Before & After
Rob Watt: Before & After
Hagnauer Gallery at Manitou Art Center
513/515 Manitou Avenue, Manitou Springs, CO 80829
February 3-25, 2023
Curator: Alain Navaratne
Admission: Free
Review by Tim Vacca
Before & After is a solo exhibition by the Colorado Springs-based artist Rob Watt, currently on view at the Manitou Art Center’s Hagnauer Gallery. Composed of several thematic groupings of Watt’s small format cotton and silk embroidered artworks, the artist created most between 2019 and 2022, though the oldest is from 2009.
An installation view of Rob Watt’s Before & After exhibition at the Manitou Art Center’s Hagnauer Gallery. Image by Tim Vacca.
Themes such as architecture, landscape, seasons, and history weave through this exhibit, fashioning a very interesting tapestry for the viewer. Thirty-two uniformly-presented works in natural maple wood frames float on a white backing and sit humbly within simple white mattes. This presentation allows the art to speak for itself, while also lending a neatly-organized quality to the work.
Rob Watt, History, 2017, embroidery, cotton thread on silk, 7 x 9 inches. Image by Tim Vacca.
The title of the show refers to the time Watt spent “before” at Colorado College in Colorado Springs, where he received a BA in Studio Art in 1978. He went on to complete a BFA at Colorado State University in Graphic Design in 1981. Subsequently, he spent nearly 40 years in Fort Collins and then Denver until the “after,” when he returned to Colorado Springs in 2018.
Rob Watt, A Bird’s Eye View–The Edge of the City, 2021, embroidery, cotton thread on silk, 4 x 11 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
With his artistic roots planted in landscape painting and drawing, Watt’s creative path changed directions in 1986 when he first picked up a needle and thread in a class taught by Tom Lundberg. It was at this decisive moment that Watt found he had a knack and appreciation for fiber arts. He would go on to produce a variety of small format fiber works, mostly in the landscape genre, though it is clear that Watt enjoys and plays with a variety of themes in his practice.
Rob Watt, Architecture Series: Fig. 2, 2019, embroidery, cotton thread on silk, 5 x 5 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
While a majority of the pieces in Before & After explore the landscape of the American West and Southwest, there are other motifs that thread through it as well. One grouping titled Architecture Series is made up of embroidered images of three unique buildings. In Architecture Series: Fig. 2, the artist portrays a modern structure with a brilliant indigo blue sky and the words “Fig. 2 The Fortress” stitched below. At first, the building appears to be contemporary, but upon closer examination, it seems reminiscent of the older stucco clay adobe edifices common in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Rob Watt, Architecture Series: Fig. 1, 2019, embroidery, cotton thread on silk, 5 x 5 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
Rob Watt, Street Patterns, 2020, embroidery, cotton thread on silk, 4 x 18 inches together. Image courtesy of the artist.
In the other two works, the Santa Fe look is even more pronounced. Fig. 3 Little Tower features a style of small church bell tower often found in the Southwest and Fig. 1 Deep Window recalls an older, stately college campus or governmental structures made of red sandstone. The Santa Fe feeling comes full circle with Street Patterns—a series of works which appear to be inspired by streetscape snapshots from somewhere in the American Southwest.
Rob Watt, Our Family Dog, 2022, black and white photograph, embroidery, and cotton thread on silk, 4 x 6 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
Further along in the exhibit, viewers encounter Our Family Dog. This piece includes a vintage black and white photograph of a handsome canine with beautifully ornate, almost Persian rug-like stitching on a patterned background. It is clear that this was a beloved pet. The background and border composed of red, green, blue, and copper thread create an elaborate filigree pattern that lovingly frames the photograph.
A detail view of Rob Watt’s Our Family Dog, 2022, black and white photograph, embroidery, and cotton thread on silk, 4 x 6 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
A good friend accompanied me to see Rob Watt’s exhibition and exploring each artwork together was an engaging adventure—they are good conversation pieces. It is fascinating to see such a variety of subjects tied together with thread. So, take a friend and enjoy. You will see that Watt’s highly detailed, small format works pack a big punch. [1]
Tim Vacca is an arts administration professional with 20 years of experience working in the Denver-area arts community. He serves as the Director of Programs and Communications at the Museum of Outdoor Arts in Greenwood Village, CO, as well as serving on the boards of the Denver Theatre District and the Lowry Foundation. He is also a member of the Denver Public Art Committee. He received a bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts / Photography / Digital Art and a certificate in Technology, Arts, and Media from the University of Colorado Boulder and a master’s degree in Arts Development and Program Management at the University of Denver. He is native to Colorado and is an art, architecture, and design enthusiast.
[1] As a side note, I must say that the Manitou Art Center is a gem. Executive Director Natalie Johnson was kind enough to show me and my companion through the two historic buildings, which were once livery stables then a city garage. The Art Center truly has something to offer to everyone seeking a creative adventure. The buildings are complete with ceramics, fiber, metal, printmaking, and wood studios and they even maintain a darkroom for analog photography. In addition, the two structures are temporarily hosting the Manitou Public Library while capital improvements take place at the city library location. The organization, which was established in 1988, has 850 members—an astonishing number for a community of just under 5,000 people.
