Volume 2, Issue 19 AUGUST 31 - September 13, 2000

A common belief of bringing art to those without art in their lives, as stated above in Soulciety's mission statement, brought 10 artists to a Denver warehouse in the vicinity of both CocaCola and Pepsi bottling centers. In this space, the artists have converted a huge open space into what an art collective needs. "We had to learn how to frame and all when we moved in," said Soulciety cofounder Travis (TJ) Little. The result is a gallery on the ground floor, as well as studios, closets for storing band equipment, and living area such as the kitchen and computer room on the second floor. A gallery takes up space on the ground floor and the artists have their studios upstairs.

This one-and-a-half-year-old art collective in Denver was the result of a frustrated artist, TJ, who was living in Capital Hill and could not find the proper work space for murals and other art. He called upon a few old childhood friends, all of whom were out of state, and they scraped up enough money to launch Soulciety in February 1999.

Self-described Ambassadors of the Arts, the artists in the collective are all, according to TJ, jacks-of-all-trades. Embracing all types of visual and auditory art, the collective's work is as eclectic as its members are. Although everyone may have his own area of expertise, the painter sometimes is a sculptor or the photographer is a graphic designer.

One of the main purposes of the collective is to open up art and not narrow it to one type. According to TJ, Soulciety works on bring an alternative to the Denver nightlife. Rather than going to a bar for another beer, people can broaden their minds by attending one of Soulciety's many activities. Every second Friday of the month, Soulciety will have a gallery opening, and spoken word takes place on the last Wednesday of the month. The collective also has a movie night in the works. Last year, the coop put on between 20 to 30 shows.

September 8 will be Soulciety's next big art opening where music, art and fashion will be interchangeable. Four Soulciety artists will be featured. There will even be a pirate ship if feasible. In October, the collective plans on throwing a Halloweenthemed opening of morbid art, where participants are asked to come in masquerade.

One upcoming project is a collaboration between Pao and Bird. Pao is making the sculptures that Bird will project his films onto for the Telluride Film Festival. Pao is also working with Shuckman on a project involving women's use of prescription depression medicine.

In Soulciety's short existence, it has already undergone a major upheaval, without compromise to their mission. In fact, the overall belief is that they now focus more on the actual art. "We want to eventually become acknowledged as a serious group of artists," said Pao, one of the newer members of the collective. Gone is the adolescent desire for loud music. Well, actually the Denver police's rave team shut them down for playing music just a little too loud. "[ The closure] came at a good time. It put this place on a new turn, a new development," said photographer and sometimes performance artist Erica Shuckman. The large open space previously reserved for performance art and experience transformation has been taken over by printer press and screen printer Ben Owens. There are even poetry readings.

In addition to their own artwork, the artists also contributes to the collective's screen printing company, One Day, that prints original designs onto the Tshirts, hats, and bags. There is also a sticker venture.

The collective also supports other independent artists. Their last show, a mix of painting, photography and installations, was the work of nonSoulciety artists.

Soulciety is the first time for the artists to try to come together as a collective. For Shuckman, who is soon leaving the collective for Tucson, Ariz., she will always work with a collective after working this experience. TJ sums up how the collective has affected him: "[Soulciety] has good energy. It is my world. Art is all I do."

--Ming Lu

Soulciety is located at 3520 Brighton Blvd.