Fine Arts Center

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
2022-12-07 19:00 - 20:30, 2022-12-01 19:30 - 21:00 (America/Denver) | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
See this beloved American holiday classic come to life on stage as a captivating 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of a virtuosic, tight-knit ensemble that embodies a few dozen characters and live foley artistry, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve. This holiday season, join us for a story of hope, faith, and the power of community.

FAC Action Abstraction Artist Panel + First Friday
2023-01-06 17:00 - 20:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
As part of First Friday celebrations, you’re invited to a conversation about Action | Abstraction Redefined from 5-7 p.m. in the FAC Music Room. Don’t miss out on the chance to see the Action | Abstraction Redefined exhibition before it closes on Jan. 8!
The conversation features Dr. Lara Evans, Professor of Art History, IAIA Research Center for Contemporary Native Arts Director; Tatiana Lomahaftewa-Singer, curator of collections, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts; and Dr. Manuela Well-Off-Man, chief curator, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.
Free and open to the Public.
Please RSVP for Artist PAnel
Image at right: Lloyd Henri “Kiva” New (Cherokee, 1916–2002), Untitled (Squares), 1968, Acrylic on canvas, MoCNA Collection (CHE-23), Gift of the Artist

We encourage you to also join us 5–8 p.m.

First Friday attendees get FREE access to FAC Museum. See what’s on view
Drinks and snacks (credit card only) are available in Deco Lounge.
LOOK’EE HERE will be playing 5:30-7:30 p.m.
“Piedmont to Delta, to Chicago blues, ragtime, old-time jazz, guitar, kazoo, trumpet, washboard, slappin’ bass.”

FAC Executive Director presentations
2023-01-09 13:30 - 14:15 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Please join us to hear from the three finalists for the Fine Arts Center’s Executive Director. The sessions will include a 15-minute presentation from the candidate with time for questions at the end. All in attendance will be asked to complete an evaluation of the candidate at the conclusion.
Sessions will be in the Fine Arts Center’s the mainstage theater.
Monday, Jan. 9, 1:30-2:15 p.m. — Candidate 1
Monday, Jan. 16, 1:30-2:15 p.m. — Candidate 2
Thursday, Jan. 19, 1:30-2:15 p.m. — Candidate 3
We look forward to seeing you there!

Yoga at the FAC
2023-01-22 10:30 - 11:30, 2023-02-05 10:30 - 11:30 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join teacher Misty Banta 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).
SPACE IS LIMITED, PLEASE RSVP

Winter/Spring 2023 Art Classes
2023-01-23 - 2023-04-30 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Pursue new art skills or perfect old ones in 2023! We have art classes for all ages, interests, and skill levels

Cloth, Paper, Collage
2023-01-24 10:00 - 13:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Explore new and creative collage processes! Work with paint, pastels, inks sprays, and learn how to design with image transfers on a variety of surfaces such as tea bags, rice paper, glassine, deli papers, and more. With a variety of techniques, you will be able to create fabric paper and other prepared papers, either painted or printed. Additionally, you will discover the historic process of paste paper, a surface paper design with coloring paste. Then bring all your learnings together by making fabric fusion collages and adhering them to books and canvases. The possibilities are endless! There is a material fee of $63 due to the instructor on the first day of class.

Adults class. Instructor: Barbara Dimond

Fundamentals of Drawing
2023-01-25 16:15 - 17:45 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
This course is a fun way to learn new drawing skills and how to train your eyes to really see. There is no “can’t” in this introduction to drawing course – only “I can!” You will be guided on how to render an object, bringing depth into your work. Explore how to use color and source of light to make your ideas come to life. Build your confidence in drawing through light homework, an introduction to color theory, value scale, still life studies, perspective, composition, and so much more! Supplies will be provided.
Ages 9-12

Black & White Film Photography
2023-01-25 18:00 - 21:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Step into the darkroom to explore silver-process black-and-white photography. You will learn how to process film and make handcrafted gelatin-silver prints from your negatives while gaining a better understanding of light, exposure, composition, and camera techniques. Expand your creativity and make each assignment a challenge to your artistic vision!

Ages 16-Adult. Instructor: Richard Rinker

Drawing Far & Wide: A Course on Perspective
2023-01-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Want to learn how to draw enticing pieces? Join us for this workshop all about perspective! Learn the basics of value, shape, line, and form. Through various exercises, students will develop a set of perspective and basic drawing skills to create depth in any art piece. Artists with some drawing experience are welcome to join and hone their skills.
Adult class. Instructor: Sophia Hanna

Painting the Seasons: Winter
2023-01-28 10:00 - 14:00 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Nature is a gold mine of inspiration – what better way to explore its countless variations than by painting the seasons? The winter landscape lends itself to cool shadows and warm sunlit reflections. In this workshop, we will use a limited palette to simplify color mixing and create a harmonious painting. Attention will be given to creating shapes, values, and soft and hard edges for capturing the winter landscape.
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

Eiko Otake: I Invited Myself, Vol. II
2023-02-03 10:00 - 2023-07-30 16:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Otake’s first museum solo-exhibition, I Invited Myself, Vol. II, foregrounds the artist’s video and media, which have developed alongside her dance, choreography, and performance installations. Spanning from 1980 to the present, the works on view feature a body as it moves in and through various spaces, including the urban infrastructure of Tokyo and New York and the vast landscapes of Wyoming and California. Working closely with the curators, Otake choreographs her media works for the galleries of the Fine Arts Center. Editing and updating them for this occasion, she also brings in related, weathered objects. A self-described “immigrant artist,” Otake has challenged the expectations of a museum presentation. Rather than presenting a cohesive overview of the artist’s career, I Invited Myself places an emphasis on transition over statis. Viewers are strongly encouraged to return as select media will rotate over the course of the exhibition.

Eiko Otake: I Invited Myself, Vol. II Exhibition Opening
2023-02-03 17:00 - 20:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join artist Eiko Otake for a live performance in celebration of the opening of her first solo exhibition Eiko Otake: I Invited Myself, vol. II at the FAC during First Friday. Performance begins at 5:30 p.m. The museum will stay open until 8 p.m. and drinks will be available for purchase in Deco Lounge.
Free and open to the public.
Please note that we are no longer taking reservations, access to the performance is full. Please join us for live music and free admission to the exhibition.
Thanks to CC Mobile Arts for their on-site participation during the opening celebration.
Image: Eiko Otake, Shibuya River Culvert, 2021. Photo by Tastuhiko Nakagawa

Contemporary Mini Fresco-secco
2023-02-03 17:30 - 20:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Explore painting with tempera paint on a plaster surface, similar to how experts did in the early centuries, but on a smaller scale. This method produces bright, vibrant paintings. Styrofoam provides a sturdy lightweight base for the plaster compound, and when it dries, makes a dry absorbent base for wet tempera paint. This medium is great for painting impressionistic style still life and flower arrangements, or even abstract style compositions. You will have the opportunity to paint 2 paintings, plus have some fun with abstract plaster shapes. There is a material fee of $5 due to the instructor on the first day of class.

Ages 16-Adult

Meet artist Eiko Otake
2023-02-04 11:00 - 13:00, 2023-02-05 11:00 - 13:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Eiko Otake will be in her exhibition, I Invited Myself, Vol. II, on Saturday and Sunday, Feb 4-5 to meet and speak with visitors. Please visit and converse with the artist.
Image: Eiko Otake photo by Yukari Kuremiya

FAC Member Tour: Bemis School of Art
2023-02-04 12:00 - 13:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Join us through a journey of creativity and exploration. Learn more about Bemis School of Art while discovering a variety of materials, techniques, and projects. Be ready to get your hands dirty. All art supplies will be provided.
Not a member? Sign up now for as little as $5 a month!
RSVP for the tour

Drawing from Life: Develop Daily Sketchbook Practice
2023-02-07 10:00 - 11:30 | Bemis School of Art, 818 Pelham Pl, Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Develop drawing skills and cultivate daily creative practice by sketching from life. Learn to loosen your hand, frame your composition, and capture simple moments to create a cohesive body of work (and perhaps a lifelong habit)! We will use simple, portable materials that make it easy to incorporate drawing into your everyday routine. You’ll leave with a sketchbook and new practices to explore. This class includes field trips to the Fine Arts Center!

Adults
Instructor: Turner Black

Creative Conversations Series: Shodekeh Talifero
2023-02-08 17:00 - 19:00 | Fine Arts Center, 30 W. Dale St., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
Shodekeh Talifero is a groundbreaking beatboxer, vocal percussionist, and breath artist who pushes the boundaries of the human voice within and outside the context of hip-hop music and culture. Recently the Innovator in Residence at Towson University’s College of Fine Art & Communication, he currently serves there as an archival artist for his living archive/collection, Ideations of Potential.
Hosted by Creativity & Innovation at Colorado College.
Join us in Taste at the FAC. Free and open to the public.
Learn more about Shodekeh Talifero

Eiko Otake: Public Talks and Conversations
2023-02-09 - 2023-02-10 | Cornerstone Arts Center, 825 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
In celebration of Otake’s solo exhibition I Invited Myself, Vol. II, the Department of Theater and Dance at Colorado College will host a series of two-day events featuring film screenings, live performance by Otake, and conversations with faculty, scholars, and curators.
Schedule of Events:
Thursday, Feb. 9
How and Why I Invited Myself, 3 p.m.
Curator’s Conversation: Katja Rivera (FAC), Ryan Platt (CC, Theatre/Dance), and Elise Butterfield (Independent Curator)
Screening
Preview Screening: No Rule is Our Rule, 6 p.m.
A preview screening of a film made by Eiko and Beijing-based choreographer Wen Hui, filmed in China in January 2020.
Screening Details
Friday, Feb. 10
Why Does a Performer’s Body Matter? 1 p.m.
Scholars’ Talk: Eiko Otake, Andre Lepecki (NYU, Performance), and Jonathan Lee (CC, Philosophy)
Talking with the Dead, 3 p.m.
Artist’s Conversation: Eiko Otake, DonChristian Jones (Artist), Brandon Shimoda (CC), and Kevin Landis (UCCS, Theatre)
What to do with Eiko? 4 p.m.
Curator’s Conversation: Eiko Otake, Josh Lubin-Levy (Wesleyan), Ashley Ferror-Murray (RPI), and Elise Butterfield (SAIC)
Performance
New Performance: Shedding, 5:30 p.m.
Cornerstone Black Box Theatre
A new performance work. Q&A will follow.
Collaborators: DonChristian Jones (Performance), Jinqui Guan (Video), Liz Sargent (Video), and Elise Butterfield (Dramaturg).
Performance Details

Panelists and special guests include, Eiko Otake; André Lepecki, Professor, Department of Performance Studies at NYU Tisch School of the Arts; DonChristian Jones, rapper, producer and visual artist; Jonathan Lee, Professor of Philosophy, Colorado College; Joshua Lubin-Levy, Director of the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan University; Ashley Ferro-Murray, Senior Curator for Theater and Dance at EMPAC, the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center at RPI; Elise Butterfield, Independent Curator, and Brandon Shimoda, Assistant Professor of English at Colorado College.
All events are free and open to the public.
Image: Eiko Otake, A Body in Chile Valparaiso, Photo by Wm Johnston

Screening: No Rule is our Rule
2023-02-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Cornerstone Arts Center, 825 N. Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs, CO, 80903, United States
In celebration of Otake’s solo exhibition I Invited Myself, vol. II, join us for No Rule is our Rule (2022, 75 mins).
Filmed by Wen Hui and Eiko Otake in China in January 2020, and collaboratively edited during the pandemic.
This is a story of friendship between two independent female artists and their body memories each willingly carry. In January 2020, New York based, interdisciplinary performing artist Eiko Otake arrived in Beijing to visit Wen Hui, a Chinese choreographer and filmmaker. Eight years apart, Eiko grew up in postwar Japan and Wen during the Cultural Revolution. They planned to visit each other for a month to converse and collaborate.
The surge of COVID-19 abruptly cut off Eiko’s visit and the pandemic has so far made Wen’s visit to the USA impossible but not the collaboration. Looking back on the video diaries they shot without a script, Eiko and Wen continued their dialogue on Zoom, sharing past works that form a deeper understanding of their circumstantial differences and characteristic similarities.
Free and open to the public.
