivid childhood memory for planting the seed of creativity in her.

She recalls visiting a neighbor artist’s workshop when she wasn’t yet 5 years old and becoming fascinated with his carvings of area abodes, as she explored the studio whose floor was filled with wood chips and the earthy scent of sliced bark.

“The thing that I still remember is how important it was for him to see and recreate every little detail that made each home unique — matching paint colors, sometimes carving flower pots, flags or a tattered old blanket draped on a rocking chair carved out of wood,” O’Donnell said. “I attribute this memory to my own strong feelings of the importance of heightening every detail in my own studio work. He created each home with such love, purpose and care. This moment helped define what I wanted to be as an artist and, most importantly, what I wanted to give to the world.”

From the plush material of a teddy bear to the glimmering lacquer of an earring, the amazing detail found in O’Donnell’s work is incredibly impressive. In her art — whose likeness is reminiscent of photography — ordinary objects take on new meaning and importance.

“Whenever I think of my next drawing, I am intrigued by the content and the feeling my viewers will have when they see my work — the nostalgic qualities of a candy, a sweet or a stuffed animal they used to love,” O’Donnell said.

For Artmix, O’Donnell will have her piece “Melting Popsicle” up for bid.

“This drawing was inspired by the nostalgic memory in the summer months when an enjoyed treat, a popsicle, starts to melt,” O’Donnell said. “In the story, maybe the popsicle was dropped to the ground, forgotten, to move on to play with friends, swim, enjoy the excitement and wonder of warm weather and sunny days.”

Many of O’Donnell’s detailed drawings are created in an A-frame studio tucked into the mountains of Nederland.

“Images of love and nostalgia are still major focuses as I move forward in my studio this year and in 2023,” O’Donnell said. “I look forward to the research and seeing what drawings are next.”

Not only does Artmix provide patrons with the opportunity to enhance their own wall spaces with fresh work, it’s a place where artists can connect, and even set ideas in motion for future collaborations.

“I love Artmix and look forward to participating in the event each year,” O’Donnell said. “From seeing what local artists have donated to meeting new friends, Artmix is also a great place to inspire new collectors of art.”

Any artwork still available at the close of the in-person auction on Friday may be purchased online at the “Buy It Now” price through Sunday at 5 p.m.

“There is so much excitement to collect art at Artmix, and BMoCA has done such a good job making collecting more accessible for buyers, who perhaps have never thought about owning original art,” O’Donnell said. “I think it’s truly an important event not only for BMoCA, but for our community as well.”

After the party wraps, visitors can visit the Artmix exhibition on Saturday and Sunday, before pieces go home with buyers.

“Artmix is BMoCA’s biggest art party of the year,” Butcher said. “We work to bring our community the most exciting and creative artists and artworks to the exhibition. So if you are looking to add something truly unique and original to your home, office or collection, this is the party to attend.”