Dear Alumni, Patrons and Prospective Students,

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that I write again, to give you a brief account of our most recent events and accomplishments.  First, we broke ground on the new Visual Arts Complex, designed by our architectural team of OZ Architecture of Denver/Boulder and Kallman, McKinnell and Wood Architects of Boston.  It is a 180,000 square foot facility that will house the Department of Art and Art History, CU Art Museum and will connect directly to ATLAS and the Film Studies Program.  This alone is a great achievement. 

Construction on the Visual Arts Complex began this past spring 2008 atop the old Sibell-Wolle footprint and was initiated through the generous support of the campus-wide student body in recognition of our proud history, the excellent faculty, staff and student accomplishments, all of which we are very pleased and excited about.  In keeping with student desires to "build green,” the Visual Arts Complex is designed to achieve LEED certification for environmental sustainability.  Approximately 90% of Sibell-Wolle was reclaimed or recycled, as we rethink our environment with a look to the future.  It is also worth mentioning that we have survived our first “displaced” year in the Fleming Law Building, and Ceramics and Printmaking have survived “Marine Street,” the old Housing Systems Service Center building.

Additionally, and on behalf of the entire faculty and staff, I would like to officially welcome to our department two new distinguished faculty members: Assistant Professors of Art History Dr. Kira van Lil and Dr. James Córdova. These are exceptionally knowledgeable and gifted individuals who will help us move forward in a dynamic and thoughtful way.  I would also like to thank Professors Chuck Forsman and Clinton Cline, who are moving into retirement, for their tremendous contributions to the department.  We will miss you both very much.

As we continue to meet the challenges of a growing department, new facility, curricular improvement, program development, faculty and staff support are all crucial priorities.  In order to provide our undergraduate and graduate students with the finest opportunities within their chosen disciplines, we are stepping beyond the doors of the institution by collaborating with the Boulder community, as well as regionally, nationally and internationally. Our previously highlighted programs, such as the Visiting Artist Program, the Visiting Scholar Program, Arts-Bridge Scholars Program, and the Pre-Collegiate Program, continue to grow and thrive. However, we have now embarked on new initiatives that include study abroad programs in France, Italy, Mongolia, Mexico and soon, Spain.  We are also in our second year of partnership with the Film Studies Program, which now offers BA/MA and MFA degree programs under the umbrella of the Department of Art and Art History.

The Department of Art and Art History ranked at fifty-eighth in this year’s US News and World Report, Best Graduate Schools, with our Ceramics Area ranking at fourteenth.   Although we have room for improvement, this is very good news for all of our faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends.  I can assure you all that we will continue to work hard to improve the quality of the art education opportunity offered here at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Now that the construction of our new Visual Arts Complex is finally well underway, it is time to rally one another in a serious effort to close the financial gap for this facility!  All of you – alumni, patrons, students and friends – need to pull together your resources and make a huge fundraising push to support the new VAC.  If each of us makes a phone call to ten of our colleagues or friends and encourages them to do the same, we can make this thing happen!  Remember, our goal is to provide the State of Colorado with the finest Art and Art History programs in the country.  Give what you can and watch the magnificence of the VAC unfold before your very eyes as testimony to your endeavors and for the benefit of our current and future students, alumni and the surrounding community. 

A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have given!  We will be forever grateful for your support!  The Visual Arts Complex is, without a doubt, one of the largest undertakings of this kind to be accomplished in the State of Colorado.  The VAC, along with the Denver Art Museum expansion, the new Denver Museum of Contemporary Art and the soon to come Clifford Still Museum will make Colorado one of the premier destinations for the study, practice and exhibition of great works of art. 

If you haven’t been in touch with us recently, please take a minute to fill out and send the card in the back of this newsletter or send an email to me at garrison.roots@colorado.edu or join our Facebook group at daah@colorado.edu and let us know your current contact information and what you are up to.  Also, if you have news about other Art and Art History alumni and friends’ whereabouts and activities, please tell us that as well.

With the continued development of all our programs, along with our many exciting changes, this is a great time be involved with the Department of Art and Art History!  We need your help and financial support!  Your help will make a tremendous difference in the future of our programs and the valuable education they provide the students at CU. There are many ways to get involved with our department and I am happy to speak with you about such opportunities at any time.

Respectfully,

Garrison Roots, Chair

Contribute to the Visual Arts Complex fund-raising campaign.