Fine Arts Center

AfroColombian Percussion workshop & Tropical dance party with Eddie "Quilo" Valencia
2023-05-19 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Workshop 6–7 p.m., dance party 7–8 p.m.
Come join us May 19 for an Afro-Columbian Percussion workshop and Tropical dance party with Eddie “Quilo” Valencia at the Sculpture Garden of the Fine Arts Center. It will be an evening of contagious rhythms, while sharing the radical roots of cumbia, it’s borderless spirit, and how Afro-Indigenous resilience not only survived, but has evolved and thrived throughout Latin America. A tropical party celebrating Afro-Latin rhythms and community to follow.
Sponsored by CC Mobile Arts with Riley Scholar Oscar Ulloa of Spanish + Portuguese

FAC Happy Hour at Bell Brothers Brewing
2023-05-25 17:00 - 18:30 | Bell Brothers Brewing, 114 N Tejon St Suite 100, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us for our first FAC Happy Hour event of the year and celebrate the “liquid arts” with us anytime from 5–6:30 p.m. No formal programming involved, just a casual gathering of FAC supporters getting out to socialize in new and different venues across our beautiful city. We hope to see you at Bell Brothers Brewing downtown at 114 N Tejon St Suite 100.
Stop by the FAC table and enter to win two tickets to your choice performance in our 2023–2024 theatre season. We’ll also be handing out museum admission passes.
No RSVP needed.
FAC members and theatre subscribers will receive $2 off their first drink. Join today!
May 25th is also National Wine Day! In addition to beer, Bell Brothers features a suite of Colorado made wines from whites to reds to spritzers.

Friday Night Art Trivia
2023-05-26 17:30 - 19:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us for a trivia night led by Bob Morsch 5:30–7:30 p.m. May’s theme is the arts — which might include tv, movies, pop art, theater, fine art, etc. Be prepared for a multitude of surprises around the theme of art. The ticket price includes dinner: Cubano or vegetarian sandwiches, chips and dip and a veggie tray.
$21 (FAC members $19)
Register for Friday Night Trivia

Libation Lecture: Life as "Star Detective"
2023-05-31 17:30 - 18:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Life as “Star Detective”
Coinciding with The Gift, an exhibition currently on view at the FAC, join us for our first Libation Lecture of 2023. The night sky is full of stories – stories of change, of life and death, and of possibility – carried out over millions or billions of years. How can we possibly understand these stories when our lives are but a fleeting blip in comparison?We will look at how stellar astrophysicists act as detectives, using the light from stars as clues to uncover the stories of the universe, and what is possible when we expand our ways of telling these stories through art-science collaborations.
Themed drink: Starry Night
Lecturer: Dr. Natalie Gosnell, Assistant Professor of Physics at Colorado College

Bar opens at 5p.m. $10 for FAC members, $15 for non members, includes your first drink
Buy tickets

First Friday Art Party
2023-06-02 17:00 - 20:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us for First Friday celebration from 5–8 p.m. Enjoy the stunning ambiance offered by this chic, historic venue.

FREE museum admission — see what’s on view
Live music by J. Chang-Tablada 5:30–7:30 p.m.
Wildlife art by Alan Baccarella
Drinks and snacks available for purchase
FREE downtown shuttle, THE ZEB, running along Tejon Street to downtown art galleries

Join J. for his distinctive take on the American Musical Theatre songbook. With his velvety vocals, and virtuosic piano stylings, J. will sing and play many Broadway hits, INCLUDING tunes from the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company’s upcoming 2023–2024 Season.
J. Chang-Tablada is a Korean-Filipino-Irish-American musician, storyteller, and photographer. One of Colorado Springs’ most beloved and prolific Music Directors, J. Chang-Tablada is known for his work with the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, Theatreworks, and Millibo Art Theatre. An accomplished entertainer in his own right, J. frequently takes the stage singing and sharing stories from the piano, with recent performances at 54 Below in New York City, at the Green Box Arts Festival with his “Sing-a-long with Jerry McCauley and Friends” concerts last summer, and with his debut holiday album “Naughty & Nice” concerts last December.

FAC Member Tour: Collections
2023-06-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Please join Christian Valvano, Assistant Registrar and Brittany Hall, Assistant Collections Manager to discover our museum’s hidden treasures on a tour of our museum’s basement collection storage. Explore our collection spaces including our newly organized pottery room, see the portrait of Elsie Palmer before it goes on loan, and immerse yourself in the spirituality of New Mexican santos. You’ll also see our latest acquisitions and learn about our ongoing rehousing and reorganizing projects. Join us for an unforgettable journey of art, history, and cultural significance.
Space is limited, RSVP required
SOLD OUT! THIS EVENT IS FULLY BOOKED. TO BE ADDED TO THE WAITING LIST, PLEASE CALL (719) 634-5583 OR EMAIL FAC@COLORADOCOLLEGE.EDU

Fundamentals of Figure Drawing
2023-06-05 14:00 - 16:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Figure drawing is one of the basic skills all artists should have. I have developed a formula to teach drawing the human body that ensures most people are successful after just a few lessons. The first step is the stickman, then we look at the fundamental areas of bulk in the body, and finally, there is “bubble boy”. Once you have mastered “bubble boy,” we will continue to smooth out the form.
Level A – All levels welcome.

Ages 16-Adult

Let the Clay Speak
2023-06-06 10:00 - 13:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Do you want to learn how to work better with clay and develop more advanced techniques? Then, this is the class for you! This course is open to intermediate and advanced level students. You will learn new techniques to create more advanced forms. You will also have the chance to pursue handbuilding, sculptural work, and/or a combination of these methods.
Level II – This class is for those who have taken at least one class in the medium. Students should be comfortable with the basics of how to use and manipulate the medium.

Ages 16-Adult

Line Work and Glowing Watercolor
2023-06-06 10:00 - 14:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
In this class, we will bring the line work of drawing and the luminosity of watercolor together in this addictive technique. We will practice layering sections of color to represent shapes or draw first and drop in paint. Or try the experimental approach by throwing paint randomly and allowing it to speak to you. Matched or mismatched, the results will add interest and movement to your painting. Finish by adding details like layering more paint or more drawing. The choice is yours!
Level II – This class is for those who have taken at least one class in the medium. Students should be comfortable with the basics of how to use and manipulate the medium.

Ages 16–Adult

Making Art from Nature
2023-06-08 13:00 - 15:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Let’s make art from nature! We will learn to use materials found in our surrounding mountains. Anything from flowers, mud, grass, twigs, honeycombs, and so much more! You will make three projects over three different sessions: nature explosions, assemblage, and printmaking. We will use our hands and get messy as we find inspiration in the beauty around us. Supplies will be provided.

Ages 9–12

Let’s Throw
2023-06-09 10:00 - 13:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Are you ready to get answers to your burning questions and add new hacks to your throwing process? Discover how to throw a plate from a slab, pull a handle from a mug, or split your rims and alter your forms. Add details by stamping and carving your pots or add a foot ring or an elevated foot to a bowl. Pull up and lay down a bowl to defy gravity. Throw a bottle. Throw off the hump. The options are endless. At the end of the class, let’s analyze your forms. Get lots of growth!
Level II – This class is for those who have taken at least one class in the medium. Students should be comfortable with the basics of how to use and manipulate the medium.

Ages 16-Adult

Gelli Plate Printing: Youth
2023-06-09 16:00 - 18:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Are you ready to meet your new best friend Gelli plate? The Gelli plate is an incredibly playful and intuitive tool for creating art. If you have never done any form of printmaking before or think you don’t have a creative bone in your body, then this is a fun and easy way to loosen up and to re-connect with your creative side. By the time you finish this course, you will be equipped with the skills to confidently print on your own! Supplies will be provided.

Ages 12–16

Brushes & Bubbles
2023-06-09 17:30 - 19:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Calling beginner watercolor artists! Do you want to dive into portraiture, but feel a little nervous? Brushes & Bubbles is for you! Sophia Hanna is a local artist with over ten years of watercolor experience, and she wants to share that with you in a relaxed environment. We know how it feels to try something new, that’s why this is a condensed evening workshop, with drinks!
Space is limited. $20 (FAC members $18)
Drinks available for purchase. Credit card only.
Register for BRUSHES & BUBBLES
Browse all summer classes and workshops at the FAC’s Bemis School of Art.

Gelli Plate Printing
2023-06-09 18:30 - 20:30 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Are you ready to meet your new best friend, the Gelli plate? The Gelli plate is an incredibly playful and intuitive tool for creating art. If you have never done any form of printmaking before or think you don’t have a creative bone in your body, then this is a fun and effortless way to loosen up and to re-connect with your creative side. By the time you finish this course, you will be equipped with the skills to confidently print on your own!
Level 0 – This class is for the true beginner with no prior experience in the medium.

Ages 16–Adult

Museum Free Day
2023-05-13 10:00 - 17:00, 2023-05-19 10:00 - 20:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Museum Free Days are offered the second Saturday and third Friday of each month. See what’s on view in the museum

Yoga at the FAC
2023-06-17 11:00 - 12:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us for a one-hour yoga class in our beautiful glass-walled Smith Family gallery. Participants are invited to stay and enjoy the museum for free after class. All experience levels welcome. Please bring your own mat. Water is allowed during class, but not in the museum galleries. Suggested donation of $10 to benefit the Fine Arts Center (you’ll also have the option to donate at class).
Sign up for class
Space is limited

CANCELED: Libation Lecture: Inviting Myself: Insight on the Movement Mystery that is Eiko Otake
2023-06-21 17:30 - 18:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Inviting Myself: Insight on the Movement Mystery that is Eiko Otake

Coinciding with Eiko Otake: I Invited Myself, vol. II, an exhibition currently on view at the FAC, join us for this next Libation Lecture. Iconic movement artist, Eiko Otake, brings to us a visceral experience in exploring the world – from natural landscapes to swimming pools to Wall Street. What is she trying to say? Maybe we can learn to speak her language through play, movement and observation. Invite yourself into her universe.
Themed drink: Dancing Queen
Lecturer: Sue Lauther, Visiting Instructor, Department of Theatre and Dance, Colorado College
$10 for FAC members, $15 for non members, includes your first drink
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED

Culture Pass Discount Days
2023-06-23 10:00 - 12:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
The Fine Arts Center has teamed up with Pikes Peak Library District for Culture Pass Discount Days this summer. PPLD cardholders will receive free admission to the FAC museum on Friday, June 23 by simply showing their library card or sharing their card number.
PPLD will be here with their mobile library from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. with games and activities. You can even check out books or a get a library card for free admission. The FAC’s Bemis School of Art will also have a hands-on art activity.
Visit ppld.org to plan your summer of culture

Crafts + Cocktails: Macrame keychain wristlet
2023-06-23 17:30 - 18:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
A fun filled evening of crafting and cocktails awaits! We’ll be diving into the art of macrame, where you’ll learn to knot and weave your own macrame keychain wristlet! No prior experience is necessary – our expert instructor Megan Dunlin will guide you through the process step by step. And as you work on your masterpiece, you can purchase a delicious drink to sip on while you craft. Space is limited so bring your friends or come solo, either way you’ll have a fantastic time socializing and creating something beautiful!
Register for Craft + Cocktail

Eiko Otake at the Historic Evergreen Cemetery
2023-07-06 18:00 - 21:00 | Evergreen Cemetery, 1005 Hancock Expy, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
A Conversation & Performance with Eiko Otake & David Harrington
6 p.m. Cemetery as a Place for Art and Reflection:
Public talk with Harry Weil, Vice-President of Education and Public Programs, Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY
Preceding the With the Dead performance, this a public talk will draw attention to cemeteries as contemplative and complex sites in which history, memories, community, and artistry converge. Harry Weil will converse with Evergreen Cemetery Director Cheryl D. Godbout and Dianne Hartshorn representing Heritage Evergreen.
Cemeteries are places of memory and contemplation, where a community’s stories and histories lie, where we are reminded of our mortality. During the pandemic, Eiko performed in two cemeteries to reflect on and converse with the dead.
You can’t really come to the cemetery and not think about death or the people who have died. We know more about living. But we all die. I thought that performing was my practice of dying. But the practice of dying is not dying. We learn about death by attending to other people’s dying. But we also learn about death by missing the dead. —Eiko Otake
7 p.m. With the Dead
performance
As Eiko Otake’s six-month exhibition at the Fine Art Center at Colorado College nears its closing on July 30, Eiko will return to Colorado Springs with David Harrington, the artistic director and founder of the world-renowned Kronos Quartet. Their long-time friendship is matched by their international recognition as some of the most notable performing artists working today. With the Dead is an adaptation of Otake’s 2020 performance at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. Colorado Springs community members and former students of Eiko will join these two distinguished artists in their performance at the historic Evergreen Cemetery so we can collectively reflect on dying and the dead.
I dance thinking about the recent dead, and the dead from the past centuries, including many whose graves were never built. —Eiko Otake
8 p.m. Reception
Eiko and David will talk with audience members and participants.

In celebration of Otake’s solo exhibition I Invited Myself, vol. II, the Department of Theater and Dance at Colorado College is hosting a series of two-day events in the Colorado Springs community.
All events are free and open to the public.

A Friendship in Motion
With the rich collaborative history between Kronos Quartet and Eiko & Koma, David continues to gift Eiko with his sound for her media works including the pieces shown currently at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. In February of this year, Eiko created eyes closed, a new piece she performed with Kronos Quartet at Carnegie Hall which was hailed by the New York Times as “spectacularly imaginative.” The coming collaboration marks David’s first time performing with Eiko as a solo violinist.

David Harrington
The Kronos Quartet has broken the boundaries of what string quartets do. —The New York Times
David Harrington is the artistic director, founder and violinist of the Kronos Quartet. For 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has combined a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually reimagine the string quartet experience.
In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our era, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 70 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, and collaborating with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers.
Through its nonprofit organization, Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), Kronos has commissioned more than 1,000 works and arrangements for string quartet —including the recently completed 50 for the Future library of free, educational repertoire. Kronos has received more than 40 awards, including three Grammy Awards and the Polar Music, Avery Fisher, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prizes—among the most prestigious awards given to musicians.
Eiko Otake
Otake dances with a stillness at once excruciating and exquisite. —Jill J. Tan for Guernica
Born and raised in Japan and a resident of New York since 1976, Eiko Otake is a movement-based, interdisciplinary artist. She worked for more than 40 years as Eiko & Koma, but since 2014 has been working on her own projects.
Eiko has performed her solo project, A Body in Places, at over 70 sites, including Danspace Project PLATFORM and three full-day performances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2017, she launched The Duet Project, a series of experiments with a diverse range of artists both living and dead. For the occasion of the 20-year anniversary of 9/11, Eiko presented her monologue Slow Turn.
Since 2014, Eiko and photographer historian William Johnston visited irradiated Fukushima several times to capture photographs of her dancing in Fukushima. A Body in Fukushima, the book, was published in 2021, and Eiko edited a film of the same name, which premiered at MoMA’s Doc Fortnight 2022.
Eiko is the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, Doris Duke Award, Scripps American Dance Festival Award, and a Bessie’s Awards and its special citation.

What’s David Listening To?
2023-07-07 12:00 - 14:00 | Colorado Springs Conservatory, 415 Sahwatch St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
At the Colorado Springs Conservatory
A collective listening session, David Harrington, founder & artistic director of the Kronos Quartet, shares a selection of recordings from the vast music collection he has built over his four decades of tours with the quartet. Together with Harrington, listeners explore some of the wide-ranging sounds that have inspired and intrigued this life-long artist.

David Harrington
The Kronos Quartet has broken the boundaries of what string quartets do. —The New York Times
David Harrington is the artistic director, founder and violinist of the Kronos Quartet. For 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has combined a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually reimagine the string quartet experience.
In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our era, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 70 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, and collaborating with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers.
Through its nonprofit organization, Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), Kronos has commissioned more than 1,000 works and arrangements for string quartet —including the recently completed 50 for the Future library of free, educational repertoire. Kronos has received more than 40 awards, including three Grammy Awards and the Polar Music, Avery Fisher, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prizes—among the most prestigious awards given to musicians.

A Friendship in Motion
With the rich collaborative history between Kronos Quartet and Eiko & Koma, David continues to gift Eiko with his sound for her media works including the pieces shown currently at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. In February of this year, Eiko created eyes closed, a new piece she performed with Kronos Quartet at Carnegie Hall which was hailed by the New York Times as “spectacularly imaginative.” The coming collaboration marks David’s first time performing with Eiko as a solo violinist.
In celebration of Otake’s solo exhibition I Invited Myself, vol. II, the Department of Theater and Dance at Colorado College is posting a series of two-day events in the Colorado Springs community.
All events are free and open to the public.

First Friday Art Party
2023-07-07 17:00 - 20:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us for a special First Friday celebration from 5–8 p.m. featuring a live performance with Eiko Otake and David Harrington followed by an artist talk.
Evening includes:

FREE museum admission — see what’s on view
5:30–7:30 p.m. Eiko Otake and David Harrington performance followed by artist talk with Philip Bither, Senior Curator for the Performing Arts, Walker Arts Center, Minneapolis*
5:30–7:30 p.m. Roma Ransom will be playing in Deco Lounge
Art in Deco Lounge by Alan Baccarella
FREE downtown shuttle, THE ZEB, running along Tejon Street to downtown art galleries

*In celebration of Otake’s solo exhibition I Invited Myself, vol. II, the Department of Theater and Dance at Colorado College is posting a series of two-day events in the Colorado Springs community.
In this site-specific performance, Otake will perform a series of actions in different museum locations while leading audiences to her exhibition on the second floor. Audiences should be prepared to follow Otake and find places to sit or stand in each location. Please be mindful that site-specific performances do not always offer clear sightlines, leaving it to audiences to discover how to best arrange themselves in the moment. There will be limited seating available for audience members who need physical support during the performance. Audience members may request mobility/physical assistance at patron services.
Please RSVP for the performance and talk on July 7
All events are free and open to the public.

About Roma Ransom
Great music should do three things- connect you to the past, inspire you to envision the future, and find you wholly in the present moment. Roma Ransom does all three. Their repertoire includes old-time traditional ballads like Shady Grove and St.James Infirmary as well as sounds from European cultures, mainly that of Romania (hence the duo’s name) yet the music of Roma Ransom is distinctly their own. The sultry sweetness of Grace Easley on vocals paired with the couples’ vast instrumental array combine to form a style that can fit the mood for any setting. The couple was trained classically from an early age, (Grace on violin/viola, Gordon on guitar) making them an excellent choice for weddings and banquets in addition to their usual venues, namely restaurants, coffee shops and pubs.

David Harrington
The Kronos Quartet has broken the boundaries of what string quartets do. —The New York Times
David Harrington is the artistic director, founder and violinist of the Kronos Quartet. For 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has combined a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually reimagine the string quartet experience.
In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our era, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 70 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, and collaborating with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers.
Through its nonprofit organization, Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), Kronos has commissioned more than 1,000 works and arrangements for string quartet —including the recently completed 50 for the Future library of free, educational repertoire. Kronos has received more than 40 awards, including three Grammy Awards and the Polar Music, Avery Fisher, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prizes—among the most prestigious awards given to musicians.
Eiko Otake Eiko
Otake dances with a stillness at once excruciating and exquisite. —Jill J. Tan for Guernica
Born and raised in Japan and a resident of New York since 1976, Eiko Otake is a movement-based, interdisciplinary artist. She worked for more than 40 years as Eiko & Koma, but since 2014 has been working on her own projects.
Eiko has performed her solo project, A Body in Places, at over 70 sites, including Danspace Project PLATFORM and three full-day performances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2017, she launched The Duet Project, a series of experiments with a diverse range of artists both living and dead. For the occasion of the 20-year anniversary of 9/11, Eiko presented her monologue Slow Turn.
Since 2014, Eiko and photographer historian William Johnston visited irradiated Fukushima several times to capture photographs of her dancing in Fukushima. A Body in Fukushima, the book, was published in 2021, and Eiko edited a film of the same name, which premiered at MoMA’s Doc Fortnight 2022.
Eiko is the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship, Doris Duke Award, Scripps American Dance Festival Award, and a Bessie’s Awards and its special citation.
