COLORADO SPRINGS, CO.- The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College will present a free special exhibition, Utopia: A New Society for All, on view August 3 - November 3, 2019.

Born from the artist’s desire to build community, Utopia exists both as a 4-by-7-foot diorama- based installation and as a conceptual art piece, bringing virtual reality into the real world. Anyone can apply to become a citizen of Utopia. Over 80 people from all over the world already have. Upon acceptance, artist and Utopia Founder and Facilitator Becky Wareing Steele renders each applicant in 1:160 scale in a process called miniaturization. She then places them within the Southwest-inspired landscape of the diorama where they inhabit an Earthship-style dwelling.

As much a thought experiment as an art installation, Utopia explores what it means to live in community. By scaling down the world, it is the artist’s intent to make solutions to complex issues seem more attainable. Her work asks us to contemplate a number of questions: How do we build community? What are the building blocks of a successful society? Is a Utopia attainable?

“This project aims to give people an escape from reality while still connecting with people in real life situations.” Becky Wareing Steele, Founder and Facilitator of Utopia

Becky Wareing Steele is an artist living and working in Denver, Colorado specializing in small scale sculpture. Her work deals with the commonalities that exist in our shared experiences through the examination of scale and environment. By scaling objects down, the viewer is able to take in more complex issues and narratives conveyed through the work in a way that feels inclusive, exploring the impact of scale and how it effects our perception of the world around us.

Wareing Steele holds a BA in Art History from Colorado State University with a focus on Intuit Art.