study guide

Themes and Ideas Behind the Artwork at FCMOA

2008 Rocky Mountain Biennial

A ‘biennial’ is an exhibition that takes place every other year. Many biennial exhibitions around the world have gained much notoriety, and many people identify such an exhibit with the European language terms of “biennale” (spelled the same in Italian and French). The term is often used within the art world to describe an international manifestation of contemporary art (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biennale). Click here for an interesting history of the oldest biennale, the Biennale di Venezia (also called in English the "Venice Biennial").

In our case, the Rocky Mountain Biennial is an opportunity for the Fort Collins community to see a snapshot of current work by visual artists living and working in the Rocky Mountain region. The region comprises the seven states wherein the U.S. Rocky Mountains stand, from Idaho and Montana in the north to Arizona and New Mexico to the south.

For each Rocky Mountain Biennial exhibition a guest juror is invited to select the artwork for the show. This year our juror is Michael Paglia, the arts writer for Denver’s Westword, a weekly newspaper. He is also the author of several books on art and architecture. With more than 30 years looking at art, Mr. Paglia has a discerning eye for finely crafted work, and an interest in new artistic ideas and perceptions of life in the contemporary west.

FCMOA puts out a ‘call for entries’ announcement to artists, museums, commercial art galleries, art councils and other visual arts organizations in the seven Rocky Mountain states inviting artists to apply to the exhibition. The museum typically receives several hundred images to be viewed by the juror. The juror sees the individual images in a ‘blind’ trial, meaning he/she does not see the name of the artists, or where they live. The only information available to the juror is the title, size and media of each piece. Due to space limitations, there is a limit of 100 works for the show. This year’s exhibition includes 87 artworks by 42 artists.

The Biennial is designed to include a diverse array of art works. Artists working today are interested in using many different media, including traditional and new materials. Jurors may select any work they deem to be of excellent quality and interesting content. As a result, the final selections often include works that are traditional in nature as well as those that are exploring the edges of artistic expression. The Rocky Mountain Biennial is often considered an exhibition that “has something for everyone.”

Printable Version Here (pdf)

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Study Guides
2008 Patriotism: The Last Refuge

Classroom Lesson Plans
Below are lesson plans created for various student levels by teachers in the Poudre School District. Classroom and Art Teachers from elementary through high school levels attended a workshop at FCMOCA in partnership with Colorado State University Art Department and funded by the Carl A. Bimson Humanities Seminar program. The title of the program was “Mining the Museum for Cultural Commentary” and incorporated lectures by professionals in the fields of Composition and Rhetoric, Philosophy, Civics and Government, Art History and Art Education. The lesson plans are the culminating projects by teachers in the field, including Judy Castro, Samantha Pagni, Dena Hartmann, and Kimberly Noel.

Peace Unit: Examine the historical and contemporary images of peace.
(grade level: K-6)

The Flag: Symbol of America
(grade level: 4-12)

Lesson to Engage Students in Expression of Patriotism
(grade level: 3)

Nature Studies as Patriotism
(grade level: 5)

Haiku & Calligraphy Paining: Citizens & Sharing
(grade level: 5)

Patriotism: Expressing Ideals in Metal
(grade level: Junior High Jewelry Class)

American Dream Collage
(grade level: 8)

American Heroes - Figurative Sculpture
(grade level: Junior High/Middle School)

Interpretation of the American Flag - Graphic Design Project
(grade level: 7-12)