Fine Arts Center

Songs in the Key of J.
2023-10-21 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us all season long in the Deco Lounge as local favorite J. Chang-Tablada sings and shares stories from the piano following 5 p.m. mainstage performances. Donations will be accepted.
Misery Oct. 21, 2023
Elf the Musical Dec. 9 & 30, 2023
Water by the Spoonful Feb. 24, 2024
Rent May 11 & 25, 2024
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.

Water by the Spoonful
2024-02-18 14:00 - 15:30, 2024-02-21 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-02-15 19:30 - 21:00 | 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.

Ask the Actors
2024-02-25 16:30 - 17:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Curious about the lifestyle of a theatre professional? What’s it take to slip into a character night after night? Stay in your seats after the show for a curated discussion with the cast and creatives and satiate your curiosity. This event will begin immediately following the Feb. 25, 2 p.m. performance of Water by the Spoonful.
This event is free and open to the public; no reservations required.

Photo by Jeff Kearney.

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

FAC Member Tour: Hương Ngô: Ungrafting
2024-03-01 16:00 - 17:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join artist Hương Ngô and Curator of Contemporary Art, Katja Rivera for a tour of the new exhibition Ungrafting. The tour will offer an opportunity to connect directly with the artist and learn about her interests in plants; her use of archival research; and her experimentation with paper-making, invisible inks, and printing processes. Visitors will also gain insight into how her work explores the history of Vietnamese resistance to French colonialism through image-making, translations, and material investigations.
Please RSVP for tour
Make a night of it! Stick around after the tour for our First Friday Art Party.

First Friday Art Party
2024-03-01 17:00 - 20:00 | 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.

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

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.
