Aspen Chapel Gallery opens new exhibition in collaboration with Connect!

CONNECT!, a mixed media exhibition, opens Wednesday, October 16, at the Aspen Chapel Gallery, with a reception for the artists from 4 to 7 p.m. The exhibition runs until Wednesday, November 16th.

Doug Graybeal is curator of the 254th consecutive exhibition since the gallery opened in 1985. The exhibition is in collaboration with Connect! instead, a social-emotional-ethical learning program for children that takes place after school. Ten percent of all sales and 20 percent of sponsorship go to supporting Connect!

“It was an interesting challenge for the artists. They visited the children at Connect! class and were inspired by their observations and the lessons the children learned,” Graybeal said in a news release. “Please come to the opening to congratulate the artists and learn more about this special program for our children.”

Participating Aspen-area artists include Lisa Caplan, Marsha Cook, Staci Dickerson, Jet Hall, Allison Hudson, Ashly Mosher, Annette Murphy, Nicole Popp, Mindy Vernon and Graybeal.

Connect! started at Aspen Chapel and later moved to Aspen Elementary School. Its mission is to provide children with an inclusive environment in which they can explore their inner lives while fostering compassion, strength and resilience.

All in all, connect! Topics include “Exploring Kindness; building resilience; Strengthening attention and self-confidence; dealing with emotions; learning about each other and from each other; compassion for yourself and others; We’re all in this together; and building a better world.”

The Aspen Chapel Gallery is located in Aspen Chapel, near the roundabout. For more information, call gallery co-directors Tom Ward, 970-925-8367, Michael Bonds, 970-925-6083, or Aspen Chapel at 970-925-7184.