A myriad of stunning, separate glass pieces brought together in this monumental installation
Chihuly Orange Hornet Chandelier, 1993. Photo: https://www.chihuly.com/exhibitions/colorado-springs-fine-arts-center/chihuly-colorado-springs
It’s a beautiful early fall day in Colorado Springs with the aspens starting to glow and the red formations of the Garden of the Gods to explore. So why go inside, into a museum, most of all one we had never heard of before. As with all that is unexpected, this discovery amazed us. The Fine Arts Center at Colorado College not only has a wonderful collection of American and Spanish Colonial art, but its approach is completely experiential. Everything is done for you to interact with the objects, to be amazed. And to feel at home.
I couldn’t find the artist on the worn label.
Luis Jimenez, Fiesta Jarabe
Sculptures on the front lawn are inviting and set the mood.
John Singer Sargent, Portrait of Miss Elsie Palmer, 1889-90
Going down a hallway, I looked up to find a moody Sargent portrait at the very top of a long flight of stairs. It reminded me of a red carpet reception, but one in which you needed real determination to arrive at. And the climb was worth it. A daughter of one of the city’s founders, she appears fragile, ghostly, yet with all of the grace that Sargent was masterly at.
From Georgia O’Keeffe to Diebenkorn to Marisol and Surls, we relished the American art.
Marisol, John Wayne, 1963
Richard Diebenkorn, Urbana #4, 1953
James Surls, It’s not about the Numbers, 2002
Georgia O’Keeffe, Dark Iris No. 1
1927
And then the interactivity is what really grabbed us. There is a tactile gallery with it seemed around 100 objects to touch, a Navajo loom to operate. Lithograph stones and etching plates helped me to understand those complicated processes a little better. But most of all, the whole notion of security was flipped upside down. Instead of discipline, the security person was trained in interpretation. As most people only spend 30 seconds in front of art, his aim was to extend that, not to say “don’t touch.” Austin was very skilled, stimulating more observation, and we talked about our conversation with him all the way home.
All photos my own except for Chihuly.