Carbondale’s new City Market, a Kroger Co. store slated to open this fall, has selected two local artists, Andrew Roberts Gray and Reina Katzenberger, to create a mural inside the new store.
Once the new City Market exterior is complete, the interior will receive an artistic touch thanks to Kroger’s Artwork Program which utilizes local talent to add a unique element to each store that celebrates the spirit of the community. The Kroger Co. contacted Carbondale Arts last fall and asked for their help in finding professional local artists to create the indoor mural, a 16 x 5 foot design for the entrance of the market where the grocery carts are stored.
Both Carbondale Arts and the Kroger Co. were looking for artwork that exemplified the uniqueness of the Carbondale community. Fifteen artists threw their hat in the ring and the final commission was chosen in April. “It has been an interesting process as COVID-19 entered the picture just as the Call for Submissions for this project was coming to an end. While it took a little more time for the process, the Kroger Co. kept right on schedule,” shared Carbondale Arts Executive Director Amy Kimberly.
Both organizations are thrilled to announce not only one, but two selected artists: Andrew Roberts-Gray and Reina Katzenberger. “Andrew and Reina’s submission was selected because of its beautiful layering of local imagery that spoke to the character of the community,” said Bo Wachendorf, Art Project Manager for The Kroger Co. For Reina, “Having grown up in the Roaring Fork Valley, honoring this place through a visual captivating amalgam of the landscape, history and people was very exciting.” The collaborative piece proved to be challenging but as Roberts-Gray explained, “Reina and I have found that our skill sets are very sympathetic and I think we are learning alternative strategies and tactics from each other.”
About the Artists
Reina Katzenberger’s work explores the relationship between art and science and the tension of representative imagery, informational graphics alongside expressive abstraction. She spearheads The Project Shop – a creative space in Carbondale specializing in providing hands-on opportunities for artists and creatives interested in exploring mixed media applications of traditional print methods.
Andrew Roberts-Gray’s work references a number of discrete cultural traditions including science fiction, the history of the painted landscape, and the development of the thinking machine. His studio is located at (SAW) Studio for Arts and Works in Carbondale, Colorado. He enjoys the art mentoring process as well as collaborating with other artists.