Fine Arts Center

Handbuilding in Clay
2022-01-29 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Denver) | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
This exciting workshop will focus on the techniques of handbuilding to communicate your style. Build what you want and learn how to transform a malleable ball of clay into a piece you love. This course demonstrates different building techniques and how to finish your work with glazing.
Level 0 – This class is for the true beginner with no prior experience in the medium.

The Legend of Georgia McBride
2022-04-21 19:30 - 21:30, 2022-04-24 14:00 - 15:00, 2022-04-27 19:00 - 20:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
He’s young, he’s late with the rent, and he just found out that he’s going to be a dad. And when his boss at a small-town Florida dive bar axes his Elvis act, replacing it with a flashy drag show, Casey decides to step out of the blue suede shoes of his comfort zone and into a pair of size 11 heels. From creating his persona to embracing his femininity, Casey has a lot to learn. But most of all, this sequin-filled story is a celebration of individuality and a reminder to all of us to live in our truths.

Watercolor Mountain Landscape and Techniques
2022-02-19 13:30 - 15:30 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Discover new watercolor techniques and try something new! In this class, we will examine the art style of contemporary artist Jen Aranyi, practice drawing a simple, abstract mountain range, then outline it with black Sharpies, and finish the sky with watercolors to create a galaxy-like effect. We will discuss diverse ways to finish the foreground (in front of the mountains, such as trees, a river, a camping scene, etc.). Supplies will be provided.
Ages 12-16

Member Mother's Day Shopping Night for FAC members
2022-05-05 16:00 - 18:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Mother’s Day is Sunday May 8! Join us for this special member-only event and find a special and unique gift at the FAC’s shop by Ladyfingers. Enjoy iced tea, lemonade, and cookies while perusing a wide variety of handmade, locally sourced, and inclusive goods.
In addition to your 10% member discount on all items, during the event FAC members will receive a special 25% discount on any FAC apparel or merchandise AND a special gift for each shopper. No RSVP required.
Not a member? join now!

Floyd D. Tunson: Hearts and Minds
2022-05-06 - 2022-07-09 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Completed in 1995 and acquired by the Fine Arts Center in 2020, Tunson’s “Hearts and Minds” addresses the ongoing impact of gun violence on youth of color. In Colorado, Black men ages 18–24 are more than 12 times more likely than white men the same age to be killed in a gun homicide (“The State of Gun Violence”). The work asks us to consider the systems and structures that perpetuate these cycles of violence and the tragic loss that results.

Dragstravaganza at the FAC
2022-05-06 22:00 - 23:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
Friday, May 6 following that evening’s theatre performance
Drag show starts 10 p.m.
House opens 9:45 p.m.
Grab a drink before the show in Deco Lounge (opens 9 p.m.)
The show goes on! The drag show that is. Following the May 6 performance of The Legend of Georgia McBride, join us for an hour long drag show hosted by Belzin Whistlez (local favorite Sammy Gleason), with performances from FIVE local Colorado drag artists – Gila Moonstar, Porsha DeMarco Douglas, Mario Wanna, Venus Victrola, and Saint Valentease.
Whether you’ve been to a drag show before or this is a first, it’s an experience you’re not going to want to miss!
Dragstravaganza is brought to you in partnership with Inside Out Youth Services, working to build access, equity, and power with LGBTQIA2+ youth, ages 13-24.
Min. $10 suggested cover
A few things you should know if this is your first drag show experience –

You don’t have to attend the May 6 performance of The Legend of Georgia McBride to join us for Dragstravaganza. (Although we hope you will!)
All are welcome! Open minds, open hearts, and an appreciation for the performing arts are what it’s all about.
Drag shows feed off the energy of the crowd. In other words, have FUN! Cheer, clap, show the artists your support.
Speaking of support, tipping is customary at drag shows. These artists work hard on their acts. If you’re enjoying the show, let the drag artists know with a much-appreciated tip. (NOTE: All tips go directly to the artist you give them to and are separate from the suggested cover charge.)

Mark your calendars for May 6 and join us for The Legend of Georgia McBride, Dragstravaganza or BOTH!

About Inside Out Youth Services
The mission of Inside Out (est. 1990) is to build access, equity, and power with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, intersex, asexual, and two-spirit (LGBTQIA2+) youth from Southern Colorado. Inside Out does this by creating brave spaces for young adults ages 13-24 and offering evidence-based programming completely free of charge. By providing support systems and teaching life skills to all youth in our community we work to make our community safer, more accepting of gender and sexual orientation diversity, and further the happiness and health of LGBTQIA2+ youth in the Colorado Springs vicinity. For more information about Inside Out and our services, events, and staff, please visit: insideoutys.org

May Member Tour
2022-05-07 12:00 - 13:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join Robyn Haynie, Head of Collections and Jonathan Dankenbring, Exhibition Designer/Preparator Manager in our courtyard to learn about the care and preservation of the sculptures there. Our museum team will explain and demonstrate several different techniques — whether glass, stone, bronze, or steel, that each material requires. We’ll also discuss upcoming restoration projects for both our Frank Mechau courtyard mural and Emanuel Martinez mural in the parking lot. No RSVP required, please check in at the front desk.
Not a FAC member? Join today!

Robert Blackburn & Modern American Printmaking
2022-05-14 - 2022-08-07 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Robert Blackburn (1920-2003) was a key artist in the development of printmaking in the twentieth century. His innovative, masterful expertise with the medium helped define the overall aesthetic of the American “graphics boom.” This new exhibition examines Blackburn’s life and work, which touched the Harlem Renaissance and the WPA; the Art Students League and the New York School; Paris in the 1950s; the venerable print workshop Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) and the graphic explosion of the 1960s. Blackburn forecasted and participated in the proliferation of collaborative, non-profit workspaces in the early 1970s, the rise of multiculturalism, and, ultimately, globalism.
Image: Robert Blackburn, Red Inside, 1972–late 1980s, Woodcut, 12 x 111/2, Nelson/Dunks Collection, Photograph by Greg Staley

Robert Blackburn & Modern American Printmaking FAC Member Exhibition Opening
2022-05-14 14:00 - 16:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
You’re Invited to a Member Exhibition Opening for Robert Blackburn & Modern American Printmaking
Join us for a celebration of artist and visionary Robert Blackburn.

Printmaking demo and hands-on activity
Enjoy live music, light refreshments, and cash bar
Brief remarks at 3:30 p.m.

RSVP by May 9
Not a Fine Arts Center member? Join now!
Make a night of it!
After the event, stay for the music-filled comedy The Legend of Georgia McBride.
