STAMFORD, CONN. — “Blue Skies: Best of Times or Worst of Times?” is opening June 1 the UConn Stamford Art Gallery. On Saturday, June 9, from 2 to 5 pm, there will be an opening reception with the artists. It will remain on view until July 15. Loft Artists were invited to respond to one of the more challenging questions of the day by interpreting “Blue Skies,” the title of the exhibition of their work.

In 1926 “Blue Skies” was one of Irvin Berlin’s instant hits, and artists have been giving the theme their own twist ever since. Frank Sinatra’s upbeat recording of “Blue Skies” with the Jimmy Dorsey band in 1946 still sounds irrepressibly optimistic, while Willie Nelson managed to bring out the ‘blues’ lurking behind the bravado in 1978.

When times seem uncertain and we wonder if we should feel optimistic or pessimistic, artists have always been willing to give it their best shot. The LAA (Loft Artists Association) artists have done just that in this exhibition and the results are compelling, uplifting,and at times even unsettling.

 “I loved the concept,” said LAA president Lisa Cuscuna, whose work evokes surrealist visions. Mixed media artist Susan Frey based her work on a dream: “In my dream I am looking down onto the cityscape from high above.”

For artist Anne Salthouse, the theme recalled the destruction wreaked on Japan by last year’s tsunami, as well as hope in the aftermath. Mary Louise Long framed her painting based on her own sensory experience of light and air with a quote from Sir Walter Scott’s romantic narrative poem “Bridal of Triermain.”

UConn Stamford Art Gallery is at One University Place. For information, 203-251-8400 or www.Stamford.uconn.edu.