Windows to the Divine has been hosting arts events for 25 years, including national biennial art exhibitions, paint outs, educational symposia, and salons. In 2015, to further its mission of promoting art and spirituality and the vocation of the living artist, we launched a national members network of artists and collectors called Collectors for Connoisseurship (C4C). Since then, we have held annual C4C Arts Weekends in Denver, NYC, Paris, Atlanta, Savannah, and the Hamptons as described further below with links to exhibition and event pictures. To appreciate the breadth and quality of our exhibitions, here is a sampling of works from 2011-2023.
National Exhibitions
Windows to the Divine® Exhibitions have been held approximately every other year in Denver since 1999. Exhibition venues have included Gallery 1261 in Denver (2023), the Rowe-Mackall House in the Hamptons (2022), Space Gallery (2016-2020), The Salmagundi Club in New York City (2017), ArtHaus (2014), the MADDEN Museum (2009-2011) and the Denver Center for Performing Arts (1999-2007).
View Photos of Past Windows National Exhibitions
- Gallery 1261 Exhibition in 2023
- Hamptons Exhibition in 2022
- Space Gallery Annex in Denver in 2020
- Space Gallery in Denver in 2018
- Salmagundi Club in New York City in 2017
- Space Gallery in Denver 2016
- ArtHaus in Denver 2014
- The MADDEN Museum 2011
- The MADDEN Museum 2009
Collectors for Connoisseurship Arts Weekends: 2015-2023
Denver 2023
The 25th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Foundation was held in Denver during the October 2023 C4C Arts Weekend. In accord with our mission of promoting art and spirituality through arts education, hospitality, and philanthropy, we invited collectors, artists, and the public to engage in art through special educational programs and social gatherings.
The Denver C4C Weekend (View Event Pictures) schedule of events included:
- Private Tour of The Anschutz Collection, American Museum of Western Art
- Welcome Dinner for Collectors & Exhibition Artists at the Brown Palace
- Private Tour for Collectors & Exhibition Artists, Denver Art Museum with Angelica Daneo, Chief Curator and Curator of European Art before 1900
- Lunch at the Art Hotel with artists and collectors
- C4C Collector Preview of Exhibition
- Public Opening Reception for Exhibition with Awards
- Public Education Salon for Artists and Collectors with Presentations by:
- Shannon Robinson, President, Windows to the Divine
From Antiquity to Realism: The Evolving Influence of Beauty & Spirit - Peter Trippi, Editor-in-Chief, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine
Modern Renaissance: The Pre-Raphaelites’ Fascination with Early Italian Art - Adrienne Stein, 2023 Fra Angelico Artist of the Year
The Secret Planet
- Shannon Robinson, President, Windows to the Divine
- Private Home Art & Antiques Collection Tour
- Private Farewell Dinner & Collection Tour hosted by Shannon & Michael Robinson
- Private Catholic Mass in Dominican Priory Chapel
- Public Coffee & Tour of new Dominican Priory/Novitiate
The weekend also included the national Windows to the Divine exhibition entitled Beauty & Spirit featuring 60 art works by 39 nationally renowned artists:
Kathy Anderson, Blair Atherholt, Stephanie Birdsall, Kelly Birkenruth, Greg Block, Casey Childs, Madeleine Dodge, Michelle Dunaway, Scott Kathy Anderson, Blair Atherholt, Stephanie Birdsall, Kelly Birkenruth, Greg Block, Casey Childs, Madeleine Dodge, Michelle Dunaway, Scott Fraser, Ann Gargotto, Ulrich Gleiter, David Gray, Albert Handell, Stephanie Hartshorn, Ron Hicks, Quang Ho, William Hook, Jane Hunt, Brendan Johnston, Andrea Kemp, Lynn Kircher, David Leffel, Terrie Lombardi, Kyle Ma, Huberto Maestas, Dan McCaw, Danny McCaw, John McCaw, Sherrie McGraw, C.W. Mundy, Desmond O’Hagan, Maria Panou, Vasily Ryabchenko, Ron Richmond, Don Sahli, Jill Soukup, Daniel Sprick, Adrienne Stein (2023 Fra Angelico Artist of the Year), and Vincent Xeus.
Hamptons 2022
In October of 2022, the C4C Arts Weekend was held in the Hamptons. Collectors and exhibition artists traveled to Amagansett, NY on Long Island to spend the weekend together viewing and experiencing art. The weekend events included the Beauty in the Hamptons Exhibition which was staged in the turn-of-the-century Rowe-Mackall House. More than 60 art works by 11 artists of renown (Lu Cong, Scott Fraser, Ron Hicks, Quang Ho, Dan McCaw, Danny McCaw, John McCaw, CW Mundy, Dan Sprick, Adrienne Stein, and Vincent Xeus) were exhibited throughout the mansion. The Hamptons Weekend schedule of events (View Event Pictures) included:
- Welcome Dinner for Artists
- Housing for the Artists
- Private Watercolor Lesson for Collectors
- Private Collection Tours for the Artists and Collectors
- Private Tours of Historic Artist Sites (Thomas Moran Studio and Pollock-Krasner House)
- Private Tour of Judith and Gerson Leiber Collection & Sculpture Garden
- Opening Exhibition Gala
- Educational Salon for Artists and Collectors with Presentations by:
- Helen Harrison, Director, Pollock-Krasner House
- Peter Trippi, Editor-in-Chief, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine
- Vincent Xeus, Fra Angelico Artist of the Year
- Farewell Party for Artists and Collectors
Evergreen, CO 2021
In September of 2021, C4C hosted its first “Beauty Thru Art Collector Legacy Sale” in Evergreen, CO. The special Collector Legacy Sale included more than 60 works donated by our collector members. The purpose of the sale was to create an opportunity for our collector members to deaccession works from their collections for a worthy cause and make art collecting more accessible to new collectors by offering works at significant one-time discounts. The sale was well received with more than 90% of the works being sold particularly to new collectors with a strong response by younger professionals who were acquiring art for the first time.
Denver 2020
In November of 2020, the exhibition Contemporary Visions of Beauty was held at the new Space Gallery Annex in Denver. Due to COVID, the only C4C event that was held was the exhibition which was viewed only during a timed-entry limited capacity opening reception or by appointment. Remarkably, the exhibition sales were among the best in the Foundation’s history with sales of works by Blair Atherholt, Jill Basham, Daniel Bilmes, Stephanie Birdsall, Greg Block, Michelle Dunaway, Scott Fraser, Ann Gargotto, Ron Gerbrandt, Ulrich Gleiter, Albert Handell, Quang Ho, Jane Hunt, Carol Jenkins, Brendan Johnston, Andrea Kemp, Kyle Ma, David W. Mayer, Dan McCaw, Danny McCaw, John McCaw, Ned Mueller, C.W. Mundy, Desmond O’Hagan, Ron Richmond, Don Sahli, Adrienne Stein and Vincent Xeus.
Atlanta & Savannah 2019
In November of 2019, C4C collectors traveled to Atlanta and Savannah for the C4C Arts Weekend (View Event Pictures). The schedule of events included:
- Private Tour of Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) Atlanta Campus
- Private Tour of Exhibition, Fashioning Art from Paper, Isabelle de Borchgrave, SCAD Museum of Film & Fashion
- Exclusive Receptions & Tours of Homes and Private Collections of Atlanta Collectors
- Private Tours of Savannah Historic District and SCAD Savannah Campus
- Exclusive Reception & Tour of Home & Private Collection of Savannah Collector
Paris 2018
In May of 2018, C4C collectors traveled to Paris for the C4C Arts Weekend (View Event Pictures). The schedule of events included:
- Special Tour and Lecture by Dominque Sennelier of Historic Sennelier Art Supplies Store (supplier for the Impressionists)
- Tour & Lunch at Musee d’Orsay
- Special Delacroix Exhibition at the Louvre Museum
- Americans in Paris Exhibition at L’Oeil du Prince Gallery
- Train to Chatou and Private Tour of Museum Fournaise and Lunch at La Fournaise (Site of Renoir Paintings)
- Rodin Museum and Musee Jacquemart-Andre (temporary Mary Cassatt Exhibition)
- Painting Session with Live Model at Paris Academy
Denver 2018
In May of 2018, the C4C Arts Weekend was held in Denver (View Event Pictures). The schedule of events included:
- Opening Reception for Impressions, Markings & More Exhibition at Space Gallery
- Exclusive Founding Connoisseur Collector Brunch & Tour hosted by Collector, Sally Duncan
- Impressions Salon at Space Gallery, featuring Degas to McCaw presentation by Shannon Robinson and a Conversation with the McCaw Family with Dan McCaw, John McCaw, and Danny McCaw
New York City 2017
In October of 2017, collectors traveled to New York City for the C4C Arts Weekend (View Event Pictures) which included special C4C events at The Metropolitan Museum and the Salmagundi Club. The schedule of events included:
- Patronage and Collecting: Then & Now, C4C National Symposium at The Metropolitan Museum with Expert Presentations and Panel Discussions:
- Historical Presentations About Great Art Patrons by Curators from The Met, The Frick, and The Morgan Library:
- Dita Amory, Met Curator, Robert Lehman Collection;
- Esmee Quodbach, Assistant Director of Center for the History of Collecting, Frick Collection and Art Reference Library; and
- Jennifer Tonkovich Curator, Drawings and Prints, The Morgan Library & Museum.
- Presentations About Global Market & Collecting Art:
- Shannon Robinson, Patronage, Collecting and The Global Art Market;
- Betsy Thomas, Betsy Thomas Fine Art Advisory, Navigating the World of Art Dealers, Art Fairs & Auction Houses: Challenges & Rewards for Collectors & Artists.
- Panel Discussion with Industry Experts: Shelley Farmer, Director of Hirschl & Adler Modern in NY, Peter Trippi, Editor-in-Chief, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, Gregory Peterson, collector of contemporary realism, and Betsy Thomas, Art Advisor
- Historical Presentations About Great Art Patrons by Curators from The Met, The Frick, and The Morgan Library:
- Private Curator Tour of Lehman Collection at The Met and Luncheon with Symposium Curators and Speakers
- C4C Exhibition, Salmagundi Club Patrons’ Gallery, Revelry & Revelation: Realism Today with works by American contemporary realists:
Nicholas Evans Cato
Max Ferguson
David Fertig
Scott Fraser
Diana Horowitz
Michael Klein
Lucong
Jill Soukup
Skip Steinworth
Amy Weiskopf
Vincent Xeus
- Preview of C4C Exhibition and American Masters Exhibition at Salmagundi Club
- Welcome Reception, hosted by Windows to the Divine artist, Vincent Xeus and Stella Liao at NYC Studio
- Exclusive Art Excursions to Artist Studio of Jacob Collins, New York Academy of Art, and Christie’s Auction House
Denver 2017
In June of 2017, in collaboration with the Clark Hulings Fund and Space Gallery, C4C hosted the first Business Forum for Artists (View Event Pictures) to provide practical advice to artists about the global art market and how to individually and collectively connect with art industry players to ensure the success and sustainability of their businesses. The following presentations were made and were followed by roundtable group discussions with our artists:
- Shannon Robinson, The Changing Global Art Market: The Future of the Professional Artist
- Elizabeth Hulings, The Clark Hulings Fund for Visual Artists, Make Yourself Central
- Nephi Niven, Nephi Niven Coaching, Leading the Charge
- Daniel DiGriz, The Clark Hulings Fund, Education & Marketing Director, Harness Your Marketing Power
Denver 2017
In April of 2017, we hosted an exclusive C4C tour for artists and collectors of the special exhibition, Masterworks From the Collection of Tobia and Morton Mower (View Event Pictures), sponsored by the CU Medical School at the Art Gallery in the Fulginiti Pavilion Center for Bioethics and Humanities on the Anschutz Campus that showcased works from the Morton and Tobia Mower private collection which included major paintings by Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Cassatt, Degas, Chagall, and Leger as well as selected Rodin sculptures. The schedule of events included:
- Private Tour by Simon Zalkind, Curator of Masterworks Exhibition
- C4C Program in Gossard Auditorium: Meet the Collectors: Curator Conversation with the Mowers
- Art History Presentation by Dr. Molly Medakovich from the Denver Art Museum about Impressionism and its legacy in the context of the Mower Collection. With Paris as a setting, she explored the spirit of innovation that characterized artists working in this cultural and artistic epicenter from the 1870s to the 1930s.
Denver 2016
In 2016, the C4C Arts Weekend was held in Denver at Space Gallery (View Event Pictures). The schedule of events included:
- Gala Opening of Windows to the Divine Exhibition, Abstraction & Representation: Finding Common Ground;
- Abstraction & Representation: Finding Common Ground National Symposium held at Space Gallery with Presentations and Panel Discussions:
- Dr. Gwen Chanzit, Curator of Modern Art and the Herbert Bayer Collection and Archive at the Denver Art Museum and Professor of the Practice and Director of Museum Studies in Art History at the University of Denver, The Development of Abstraction: A Brief Sampling from Cézanne to Pollock
- Shannon Robinson, Chairperson of C4C, From Abstraction to Contemporary Realism
- Panel Discussion re: Exhibition Theme with Albert Handell (2016 Fra Angelico Artist of the Year), Dan Jacobs, University of Denver, Director of Victoria Myhren Gallery and Michael Paglia, Art Critic for Westword
- Joint Presentation by Ron Hicks & Michael Gadlin: Unlikely Pair
- Exclusive Tour by Dean Sobel, Director, Clyfford Still Museum
- Cocktail Party, Silent Auction and Tour of Private Martin Collection held at the Denver Art Museum Residence of Founding Connoisseurs, Sharon Martin & Lanny Martin (former Co-Chairman, Denver Art Museum Board of Trustees and Benefactor of Martin Building at the DAM, now deceased);
- Private Screening of Agnes Martin Before the Grid, Space Gallery
Denver 2015
In 2015, Windows to the Divine launched Collectors for Connoisseurship (C4C), a new national network for collectors and artists. C4C members engage and interact through online experiences and special events. The First C4C Arts Weekend was staged at the Denver Art Museum and Gallery 1261 (View Event Pictures) and included:
- Optional Morning Museum Tours: Wyeth, Andrew and Jamie in the Studio (separately ticketed via DAM) or
Special Tour with Angelica Daneo - C4C Renaissance of Realism National Symposium held at the Denver Art Museum
- Renaissance of Realism Exhibition held at Denver’s Gallery 1261
- Private Collection Tour & Brunch held at the home of Founding Connoisseurs, Pete & Marilyn Coors
Paint Outs
In June of 2019, Windows to the Divine launched a new neighborhood by neighborhood campaign called “Beauty Thru Art Plein Air Invitational“ with the goal of engaging communities and inspiring them to become collectors. Through pre-event educational programming (presentations to neighborhood garden clubs) and by inviting artists of renown to paint the private gardens of neighborhood residents, the Paint Out which was held in Bow Mar, CO, was a great success with 36 of the 39 works painted on site selling within minutes! Artists also exhibited studio works which also had strong sales. 2019 Art Catalogue
In 2009, 2010 and 2012, the Foundation also hosted Windows to the Divine Paint Outs at sites of exceptional natural beauty in the Rocky Mountains and in the Denver Botanic Gardens and Washington Park.
View Photos of Past Paint Outs
- Beauty Thru Plein Air 2019
- “Altitude & Attitude” Paint Out 2012
- Windows to the Divine®Paint Out 2010
- Windows to the Divine®Paint Out 2009
Banner Image Above: Daniel Keys, Vase of Roses and Sunflowers, Windows Exhibition 2014 (Private Collection)
