Dialog:City is an eco-system of cultural, civic, and creative investigations. As an exhibition, Dialog:City follows in the footsteps of such projects as Culture In Action curated by Mary Jane Jacob, as an exhibition engine that finds itself both making and showing ideas with publics and in public space. Leaving the walls of traditional galleries and museums behind, Dialog:City leverages the collaborative thinking embedded in "New Genre Public Art". Presented in a festival-like structure, the exhibition has multiple projects simultaneously available to audiences over the week, but also includes a staggering schedule that features each individual project. With diverse forms and subject matter, there is likely an event or exhibition program that will engage you.
Dialog:City is a featured event produced by the City of Denver during the week of the Democratic National Convention. Born out of The Community Outreach and Special Events Committee of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, this team of more than 30 members envisioned a signature event of inclusion that dynamically invited Denver citizens into a historic dialogue on the occasion of the city hosting the Convention. With its primary audience being Denver citizens, Dialog:City became the form of engaging communities through art, design, and digital media.
Internationally celebrated artists were selected based on their process for building collaboration, innovative form, publicly engaged subject matter, and diversity of cultural perspective. This team of 10 lead artists have initiated collaboration with local artists, specific communities with specified experiences and knowledge, college students, interns, and high school students over the past six months. Over this time, over 300 individuals from the greater Denver area have been involved in brainstorming sessions, logo designs, oral history, choir performances, cultural research, audio recordings, sculptural and prop design, installation analysis, video jockeys, as well asmaking original works and responses to Dialog:City.
Seth Goldenberg
Seth Goldenberg continues his arts entrepreneurship as the founder of Dialog:City, drawing from his previous leadership roles. He has founded award winning civic arts learning programs at the Rhode Island School of Design including "Catalyst Arts" and the "Office for Public Engagement". Through these programs, Goldenberg produced seven community- based exhibitions in collaboration with over 20 cultural organizations in Rhode Island. In addition, Goldenberg was the founder of the RISD Fusion Arts program that brought international students to the US through a major Department of State grant to study digital media as a strategy for creating dialogue. Most recently, Goldenberg was the Deputy Director for External Affairs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, leading public initiatives and institutional advancement efforts as the new museum opened.
Goldenberg recieved his BFA from RISD and his MFA from Maine College of Art where his thesis was advised by the nationally recognized public artist, Suzanne Lacey; the scholar on the principles of public service at Brown University, Peter Hocking; as well as the Dean of the Graduate Division at RISD, Jessie Shefrin. Goldenberg has been a presenter and visiting lecturer at many conferences and academic institutions including Duke University, the College Art Associations, University of Maine, and the future of technology forum at Brown University.
Liz Newton
Liz Newton was a co-founder of Blackstone Academy Charter School (BACS), the first public secondary charter school in the state of Rhode Island. As a co-founder and teacher at BACS, Newton built a curriculum that innovated interdisciplinary and community connected learning. Before establishing Blackstone, Newton was the Instructional Reform Facilitator for the RI Department of Education in which she worked at both the state and local level to connect classroom curriculum and to industry expectations.
She received her BA from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her Masters from Brown University. Newton has worked with diverse educational organizations studying the way students think and best demonstrate their development as learners through such celebrated models as Dr. Mel Levine's All Kinds of Minds, Brown University's Arts Literacy, and The Education Alliance's Adolescent Literacy Collaboratory. As a leader in her field she has served as a mentor teacher to graduate students at Brown University and served on the State SALT Review Team for school performance. Most recently, Newton was the Education and Technology Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver where she built programming for the launch of the new museum building providing dynamic visits for over 4,000 students through the inaugural exhibition.
Bruce Price
Bruce Price is Director of the Institute for Experimental Studies at Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design (RMCAD in Denver, CO where he also teaching. Mr. Price received a BFA in painting & Drawing from RMCAD and an MFA in Studio Arts from the Maine College of Art, Portland, ME. Mr. Price's work can be seen at Plusgallery.com
Ishmael Hallin
Ishmael Hallin is a graphic designer based in Denver. Originally created as part of a failed CIA propaganda development excperiment, he has become acclimated to life amongst the civilian population. His interests include guerilla modernism, neural-electronic interfaces, and cheese danishes.
Fred Thulson
Fred Thulson acts as media collector and archivist for Dialog: City. Fred is currently studying media at Hampshire College, and hopes to pursue a career in public television. He enjoys outsider art, scavenger hunts, and scooters.
Adriana Lopez
Adriana Lopez is an intern working on Dialog:City at the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs. Lopez will begin her senior year of college this coming fall at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Lopez's interests include gender and race studies, digital media, travel and photography. She currently lives in Denver and spends her leisure time volunteering and learning more about a variety of social issues. Lopez's anticipated graduation date is May of 2009, where she wishes to pursue a career in digital promotion or public relations.
Amber Patterson
Amber Patterson is currently enrolled at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and is working towards a degree in fine arts - sculpture. Amber is working with Dialog: City in a number of ways and focuses mainly on writing artist's bios for the participating Dialog: City artists. She's excited to be working with this progressive program and views it as research for her future community based work. Upon graduation Amber plans to pursue her master's degree in fine arts.
Kate Thiel
Kate Thiel is currently enrolled at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and is working towards a dual degree in sustainable interior design and fine arts - sculpture. Kate is passionate about sustainable living and is very excited to be interning with Charlie Cannon (Partly Sunny; Designs for Climate Change) and Dialog: City. Upon graduation Kate hopes to collaborate with artists and designers through sustainability and pursue her master's degree.
Netanya
Hearne-Lukton
Having recently moved to Denver in August of 2007 to attend the University of Colorado Denver in pursuit of a Bachelor Degree in Art History, Netanya is enthusiastic to be interning for Dialog:City, assisting with the docent volunteer training. Prior to living in Denver, Netanya received her Associate of Arts degree from Front Range Community College in Fort Collins. A fan of urban culture and also of vast landscape, she has found a perfect environment to pursue her passion for the arts and acquire experience that will help shape her future goals within Arts Administration. Netanya enjoys going to concerts, contemporary culture, chocolate, traveling, and thrift-shopping (a family trait!).
