Boulder’s Jewish community has been left shaken since the antisemitic terror attack on Pearl Street, which just last week claimed the life of victim Karen Diamond.
Since the attack, Boulder JCC’s Messinger Gallery has become something of a sanctuary. On its walls, artist Artie Sandstone’s new exhibit “Smile” beams with bright colors and funky little characters — a stark, but welcome contrast to the heaviness lingering outside its doors.
While the show wasn’t conceived as a response to tragedy, its timing has made it unexpectedly resonant.
“I can’t tell you how many people have come through and just thanked me for putting something so joyful and bright into that space,” Sandstone said.
For visitors still processing grief from the hate crime, “Smile” has offered a new kind of solace: a reminder, in Sandstone’s words, to “stop, smile and wonder.”
On view now at the Messinger Gallery inside the JCC, 6007 Oreg Ave., “Smile” features a colorful selection of works by Sandstone, a Boulder-based pop artist whose technicolor canvases and whimsical characters invite viewers to check their woes at the door and let the weirdness wash over.
Joy Alice Eisenhauer, director of arts, culture and education at the Boulder JCC, first encountered Sandstone’s work in an unexpected setting — a coworking space.
“At the time, he had a studio set up inside this very modern marketing agency environment,” Eisenhauer said. “I remember how immediately striking his work felt, partly because of that contrast — here he was painting playful, chromatic pieces in the middle of this sleek, professional office. His art just stood out.”
However, Sandstone wasn’t quite sure the JCC would display his work.
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