“Hear/Say”

Written By Tya Alisa Anthony

“Hear/Say”, a groundbreaking art exhibition, explores the effects of high-concentration cannabis

Posted by Amy Norton on June 11, 2024 in Denver, Denver Front | 28 Views | Leave a response

At the intersection of art, science, and health, BRDG Project Gallery at 3300 Tejon St. in Denver hosting “Hear/Say”, a groundbreaking art exhibition exploring the effects of high-concentration cannabis. Sponsored by the University of Colorado School of Public Health, the show is a science-based examination that encourages conversation and open-minded understanding of a controversial subject through the artistic lens of local and national artists.

The public is invited to view the exhibition from June 14 through July 14, 2024 during regular BRDG Project gallery hours. The public also is invited to attend additional events at the gallery:

  • Opening Night Reception: 6-9 p.m. June 14;

  • Panel Discussion with Artists and Scientists: 4-6 p.m. June 15;

  • Art/Science Talk: 7-9 p.m. June 18;

  • Art/Science Talk: 4-7 p.m. June 22; and

  • Closing Reception with Art/Science Talk: 6-9 p.m. July 14.

Register for these events for free at www.scienceinformedart.com.

After attending a three-day workshop with presentations from Colorado scientists and community members on the impacts of high-concentration cannabis, the artists created new works influenced by what they learned. Working with this science-informed art model, curator Tya Anthony brings together artists from various perspectives and media in a collective celebration of artistic expression, featuring work by Shaunie Berry, Peter Miles Bergman, Jennifer Ghormley, Beth Johnston, Samuel Mata, Tiffany Medina, Christine Nguyen, Fernando Orellana, Autumn T. Thomas, Anna Tsouhlarakis, and Denise “The Vamp DeVille” Zubizarreta.

This exhibition is hosted in conjunction with a wider campaign by the University of Colorado School of Public Health that promotes awareness about high-concentration cannabis use through Colorado House Bill 1317. This legislation mandated a systematic review of high-potency THC along with the development of an educational campaign based on the findings.

The project is co-directed by Dr. Ann Collier, community & behavioral health associate professor at the University of Colorado, and John Tannous of Shadow Consulting, who works with agencies on science-informed art projects like this one.

“So much has changed in the industry since marijuana was legalized,” Collier said. “There are a lot of unexplored questions about the increasing availability of high-concentration marijuana products. We’re excited to showcase how these different creative minds approach this issue.”

Anthony, the curator, is an ​interdisciplinary artist and independent curator who explores themes of domestic resilience, social justice, human rights, and identity through sculptural painting, photography, and collage. Her artwork refocuses narratives of people of color while shedding light on the social, economic, and the natural environments that surround her subjects. She reimagines historic narratives as an opportunity to explore alternate realities. Anthony is particularly interested in creating autonomous spaces for bodies of color and using core memories as a form of catharsis.

For more information visit www.scienceinformedart.com.

BRDG Project is a 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to bring local, artist-driven, and thought-provoking arts to the heart of Denver’s shifting neighborhoods by bridging artists, gallery, youth, and underserved communities together in an accessible and engaging space for contemporary expression and learning. The gallery, at 33rd Avenue and Tejon Street in North Denver’s Highland neighborhood, is open from 1-6 p.m. Thursdays, 1-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Follow it on Instagram @brdgproject and visit www.brdgproject.org for more information.

Christine Nguyen

Jennifer Ghormley

Samuel Mata

Shaunie Berry

“Hear/Say” Artists

Posted in Denver, Denver Front | Tagged art exhibit denver, BRDG project, cannabis art, cannabis research, Denise Zubizarreta, Dr. Ann Collier, hear/say exhibition, John Tannous, Tya Anthony

About the Author

Amy Norton

Amy Norton provides marketing and communications to small businesses.

Tya Alisa Anthony

Tya Alisa Anthony is an American artist, photographer, writer, and independent curator whose work explores memory, mythology, ancestry, and the quiet ways people leave themselves behind in the objects they touch. For more than twenty years, her practice has existed at the intersection of visual research, education, and cultural storytelling, investigating resilience through the body, the landscape, historical archives, and the natural world.

Working across photography, collage, cyanotype, botanical collections, handmade books, and mixed media, Anthony approaches each body of work as an evolving archive rather than a finished statement. She is drawn to weathered photographs, heirlooms, medicinal plants, folklore, ritual objects, forgotten architecture, and the symbolic language that connects cultures across time. Her work asks how identity is preserved, transformed, and remembered.

Alongside her studio practice, Anthony has spent more than two decades building educational programs, exhibitions, and community-centered initiatives that expand access to the arts. Her leadership has helped shape institutions, mentor emerging artists, develop sustainable systems, and create spaces where creativity becomes a lifelong practice rather than a privilege.

Anthony’s artwork is included in the permanent collections of the Denver Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver’s Octopus Collection. Her work has been exhibited nationally and is held in numerous private collections.

She is currently creating Organic Tarot, a 78-card hand-collaged tarot deck and accompanying memoir that intertwines mythology, autobiography, botanical symbolism, and the archetypal journey of transformation. The project reflects the central thread running throughout her career: that art is not simply something we make—it is a way of understanding ourselves, preserving what matters, and leaving a map for those who come after us.

http://www.tyaanthony.com
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