Libby Barbee

In Residence: March 12 – May 4, 2012Exhibition: opens Thursday, May 3, continues through May 23, 2012Learning Lab: Colfax Community NetworkWilderness and Other FictionsLibby Barbee was born and raised in a small farming town on the Southeastern Plains of Colorado and spent most of her childhood days outdoors climbing trees, chasing animals and insects and digging in the dirt. Having recently completed her MFA at Maryland Institute College in Art, she returned to Colorado and the American West, to live in the landscape that is the source of her artistic inspiration. Her work investigates the sometimes poetic, sometimes startling, but always complicated relationship between nature and culture. While in residency she will create large-scale collages that explore the dependency animal and plant species, as well as entire ecosystems have on the increasing human encroachment. Where does wilderness stop and human environment begin? What responsibilities do humans have in protecting and cherishing the natural world? She strongly believes in creating artistic collaborations with youth and will work with Colfax Community Network youth to transform PlatteForum into a final exhibition that both questions and offers glimpses into the balance we must maintain in order to peacefully co-exist with the world around us.Libby has an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, Mount Royal School of Art, and recently completed a residency at Vermont Studio Center. www.libbybarbee.com.Welcome to PlatteForum from Champastreetproductions