From Me in Her to Her in Me
Irene Delka McCray
November 17th – December 30th, 2023
McMahon Gallery
Opening Reception
November 17th, 2023 from 5:00 – 8:00pm
“Can we imagine that at the essence of human being is an insistence upon being witnessed – by others, by gods, by the cosmos itself – and that the inner force of character cannot be concealed from this display. The image will out, and the last years put the final finish to the image.”
These paintings and drawings reflect on my mother in her final months with Alzheimer’s. The work honors and explores the metaphysical journey we took together, her leading and I following, extending my life backwards in favor of her long ago, and reflecting the reversal of trust, from me in her to her in me. Even with a lifetime of witnessing the strength of my mother’s character, it’s her end years that impress me the most.
This work also serves to encourage public visibility of our elders and opposes the cultural dismissal of “the aged”, which, among many other injustices, was brought to light during the COVID pandemic. The sluggish and indifferent response to the evident vulnerabilities of elderly citizens in care homes has prompted me to paint and draw my mother from memory, imagination, and photos taken of her through the windows that separated us throughout the lockdown.
To think that elders are insignificant in a world that is so consumed with productivity and usefulness is simply unjust and offensive. Longevity is its own state of being: holding meaning and discovery in layers of lasting. As the old fold into themselves, they assist in the outward expansion of those around them, connecting us with lost threads of a cultural past and presenting for us what and who we arrive out of.
The beautiful and complex profundities of wizened old flesh seem to me to take on a likeness to leaf veins, so I make those pairings in some of the drawings. The layering of imagery returns her, in my mind, to the expansive mystery of nature and the “all”.
Exhibition Resources
About the Artist
A Boulder, Colorado native, Irene Delka McCray earned her BFA from Colorado State University and her MFA degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She taught for seven years at Santa Fe Community College and three years at Santa Fe International Academy of Art. During her time in New Mexico she studied in earnest Archetypal Dream Work with Ann Yeomans, whose treatment of psychic imagery continues to impact her paintings and drawings that arrive out of the soul realm of human experience. McCray, now retired, taught at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design for twenty-three years.
McCray’s paintings and drawings of the figure and cloth have been exhibited widely, primarily in Colorado, New Mexico, and California. Her work is in the Denver Art Museum’s Permanent Collection and the Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art in Denver. Other exhibition venues include the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities, CO, the Center for Visual Arts, CO, Boulder Center for the Visual Arts, CO, Pacific Grove Art Center, CA, Oakland Center for the Arts, CA, Kansas City Arts Coalition, MO, and the Museum of New Mexico. She is a former member of Pirate, a Contemporary Art Oasis, CO, and was represented by Sandra Phillips Gallery, CO.
Public Programming
Black Futures in Art Exhibition Opening Reception
February 20 @ 5:00 pm
Free
On View Feb 19 – March 29 | Opening Reception: Feb 20, 5 – 8 PM
Fourth Annual Exhibition at the Dairy Arts Center | Curated by Adderly Grant-Lord
Now in its fourth year at the Dairy Arts Center, Black Futures in Art is a sweeping, annual exhibition presented in celebration of Black History Month and in ongoing recognition of Black artistry and excellence year-round. Curated by Adderly Grant-Lord, the exhibition brings together Black artists from Colorado and across the United States, highlighting a broad range of practices, voices, and visions shaping contemporary art today.
This year’s exhibition is grounded in the theme “The excellence beneath our feet lives in our bones,” a poetic meditation on legacy, inheritance, and resilience. The exhibition looks to what has been buried, erased, or overlooked in both past and present, while honoring the enduring knowledge, creativity, and excellence that persist across generations. Through visual art, the exhibition considers how memory, land, body, and ancestry carry stories forward, and how art becomes a conduit for community, reflection, and dialogue around the past, present, and future.
Black Futures in Art creates space for both celebration and critical engagement, inviting audiences to witness how artists navigate history, imagine possibility, and cultivate collective understanding. The exhibition is accompanied by a robust slate of public programming, including film screenings, artist talks, a lecture series, hands-on workshops — and a special live musical performance at the Opening Reception.
Opening Reception Musicians
The evening will feature a dynamic ensemble of Colorado-based musicians whose practices bridge classical training, jazz lineage, and contemporary experimentation:
Joe Tabano (Trumpet) – A Denver-born and raised trumpet player, Joe’s roots in jazz are shaped by mentorship connected to the lineage of Ron Miles. Having toured throughout the United States and Europe, his sound blends traditional jazz sensibility with expansive improvisation and expressive depth.
Liv Stephfano (Cello) – A Horizon High School student and accomplished young cellist, Liv was selected for the district-wide Honors Concert and earned 2nd Chair among 15 top performers — a testament to her dedication and musical excellence.
Josias Gilmore (Electric Guitar) – An accomplished guitarist with several years of performance experience, Josias has played iconic stages including Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Fillmore Auditorium, and Paramount Theatre, bringing versatility and stage presence to every performance.
Phillip Cutler (Violin) – A Fort Collins–based violinist with over 13 years of training, Phillip bridges classical discipline with contemporary exploration. Having participated in Colorado All-State Orchestras and studied under Mark Woods of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, his work blends orchestral precision with modern energy, drawing from classical, fiddle, jazz, and electronic influences.
Together, these musicians create a layered sonic environment that echoes the exhibition’s themes of inheritance, evolution, and living legacy.