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ARTNAUTS 30th Anniversary Exhibition — Rhizome: Origins

A 30-Year Story That Began at CU Boulder 

In 1996, artists Dr. George Rivera, Garrison Roots, Dr. Beth Krensky, Dennis Dalton, and Luis Valdovino founded the Artnauts at CU Boulder. Three decades later, the group has grown into a renowned international collective with over 256 exhibitions spanning 27 countries and 5 continents. Reconnecting with their roots, this special exhibition showcases works by collective members, reflecting thirty years of political, social, and collaborative artmaking.

More information about this exhibition

On view September 4, 2026–December 2026. Participating artists include:

Valerie Albicker
Pamela Beverly-Quigley
Barbara Colombo
Andrew Connelly
Dennis Dalton
Rebecca DiDomenico
Michael Dixon
Suzanne Faris

Heather Hanson
Samira Hemmat
Ben Jackel
Claire Jackel
Tsehai Johnson
Dr. Beth Krensky
Jane McMahan
Dr. George Rivera

Eileen Roscina
Martha Russo
Luis Valdovino
Rebecca Vaughan
Summer Ventis
Joo Yeon Woo

Expressions of Identity in Ancient Greek Coins

Coins convey powerful messages through their symbolic imagery. These tiny objects reveal how the ancient Greeks conceived of themselves and their relationships to their communities, histories, and beliefs, both religious and political. They bear information about geographies, power and propaganda, artistic techniques and more. The coins in this installation illustrate these many dimensions of ancient Greek culture, giving researchers and visitors a tangible connection to the past. 

More information about this exhibition

CU Collects: Imagining a Creative Campus

On View: July 7, 2026–Spring 2027

Campus collections gather and preserve objects that ignite research and inspire creativity. In CU Collects: Imagining a Creative Campus, works from the CU Art Museum and the University Libraries and Archives highlight the breadth of artistic and creative materials held across campus. Built with care over time, these collections are accessible to students, faculty and to communities in the Front Range and beyond. Together, they demonstrate the central role of arts and culture at CU Boulder, addressing a shared history of inquiry and engagement. 

More information about this exhibition

MFA Thesis Exhibition, Fall 2026

Tenaya DeWitt and Maya Buffett-Davis

Opening Reception: Friday, December 4, 2026 from 4-6PM
On View: December 1-10, 2026

Museum Programs

Kris Cox, Quad 5a, 2005, digital print, Gift of Linda Bedell, CU Art Museum, 2008.14.05. (c) Kris Cox.

Kris Cox, Quad 5a, 2005, digital print, Gift of Linda Bedell, CU Art Museum, 2008.14.05. (c) Kris Cox.

Cowboy Carter: Reimagining the American West

Symposium

Thursday, November 12, 9:00 am–6:00 pm
CU Art Museum

Inspired by Beyoncé's groundbreaking album, this symposium brings together keynote speakers, scholars, and fashion professionals discussing how the themes, topics, visions, and sounds of the album have emboldened new ideas and directions for the study of the American West. The event will close with a fashion show featuring CU students wearing garments and accessories by regional designers and local vendors. 
 
This event is free and all are welcome. 
 
Cowboy Carter: Reimagining the American West is generously supported by the Department of English, Division of Arts & Humanities, the Center for Humanities & the Arts, the Center for the American West, and Queer and Trans studies.
 

Sound Bath Meditation

A woman with a ponytail who is wearing all black clothing sits on a white circle rug while she uses crystal sound bowls. She is seated in a CU Art Museum gallery and is surrounded by people resting on meditation cushions.

Join the CALM Center and the CU Art Museum for a restorative sound bath meditation. Designed to relax your body and mind with healing music, the sound vibrations will help guide your consciousness toward a calm and peaceful state of mind.

  12:15–12:45pm at the CU Art Museum

Please arrive a few minutes early - doors to the meditation close at 12:15. Free and all are welcome!

Link to scheduled meditations

Feel Good Fridays

You are invited to this weekly hybrid workshop to learn about a work of art and then participate in a related mindfulness practice. This powerful, guided meditation can undo stress, soothe the nervous system, and help you feel relaxed and revitalized. 

All are welcome and there is no need for past experience with meditation. Registration is required if attending virtually. 

  All sessions begin promptly at 12:15 PM

Please arrive a few minutes early if attending in person - doors to the meditation close at 12:15.

Link to scheduled meditations

Second Saturdays

Many students coloring together at a table in the CU Art Museum lobby.

Get creative with us on the second Saturday of each month! 

Each month we’ll be putting together a different art-themed program that you can drop in on. Come in and color with us or even pick up a new skill!

Calendar of Events

The University of Colorado Art Museum provides a forum for exchanging ideas, inspiring collaboration and fueling imagination through art. 

The museum’s growing collection and diverse exhibitions and public programs promote, inspire and generate interdisciplinary scholarship and cultural expression.

The museum mobilizes our strengths to support and enrich the academic and social missions of CU Boulder and to serve our communities in Boulder, statewide and beyond.

Hey students: the CU Art Museum is your museum! Let us know how we can serve you better.

Programs & Events

We organize activities and programs that dive deeply into the ideas behind, and questions raised by, our exhibitions and collections. We also create programs to explore the creative research occurring throughout the university. Whether gallery talks, faculty lectures, expert conversations, concerts, performances, or workshops we welcome students and the public to join us for our free programs at the museum and around CU's campus. Stay tuned and check back, we’re always cooking up exciting new programs!

Education & Engagement

The CU Art Museum is a resource for the CU Boulder campus, the local community and beyond. It is a place that inspires collaboration, fosters compassion, fuels imagination and transcends boundaries. Our approach to education is to present exhibitions and programs informed by the perspectives of the cultures and communities represented. Visitors of all ages will find opportunities to discover, enjoy and be inspired by art and artists of the past and present.

Collections & Archive

Our museum features works from diverse aesthetic and cultural origins encompassing over 10,000 years of human history. Our growing collection of more than 12,500 objects represents the wide range of materials used in the creation of art. We present our collections in exhibitions and programming to spark curiosity and inspire dialogue. Since the foundation of our collections in 1939 as a resource for teaching, we have been a hub for exploration of art. 

Ancient & Classical

Art of the Americas

Asia

Modern & Contemporary

Sharkive