THE ART CENTER

Words by Sharon Sullivan | Photo courtesy of The Art Center of Western Colorado

The Art Center of Western Colorado in Grand Junction features 25 to 30 different exhibitions throughout the year, including artwork from invited regional, national and international artists, as well as works from local artist groups like the Brush and Pallet Club and the Pastel Society.

Additionally, The Art Center draws from its permanent collection — artworks that have been donated to the center over the past decades by various artists and collectors. That includes a large number of Native American artworks, including 70 Navajo rugs donated by D. Arch Gould, and ancient Puebloan pottery given to the center by Phillip Hoffman.

In March 2023, The Art Center’s Gould Gallery — where most permanent collection exhibits take place — will host an exhibition of selected Native American blankets, rugs and other weavings.

The Art Center ’s permanent collection includes several Japanese art pieces, including woodblock prints, kimonos and masks, donated by the late Colorado Mesa University theatre professor Bill Robinson and his wife, Mae.

“We have an amazing collection of Paul Pletka,” says The Art Center executive director Lee Borden. Pletka is a Santa Fe, New Mexicobased artist known for his portraits of American

Indians of the Southwest. He once studied at what was then Mesa College in Grand Junction.

Gifts of artworks often reflect the personal tastes of well-known citizens like the Robinsons and late Grand Junction philanthropists Tillie and Pat Bishop, who donated their entire collection to The Art Center. The center also owns pieces by Glade Park artist Harold Bryant and the late artist Jac Kephart.

Nearly half of The Art Center ’s 600-plus permanent collection pieces are currently on display. “We don’t have enough gallery space to show it all at once,” Borden explains. “We need a building twice as big.”

The Art Center was the first in Grand Junction to initiate First Friday community art openings, which prompted other galleries in town to also begin hosting First Friday events. The monthly art openings are exciting, says Borden. “We have new exhibitions all the time.”

Located at 1803 N. 7th St., The Art Center was built in 1970 and will celebrate its 70th anniversary with a party most likely in September, Borden shares.

Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $3 for the general public and free for members. Admission is free for everyone on Tuesdays.: