“It’s a great venue with some type of good food, good music, good art, just to connect as a community."”

Janna Bayer

NEDERLAND - Nederland community members gathered at the Community Center on Thursday, October 2, to enjoy an evening of art, socializing, and a little wine.

Art at the Center showcases work by local artists, and attendees can vote on their favorite artists while enjoying live music, food, and drinks.

Organized by local artist Annie Thayer, Art at the Center offers an opportunity for artists, both new and experienced, to show their work while creating a lively environment for community members to enjoy an evening out. 

“Art at the Center was the first place that showed my oil paintings, so the enthusiasm for encouraging people who were just starting with something,” said Evan Cantor, an artist from Boulder. “So I’m incredibly grateful to Annie and the Center for always having a place to show my pictures.”

The gallery for art spanned two hallways at the Center, with tables of snacks and drinks available as people wandered through. Upstairs in the reception room, attendees were able to sit at tables and visit, with live music by Dan Reina providing a welcoming ambience. 

“It’s a great venue with some type of good food, good music, good art, just to connect as a community,” said Janna Bayer, who helped organize the show.

Art at the Center began in 2009, and has been going strong ever since, only briefly shutting down during Covid. The committee hosts three shows per year, and the Spring show typically features demonstrations by some of the artists.

“We oftentimes have some artists do a demo,” explained Bayer. “And [the demos] are participatory. They’ll have things set up for people to do.”

Aside from being a social event, Art at the Center also offers a welcoming environment for artists, both new and experienced. 

“There’s always somebody new that hasn’t shown before, and sometimes there’s a kid who’s just getting into it,” said Cantor. “And it’s not elitist in the least bit….I want people to look at my art with an open mind, so I look at everyone else's the same way,” Cantor explained.

Ben Warner, another artist who’s shown at Art at the Center before, talked about the opportunity for more people to enter into the world of art. 

“If you look at the walls, almost everybody’s an artist these days. I’m amazed,” said Warner. “People who never thought of being an artist, suddenly they’re doing watercolor landscapes [or] photography.”

“That’s really the whole point of it, is to showcase the talent that mountain artists have,” added Bayer, who helped curate the show, “for them to show their art, and also for community people just to hang out and visit.”

Surrounded by art and music, with a spread of food and wine, an evening of Art at the Center feels like a cozy night in a warm atmosphere.

“It’s a wonderful community of people,” Cantor remarked. “And even though I don’t live in Nederland, I feel like [an] honorary community member.”

At the end of the night, the votes were tallied: Marie Channer won first place, Annie Thayer placed second, and Kathy Bremers landed at third. 

Although none of the winning artists were present at the show, their work garnered plenty of attention.

One of Channer’s paintings, titled “I’m Home,” features a lake underneath a brilliant blue sky with bright clouds.

A common feature of the artists’ work was mountain scenes. Along with Channer’s lake scene, one of Thayer’s pieces, a watercolor called “Meadow Song,” portrays a meadow of wildflowers with towering mountains in the background; and Bremers’ watercolors showcased colorful animals with her piece “Free Bird” depicting a bird in flight against a background of mountains.

Community members can still admire the artwork, as it will remain at the Community Center for the next three to four months.

The Nederland Community Center is located at 750 Highway 72, Nederland. Contact them at 303-258-9721.