The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College

FINE ARTS CENTER

A Beacon for the Arts

The Colorado Springs Fine Art Center at Colorado College celebrates a century of fine art, theater, and education.

BY REBECCA L. OLGEIRSON

FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS, THE FINE Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) has been a welcoming home to the arts in the Colorado Springs community. Focusing on the cultural legacy of the West, the FAC supports the fine arts, theater, and education much in the way its founder, Julie Penrose, imagined.

Mrs. Penrose, wife of Broadmoor founder Spencer Penrose, created The Broadmoor Art Academy in 1919. It was originally housed in their donated residence. Mrs. Penrose, an avid art collector, also wanted an art school where students from around the country would come to Colorado Springs to learn to paint en plein air. Master artists came to teach smallgroup classes at the Garden of the Gods.

As far back as 1926, The Broadmoor Art Academy partnered with Colorado College, a relationship that has only strengthened over the years. In 2017, the FAC entered an historic partnership with the college in a strategic partnership that promotes coursework collaboration and exposes students to professionals in myriad disciplines.

From beginner’s ceramics to free Military Artistic Healing classes and advanced art for students within the local public schools, the Bemis School of Art offers art instruction to the Colorado Springs community.

The FAC permanent collection, highlighting Southwestern indigenous art and Spanish Colonial pieces, began in 1936 with Alice Bemis Taylor’s personal Native American and Hispanic art. Today, the Bemis Art School is named after its early benefactor.

Visitors can take in a Georgia O’Keeffe painting from the collection or plan to view a seasonal exhibition.

Admission to the galleries is included with theater tickets, so guests can arrive early and wander through the FAC. The building’s architecture is also striking, with influences of Spanish Colonial churches incorporated into the modern building.

The award-winning theater company presents a variety of shows, ranging from family-friendly productions and new works to traditional Broadway shows.

.ESSENTIALS. COLORADO SPRINGS FINE ART CENTER AT COLORADO COLLEGE

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College is open 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information and for the theater schedule, call (719) 634-5581 or visit fac.coloradocollege.edu.

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