Past Programs

The CU Art Museum Makes Zines: A Celebration of the Guerilla Girls

May 3, 1-3pm at the CU Art MuseumFeeling burnt out after studying for finals? Join us at the CU Art Museum for an artist spotlight event inspired by the Guerilla Girls! We will be participating in a close looking exercise with one of the Guerilla Girls zines and then making our own. Refreshments and art materials will be provided! This event offers an opportunity to engage with activist traditions of art-making and continue this practice by making your own zine. This workshop is completely free and open to ...

Black Hair + Storytelling as a Form of Social Activism

**This program has been moved to April 18, 3:30-6:00pm at the CU Art MuseumUsing her book My Beautiful Black Hair: 101 Natural Hair Stories from the Sisterhood as a catalyst to discuss themes of Black hair and self-love, St. Clair will share the things she's learned during her four-year journey documenting natural hair stories. The presentation will encourage students to consider more deeply their own stories, identities and communities.Join us at 3:30pm for a special tour given by artists-in-residence Char...

Honors Chamber Music Ensemble Performance

Saturday, April 13 at 1:00p.m. at the CU Art MuseumJoin us for a performance by the Honors Chamber Ensemble inspired by Lush: Prolific Nature.Musicians:Sam Nixon, fluteNikhila Narayana, clarinetLuka Vezmar, oboeClarrisse Bosman, bassoonNathan Bonin, hornThis performance is free and open to everyone. Light refreshments will be served following the recital.Sign up here to RSVP for this event and receive a reminder email.

Botanical Cyanotype Workshop

Friday, April 5 from 1:30-3:30p.m. at the CU Art MuseumLearn about the cyanotype process then make your very own using botanicals inspired by Lush: Prolific Nature. The event includes a close looking of Chamisa by Betty Hahn from the CU Art Museum collection as inspiration for your cyanotypes. Materials for this workshop are included as well as snacks and refreshments. This program will be led by lead museum attendant Riley! All skill levels are welcome.This event is free and open to everyone! Registration ...

Hands on History: exploring history of print at CU Art Museum, session 2

Friday, March 8, 2-4pm at the CU Art MuseumJoin printmaker Gregory Santos and curator Hope Saska at the CU Art Museum for a two-part program that uncovers the history, materials and techniques used by expert printmakers from the Renaissance to today. Santos and Saska will guide participants through the CU Art Museum's collection of fine art prints, providing a behind-the-scenes look at artwork that is rarely exhibited. Session 2: March 8. In this session we learn about prints and printmaking from the late 1...

Hands on History: exploring history of print at CU Art Museum, session 1

Thursday, March 7, 2-4pm at the CU Art MuseumJoin printmaker Gregory Santos and curator Hope Saska at the CU Art Museum for a two-part program that uncovers the history, materials and techniques used by expert printmakers from the Renaissance to today. Santos and Saska will guide participants through the CU Art Museum's collection of fine art prints, providing a behind-the-scenes look at artwork that is rarely exhibited. Session 1: March 7. In this session we will learn about printmaking from early traditio...

Artist Spotlight and Art-Making Event: Fernanda Brunet

December 15, 1-3pm at the CU Art MuseumNeed a break from finals prep? Join us this reading day for another Artist Spotlight Event! We will be spending some time with artwork by Fernanda Brunet and learning the techniques to make migajón, a Mexican bread dough used for sculpture, to make beautiful flower decorations. Snacks, drinks, and all art-making materials will be provided! This event offers an opportunity to learn about a historically underrepresented artist and make some art of your own. Free and open...

Artist Talk with Melanie Yazzie

Saturday, November 11 at 10:30 - 11:30a.m. at the CU Art MuseumJoin us for an in-gallery talk by Melanie Yazzie, Professor of Printmaking at CU Boulder. Yazzie will talk about the inspiration and process for her installation, rebuilding, on view in Faculty Exhibition: 2023. Light refreshments to follow.Click here to register to receive an email reminder for this talk.

Monster Mash Air-Dry Clay Workshop

October 31, 2:30-4:30p.m. at the CU Art MuseumCome join our creature feature! Explore historic representations of monsters with objects from our collection and create your very own fiendish friend or ghoulish guardian with air-dry clay! This student-led program is led by lead attendant Madeleine, with marketing and support by lead attendant Lauren.(Big 8) Allergen-free Halloween treats will be provided.All are welcome to join this free workshop but registration is required. Registration is limited to 15 par...

Mile High Pride Flag: Flag Design Workshop

Friday, October 20th from 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. at the CU Art MuseumCome create your very own flag in this workshop led by Steven Frost, artist and assistant professor of Media Studies! Learn about flag design principles - especially queer/LGBTQ designs - and create something that speaks to your identity. Each participant will make their very own fabric flag to take home - decorate your space with pride! All materials will be provided and all skill levels are welcome.All are welcome to join this free workshop, ...

Culture Crawl: Scavenger Hunts and Flower Pot Painting

September 19 and 20, 10am-4pm at the CU Art MuseumJoin us at the Art Museum as part of this year's Culture Crawl! Make art, participate in our scavenger hunt and see our current exhibitions—plus, we'll have snacks. Those who finish our scavenger hunts will receive prizes at the front desk.On Wednesday, September 20th, get inspired by one of our current exhibitions, Lush: Prolific Nature, and paint your very own flower pot. We'll also have wildflower seed sachets to take home!The CU Art Museum is always free...

"Faculty Exhibition: 2023" Opening Celebration

September 7, from 5-7pm at the CU Art Museum.You are invited to celebrate the opening of Faculty Exhibition: 2023! Come see artwork created by CU Boulder faculty and enjoy light refreshments!Free and all are welcome!

Welcome Week Take 'n' Make Art Kits

August 24th, 10am-4pm in the CU Art Museum lobby Welcome back, Buffs new and old! Students can come by the CU Art Museum for free art-making kits inspired by our collection (while supplies last) and then explore our galleries. Admission is always free for everyone.We'll have a coloring table in our lobby all week, too, and everyone is welcome to color!

"Lush: Prolific Nature" Opening Celebration

July 27th, 5-7p.m. at the CU Art MuseumYou are invited to our opening celebration for our latest exhibition, "Lush: Prolific Nature", featuring artworks from different time periods and geographies that picture the natural world.Join us for art, light refreshments, and help us create a chalk garden on the plaza outside the museum! Plus, you can make your very own sun print inspired by nature.Free and open to everyone.

Onward and Upward: Shark's Ink Tour with the Studio Team

June 3rd, 1:00-2:00p.m. at the CU Art Museum   Join the team at Shark’s Ink for an in-gallery conversation of Onward and Upward: Shark’s Ink. Bud and Barbara Shark, Evan Colbert, Roseanne Colachis will discuss the prints and processes in the “Onward and Upward” exhibition. Learn the stories behind the prints on our walls and catch the show before it closes. After the tour, enjoy some light refreshments in the lobby.Free and open to everyone.Sign up here for a reminder.Click here to learn more about the exhi...

Artist Spotlight & Dot Painting Workshop

May 5, 1-3pm at the CU Art Museum Need a break from finals prep? Join us at the CU art museum this reading day for another Artist Spotlight Event! We will be spending some time with artwork by Barbara Takenaga and using acrylic paints to create art inspired by her work. Snacks, drinks, and all art making materials will be provided! This event offers an opportunity to learn about a historically underrepresented artist and make some art of your own. Free and open to all students and community members!  This p...

Spring 2023 MFA Conversants

Thursday, April 13, and Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 3:00 – 4:00p.m.Join us for an in-gallery conversation with Geoffrey Shamos, director of Myhren Gallery and Curator of University Art Collections, and Master of Fine Arts thesis students.Free and open to everyone.

Chamber Music Series Quintet

Saturday, April 22 at 1:00p.m. at the CU Art MuseumCU Art Museum Chamber Music Series presents a short concert featuring students from the College of Music Honors Chamber Ensembles performing in the museum. This spring we highlight students from the Gardetto Quintet. Students highlight a central thematic relationship between their music and art. Light refreshments will be served following the concert. These concerts are organized in collaboration with the CU College of Music.Formed in 2022, the Gardetto Qui...

Artist Spotlight & Collage Making

April 7th, 1-3pm at the CU Art MuseumThank you for your interest! This workshop has reached capacity. Please keep an eye out for future programs by signing up for our newsletter - we'd love to have you there!And feel free to attend the Delita Martin artist lecture on Wednesday, 4/5 at 6:00pm to learn more about the art that inspired this workshop. (In Eaton Humanities room 150.) Free and open to everyone!A hands-on workshop and artist spotlight at the CU Art Museum. Interested in an afternoon of free snacks...

Printmaking as Activism: A Two Day Event on Building Community Through Art.

April 5 & April 7Join us for a two-day event beginning with a lecture by Delita Martin, artist and printmaker based in Huffman, Texas. Martin’s practice celebrates community and affirms social justice. In addition to running her studio, Black Box Press, Martin is founder and president of the Black Box Press Foundation.This event is offered in conjunction with the event series Art, Activism and the Engaged Humanities organized by The WRITE Lab/Program for Writing and Rhetoric, the College of Arts and Science...

FlexSpace Speaker Series: Building Community in Printmaking

Thursday, March 16 at 4:00 p.m.Please join us for an artist’s talk with Jennifer Ghormley's practice in printmaking and how she builds community. Free and open to everyone.Jennifer Ghormley is a Denver-based artist, specializing in printmaking, mixed media, and installation art. She has worked at Anderson Ranch Art Center, previously held an Artist-in-Residence at RedLine Contemporary Art Center, Museum of Outdoor Arts, and the Children's Museum. She is on the Teaching Artist Roster at Think360 Arts, workin...

Artist Spotlight & Collage Making

December 9th, 1-3:00p.m. Interested in an afternoon of free snacks, drinks, and collage making? Then this event is perfect for you! The Artist Spotlight Event provides an opportunity to learn about historically underrepresented artists and make art of your own. This time, we will be featuring artwork by Delita Martin. Free and open to everyone! All skill levels welcome. Supplies for art making will be provided! This program is run by our museum attendants Aleea and Julianne. Registration is required and wil...

FlexSpace Speaker Series: Building Community in Printmaking

Thursday, February 16th at 4pm in the CU Art MuseumCome join us to learn more about local artist Johnny Plastini's practice in printmaking and how he builds community. Free and open to everyone.Johnny Plastini received his BA in visual art with a painting emphasis from the University of California, Santa Cruz and received his MFA in printmaking from the Tyler School of Art, Temple University. In addition to teaching, he has also worked professionally in the museum world at the Museum of Art and History in S...

Artist Spotlight & Collage Making

December 9th, 1-3:00p.m. Interested in an afternoon of free snacks, drinks, and collage making? Then this event is perfect for you! The Artist Spotlight Event provides an opportunity to learn about historically underrepresented artists and make art of your own. This time, we will be featuring artwork by Delita Martin. Free and open to everyone! All skill levels welcome. Supplies for art making will be provided! This program is run by our museum attendants Aleea and Julianne. Registration is required and wil...

FlexSpace Speaker Series: Building Community in Printmaking

Rescheduled to November 30th, 4:00p.m.Come join us to learn more about local artist Tony Ortega's practice in printmaking and how he builds community.  Of his work Ortega says, "I believe that there is a relationship between art and social justice.  My goal as an artist is to create artworks that are personal and which also express a sense of social responsibility. Through my work, I offer a multifaceted fiction that incorporates the traditions, history and culture of Latinos. In the postmodern age, my visu...

Print Make and Take Workshop

Saturday, November 19th at 1:30p.m.Come make some art and trade some art with others in this free, student-led art workshop led by our lead attendants Lauren and Ella. You'll learn how to make prints using a common item you might be able to find at home - potatoes! All skill levels are welcome, whether you're a skilled artist or have never made art before.Pizza will be provided for all participants. Register for this event by clicking here. Registration limited to 20 participants.Free and open to everyone -...

Virtual Lecture - Susan Tallman: "In, Not On, the Paper: Shark's Ink"

November 16th, 6:00p.m.Please join us on Zoom for a talk by art historian and essayist Susan Tallman. An expert in prints and print culture, Susan will contextualize the rich productions of Shark's Ink in relation to American printmaking. Susan Tallman has written extensively on contemporary art, the history of prints, and aspects of authenticity. A regular contributor to The New York Review of Books among other publications, she has authored and co-authored many books and museum catalogues for institutions...

Culture Crawl - Fall 2022

October 19, 2022, 11a.m. – 2p.m.Explore heritage sites across campus by engaging in immersive, stress-free activities. During the day, stop by the art museum for some art-making and fun! Anyone who finishes our scavenger hunt can swing by our front desk for a sweet prize. Check back here for a full schedule of the day’s events.

Family Weekend

October 14–16, 2022Stop by the museum anytime during Family Weekend for a scavenger hunt! We’ll also have Take-n-Make art activities at the Take Care Street Fair on Friday, October 14th so you can get creative at home!

FlexSpace Speaker Series: Building Community in Printmaking

Thursday, September 15, 4p.m.Come join us to learn more about the art of lithographic printmaking. Artist Gregory Santos will discuss his Mixed Grit project and describe his work at Art Gym Denver. Lithographic stones and completed prints from Mixed Grit will be on view in FlexSpace. Described by Santos as a “is a unique format, semi-collaborative stone lithograph print trade,” Mixed Grit creates community with artists across the U.S.__Gregory Santos is an abstract artist and professional printer specializi...

"Onward and Upward: Shark’s Ink" Open House

Saturday, September 10, 10am to 12pmJoin curator Hope Saska and Bud and Barbara Shark for breakfast, fun, music, and art! You'll have a chance to meet some of the local artists in the show and create your own art! Come celebrate our newest exhibition! Free and open to everyone.

Welcome Week

August 16-20, 2022Drop by the museum between 10 am and 2 pm on August 18 to explore the galleries and grab free take-and-make art kits to do at home. The museum will also offer a coloring and art making station anytime you visit August 16–20.

Summer Celebration and Opening Reception for Lasting Impressions

Thursday, July 14 5pm – 7pmJoin us for food, fun, music, art, and a live printmaking demonstration by local artist Sam Cikauskas. Come stop by and make your own print to take home! Free and open to everyone!

Sound Walk

New date - 10a.m., Saturday, June 11thThis program has been moved from May 21st to June 11th due to inclement weather.Join the CU Art Museum, artist Brittney Hofer, and Boulder County Open Space education naturalists Ellen Harris and Patrick Morgan for a guided deep listening sound walk. Participants will meet at the Cottonwood Marsh Trailhead. From there we will explore Walden Ponds, listening deeply to our surroundings while learning about birdsongs and flowers in bloom. The event is free and open to the ...

Add-On Drawing Game

November 13, 1pmWorking with others is a fantastic way to connect with art differently. Join us for a game of add-on inspired by pieces in The Art That Made Medicine where you work together to create something entirely new and unique. Collaborate on a piece and finish something someone else started! This session will be led by the museum's lead attendants: Ella and Lauren.All attendees will receive free art care packages.Sign up here to receive reminders for this program.

In-Gallery Conversation with Kate Petley and Steven Frost

November 11, 2021 - 12pmJoin us for an in-gallery conversation between exhibiting artist Kate Petley and Steven Frost, creative director of the B2 Center for Media, Arts & Performance at the ATLAS Institute and instructor in the Department of Media Studies.

Hybrid panel event: Abstract drawing, between thought and action (with virtual and in-person options)

Tuesday, September 21, 5 p.m. MST (with 4:30 p.m. MST tour)Moderated by Jarett EarnestArtists: Marina Kassianidou, linn meyers, Jason Stopa and Tim WhitenIn connection with our exhibition Tim Whiten: Tools of Conveyance, join us for a hybrid panel event, Abstract drawing, between thought and action. Our moderator and panel artists will be virtual. Guests have the option of attending in person at the museum or via Zoom at 5 p.m. MST. For those joining us in person, you are invited to arrive at 4:30 for a con...

Fall 2020 Remote Student Programs

Looking for a way to connect with the CU Art museum while we’re closed this semester? Join staff and student employees as we take a sneak peek at some of the art we’ll be highlighting in an upcoming exhibition, The Art That Made Medicine. Experience museum programs from the comfort of your own space, enjoy conversations with other students and museum staff,  and receive care packages with materials designed to help you relax and create your own art. Sunday October 25, 1:00 p.m.: An Afternoon 'at' the Museum...

Spring 2020 Chamber Music Series

The inaugural CU Art Museum Chamber Music Series presents three short concerts featuring students from the College of Music Honors Chamber Ensembles performing in the museum. Students work with museum staff to craft programs that highlight a central thematic relationship between music and the art on view. Reception hosted by the CU Art Museum following each concert. These concerts are organized in collaboration with the CU College of Music. Saturday, February 22, 2:30 p.m. “Persuasion” featuring the Felix Q...

2019 Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

Friday, April 19th, 2—5 p.m. CU Art Museum Education RoomPlease join us and our friends from CU Boulder Libraries and the Boulder Feminist Initiative for a fun, inclusive one-day event that brings together diverse communities to create and improve Wikipedia articles related to women in the arts!  Despite its wide reach, Wikipedia suffers from a gender gap, and its content is skewed by the lack of women’s voices. This represents an alarming absence in an important repository of shared knowledge, especially a...

Anthropocene Resonance: Interdisciplinary Approaches

February 8, 2019. Presented by CU Art Museum and the Nature, Environment, Science, Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts, this symposium complements events and exhibitions across the University of Colorado Boulder in 2018-2019 around the theme Documenting Change: Our Climate. Our present geologic era, the Anthropocene, has already mobilized transversal and hybridized research approaches by calling attention to the patchy assemblages of our environmental encounters. This symposium celebrates and encourages d...

2018 Wikipedia Edit-a-thon

International Women's Day is Thursday, March 8 and we're honoring the day with an Art + Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon, 2—7 p.m.Please join us and our friends from CU Boulder Libraries and the Boulder Feminist Initiative for a fun, inclusive one-day event that brings together diverse communities to create and improve Wikipedia articles related to women in the arts! Despite its wide reach, Wikipedia suffers from a gender gap, and its content is skewed by the lack of women’s voices. This represents an alarmin...

Faculty Exhibition: 2017 Film Screening

Faculty Exhibition: 2017 Film Screening Saturday, October 21, 4 p.m.Boulder Public Library, Canyon TheaterScreening line-up:Jeanne LiottaClimate Fictions, 20171 minEach variation of Climate Fictions speculates on the image of our planet in the age of the Anthropocene. I call these short films climate fictions, or “cli-fi,” a subgenre of dystopic science fiction specifically related to climate change, global warming and other environmental disasters. Kelly SearsA Tone Halfway Between Lightness and Darkness, ...

Frankenstein First Thursday

Frankenstein First ThursdayOctober 5, 2017, 5-7 p.m.CU Art MuseumA dare to write a scary story led to the creation of Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein", which turns 200 this year--help us kick off celebrations and explore the grotesque & creepy on October 5’s First Thursday at the CU Art Museum in collaboration with Radio 1190 for the CU Boulder Libraries Frankenstein Theme Year. During the event you can take a specially-themed tour of the museum, see rare books from special collections and archives, make spook...

Night of the Sharkive

On Thursday, April 27, 2017, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art and University of Colorado Art Museum joined together to host a once-in-a-lifetime event at the Boulder Jewish Community Center celebrating the life’s work of Bud and Barbara Shark: the Sharkive. The evening supported the University of Colorado Art Museum’s effort to acquire the Sharkive, bringing over 2,000 items and prints to the museum and allowing unprecedented access to its riches to students, faculty, and the community.The event began wit...

Exhibition Talks: HOME

Join us for a three-part series of casual in-gallery conversations with experts from across campus discussing our exhibition Home: American Photography at the CU Art Museum.Wednesday, March 8, 2017, 12:00 p.m.Laura Shill, Denver-based artist and CU alumnaMelanie Walker, Associate Professor of Photography at CU BoulderWendesday, March 22, 2017, 12:00 p.m.Patty Limerick, Colorado State Historian and Professor of History at CU BoulderHope Saska, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, CU Art MuseumApril 12, 20...

Pioneers Panel Discussion

Pioneers Panel Discussion Saturday, January 28, 2017 1 p.m.CU Art MuseumWomen have played an important, though largely unrecognized, role in the visual arts of the American West. Taking as a touchstone the current CUAM exhibition, "Pioneers: Women Artists in Boulder, 1898-1950" on view through February 4, 2017, this panel discussion considers the myriad contributions of women artists to the region's cultural life. Speakers include:Kirk Ambrose, Professor and Chair, Department of Art and Art History, CU Boul...

Celebrate International Women's Day with us!

International Women's Day is Wednesday, March 8 and we're celebrating with two great programs in 2017.Home exhibition talk12:00 p.m.Join us for a three-part series of casual in-gallery conversations with experts from across campus discussing our exhibition Home: American Photography at the CU Art Museum.This week's speakers will explore the contributions of women photographers and are:Laura Shill, Denver-based artist and CU alumnaMelanie Walker, associate professor of photography at CU BoulderArt + Feminism...

Performing & Translating Objects & Each Other

PERFORMING & TRANSLATING OBJECTS & EACH OTHERThursday, March 3, 2016 5:00-7:00 p.m.CU Art MuseumPlease join us for a night of art, dance and performance.As CU Art Museum’s artist-in-residence, Janelle Iglesias sees her role as a ‘creative troublemaker’ and catalyst for unlikely connections. As part of her residency she is collaborating and corroborating with classes including Jeanne Quinn’s graduate ceramics seminar, Firth MacMillan’s intermediate ceramics class and Erika Randall’s graduate choreography sem...

CELEBRATE: 2016 Exhibitions Opening Party

CELEBRATE: 2016 Exhibitions Opening PartyFebruary 12, 20165-7 p.m. Opening festivities7-9 p.m. Dance PartyGreat Art. Festive activities. Music. Snacks. Bring a friend and join us!Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, and Valentine's Day fall within a few days of each other this year. We're adding another reason to celebrate with the opening of three new exhibitions. Deatils of the evening's festivities:5-7 p.m. Refreshments including Tibetan momo (dumplings), King cake, and Valentines Day cake5-7 p.m. Mardi Gras mask...