Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
Encyclopedia
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center (FAC) is an arts center located just north of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado
. Located on the same city block are the American Numismatic Association
and part of the campus of Colorado College
.
The center uses a thick red outline of a square as its logo.
architect John Gaw Meem
who combined Pueblo Revival Style
and Art Deco
style in many of his designs, but not in this one. In 1940, Meem's design earned a Silver Medal at the Fifth Quadrennial Pan American Congress of Architecture. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. The murals on the exterior of the building were produced by Boardman Robinson
and Eric Bransby.
At the original Grand Opening in April 1936, Martha Graham
danced barefoot on stage; art icon Alexander Calder
executed the stage design for an operetta; and Frank Lloyd Wright
lectured on the new building. Art luminaries Boardman Robinson and Robert Motherwell
were early teachers at the art school.
Renovations of the existing Taylor Museum facilities were also included in this project, which was concluded in 2007, although to date the performing arts sound system has not been replaced. Following a large advertising campaign, an "Extremely Grand Opening" was held in early August 2007.
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. Located on the same city block are the American Numismatic Association
American Numismatic Association
The American Numismatic Association was founded in 1891 by Dr. George F. Heath in Chicago, Illinois. The ANA was formed to advance the knowledge of numismatics along educational, historical and scientific lines, as well as enhance interest in the hobby.The ANA national headquarters and museum is...
and part of the campus of Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
.
The center uses a thick red outline of a square as its logo.
FAC history
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center was founded in 1936 by Alice Bemis Taylor, Elizabeth Sage Hare, and Julie Penrose, with the intention of creating a center for a museum, art school and performing arts venue for the growing city. The building was designed by New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
architect John Gaw Meem
John Gaw Meem
John Gaw Meem IV was an American architect based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is best known for his instrumental role in the development and popularization of the Pueblo Revival style...
who combined Pueblo Revival Style
Pueblo Revival Style architecture
The Pueblo Revival style is a regional architectural style of the Southwestern United States which draws its inspiration from the Pueblos and the Spanish missions in New Mexico. The style developed at the turn of the 20th century and reached its greatest popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, though it...
and Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
style in many of his designs, but not in this one. In 1940, Meem's design earned a Silver Medal at the Fifth Quadrennial Pan American Congress of Architecture. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The murals on the exterior of the building were produced by Boardman Robinson
Boardman Robinson
Boardman Robinson was a Canadian-American artist, illustrator and cartoonist.-Early years:Boardman Robinson was born September 6, 1876 in Nova Scotia, Canada. He spent his childhood in England and Canada, before coming to Boston in the first half of the 1890s...
and Eric Bransby.
At the original Grand Opening in April 1936, Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
danced barefoot on stage; art icon Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
executed the stage design for an operetta; and Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
lectured on the new building. Art luminaries Boardman Robinson and Robert Motherwell
Robert Motherwell
Robert Motherwell American painter, printmaker and editor. He was one of the youngest of the New York School , which also included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Philip Guston....
were early teachers at the art school.
FAC
The FAC includes:- A main gallery, where the permanent collection of Spanish Colonial and Native American art pieces of the Southwest are displayed, in addition to other permanent works and traveling shows.
- The Performing Arts department's SaGāJi Theatre, the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company, which produces a regular schedule of dramatic works.
- The Deco Lounge and Amuzé at the FAC dining facilities.
- The Bemis School of Art, which offers art education to the local community.
Notable pieces and exhibits
- After the outstanding success of the visiting Chihuly glass exhibit, the FAC decided to buy several pieces of glass sculpture for the permanent collection, including several chandeliers, paintings, and pedestal pieces.
- The FAC Main houses one of the largest collections of Native American and Southwest Spanish Colonial art. The expansion of the museum allowed the collection's permanent home on the main level.
- Notable artists within the FAC permanent collection include: John Singer SargentJohn Singer SargentJohn Singer Sargent was an American artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian era luxury. During his career, he created roughly 900 oil paintings and more than 2,000 watercolors, as well as countless sketches and charcoal drawings...
, Georgia O'KeeffeGeorgia O'KeeffeGeorgia Totto O'Keeffe was an American artist.Born near Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, O'Keeffe first came to the attention of the New York art community in 1916, several decades before women had gained access to art training in America’s colleges and universities, and before any of its women artists...
, Richard DiebenkornRichard DiebenkornRichard Diebenkorn was a well-known 20th century American painter. His early work is associated with Abstract expressionism and the Bay Area Figurative Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. His later work were instrumental to his achievement of worldwide acclaim.-Biography:Richard Clifford Diebenkorn Jr...
, Walt KuhnWalt KuhnWalt Kuhn was an American painter and was an organizer of the modern art Armory Show of 1913, which was the first of its genre in America.-Biography:Kuhn was born in Brooklyn, New York City...
, Robert MotherwellRobert MotherwellRobert Motherwell American painter, printmaker and editor. He was one of the youngest of the New York School , which also included Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and Philip Guston....
, Claes OldenburgClaes OldenburgClaes Oldenburg is a Swedish sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of everyday objects...
, John James AudubonJohn James AudubonJohn James Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter. He was notable for his expansive studies to document all types of American birds and for his detailed illustrations that depicted the birds in their natural habitats...
, and Ansel AdamsAnsel AdamsAnsel Easton Adams was an American photographer and environmentalist, best known for his black-and-white photographs of the American West, especially in Yosemite National Park....
.
Renovations
The 2006 FAC expansion brought the galleries from 88,388 to 132,286 gross square feet (12,290m2). During construction, the Center's exhibits were partially moved to the FAC Modern facility. $28.6 million was raised from private funds to renovate and expand the facility. The addition was designed by award-winning architect and Colorado Springs native David Owen Tryba. As a child, Tryba learned to ride his bike in the FAC parking lot as his mother served the institution as a docent, and as a teenager, Tryba learned to drive in the lot on West Dale Street.Renovations of the existing Taylor Museum facilities were also included in this project, which was concluded in 2007, although to date the performing arts sound system has not been replaced. Following a large advertising campaign, an "Extremely Grand Opening" was held in early August 2007.