People
Collection for person entities.
Pages
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- John M. Cunningham
- He was born in California. He moved from Missouri to La Sal, Utah in 1884 to become the manager of the Pittsburgh Cattle Company. He had a one year old son at this time. He became part owner of the cattle company (along with his partners, Carpenter and Brewer) after a while. He owned what later became the La Sal Ranch, and established irrigation for the ranch by digging a ditch around a mountain that picked up water from various streams. Eventually, he and Carpenter bought out the interests of Brewer and ran it until 1914, when they sold the company to La Sal Livestock, run by Charley Redd. He owned land in the Hillcrest area of the Bookcliff region. He made an abortive attempt at farming the sand hills area of Nebraska. That project bankrupted in the early 1920s. He owned the Cross-H brand. He was grandfather to William Cunningham.
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- John Mansfield
- ZEN AND THE ART OF MANSFIELD MAGIC By Susan Viebrock for The Telluride Planet, Telluride, 2001: "In the prestigious National Builders Museum in Washington DC you will find not one, but two, works by long time local John Mansfield. Both works are from two of his most successful series which are very different from one another, yet epitomize the art of Mansfield ; very Zen in nature. The first is a sculpture of a handsaw frozen in the act of slicing a slab of stone. The 'Zen Saw' a very witty contrast of cultures. The rice paper precisely joined to balsa wood exudes a Japanese presence while the stone (from San Miquel County) echoes cut slabs of over-processed Americana that might be spam or perhaps white bread. Mansfield explains that "materials are key elements of societies and provide instant recognition. I believe the saw, as an object, is seen as something intrinsically familiar to most Americans. The twist comes with its fragile construction and the proof of its success." The power of Zen philosophy couldn't be illustrated any more eloquently. The other piece in the permanent collection at the museum is from his 'East Meets West Series. Rice paper and wood once again provide the elements of the east while their application, as domestic curtains over a window speak of the West. The window itself reveals a beautiful serene blue sky that perhaps alludes to Mansfield 's sense of optimism as well as the breeze with which he can balance the two seemly disparate cultures. Mansfield 's interest in the Orient comes from growing up as the son of a Naval Officer who was posted to new places every two to three years. As a second grader in Hawaii at Pearl Harbor Elementary school , Mansfield received an art scholarship that allowed him to forego regular school in order to attend the Honolulu Academy of Art. For six months he studied both eastern and western art, learning appreciation as well as techniques. Mansfield also lived in Japan for part of his high schooling and had the opportunity to explore eastern art galleries as well as several artists' studios with his father. This early training imparted not only the techniques of eastern art but the philosophy that inspires them and is the undercurrent of all works. Mansfield went on to obtain a Bachelor of Fine Art in Painting from the California College for Arts and Crafts in 1966. "The CCAC was quite a scene back then, being in the middle of San Francisco Bay Area in the sixties. It was time of great open-mindedness and exploration. On the art side, I loved the thoroughness and discipline with which they taught. We studied history, philosophy and techniques across the full media spectrum. We even made our materials from scratch. Really, they taught us the basics that we could then take into the world and when we had something meaningful to say, we could execute it well. I'm grateful that they didn't try to turn out a graduating class of established artists. Most of us were just kids," explains Mansfield . "And it's not that kids don't have perspective, it's just that most haven't had enough experiences to make great art. We all walked out of there being able to paint pretty pictures. But I think the artist has a greater role, a greater responsibility, and opportunity, to help others see something new about themselves or the world they live in." Mansfield alternated between pursuing his Master's degree and teaching art skills to others, first in Virginia , then in London , followed by teaching at a Community College in Oregon . He received his MFA in Painting from the University of Oregon in 1970 and then moved to Telluride. Mansfield recalls that, 'Thirty years ago, Telluride did not have any art galleries, but quite a few artists. When we wanted to 'show' our work, we'd find an abandoned building and pay to get the power turned on for a week. Then we'd rig up our lights, clean the place up, paint the walls and have a great group show." Of the handful of people who still live in Telluride the memories of attending those shows are hazy but all have big smiles as they agree 'those were wild times'. Shortly after, the art scene became more formal in Telluride with the opening of two galleries and Mansfield was encouraged to make his work more accessible to a wider audience. It wasn't long before galleries around the country were representing his work. He had shows in Denver , Santa Fe , Palm Springs , Richmond , Eugene , Seattle , Scottsdale , London and Telluride. His work was so in demand that many pieces were sold even before they were completed. "There are a lot of my works still in town," Mansfield points out. "People stop me on the street from time to time and tell me they still love a painting of mine that hangs in their house or where ever. Ron Aired tells me that he had a work stolen out of his office at Telski, which is a compliment of some sorts I suppose," claims Mansfield . So what has this talented, sought after artist with works in major collections been doing as of late? "For the last eleven years I've been Director of the Juvenile Diversion Program of San Miquel and Ouray Counties . It's been the focus of my creativity," admits Mansfield with pride. The program is an alternative to going through the court system for high risk youth and also provides a range of options to keep kids out of trouble. "I felt like I had reached a plateau with my art and wanted to do something different. And you know what they say, 'if you're beginning to think about quitting, it's high time you did.'" says Mansfield . "It's been an amazing and fulfilling role for me. Making art full time can be a bit isolating but I feel now like I've stocked up 11 years worth of interaction. So I'm moving on, letting someone else take over that position and going back to art. "
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- John Marshall
- The current president of Colorado Mesa University and the successor to Tim Foster. Marshall began as a student at CMU and worked his way up the ranks. He was the Vice President for Student Services from 2008-2020.
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- John Martin
- Early resident of Crested Butte, Colorado. Died in the Jokerville Mine Explosion on January 24, 1884.
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- John Martin
- He began a special education program for Mesa County School District 51 in 1955. He coordinated testing through the school psychologist, conducted meetings with the parents, and handpicked a few teachers to undertake the new challenge, including Dorothy Tindall and Emma Samuels. He also led in the establishment of an educational school for the children of migrant workers.