Art Gym Denver is very excited to present Help Yourself by Jazzmyn Barbosa and Bad Hombre by Gregory Santos in the Common Space Gallery with an opening reception September 6 from 5 – 8PM. Help Yourself by Jazzmyn Barbosa is a series of zines and digital collage exploring appropriation in an internet generation, while in Bad Hombre, Gregory Santos uses monoprint lithography to put a positive spin on Donald Trump’s negative remarks about Mexico.

Jazzmyn Barbosa’s new series Help Yourself is comprised of zines and digital collages created by appropriating images found online. In her artist statement about the series, Barbosa states “My studio practice revolves around the need to preserve fleeting digital images that inundate my life, both personally and also communally from the ‘free’ section of craigslist.org.”  She utilizes zine publication and digital collage as tools to examine the similarities of the World Wide Web and Gutenberg’s printing press, and the purpose of those two systems. By isolating found images from their original context, Help Yourself explores the following questions: How do systems of dissemination function? How are they accessible? How are communities created and nurtured within the systems?

Jazzmyn Barbosa received a BFA with Distinction in printmaking from Metropolitan State University of Denver and an MFA with Distinction in printmaking from Michigan State University. She currently resides in Denver, CO and works on the Member Service team here at Art Gym Denver.

Join us on Wednesday, September 19 from 4 – 6PM for an artist demonstration where Jazzmyn Barbosa will show the process of creating a zine.

In Bad Hombre, Gregory Santos takes Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential debate statement and uses it to explore the positive strengths and determination of our neighbors to the south. Santos uses the symbol for danger – the skull and crossbones – to begin the discussion. He then recontextualizes that symbol with imagery associated with a more positive light: an ax for skilled labor and hard work, a rose for beauty and a cowboy hat for Americana. He says in his artist statement, “My bad hombre, a human being seeking a better life through perseverance, fortitude and courage, stands in front of the divider that separates him either from his destination or the life left behind.”

Gregory Santos grew up on Long Island, NYC and currently lives in Denver, CO. He is the Printmaking Director here at Art Gym Denver. Santos received a BFA in Printmaking from Syracuse University, an MA in Studio Art from New York University and went through the Printer Training Program at Tamarind Institute.

Also opening in the Art Gym Gallery is Narrative Threads, an exhibition of works that utilize thread to form a narrative throughout the art displayed. Narrative Threads is curated by Art Gym member and Director of Abecedarian Artists’ Books, Alicia Bailey, and includes a roster of artists from across the country. Join us for an opening reception on September 6 from 5 – 8PM, as well as a curatorial talk on Wednesday, September 12 from 6 – 8PM discussing the process of creating and curating the exhibition.

Both exhibits are free and open to the public Monday through Friday, 9AM – 6PM. They will be on display from September 6 through September 28, 2018. Jazzmyn Barbosa’s artist demo and Alicia Bailey’s curatorial talk are also free events.