Art & Art History Department

"For over 30 years, the artist has been making work that speaks to American history — ambiguous, open-ended, existentially observant. At a time in which the fundamentals of fact and fiction are being questioned, his art captures the truth of a culture in decline." Written by Megan O'Grady, Assistant Professor of Critical and Curatorial Studies for the New York Times Style Magazine. Read more

At a time when the basic power structures of the art world are being questioned, collectives and individuals are fighting against the very institutions funding and displaying their work. Article written by Megan O'Grady, Assistant Professor of Critical and Curatorial Studies. Read more

This article featured in the New York Times Style Magazine is written by Megan O'Grady, Assistant Professor of Critical and Curatorial Studies. "Rather than prioritizing confession and catharsis, today’s authors are focusing on the question of who gets to share their version of things and interrogating the form, along with themselves." Read more

For its 25th anniversary exhibition this year, Dr. George Rivera and the Artnauts decided to exhibit in a country where they saw a major crisis of contention: the United States. With increasing tensions surrounding COVID and race relations, the exhibition titled Uncanny Times aims to address the discord that divides and alienates us. Artists were asked to explore this theme using whatever medium they wished. Read more

Roth at CU Boulder says that graduate programs are evolving to reflect students’ changing goals. In the past, most aspired to academic positions or commercial sales through gallery representation. “Now many students are exploring socially engaged, field-based practice, starting their own small businesses instead of going into the academic or gallery world,” Roth explains. “Students are looking for a third way.” Read more

Professor George Rivera created this public art piece—his first ever billboard work—to address hate as a response to the current political climate, Black Lives Matter and the COVID-19 pandemic. It seeks to confront this issue in a simple and straightforward message without specifying any specific group. Read more

For art students, it can feel like the pathway into a career should fall into one of two strictly separate categories: art maker or art historian. Starting in the spring of 2021, however, this divide will be challenged with the arrival of the University of Colorado Boulder’s newest art and art history faculty member, Megan O’Grady, who is also an art critic and essayist for The New York Times. Read more

The works in the exhibition Citizenship: A Practice of Society exemplify how artists act as citizens. The exhibit features five new commissions approaching issues that have become more pressing this year: voter registration, native lands, access to information, legislation on citizenship and human connection. One of these, “Property Rights” by Yumi Janairo Roth, is the artist’s exploration of how our image of public land and the American West is built, maintained, accessed, controlled and delineated. Read more

Assistant Professor in Foundations, Anna Tsouhlarakis, is a 2021 recipient of a prestigious Creative Capital award. Her project, "Indigenous Absurdities" challenges and stretches the boundaries of aesthetic and conceptual expectations to reclaim Native identity through video, performance, photography, and installation. Read more