Art gallery to open on The Hill in May

BOULDER — A gallery featuring contemporary art for viewing and sale is set to open on The Hill in Boulder in May. 

Nick Ryan Gallery, at 1221 Pennsylvania Ave. Suite 110, will open May 16 in a 3,450-square-foot, two-level space in the back two-thirds of a building built around 1928 but extensively remodeled.

“It has some old character with some modern features, and we’re sprucing it up quite a bit right now,” Ryan told BizWest on Friday. “It definitely has a cool space to it.”

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He said the building had been home to some other studios over the years, and the University of Colorado Boulder rented parts of it for office space during the COVID-19 pandemic.

His gallery might be hard to pick out from the street in the building that houses Al’s Barber Shop, Ryan said, “but I’ll have signs up hopefully at the beginning of May and an entrance on the west side of the building.”

He said his gallery aims to represent renowned regional and national artists, as well as

emerging artists of exceptional talent. It will host exhibitions, programming and “a dedication to encouraging artistic dialogue within the community.”

Ryan earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in painting from CU Boulder, then managed William Havu Gallery in Denver for nearly 19 years.

“As I turned 45, the plan was for me to take over the Havu gallery,” Ryan said, “but as I thought about it, I found myself wanting to do my own things and be my own boss, working for myself. Being a grad from CU Boulder who was immersed in the art scene in Denver, I thought Boulder deserved and should have more top-notch galleries.”

Nick Ryan Gallery’s inaugural feature will be “Polyphony,” a solo exhibition by Bruce Price that will remain on view through June 22. A reception will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. May 16, and Price, former director of the Institute for Experimental Studies and founding resident adviser at Redline/Denver, will host an artist’s talk at noon on June 15.

Price has a bachelor’s degree in fine art in painting from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and a master’s in interdisciplinary studies from Maine College of Art. He has had solo exhibitions in New York and at the Denver Art Museum.

Ryan said he’s excited for his Boulder adventure to begin.

“With the two new hotel projects underway and CU right next door, The Hill’s got a good energy up here,” he said, “and it’ll be fun to be around all the young people, too.”