Meet Timothea Biermann | Co-founder | Chameleon Art Collective

We had the good fortune of connecting with Timothea Biermann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Timothea, what role has risk played in your life or career?
The Chameleon Art Collective was co-founded by Nik Arnoldi & Timothea Biermann. Our collective began with 4 members, and has now grown to 12. Our members are primarily public art teachers in Denver, CO. When we began the collective, we were dealing with post-Covid isolation, career burnout, and the ever accumulating challenges of being educators. Educators are expected to give so much time and energy while dealing with inadequate resources and unrealistic expectations. We felt pressure from administrators and the district to always work beyond our contract hours in order to be effective. We needed creative outlets and self care strategies.

Starting the collective felt risky. We accepted any interested person to join the group. How would veritable strangers learn to work together? Would it be sustainable? Will we be able to carve out time to achieve our goals? Did we have the strength to detach from the guilt pressed upon us as educators? Were we confident enough in our artistic skills to be taken seriously?

We started by hanging out at food halls, collecting other hatchlings (baby chameleons) and experimenting with collaborative artworks. We created temporary spaces to work and had art parties in backyards.

Now, we produce local art exhibits, display in juried exhibitions, create public art, and operate as a professional group. We also found a nest (home) at Blue Tile Art Space in Englewood, CO.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
We continued to take risks while rejuvenating and growing our artistic practices. We focused on creating collaborative artworks. It is a challenge for any artist to allow others to work directly on their initial creations. Some members made radical decisions, greatly changing the intentions and meanings of others’ artworks. Some chose to follow the general imagery and use similar media. We had to let go of our artwork and trust each other. The permanence of our personal artworks was no longer in our hands, and we learned to accept the changes whether we agreed with them or not. Spending time with each other’s artworks taught us so much about our diverse artistic processes. By encouraging and supporting one another, we overcame fear and insecurity. We are mentally, artistically and emotionally sustained from each other.

Now, three years later, we regularly create collaborative bodies of work for exhibitions. Each artist will begin an artwork based on an agreed upon theme. We then rotate the artworks amongst other members while having frequent critical discussions regarding the direction and intention of each work. Through this practice, we dismantled our egos and merged our respective mediums, concepts, and techniques into one creative entity.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We recommend exploring the stretch between Girard & Radcliffe on South Broadway in Englewood, CO. Check out NKollectiv gallery at 3485 S. Broadway, right above Mutiny Comics then head south towards Hampden. Grab a drink at Mango Tree Coffee (across from the iconic mid-century modern Key Savings Bank designed By Charles Deaton). See Chameleon member Emily Hammack’s Traffic Cabinet Wrap (entitled “Mulberries”) on the NE corner of Kenyon and S. Broadway. Next stop: Blue Tile Gallery & Art Space – Home of the Chameleon Art Collective – at 3944 S. Broadway for studio tours and gallery exhibits. There are plenty of restaurants on your way to SeeSaw Art Gallery at 5 W Radcliff Ave.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our collective was born at Seidel City (Boulder, CO) on November 13, 2021. Timothea Biermann was teaching Professional Development Units for other art teachers, and would often take participants on art-related field trips. After attending the Artnauts Collective group exhibition & artist talk entitled “Uncanny Times: Looking Back, Looking Forward”, she suggested we begin our own collective. Feeling a staggering wave of inspiration, Nik & Timothea made a pact in the parking lot to start a collective journey together as well. Timothea initiated momentum and organization to launch the collective and Nik, a master of interpersonal communication and artistic drive, brought us together as a family.

Website: https://chameleon-collective.com/

Instagram: @chameleon.art.collective

Image Credits
Chameleon Art Collective