The Modbo proudly presents September’s First Friday exhibit, “Poems & Fragments” by Margaret Kasahara. The opening reception is from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday, September 4. During opening hours, guests must wear masks inside the space, and will only be allowed in a few people at a time. In addition to the opening reception, the gallery is open by appointment or via personalized FaceTime tour.

Margaret Kasahara was born in New York City, raised in Boulder, Colorado and currently resides in Colorado Springs. She received a BFA degree from the Kansas City Art Institute, where she graduated second in her class. She has exhibited her artwork in solo exhibitions at the Buell Children’s Museum in Pueblo, Colorado; the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, the Denver Botanic Gardens, and the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center in Pueblo, Colorado.

She has participated in group exhibitions at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Center for Visual Art in Denver, Colorado; the Denver Art Museum, the Gallery of Contemporary Art at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, the Harwood Museum of Art in Taos, New Mexico, and the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, California. Her paintings and drawings have been exhibited in gallery shows throughout the United States and in Toronto, Canada.

In addition to the inclusion in private and corporate collections, her artwork has been selected for public commissions including a mural for the Town of Castle Rock, Colorado Police Department and Municipal Court Facility; and paint design for the production of Anton Chekhov’s, “The Seagull”, at Theatreworks, Colorado Springs, CO. Her artwork is in the permanent collection of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. She is represented by Michael Warren Contemporary in Denver, Colorado.

“My work is an exploration of identity. I’m responding to daily life, serendipitous connections, and the poetry of everyday things. My perspectives on identity encompass thoughts from unity and belonging, a sense of place and the passage of time, to ideas regarding the mutability of identity itself. I love the process of discovery and looking for what’s possible. I’m searching for the essence of things.

The Notation series of drawings are contemplative works that bring voice to the quiet moments of everyday life. They are spaces to share observations, discover interconnectedness and reveal innermost thoughts. The small scale encourages careful looking and reflects the intimate and introspective nature of the work.

“Poems & Fragments” is a selection of work inspired by everyday experiences and observations – from calm familiar routine to wildly unprecedented events. The pieces were created in the spirit of sharing personal perspectives and in seeing familiar objects in unexpected ways. I’m celebrating the beauty and symbolic strength of individual grains of rice, relating coronavirus concerns through pins and thread, and expressing our connected humanity and everyday wonder with humble pencil. I’m drawn to the relatability and honesty of commonplace things and delight in revealing their expressive potential.”