The University Libraries on the ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder campus is exhibiting the work of local artist, teacher and ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä alum Aleta Braun throughout March.
A reception for the artist is set for Friday, Feb. 27, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Third Floor Gallery of ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉäÂ’s Norlin Library.
“It is wonderful to have an exhibition in the university from which I graduated,” said Braun, who is known for her contemporary art style. “It is good to come back and show the evolution of my work.”
The Libraries’ third floor exhibit features Braun’s chalk pastels, collage, papier-mâché and small sculptures of chairs and beds. A series of works by students in her Aleta Sophia workshops are also on display, including a book expressing the appreciation they have gained through studying with Braun.
Since graduating from ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä in 1989 with a bachelorÂ’s degree in fine arts and Spanish, Braun has taught art to children in and out of the public school setting. Though she loves teaching, Braun said she needs to be careful to set aside enough time and energy for her own art work.
The love of teaching and the desire to concentrate on her own art led Braun to start the Aleta Sophia Art Workshop in Boulder in 1991.
The goal of the workshop has been to provide students with the chance to experience art as a part of their own world. In a wide range of courses, students learn to express themselves through diverse media.
“The community has given me a lot of support. I feel a connection from being around the students. They bring a childlike quality, whether they are 6 or 65, and I am able to bring that to my own work,” said Braun. “As a result, my work is fresh and much more direct, very different from the work I did as a student at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä.”
There is a spiritual and mythical quality to Braun’s work. Braun says she creates because, “I am hungry for the food that feeds my soul, for that part of me that is quiet and creative, a sort of collaboration in which I am separated from myself.”
The exhibit will continue through March 31. Norlin Library hours are:
• Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. - midnight
• Friday, 8 a.m. - 11 p.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m. - 11 p.m.
• Sunday, noon - midnight
For more information call 492-8302.