Fine Arts Center

First Friday Art Party
2024-03-01 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us for our First Friday celebration from 5–8 p.m. Enjoy the stunning ambiance offered by the FAC’s chic, historic venue.

Opening celebration for the museum’s newest exhibition Hương Ngô: Ungrafting and a Conversation with Hương Ngô, Chadwick Allen, Aline Lo, and Justin Quang Nguyên Phan
Free museum admission
Attendees will receive BOGO tickets to Water by the Spoonful
Art in Deco Lounge by Bruce Nall
Music by Dustin Cooper
Drinks and snacks available for purchase
FREE downtown shuttle, THE ZEB, running along Tejon Street to downtown art galleries

About Dustin Cooper
Dustin Cooper has been playing hammered dulcimer for over 20 years. His repertoire includes a wide variety of folk tunes ranging from music of the celtic nations to near and far East traditional tunes. During his shows he talks about the history of the tunes, along with some history on the hammered dulcimer (and the various other dulcimers around the world).

A Conversation with Hương Ngô, Chadwick Allen, Aline Lo, and Justin Quang Nguyên Phan
2024-03-01 17:30 - 19:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
As part of the FAC’s First Friday, please help us celebrate the opening of Ungrafting, Hương Ngô’s first solo exhibition in Colorado. Guests will be invited to engage in an informal conversation to discuss the exhibition and its connection to topics such as intergenerational knowledge transmission, the importance of land in anti-colonial movements, and the role of the archive in artistic production. Joining the artist are Chadwick Allen, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and Russell F. Stark University Professor at the University of Washington; Aline Lo, Assistant Professor at Colorado College; and Justin Phan, Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This event is free and open to the public; RSVPs are requested.
PLEASE RSVP

Image: Hương Ngô, Latent Images (Grafts) (detail), 2021. Courtesy the artist.

Water by the Spoonful
2024-02-15 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-02-18 14:00 - 15:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Somewhere in Philadelphia, Elliot has returned from Iraq and is struggling to find his place in the world. Somewhere in a chat room, recovering addicts keep each other alive, hour by hour, day by day. The boundaries of family and community are stretched across continents and cyberspace as birth families splinter and online families collide. WATER BY THE SPOONFUL is a heartfelt meditation on lives on the brink of redemption.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical!
2024-03-02 10:00 - 11:00, 2024-03-03 12:00 - 13:00, 2024-03-03 16:00 - 17:00, 2024-03-09 14:00 - 15:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
It’s not easy being the Pigeon—you never get to do ANYTHING! But when the Bus Driver has a crisis that threatens to make her passengers (gasp!) late, maybe that wily bird CAN do something. With a script written by Mo Willems, the creator of the #1 New York Times best-selling, Caldecott Honor award-winning Pigeon picture books, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! is sure to get everyone’s wings flapping.

Micro Torch Bezels
2024-03-02 10:00 - 16:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
You’ve used your micro torch to make a ring or pendant, now we’ll learn how to create a simple round or oval bezel on a ring and set the stone! Please note that students need to wear eye protection (eyeglasses work), closedtoe shoes, no loose sleeves, and long hair must be tied back. There will be a one-hour break for lunch.

Ages 16–Adult

Advance Your Darkroom Skills
2024-02-21 13:00 - 16:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
You will process your own traditional black and white film and learn to make handcrafted silver-gelatin prints in the darkroom. You will learn advanced techniques such as split-filter printing, Sabattier printing, and combination printing to challenge your creativity and bring ideas to new heights. We will work to nurture your creativity, giving you an opportunity to create a lasting portfolio of handcrafted, photographic imagery.
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

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

Celebrating Women Artists
2024-03-15 13:00 - 16:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Due to severe weather, the Fine Arts Center is CLOSED on Friday, March 15 and this event has been canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience!

Visit the Agents of Care gallery to explore a selection works by women artists. Collections staff will be on hand between 1-4 p.m. to engage with visitors in a special drop-in program that is free and open to the public. Works will be on display for the month of March in recognition of Women’s History Month.
Image: Madame de Pompadour (née Poisson) Tea Service by Cindy Sherman, 1990. From the collections of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College.

Experiencing Jazz: An American Artform Libation Lecture
2024-03-15 17:30 - 18:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Due to severe weather, the Fine Arts Center is CLOSED on Friday, March 15 and this event has been canceled.
The Libation Lecture will be rescheduled for a future date. Ticket holders should check their email for information about the rescheduled event. We apologize for any inconvenience!

As with history in general, jazz history can be analyzed, catalogued, and debated. However, as with any art form, if we are to gain a glimpse into the true nature of jazz, we must experience it for ourselves. This interactive, participatory event brings jazz history to you ‘live’ as the Tidal Breeze Creos Trio provides jazz interludes to accompany historical references. Attendees will experience a variety of historical and contemporary jazz styles and jazz improvisation. We will also have a fun time playing Jazz Jeopardy.
This lecture coincides with the exhibition Clarence Shivers: Experimenting with Form, currently on view at the FAC through July 6.
Themed drink: Tidal BreezeTM Daiquiri
Lecturer: Terri Pederson: Tidal Breeze Jazz Arts, LLC., Jazz Musician, BME, MBA (Retired Vice President, dpiX, LLC)
$10 for FAC members, $15 for non-members, includes your first drink
The Tidal Breeze Creos Jazz Trio brings Creative Energy to jazz and Latin jazz, while also playing new compositions and a wide variety funk, blues, swing, and New Orleans styles. The Tidal Breeze Creos Trio features Terri Pederson on trumpet, Matt Podschweit on keyboard, and Pat Abbot on bass.
Terri Pederson is a Trumpet / Flugelhorn player who leads Tidal Breeze Jazz Arts and the Creos Jazz Trio. Terri has performed with singer Ernestine Anderson, singer / entertainer Clint Holmes, and jazz greats Bill Watrous and Phil Urso. Terri’s recent composition “Ode to the Emergency Room” can be heard on YouTube and Spotify and features Pat Abbott on a killer electric bass solo.
Keyboardist Matt Podschweit’s versatility has led to gigs and recording work with jazz, rock, blues, folk, top 40, and big band artists. Matt has appeared with such notable acts as the Nelson Riddle Orchestra, The Four Lads, Little Anthony and the Imperials; and is currently appearing with the SofaKillers, Treo, Eric Ellison, and Tidal Breeze.
Bassist Pat Abbott is an Orchestra Director in the public school system as well as a college level Adjunct Professor of Jazz Studies. Pat has performed with legendary jazz masters Bill Watrous, Paul Smoker, and Phil Haynes and is very in demand throughout the region.
Creos: from the Latin “Creo”, to make or create.
About Libation Lectures
Libation Lectures is a lecture series offering an educational twist to the traditional happy hour. Each lecture explores an aspect of the amazing art and featured artists from various Fine Arts Center exhibitions served up with a themed drink to help you dive deep into the topic.

The Fine Arts Center Look Ahead 2024–25
2024-04-05 17:00 - 19:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us for a special First Friday Art Party as we unveil the 2024-25 theatre season, showcase upcoming museum exhibitions, and introduce exciting Bemis School of Art classes with live demos from our talented instructors! We may even have a few surprises in store. You don’t want to miss out on all the fun and excitement, so be sure to mark your calendar and come celebrate with us! This event is free and open to the public; no reservations required.
5–6:15 p.m.: Chat with Bemis School of Art Director Tara Sevanne Thomas and watch live demos from Bemis School of Art instructors; music by J. Chang-Tablada in Deco Lounge
6:15 p.m.: Welcome from Executive Director Nicole Herden and upcoming museum exhibitions with Director of Visual Arts and Museum Michael Christiano in Taste Restaurant
6:50 p.m.: Upcoming theatre season announcement with Producing Artistic Director Chris Sheley in the Mainstage Theatre
Members: This event will take place in lieu of the regularly scheduled member tour.

Fiesta Dancers Conservation Assessment
2024-04-11 10:00 - 11:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Come observe a condition assessment of Luis Jiménez’s brilliantly colored fiberglass and resin sculpture Fiesta Jarabe and learn about the steps needed to undertake the conservation of a sculpture like this. Fine art conservators from McKay Lodge Art Conservation Laboratory will join the FAC museum collections team to speak about the process and some of the challenges working with this medium. Over the years, materials used to create this beloved work have begun to breakdown under the fierce Colorado sun. The team at McKay Lodge have been providing conservation services for over 30 years and have treated Jiménez’s sculptures across the country. They have painstakingly perfected a technique for preserving these complex works and the museum is delighted to partner with them to begin the first steps towards caring for this sculpture.
This event is free and open to the public. We will meet in front of the museum near the sculpture, rain or shine.
Image: Fiesta Jarabe by Luis Jiménez, ca. 1995. Museum purchase with funds donated in memory of Mary Prindle, mother of Helen P. Grant. FA 2000.21

The Care of Indigenous Belongings at the FAC and a Conversation About NAGPRA
2024-04-11 15:00 - 17:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us for a conversation about NAGPRA (Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act) and the care of Indigenous belongings at the FAC. Museum staff and NASU representatives will be joined by Jackie Veninger of Bernstein and Associates to discuss what NAGPRA is, why the law was created, and her experience supporting cultural institutions to push beyond compliance. The museum team will speak about their collaboration with descendent communities to better care for the collection and they will provide an update on the FAC’s ongoing NAGPRA-related work.
This event is free and open to the public.
About Jackie Veninger
As a NAGPRA practitioner and archaeologist, Jackie Veninger has been committed to community informed research and social justice since the foundation of her career. Before joining Bernstein & Associates, Jackie worked in heritage management for tribal governments, museums, academia, and federal agencies, where she gained considerable social justice and heritage stewardship expertise in diverse roles, including NAGPRA coordinator, collections manager, researcher, and educator. Jackie received her PhD in archaeology from the University of Exeter (UK), focusing on contested landscapes, conflict and heritage of historically marginalized populations. She also has a considerable background in archaeological ethics and has taught courses on the decolonization of museum anthropology and cultural heritage law.
About Bernstein & Associates
Bernstein & Associates has over 35 years of experience working collaboratively with Indian Tribes, Alaska Native villages, Native Hawaiian organizations, museums, universities and colleges, government agencies, and lineal descendants to facilitate the repatriation of thousands of ancestors and cultural items. Their services include customized NAGPRA training, strategic planning, consultation meeting planning in support of NAGPRA implementation, NAGPRA document development, and consultation facilitation.
