COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (January 16, 2023) — The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College is pleased to announce our upcoming exhibition “Clarence Shivers: Experimenting with Form,” opening in the museum on February 2, 2024.
Clarence Shivers (1923-2007) was an inspiring artist who demonstrated a commitment to artistic experimentation throughout his career. The exhibition will feature over 30 works, including paintings, prints, and sculptures, that offer an expansive view of the artist’s prolific career. He worked across different media and cultivated a range of stylistic approaches.
Shivers was a Tuskegee Airman and one of his most celebrated works is the statue dedicated to these pilots and their legacies, located at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Joining this highly selective and segregated group of aviators shaped the artist’s commitment to celebrating the Black experience and creativity in his work.
The exhibition is curated by Michael Christiano, director of visual arts and museum. “The Fine Arts Center is honored to host this exhibition of work by Clarence Shivers,” said Christiano “He is an inspiring figure in so many ways and exemplifies a true commitment to artistic exploration. It has been a privilege to get to know his work and his life through this project. I am profoundly grateful to Peggy Shivers for sharing both with me and guiding our presentation of Clarence’s work.”
“Clarence was dearly loved in this community, and I think everyone is going to enjoy getting together to celebrate him and all he achieved,” said Peggy Shivers, wife of Clarence Shivers. “It’s very nice to get recognition from anyone, but especially from your own community. I’m excited to see all his work in one place, including pieces that had been purchased as far back as the late 1970s. I want to thank the FAC for making this happen. From me and all of Clarence’s friends, we appreciate it. I’m especially happy for Clarence. He’d be so proud of this exhibition.”
Visitors will have the opportunity to explore Shivers’ distinctive approach to abstraction characterized by a prismatic, almost mosaic-like style. The exhibition will also feature his portraiture and other representational works, which took the form of friends, family members, musicians, civil rights leaders, military figures, and others, all of which were presented with poignant and expressive insight. The exhibition is generously supported by The Anschutz Foundation. “Clarence Shivers: Experimenting with Form” is a unique opportunity to experience the work of an inspiring American artist who left a lasting legacy on the art world and beyond.
RELATED EVENTS
“Clarence Shivers: Experimenting with Form” Opening Celebration
Friday, Feb. 9, 6-8 p.m.
Join us for the opening of the museum’s newest exhibition “Clarence Shivers: Experimenting with Form” and celebrate this prolific artist’s wide-ranging and exceptionally creative career. Enjoy live music by Tidal Breeze, food, and chat with friends and family of the artist. This event is free and open to the public; RSVPs are requested.
Please stay tuned for more upcoming events in relation to “Clarence Shivers: Experimenting with Form.”
VISIT THE FAC MUSEUM
Museum free days are offered the second Saturday and third Friday of each month.
We are open late every Friday with free admission 5–8 p.m. on first Fridays and 10 a.m.–8 p.m. third Fridays.
ABOUT THE FINE ARTS CENTER MUSEUM
The FAC Museum’s permanent collection of approximately 17,000 objects showcases the rich history and vibrant contemporary cultures of the Southwest and the Americas, containing works of art from Native America, Hispanic and Spanish Colonial New Mexico, and 20th and 21st-century America.
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
The story of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) began with the founding of the Broadmoor Art Academy in 1919. A museum, performing arts theatre, and community art school, the FAC is a pillar in the cultural community of the Rocky Mountain West providing innovative, educational, and multi-disciplinary arts experiences designed to elevate the individual spirit and inspire community vitality. For more information about the FAC, visit devfac.coloradocollege.edu or follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Land Acknowledgement
Colorado College occupies the traditional territories of the Nuchu, known today as the Southern Ute Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Northern Ute People, who lost their beloved homelands due to colonization, forced relocation, and land theft. Other tribes have also lived here including the Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Comanche — and notably, continue to do so, along with many other Indigenous Peoples. To actively seek social justice, we acknowledge that the land continues to hold the values and traditions of the original inhabitants and caretakers of this land. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors, elders, and youth — past, present, and future.
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