Even non-creatives may be familiar with the splashy Color of the Year announcement made annually by Pantone—known for standardizing color across design and printing—and that the designated color for 2023 is “Viva Magenta”. What the layperson may not recognize is that Magenta also has “extra spectral” properties which are colors not found in the visible light spectrum, as seen in a rainbow. After gallerist Nicole Korbe was forwarded an article discussing this fact, and given the tie-in with Pantone’s decree, she was inspired to build a show around it. The NKollectiv member artists embraced the idea and created beautiful artwork around this hue for the exhibition Extra Spectral: Magenta and Friends, which opens with a public reception on April 21, 6-9 pm at 960 Santa Fe Drive and runs through May 14, 2023. Other special events include Sundays on Santa Fe Art Walk April 30, 11-3 pm and First Friday Art Walk May 5, 5-9 pm. Regular gallery hours are listed below and at www.nkollectiv.com.

Individuals (who are not colorblind) interpret color based on a specific wavelength of light that hits the retina. Colors that don’t correspond to any single wavelength of light are called extra spectral—they require more than one wavelength of light to hit the retina. Our brain “mixes” these wavelengths to perceive various colors like greys, pinks, some purples, white, beige, browns, and yes, magenta. Korbe states “Colors in the magenta family are so powerful, even in small doses, that I thought it would be a fun experiment to see what the artists came up with. Then my friend Walter sent me the article and it appealed to my nerdy side and sealed the deal.”

Participating artists are all NKollectiv Members: Kelly Austin-Rolo, Rita Bhasin, Craig Demmon, Naomi Gagnon, Steve Girard, Nicole Korbe, Krista Lavonas, Michele Messenger, Jerry Severns, Carolyn Miller and Carol Till. Artwork on display spans a wide variety, including paintings, ceramics, sculpture, wood, and metal smithed jewelry.