Transcendent Femme blossoms at the Ent Center for the Arts ahead of October opening
Kai Gaynor's impact on her community is hard to miss. As an art instructor and community liaison with the local non-profit Concrete Couch, an oral historian for a project led by Food to Power and Colorado College, and in her role as Board President of the Pikes Peak Arts Council, it's hard to imagine when she finds time to eat or sleep.
However, in June, Gaynor took on yet another project. Backed by funding from The Gallery of Contemporary Art (GOCA) at the Ent Center for the Arts, she's launching "Transcendent Femme," a solo exhibition, immersive art experience and "third space" inspired by a spiritual vision and brought to life to be touched by as many hands as possible throughout the Colorado Springs community.
"It was in 2023, I was looking at this art residency in Denver and I experienced a 'download,'" Gaynor told The Bulletin, explaining that a 'download', in her experience, is an intense thought she believes comes to her spiritually from her ancestors.
"I'm a pretty mystical and magical person - I received an ancestral download about the divine feminine," she continued.
As a person of non-denominational Christian faith, Gaynor explained she was raised with the belief that her God is more masculine, and with that found herself searching for spaces where women are revered in the same way.
"(God) is a fatherly presence. But, being raised by strong women, I have such a reverence for women and what our bodies and minds go through and I found myself wondering - where were the spaces and the respect for the divine feminine spiritually?"
The idea of creating a space representative of the divine feminine was her inspiration for Transcendent Femme. As a self-identified portrait artist, Gaynor plans to expand her creative realm within the makings of the immersive art exhibit. Tied as much to the environment of the space as it is tied to Gaynor's more traditional art pieces, Transcendent Femme embodies her mental health journey together with her practice as an artist and creative. It is designed to be both a reflective exhibition for herself and for members of the community.
Gaynor said that although she didn't receive the residency she initially applied for in 2023, the seed for the show had been planted. Two years later, "Transcendent Femme" is becoming a reality thanks to sponsorship from the Gallery of Contemporary Art (GOCA), housed within the Ent Center for the Arts.
"We had already been talking about activating the Project Space gallery as a studio space, so when Kai shared her nascent idea for 'Transcendent Femme,' it immediately felt like the perfect first foray into this concept," Dr. Joy Armstrong, Director and Curator of GOCA, said.
Now, Gaynor's Transcendent Femme is blossoming into fruition.
"It's an immersive gallery space that focuses on mental health in general, but my focus is for black mental health - to get more people of color to be in art experiences by having an immersive space that is very much catered to them," Gaynor said.
Where were the spaces and the respect for the divine feminine spiritually?
Grounded in concepts of nature, Gaynor said that although the exhibition follows her personal journey with mental health, she believes her story is synonymous with her community and life generally.
"As creatives, we are always interpreting life. What better way to start that conversation of mental health with the community by diving into my own head. The reason why it's called 'Transcendent Femme': the transcendent part is about the evolution of self - how do we transcend who we are - not only who we want to be, but who society is asking us to show up as. Are we going to allow these negative parts of life to affect us, bring us down, or are we going to rise to the occasion and show up for ourselves and our community and what we believe in?"
Gaynor is collecting props and slowly assembling her exhibit, piece by piece, with the help of her community. She is currently working out of an incubation space in the Project Space Gallery studio, at the Ent Center.
While the exhibit's grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 3, at Meanwhile Block (425 S Sierra Madre St.), a space in downtown Colorado Springs, free workshops and classes will also be offered throughout the month as part of Gaynor's vision for an immersive experience.
"We live in a city that's approximately 8% African American. That means, in the conversation of mental health awareness, if we want to do therapy, there is a small pool of black therapists, and black people in the medical system, generally," Gaynor said.
"Historically, black people have dealt with their mental health in other ways, and that's where the 20 workshops and events come into place. I'm going to show you the different options of being in community, where we can have these conversations that can add on to who we are," Gaynor continued.
While the exhibit is a collection of Gaynor's work, community involvement through friends, interns and volunteers remains a central aspect of her creative process. On Aug. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon, a skillshare will be held in Gaynor's studio at the Ent Center for the Arts, in collaboration with Concrete Couch, to build mystical forest elements which will be featured throughout the exhibit.
"Anyone who is artsy, reach out to me!" Gaynor said.
For more information on Transcendent Femme, or on how to get involved with the project, visit Gaynor's website at KaiGaynor.com.
