Newsletters

October 2026

Dear CU Boulder Community & Supporters of the CHA, 

As we head into October, I want to highlight a few deadlines and some of this month’s events that I am excited about. The Fall deadline for CHA Small Grants for is October 11. On the graduate side of things, the deadline for MFA/MM Excellence in Creative Research Awards will be November 1. There is more detail below on each of these competitions. 

As for CHA Programming, please join us for the Fall 2026 campus Difficult Dialogues on October 20 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Center for Global British and Irish Studies Room in Norlin. The topic will be “How Should We Teach Artificial Intelligence in the Arts and Humanities,” and we have assembled an excellent panel of professors from across AHUM who have developed or are developing discipline-specific courses on AI. Our hope is that this conversation might lead to some larger initiatives that make arts and humanities central to central to preparing our students for a world in which AI is a reality (whether we like it or not). More details below, and lunch is included!!

Related to Difficult Dialogues, I want to point you to a Benson Center lecture by Hollis Robbins titled “Faculty at the Edges: How Universities Should Master AI,” which will be on Thursday October 15 in Eaton Humanities 250 from 5:00-7:00 pm (please register here). I saw Hollis speak at this summer's Consortium for Humanities Centers and Institutes conference, and she is terrific.

A few other highlights:

• Indigenous Peoples’ Day is October 12, and CU’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Studies has scheduled several events to commemorate the day.

• Magic Mountain Talks will be hosting Fred Moten, renowned literary and performance studies scholar and 2020 MacArthur Fellow, on October 22, and Dr. Moten will also be in conversation with Nabil Echchabai on October 21 as part of the Center for Media, Religion, and Culture’s annual conference, “Why We Come Together: Media, Religion, and Community,"

• "Democracy and the Humanities: A Conservation with Cornell West” - Cornell West will be visiting campus on October 29 part of the Mellon-Sawyer Seminar, Restoring Trust: Humanistic Perspectives on Academic Freedom, American Democracy and Higher Education Leadership. CHA is a co-sponsor of his visit. The event will take place in the CASE Auditorium (4th floor) from 7:00-8:30. Please register here.

• "The 150 Project” - The Department of Theatre and Dance is partnering with Tectonic Theatre Project - renowned creators of The Laramie Project - to put on "The 150 Project: A New Play Rooted in Student Stories" from November 6-15. The play is based in substantial archival research conducted by students, and it should be one of the most exciting events to commemorate CU’s 150th anniversary. 

I hope to see you at these exciting events!

 Sincerely, 

Paul Sutter
Professor of History
College Professor of Distinction
University of Colorado Boulder
Interim Director, Center for Humanities and Arts

CHA Upcoming Opportunities

Join us October 20 for the next CHA Difficult Dialogues conversation: How Should We Teach Artificial Intelligence in the Arts and Humanities? 

Hear from faculty across disciplines about how they navigate AI in their teaching and rethinking the role of arts and humanities education in an AI world. 

Featuring: Corrina Espinosa, Henry Lovejoy, Teresa Nugent, Chris Ostro, and Vishnu Sridharan. 

📅 Tuesday October 20 

🕛 11:00-1:00 p.m. 

📍 CGBIS Room, CU Boulder Campus  

Register here: https://web.cvent.com/event/f7e7d469-4122-43c7-b063-90795f3c5108/summary?environment=P2

This event is free, and lunch will be provided. Save the date and join the conversation! 

💡 Have a research or creative project that could use funding? Apply for a CHA Small Grant!

The Center for Humanities & the Arts Small Grant provides up to $3,000 to support the research and creative efforts of eligible CU Boulder faculty and staff working in the arts and humanities. 

Funding can support a variety of project needs, including research and creative assistance, materials and supplies, research travel, space rental, publicity, and honoraria for visiting scholars. 

📅 Fall 2026 Deadline: October 11
💰 Funding: Up to $3,000

✨ Don’t miss your chance to move your research or creative project forward. Apply by October 11!

🔗 Learn more and apply

📣 MFA/MM students: Funding for your creative research is available!

The CHA MFA/MM Excellence in Creative Research Microgrant provides $250–$1,000 to support creative projects, including materials, equipment, production costs, space rentals, registration fees, honoraria, and more.

📅 Apply by November 1
💰 Awards of $250–$1,000
🎨 Priority given to thesis, capstone, and ongoing creative work

Have a project in mind? Apply and bring your creative work to life!

Arts & Humanities Opportunities Across Campus

🎶 Discord in the District?

Join the American Music Research Center (AMRC) for a book talk and Q&A celebrating the release of Musical Capital: Sound and Power in Washington, D.C., published by Harvard University Press.

📅 October 6
 ⏰ 3:30–5:00 p.m.
 📍 Imig S101, CU Boulder College of Music

Hear from scholars Daniel Boomhower, Loren Kajikawa, and Emily Abrams Ansari as they explore music, culture, and power in Washington, D.C.

✨ Refreshments provided
 📚 Two copies of Musical Capital will be given away by lottery
 📓 The first 20 attendees receive an AMRC notebook

We hope to see you there!

📣 Funding Opportunity for Boulder County Artists & Arts Organizations

Are you a Boulder County artist or arts organization with an innovative creative project? Applications are now open for Boulder B-Sides, a new pop-up arts program presented by the Boulder County Arts Alliance in partnership with Community Foundation Boulder County and the City of Boulder Office of Arts and Culture.

🎨 Up to 8-10 artists or arts organizations will receive funding of up to $15,000 to create public art activations in vacant storefronts and unexpected spaces during the 2027 Sundance Film Festival in Boulder.

📅 Program Dates: January 15-31, 2027
 🎬 Activation Period: January 21-26, 2027
 💰 Funding: Up to $15,000 per project
 🗓️ Application Deadline: Friday, October 9 at 5:00 p.m.

Boulder B-Sides will celebrate experimental, innovative, and genre-bending work, creating opportunities for local artists to connect with both community members and visitors from around the world.

🌱🔬 Save the Date: CU Boulder Sustainability Research Summit

Join researchers, scholars, students, and community partners for the inaugural CU Boulder Sustainability Research Summit, a campus-wide celebration of sustainability research and scholarship.

This free, public event will showcase the breadth and depth of sustainability-related work taking place across disciplines and provide opportunities to foster new collaborations, exchange ideas, and connect with partners across the Front Range and beyond.

📅 October 8-9, 2026
📍 University Memorial Center (UMC)
🎟️ Free and open to the public

Researchers are also encouraged to submit session proposals and share their work with the broader CU Boulder community.

Together, let's explore innovative solutions and build connections for a more sustainable future.

🎓 Graduate Students: Share Your Community-Engaged Research!

PACES is seeking graduate students to present their public and community-engaged scholarship at the Graduate Student Dialogue on Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship, part of CU Boulder Research & Innovation Week.

Presenters will have 5-7 minutes to share their work in an informal roundtable format alongside graduate students from across campus and members of the 2025-2027 Engaged Arts & Humanities Fellows Cohort, a partnership between CHA and PACES.

✅ Present individually or in teams of up to three
✅ Community and undergraduate partners are welcome to participate
✅ Connect with fellow researchers and community-engaged scholars

📅 Event Date: October 13, 2026
📍 CASE Building, CTL E390

Please register by Oct. 9.