The Laboratory of Art and Ideas at Belmar

The Laboratory of Art and Ideas at Belmar is a unique contemporary art institution located in Lakewood just outside of Denver, Colorado. Founded by Executive Director Adam Lerner, The Lab at Belmar is the cultural anchor of the Belmar district, a 104-acre mixed-use residential and commercial urban neighborhood located in Lakewood, five miles outside of Denver. Operating in a storefront in Belmar since May 2004, The Lab opened in a dedicated space at Belmar in fall 2006.

History

An institution dedicated to art and thought, combining elements of museum, think tank, and public forum, The Lab at Belmar is conceived as a space for the public to engage with artists and scholars, and to advance discussion of and experimentation with issues related to contemporary culture. Programs at The Lab include exhibitions and several successful lecture series, music performances, and other public programs.

In fall 2006 The Lab launched its full program in an 11,500 square-foot space adjacent to Belmar’s central open-air Plaza. Award-winning architect Hagy Belzberg of Belzberg Architects of Santa Monica, California, was selected to design The Lab’s new home. In keeping with The Lab’s dual role as gallery and community space, Belzberg adapted the building to allow for a range of visitor experiences.

The Lab at Belmar began as a collaboration between Continuum Partners, the developers of Belmar, and the Denver Art Museum, where Adam Lerner was formerly Master Teacher for Modern and Contemporary Art. Lerner and Lewis Sharp, Director of the Denver Art Museum, worked together to develop The Lab as a center for experimental programming that goes beyond the traditional art museum or gallery. The Lab is guided by an advisory committee of internationally renowned scholars, museum professionals, and artists.

Exhibitions

In fall 2006 The Lab launched its exhibitions program with "Fantôme Afrique", a three-screen film installation by British artist Isaac Julien. This is the works United States debut. The Lab was one of three institutions to co-commission the work along with the Pompidou Center in Paris and the Ellipse Foundation in Portugal. Julien is Britain’s preeminent black filmmaker, as well as an artist, writer, and scholar known for exploring the relationship between history and visual pleasure.

Shot in Africa, "Fantôme Afrique" incorporates archival footage from early colonial expeditions and African political history. Inspired by French author André Gide’s 1925 expedition to Africa with his filmmaker companion Marc Allegret, the film presents dance, architecture and the cinematic milieu itself to explore the creative possibilities that emerge at the point of interaction between local and global culture.

In spring 2007 Liam Gillick organized an exhibition and design an environment featuring a selection of films and videos made by Americans documenting their personal stories. Gillick is collaborating with professional folklorists and ethnographers to produce and exhibit a range of material which may include home movies, oral histories, video testimonials or other forms of amateur and professional documentation of individual stories.

Programs

The Lab’s lively public lecture series have reinvented the idea of a lecture by fostering interactive experiences that explore contemporary art and culture.

“Mixed Taste: Tag Team Lectures on Unrelated Topics” exemplifies The Lab’s eclectic approach by bringing together topics and ideas that are typically found in separate fields. The lecture series mines the local community and capitalizes on the diverse areas of knowledge in the region, pairing, for example, the Curator of African Art at the Denver Art Museum with a wholesale Sake distributor, a professional film critic with a bird store owner. “Mixed Taste” lectures combine a sophisticated discussion of ideas with elements of humor, irony and chance.

“School of Music Reform” is an experimental performance and discussion program designed to connect the general public with music. Each program focuses on a single composer and performer and includes a straightforward presentation of a piece of music followed by performances that offer new forms or variations of the original work. A magician, preacher, barber shop quartet, and other unexpected guest performers have been brought in to help relate concepts such as rhythm, repetition, and improvisation. Past topics have included the music of Charles Mingus, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Laurie Anderson, Frank Zappa, and Björk.

“Mishugas! Appreciating Contemporary Art and Things You Learn From Aunt Miriam,” is a didactic lecture series led by Adam Lerner and inspired by videotaped interviews with his aunt, Miriam Edelman. The series combines slides with lectures to introduce audiences to contemporary art and the history of ideas.

The Lab also hosts a series of classes and workshops teaching specific craft skills by the Denver chapter of the Church of Craft. These workshops create a gathering place for people to spark their creativity by engaging in art projects and engage with local artists and craft professionals.

External links

[http://www.belmarlab.org/ Belmar Lab website]