Seeds of Hope - Opening Reception

Seeds of Hope

Please join DAVA Youth for an exhibition urging us to unite and innovate in response to our changing climate. DAVA (Downtown Aurora Visual Arts) will host a free Opening Reception on Friday, September 6th from 4 pm to 9 pm. DAVA is located at 1405 Florence St., one block south of Colfax Avenue in the Aurora Cultural Arts District. The exhibition is free and open to the public Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 5 pm, through November 18th, 2024.

DAVA students ages 14 to 18 are transforming the Gallery into an educational, interactive, science-inspired exhibit highlighting climate change and human impact. They analyzed transportation, air quality, architecture, food production and consumerism, climate migration, and justice. They also worked with guest artists from COHN Marketing to develop strong messaging and design posters using a variety of art media. In addition, students experimented with ceramics to create reusable bowls for a more sustainable way of living. Gallery visitors will also be able to share the changes they are willing to make on a wall of “carbon footprints.”

Guest artists Regan Rosburg, Eileen Roscina, Anna Kaye, and Kelly Cox inspired high school students with their activism and artistic excellence, expressing their concerns for the future, their hope for innovation, and their admiration for nature’s adaptability. Regan Rosburg’s research on Arctic and environmental artwork brought awareness and hope to DAVA students. Visitors can share their feelings about climate change in Regan Rosburg’s Letters to the Future. Eileen Roscina’s letter to her son highlights the ephemeral wonder of nature and concerns for the next generation. Anna Kaye’s large charcoal drawings illustrate fire burns and the regeneration of mycelium, flora, and fauna. On the other hand, Kelly Cox fabricates ceramic respirators and other objects to show what may become necessary to adapt to poor air quality.

DAVA’s young artists, ages 6 to 14, focused on the air we breathe and the food we eat. They examined composting cycles through the lens of a microscope and created living memorials for the deforestation of vital rainforests, finding hope in the reforestation process to improve air quality. Denver Urban Gardens’ educators shared information about the cycles of growing food and composting. Middle school students modeled ceramic pollinators to hover, hang, sit, and fly in the Gallery.

An additional display in DAVA’s lobby features the process of creating artwork and signage about water and wildlife for the Bluff Lake Nature Center this summer. The educational projects on display will be installed at Bluff Lake later this fall.

For more information about the exhibition, please email gallery@davarts.org or call DAVA at 303-367-5886.

DAVA’s mission is to engage diverse youth in meaningful arts education that sparks creativity, increases opportunity & strengthens community. For more information about our programs, please visit www.davarts.org.