Art & Art History

Career maestro offers tips for the next generation

Anonymous — Fri, 02 Jun 2023 01:35:01 +0000

Career maestro offers tips for the next generation Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 06/01/2023 - 19:35

Bradley Worrell

CU Boulder alumna and businesswoman Nancy Fisher Wilhelms shares her secrets for a successful, fulfilling career with her book, Yes! You Can Do It! The Young Woman’s Guide to Starting a Fulfilling Career

In the years since she graduated from University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in fine arts, Nancy Fisher Wilhelms has gone on to work in corporate communications for a Fortune 500 company, as the press secretary for Nevada’s governor, as the owner of her own consulting firm with several high-profile clients, as the executive director of a renowned arts center that prospered under her leadership, and more recently as an executive coach and the author of a book intended to help guide young women to starting successful, fulfilling careers.

All of which suggests a question: Did she have a sense of where life would take her—much less what she wanted to do—immediately upon graduating from CU in 1971?

“I was clueless,” she admits with a laugh. “I had no idea of what I wanted to do; I didn’t have anything specific in mind.”

In that respect, Wilhelms was like many students graduating from college at the time and today—and that’s perfectly OK, she is quick to add.

Top of page: Nancy Fisher Wilhelms is the author of Yes! You Can Do It! The Young Woman’s Guide to Starting a Fulfilling Career, which combines stories from her career, simple workbook exercises and personal success profiles of seven dynamic professional women. Above: After graduating from CU Boulder in 1971 with a degree in fine arts, Wilhelms went on to find success working in corporate communications for a Fortune 500 firm, as the owner of her own marketing communications firm with several high-profile clients, and as the executive director of a renowned arts center that prospered under her leadership. Today, she is an executive career coach and the author of a book intended to help guide young women to starting successful, fulfilling careers.

What was important were the things she was able to take away from her college experience, thanks to CU professors who she says stimulated her inquisitive nature and encouraged her to be open to new challenges.

“I had wonderful professors,” Wilhelms says. “One of them that stood out was Gene Matthews in the art department, who was always very open, encouraging and enthusiastic. Another was Dr. Kim Malville in astronomy, who was just a very dynamic professor who made us ask the big questions.”

Life plans sometimes meet detours

After graduating from CU, Wilhelms attended Rhode Island School of Design, but cut her studies short. She then contemplated heading out to the Pacific Northwest to find work and embrace whatever life might hold for her … but instead ended up in Milwaukee.

“Life sometimes comes with detours,” Wilhelms says. “I came to Milwaukee to rest and recover, because I wasn’t feeling well, and that’s where my mother lived.”

After she convalesced, Wilhelms decided she might as well stay a bit longer in the city known for its breweries to get some work experience before proceeding with the next step in her career and life.

“So, I went out to get some experience and that’s what I did,” she said. “And I landed some great opportunities.”

As it turned out, her first opportunity proved to be big: Obtaining the job as the program coordinator for the 10-day Milwaukee SummerFest, which today bills itself as being the world’s largest outdoor musical festival. Despite having no prior experience managing musical venues or stage acts, following a formal interview with the executive director and an informal interview with members of his team at a staff event, Wilhelms received a job offer as she headed out the door. “They were looking to see if I could think quickly and successfully interact with a wide variety of people.”

Wilhelms calls overseeing the festival staging the experience of a lifetime, noting that she got to interact with big musical acts, including The Doors, B.B. King and Aretha Franklin.

“The job with Milwaukee SummerFest was one of constant problem-solving and thinking on your feet,” she says. “It was a lot of work, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.”

From there, Wilhelms went on to work for a small ad agency in Milwaukee, which she says was a natural fit for her given her passion for photography and design.

“I learned from someone who was an outstanding writer and a really great, creative thinker, and was someone who really cared about teaching me the craft,” she says. “He was an outstanding mentor. He taught me and believed in me, so he entrusted me to do the work I was assigned without constantly looking over my shoulder.”

Wilhelms says that experience taught her about the value of finding mentors, which is an idea she strongly promotes in her book.

Find mentors in every job you take—especially when you are starting out in your career, and don’t take a job if you’re not going to be learning from people who really know what they’re doing … and who are good leaders and teachers.”

“Find mentors in every job you take—especially when you are starting out in your career,” she advises. “And don’t take a job if you’re not going to be learning from people who really know what they’re doing … and who are good leaders and teachers.”

Trusting yourself and making the big jump

From working for the small ad agency, Wilhelms made what she acknowledges was the remarkable jump to corporate communications, working for a Fortune 500 firm—something she says would never have happened had she opted not to follow her passion and to trust herself.

“I created some good savings when I was working at the small ad agency, and I had always wanted to photograph the rodeo circuit,” she says. “So, I went out and bought a pickup truck, I added to my photo gear, and I took off for the summer photographing the rodeo circuit, because my true love has always been photography.”

Later, when she started searching for jobs, Wilhelms says she included her experience photographing the rodeo circuit on her resume—despite strong protestations from some friends who counseled her against doing so.

“And I said, ‘This is who I am.’ And so, of course I put it on my resume. I sent off my resume and cover letter, responding to a blind ad in a newspaper, because this was the day when everything was still done by mail. And I received a phone call from the head of communications for an international corporation … and he told me that out of 300 applicants for the job, I was one of three people he had selected to interview.

“I asked him why he selected me, and he said, ‘Anyone who had the moxie you did to go and do what you did, traveling the rodeo circuit and photographing it, is exactly the kind of person who would be very comfortable in this job.”

Wilhelms would go on to work for the company, a heavy equipment operator, for two years, interviewing employees and taking photos of the company’s operations across North America, gaining invaluable experience along the way.

It was an extraordinary job where I learned so much and had so many great opportunities, and it happened because I included something about myself, about traveling the rodeo circuit, on my resume."

“It was an extraordinary job where I learned so much and had so many great opportunities,” she says. “And it happened because I included something about myself, about traveling the rodeo circuit, on my resume."

“That’s really one things that I focus on in my book, which is to be yourself and trust yourself,” she adds. “You’re different; you’re unique—be who you are. Don’t stand in your own way. Don’t listen to everybody who tells you what you should do. Do the things that excite you.”

From there, Wilhelms would go on to work as the press secretary for the governor of Nevada for about a year and then to form her own ad agency, with offices in Fort Collins, Colorado, Newport Beach, California, and later Basalt, Colorado. Wilhelms describes her decision to form her own company as the next logical step after doing corporate communications for Harnischfeger Corp.

“I had a feeling for what it could look like and how it should be structured from the start,” she says simply.

Wilhelms says her business started out with a broad focus, offering advertising, marketing, communications and publicity services to a range of small and mid-size companies. However, with the passage of time, the company added Kodak Colorado and Hewlett Packard to its client roster and “grew its reputation with technology companies, so that became a focus for us,” she says. Another notable client was the Colorado Lottery.

However, when the Great Recession of 2008-09 struck and companies slashed their budgets for outside work, Wilhelms says she realized she needed to change her focus. Fortunately, an unexpected opportunity presented itself.

In 2011, she and her husband where living in the Aspen, Colorado, area when the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in nearby Snowmass Village advertised for a director of marketing. Wilhelms says she was a good candidate for the job, given her degree in fine arts and her experience in marketing and promotions.

After a bit less than two years on the job, Wilhelms was asked to become the organization’s executive director. She says the accomplishments she is most proud of during her roughly six years at the helm of the Anderson Ranch was organizing a successful 50-year anniversary celebration for the arts center and working to grow the organization’s reputation into a sophisticated venue in the contemporary art world.

“Doing that required a good strategic plan and a strong team with a shared vision for the organization,” she says. “You have to build the plan and then implement it.”

Transitioning to a coach, mentor and author

For the past five years, Wilhelms has worked as a business consultant, mentor and advisor, with a particular focus on coaching up-and-coming female business and arts professionals.

“I was really fortunate that my mom was a professional woman, so I had a role model, but so many women entering the workforce today don’t,” she says. “I enjoy being able to do my part.”

And when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Wilhelms says it seemed like the perfect time to write a book so she could share her experiences and career advice with a larger audience, primarily women—although she says some men have also told her they have found her insights valuable.

First, know who you are and what you love. Second, always put yourself into learning opportunities throughout your career, working with leaders and mentors. And third, believe in yourself and trust yourself—that you’ll make the right choices."

In addition to sharing her own stories in the book, titled Yes, You Can Do It! The Young Woman’s Guide to Starting a Fulfilling Career, the book also contains short stories of seven other women who took risks to find successful, fulfilling careers, as well as worksheets designed to help readers sharpen their focus when it comes to finding the right career for them.

“What the worksheets do is keep you, the reader, from taking yourself for granted,” Wilhelms says. “They make you focus on what is unique about you? And what excites you? What is it you really want from life? What do you want people to say about you and what you’ve done with your life? And how to get off the path you’re on and to doing something that really sets you on fire.”

Among the book’s plaudits, Debra Benton, New York Times bestselling author of How to Think Like a CEO, wrote, “I wish I had this advice when I was starting out. The climb would have happened faster and been a whole lot more fun.”

Asked if she would have a few words of advice for recent CU Boulder graduates, Wilhelms says: “First, know who you are and what you love. Second, always put yourself into learning opportunities throughout your career, working with leaders and mentors. And third, believe in yourself and trust yourself—that you’ll make the right choices. A lot of people are going to tell you what they think you should do, but only you know what is right for you.”

CU Boulder alumna and businesswoman Nancy Wilhelms shares her secrets for a successful, fulfilling career with her book, Yes! You Can Do It! The Young Woman’s Guide to Starting a Fulfilling Career.

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Eyeing environmental issues through a camera lens

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 18:56:13 +0000

Eyeing environmental issues through a camera lens Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/06/2023 - 12:56

Bradley Worrell

In her latest research, contemporary art history professor examines where art and environmental activism connect

For Brianne Cohen, assistant professor of contemporary art history at the University of Colorado Boulder, art is much more than an aesthetic: It can offer powerful commentary on the issues of the day and galvanize public opinion.

One such issue, ecological devastation, is the focus of Cohen’s latest research into photography and video from Cambodia, Vietnam and Singapore that highlights the need for renewed attention on the kinship between humans and nature.

“These artists are having their works shown around the world in major art shows, but there’s still not being much written about their wonderful work,” Cohen says. “The kinds of things they are doing right now is particularly pressing and timely in terms of environmental destruction in the region and thinking about larger questions of ecological sustainability.”

The intersection of art and the environment is not a new topic for Cohen, who teaches art, climate justice and ecology courses at CU Boulder. Now more than ever, she says, art offers an invaluable window to the world.

At the top of the page: Nguyễn Trinh Thi, Letters from Panduranga (2015), video still. Above: Brianne Cohen's recent research addresses questions of ecological devastation and the formation of critical publics in Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Singapore.

“This is how we think about the world today—through a flood of imagery. And to be able to think critically about the main issues of the day through art, it’s just so fascinating, and it really draws students in,” she says. “I think it’s a great kind of language to think about how we live in today’s world.”

Art also has the power to be transformative at the personal level. In Cohen’s case, she grew up modestly in Dallas, Texas, but was able to take a two-week trip in high school to visit major art museums in London, Paris and Italy that inspired her to make art history her life’s work.

Another transformative moment came while taking an art class as an undergraduate student.

“The first time that I realized that art history could tackle contemporary issues was in college, when I took a class with an art critic from L.A.—and she exposed us to all this vibrant art-making in the city and in the region,” Cohen says. “Whereas, in the past, when I was a younger scholar, it seemed art history pretty much ended in 1960 or 1970. So, to be exposed to that world was really exciting, and that made me want to study contemporary issues through art and through a visual lens.”

That belief was only deepened when Cohen attended the Courtauld Institute of Art in London to obtain her MA degree and then spent three years researching and teaching in Belgium while on a postdoctoral fellowship.

The time she spent in Europe was formative in the development of her forthcoming book, Don’t Look Away: Art, Nonviolence and Preventive Publics in Contemporary Europe, set to publish in spring 2023, which examines contemporary European art as it grapples with thorny topics such as immigration, xenophobia and Islamaphobia.

It was also during that period that Cohen first began taking periodic trips to Southeast Asia, where she discovered the vibrant, compelling art created there.

“I’d say in the past 10 years I became much more interested in environmental issues as artists there were tackling them,” she says.

“I was thinking about how, especially artists in the U.S. and Europe, get so much more publicity within art history and visual culture in terms of the environment, whereas we’re not even thinking about . . . artwork from around the world where they are most affected by climate change—and where devastation is even larger and more unequal in terms of who suffers these effects and who is least responsible for them.”

There is a question of compassion fatigue. If we’re barraged with all these images of atrocity and war and so forth, can we actually move as a public to effect change? So, that’s the big question for me. Can they do that? I think that (the images) can.”

She adds, “The work coming out of Southeast Asia grapples with these questions and deserves to have more of a voice in that discussion.”

Many people are familiar with issues like deforestation, habitat loss and global warming, but Cohen believes art can nonetheless make a difference on those important topics.

“There is a question of compassion fatigue. If we’re barraged with all these images of atrocity and war and so forth, can we actually move as a public to effect change? So, that’s the big question for me. Can they do that?” she says. “I think that (the images) can.”

Still, Cohen says the efforts from artists in the region will take time to bear fruit.

“These artists are looking to longer-term, Indigenous philosophies from their local regions—philosophies that have a more sustainable way of living with the environment, of being in relation with the environment through notions of kinship or familial relations,” she says.

“This is really important in the work that they do—and not thinking about the environment as objects to be exploited, but as family, as persons in some sense to live with and to care for.”

Cohen’s research is supported by fellowships from the American Association of University Women and CU Boulder’s Center for Humanities and the Arts.

In her latest research, contemporary art history professor examines where art and environmental activism connect.

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Five college stars named employees of the year

Anonymous — Tue, 25 May 2021 18:14:35 +0000

Five college stars named employees of the year Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 05/25/2021 - 12:14

Winners, who were nominated by colleagues, express humility and gratitude

Five outstanding staff members have been named employees of the year by the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The honorees are:

Misuhng Suh, ceramics, foundations and sculpture lab coordinator, Department of Art and Art History
Virginia Kester-Meyer, program manager, Department of Ethnic Studies
Karen Hawley, program assistant II, Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures
Katherine Rousseau, assistant director and internship director, International Affairs Program
Mary Fentress, program manager, Department of Applied Mathematics

Suh has overseen ceramics, metal shop and sculpture since 2004. Since 2018, she has worked as lab coordinator II in the Ceramics, Foundations and Sculpture Sculpture’s Post Studio Practice areas. Her work includes maintaining and organizing art studio spaces and oversight of the maintenance of equipment, store, supplies and equipment.

Suh said she feels extremely fortunate to work with the amazing staff, faculty and students in art and art history. “I cannot begin to tell how grateful I am for this recognition from Staff Advisory Committee for selecting me and everyone who nominated me. Thank you.”

Kester-Meyer joined the Department of Ethnic Studies in December 2018. She is involved in process and policy development for many departmental activities and is responsible for departmental finance; human resources; faculty affairs; academic scheduling and curriculum; research administration; and supervision of staff and student employees. She also manages the finance and human resources elements of the department’s doctoral program and contributes to graduate program development.

Kester-Meyer also expressed gratitude for the recognition: “To be celebrated in this way by my colleagues, and by the college, is a wonderful and affirming gift.”

Hawley is the program manager and graduate program assistant in the Department of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures. She has worked at CU Boulder since March 1994.

Hawley thanked the Staff Advisory Committee and the college for the recognition: “I was so honored to have been nominated for this award by my department and feel very fortunate to work in such a supportive department.”

Rousseau has been with the International Affairs Program since 2006. She has served as assistant director of the program since 2012.

Rousseau said she appreciates that the Staff Advisory Committee has established such a significant recognition for staff. “I’m proud to be an A&S staff member and to work with such outstanding and dedicated colleagues on a daily basis.”

Fentress has been with applied mathematics for eight years but has been on campus for 21 years. She serves as the department program manager and works closely with the chair and staff to oversee the operation of applied mathematics.

“I am absolutely honored to be a recipient of this award,” she said. “I'm blessed to work in a wonderful department that has great faculty and students. I'm grateful to work with an enjoyable staff because the laughter and the camaraderie that we have as a team is the best!”

The Employee of the Year Award is presented annually to College of Arts and Sciences staff in recognition and appreciation of exceptional job performance. All A&S classified and university staff may be nominated for this award, excluding current members of the Arts and Sciences Dean’s Staff Advisory Committee (SAC).

Nominations are accepted from fellow staff, faculty or students who have firsthand knowledge of the nominee's performance. The award comes with $1,500.

Learn more

For information on how to nominate someone for the award, and to see the previous winners, see this page on the Staff Advisory Committee site.

Winners, who were nominated by colleagues, express humility and gratitude.

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Street art portrays Denver’s Chicana/o culture

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Aug 2020 19:11:29 +0000

Street art portrays Denver’s Chicana/o culture Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/26/2020 - 13:11

Allyson Burbeck has long been interested in graffiti and street art.

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Addison Scholarship winner says award comes at just the right time

Anonymous — Thu, 21 May 2020 16:22:19 +0000

Addison Scholarship winner says award comes at just the right time Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/21/2020 - 10:22

Tim Grassley

For Raven Hopgood, an incoming art practices major, the award validates her dedication to pursuing the arts

When Raven Hopgood answered her phone and heard she won a scholarship that covers all of the University of Colorado Boulder’s tuition to study art and art history, she worried it was a prank call.

“I almost didn't pick up, because I've been getting so many spam calls recently. I think I just wanted a distraction from math homework. And, at first, I thought it was a total prank call. I was like, ‘No way. This can't be real. Who is this?’”

Raven Hopgood

The caller was Jeanne Quinn, chair of the Department of Art and Art History in the College of Arts and Sciences, who delivered the news that Hopgood had won the prestigious Addison Scholarship. Only one award is given each year to a high-achieving student who wants to study the arts and is from rural or underserved communities in Colorado.

“I felt like I was calling someone to let them know they had won the lottery,” says Quinn. “At first, I think she didn’t quite believe me, and then she was over the moon.”

To be considered for the award, applicants must be admitted to CU Boulder, demonstrate financial need, have attended a rural school district as defined by Colorado, and show interest or talent for visual art. Quinn, who was a part of the selection committee, says Hopgood distinguished herself, particularly through her thoughtful reflections.

“Her application essays showed the ability to see the world from multiple points of view,” says Quinn. “She demonstrated empathy and the ability to understand the complexity of issues. Also, she created the festival introduction for the Mountainfilm festival in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020, which showed her skill and dedication to creative work.”

The scholarship was founded by Mark (Geog'60) and Polly Addison (Art'58), who are long-time supporters of CU Boulder’s Department of Art and Art History and avid art collectors. For years, they opened their home to faculty and students interested in seeing their collection. Although they retired and moved away from Boulder, they remain involved with the department.

“Mark is passionate about creating opportunities for all kinds of students to come to CU and study art,” says Quinn. “He is especially passionate about supporting students from rural Colorado, and wants students from all kinds of backgrounds to be able to devote themselves, in their studies and in their work life, to the work of creating and studying art.”

Hopgood appreciates CU Boulder’s attention to rural communities through the Addison Award.

“A lot of times rural communities are understandably overlooked, because we’re small and we’re way out there,” says Hopgood. “When I heard it was a scholarship for rural students, that was really cool to me because it showed that people are reaching out to those smaller communities.”

Hopgood spent her childhood in Telluride, Colorado, and her family moved to nearby Ridgway before she started high school. The nearby wilderness in the San Juan Mountains inspires her art, and she says she was fortunate to be in supportive artistic towns that host music, art and film festivals.

“The whole community here is a pretty artistic one,” says Hopgood. “There was a new coffee shop that opened up, and (the owner) reached out. I painted a mural on the inside of the door there. I have a friend that makes music and I did his speakers.”

When Hopgood began exploring universities, CU Boulder was a top choice. Despite being accepted to all six of the universities to which she applied, she felt confident in her choice to enroll at CU Boulder for the community’s love of the outdoors.

She was less certain, though, about her choice of an art major.

I felt like I was calling someone to let them know they had won the lottery"

“In this time when the market’s crashing and no one knows what’s going to happen with the economy, I was kind of stressing,” says Hopgood. “Is art a smart choice right now? It's hands-down what I want to do and what I love. But I was wishy-washy and thought, I don't know, maybe a business major? But then I got this.”

For Hopgood, the Addison Scholarship validated her desire to strengthen her ability as an artist. She now plans to pursue an art practices major, and hopes to earn a bachelor of fine arts.

“It was cool to feel like my hard work throughout high school paid off,” she says. “Probably one of the greatest gifts in this time is debt-free higher education. This is definitely a push forward to absolutely do art and dive into it.”

Hopgood is eager for her classes to begin this fall. She hopes her semester will have opportunities to learn from CU Boulder’s faculty, take art-history classes, and soak up as much as she can about her craft. She is grateful to the couple who helped make her pursuit of art possible.

“I want to say thank you to Mark and Polly Addison. I researched them and what they do for the art community and found out that they’re such cool people.”

“I hope I get to meet them.”

For Raven Hopgood, an incoming art practices major, the award validates her dedication to pursuing the arts.

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Annual CU Boulder exhibition celebrates student art online

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 18:55:41 +0000

Annual CU Boulder exhibition celebrates student art online Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/14/2020 - 12:55

Clint Talbott

COVID-19 cancels in-person exhibition, but art and art history department strives to showcase student art

As global pandemics and public art exhibitions are not terribly compatible, last week, the Department of Art and Art History Department at the University of Colorado Boulder launched its annual King Exhibition online instead of in a gallery.

The digital exhibit, which is the department’s yearly opportunity to celebrate student work, features artwork made by more than 60 undergraduate and graduate students.

Curated by art and art history graduate students and juried by invited art professionals, scholarships are awarded based on quality of work to three undergraduate and three graduate students. The event is funded by CU Boulder alumni Kevin King and Meridee Moore.

Jeanne Quinn, professor of ceramics and chair of the department, said the King Exhibition is typically a peak point of the year.

“It’s a chance to celebrate all of the fantastic student work that is being done, and fill our building with great art in all media,” Quinn said, adding that the department holds the event during the Conference on World Affairs to encourage visitors on campus for the conference to take in art as well.

The King family has supported the event and its scholarships for almost a decade.

“They are passionate about art and supporting young artists, and their energy and enthusiasm are contagious to us all,” Quinn said, adding:

We are all so disappointed not to be able to meet in person for this celebration, but our student curators and staff, primarily Kirsten Stoltz (coordinator of the Visiting Artist and Scholar Program), worked incredibly hard to get all of the work online in a way that made it a pleasure to view.”

Avery Glassman, a CU Boulder student pursuing both a master’s degree in art history and a Master’s of Business Administration, is one of the student curators. She said she is eager to provide artists with as many high-quality exhibition opportunities as before the COVID-19 outbreak.

Glassman said there are pros and cons to an online exhibition: “Nothing compares to exhibiting in a physical space where viewers can have their own experience with the work. At the same time, hosting the exhibition online means the audience is potentially much wider than it would be otherwise.”

She noted that much of the work in this year's King Exhibition is intensely personal, whether exploring family separation and shared sentiment, the body's limitations or memories that are hard to ignore.

“With this in mind, perhaps viewing these works from our own intimate spaces is more appropriate than the public space of the gallery,” Glassman said. “When we absorb the images from the couch, bed or kitchen table, the work's private world enters ours, underscoring the connective possibilities that exist even in isolation.”

This year’s scholarship awards were announced last week, and the winners are as follows: Alejandra Abad, Laura Conway and Mikey Yates won graduate scholarships, and Grace Groves, Sara St. Clair and Aidan Welby won undergraduate scholarships.

The 2020 King Exhibition jurors included: Michael Chavez, public art program manager, City and County of Denver; Gabrielle Schuller, senior architect, City and County of Denver; and John Spiak, director or chief curator, California State University Fullerton’s Grand Central Art Center.

The graduate-student exhibition curators included Cali Banks, Glassman, Allison Lemon and Jerryan Ramos Hernandez.

COVID-19 cancels in-person exhibition, but art and art history department strives to showcase student art

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A place for ‘Los Seis’

Anonymous — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 17:44:26 +0000

A place for ‘Los Seis’ Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/19/2019 - 11:44

Clay Bonnyman Evans

CU Boulder grad student, community members, survivors, create mosaic to memorialize Chicano activists killed in 1974

In the span of less than 48 hours in May 1974, the city of Boulder was shattered when six Chicano activists were killed in two horrific car bombings.

On May 27 at Chautauqua Park, a ferocious explosion rattled windows miles away and left remains of three activists—University of Colorado Boulder law school graduate Reyes Martinez, 26; former Ignacio homecoming queen and CU junior Neva Romero, 21; and Una Jaakola, a double major graduate of CU Boulder—scattered over a huge swath of the normally bucolic park.

Jasmine Baetz talks to CU Science Discovery campers about one of the mosaic portraits. Photo by Lisa Schwartz, CU Boulder. At top of the page, community members piece together a mosaic of Neva Romero, one of Los Seis, now memorialized in sculptures on CU Boulder's campus. Photo by Lauren Click.

Two days later, a second bomb ripped through a parking lot at a fast-food restaurant on 28th Street, instantly killing CU Boulder alumni Florencio Granado, 31, Heriberto Teran, 24, and Francisco Dougherty, 20, who planned to transfer to the school in the fall. A fourth man, Antonio Alcantar, was seriously injured and later lost his leg to amputation.

Nearly a half-century later, the deaths of “Los Seis de Boulder” remain unsolved. And, except for a 1987 mural in the University Memorial Center — later removed — and a small plaque buried deep in Boulder Canyon, the victims have not been memorialized on campus or in town.

Until July. That’s when a large, freestanding ceramic mosaic memorializing Los Seis was unveiled in front of Temporary Building No. 1, adjacent to Sewall Hall, the result of a two-year creative process led by MFA ceramics student Jasmine Baetz and involving the hands of hundreds of students, faculty, staff, community members and family members of Los Seis.

“I’m interested in what we often call ‘socially engaged art.’ There are lots of good intentions that don’t necessarily contribute to tangible change, and sometimes even do damage,” Baetz says. “So I’ve tried as much as possible to anticipate and center on impact rather than intention.”

Learning the tools of community-engaged research

Baetz, from Ontario, Canada, arrived at CU Boulder in 2017. She had never heard of Los Seis until she saw the documentary, “Symbols of Resistance: Martyrs of the Chican@ Movement in Colorado,” on campus that fall.

“I couldn’t believe this happened here; six students died, and they weren’t memorialized on campus,” Baetz says. “I compare it to Kent State (Ohio, in 1970) where students, both activists and bystanders, were killed, and are widely remembered and memorialized.”

She wanted to change that, but believed that any project would have more meaning if it included participation by the broader community. For the first year, she set the groundwork for the project, engaging in extensive research in the archives of the University Libraries. Then she worked with campus, community and family members, and UMAS—United Mexican American Students—and MEXA, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán, to create the 6-foot-tall sculpture, with its 4-by-7-foot footprint.

During the process, Baetz was an Engaged Arts and Humanities Student Scholar, a program run by Lisa Schwartz, community outreach program manager for the Office for Outreach and Engagement. The program teaches students how to use the tools of their academic discipline to develop community-engaged projects.

“The most important thing about the project is that it was done with the community,” Baetz says. “I struggle with what word to use to describe my role … but I tried to set up conditions so other people could create the work.”

Creating community through a memorial

It was a complex process requiring careful attention and coordination. Clay had to be rolled out, pieces cut, and corners smoothed by human hands before being placed in a kiln for firing. Each fired piece then had to be glazed and re-fired. Pieces were laid out on printouts of portraits of Los Seis and some were repositioned dozens of times.

I couldn’t believe this happened here; six students died, and they weren’t memorialized on campus. I compare it to Kent State (Ohio, in 1970) where students, both activists and bystanders, were killed, and are widely remembered and memorialized.”

Even the overall design was a collaborative process. On some days, 50 or more members of the community were working full days, side by side, in the ceramics studio.

“Jasmine wasn’t just saying she wanted community involvement; she really created community,” says participant Michelle Jaakola Steinwand, 71, of Boulder, sister of Los Seis victim Una Jaakola. “Jasmine has even facilitated the (survivor) families being in touch. … The whole experience was magical, part of a bigger healing and connecting.”

Baetz and those she has worked with feel strongly that the installation should be made permanent in its now-temporary location: in front of the building that Chicano activists occupied for nearly three weeks in May 1974 to protest the administration’s restructuring of programs and revoking financial aid to students who had come to campus through the United Mexican American Student Program and Migrant Action Program. Members of Los Seis participated in the occupation, and Romero was last seen waiting outside the building just prior to being picked up for her fatal ride to Chautauqua.

After working for two years and making a case for the importance of the sculpture to the Public Art Committee, Baetz secured a six-month temporary installation for the piece.

“The people I encountered have been supportive and really feel this is an important thing to have on campus,” she says. “Installing a permanent sculpture on campus can be difficult, but I am confident that our community values how the sculpture provides space for including and respecting the histories of all CU Boulder students.”

Providing a place of healing

Baetz acknowledges that there is sensitivity, even controversy, about the tragedy of Los Seis.

Police and FBI agents investigating the crimes claimed that the activists were building bombs as the next step in months of rising tension between the university and Chicano activists. However, a grand jury investigation later found insufficient evidence to file charges against Alcantar, the only survivor.

Many friends, family and community members found it implausible that six previously peaceful student activists would suddenly turn to terrorism and that all were killed in two nearly identical, but separate, bomb “accidents.” Critics said the crime scene was contaminated and the truncated investigation was botched. Some speculated that the six were targeted as part of the U.S. government’s notorious Counter Intelligence Program, or COINTELPRO, which conducted sometimes illegal covert operations against activist groups in the 1960s and ‘70s, though no evidence has ever surfaced to support that theory.

If you go

What: Dedication of mosaic memorial to “Los Seis de Boulder”
When: Friday, Sept. 6, 2-8 p.m.
Where: Various locations, CU Boulder campus
Details: Events include dedication at sculpture, exhibition at the CU Boulder Visual Arts Complex, dinner and a screening of the documentary, “Symbols of Resistance: Martyrs of the Chicano Movement in Colorado”
Tickets: Free and open to the public.
Information: los6bouldersculptureproject@gmail.com

“It’s never been crystal clear to me, one way or the other,” says Steinwand, sister of one of the bombing victims. But, she adds, “Two accidental bombings? (The law enforcement case) falls apart at that point for most logical people.”

For Baetz, the lack of resolution in no way diminishes the lives and deaths of Los Seis.

“These were students, activists, people,” she says. “It’s important to both remember the contributions they made to this campus and that they were people who were loved by their families and communities.”

In addition, she believes memorializing Los Seis fits with the more enlightened ethics of 2019 and honestly reckons with a difficult, but critical, historical moment.

“CU Boulder was an important site of student activism in the 1960s and ‘70s, and holds the legacy of Los Seis de Boulder, but you wouldn’t glean this from its built space,” she says. “Literal and symbolic space must be established for minoritized students, communities, and histories on campus for an equitable future.”

For Steinwand, the fact that there is a physical place memorializing her sister has helped her to re-establish their “heartfelt connection.”

“My sister was cremated, her ashes scattered. This gives me a place to go, and it will have different meaning for different people,” she says. “To educate and celebrate, create a space that’s really significant to this story, that’s part of what Jasmine is trying to do.”

CU Boulder grad student, community members, survivors, create mosaic to memorialize Chicano activists killed in 1974.

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From line cook to violin maker, artist’s early roles prepped her for newest

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Aug 2019 20:14:25 +0000

From line cook to violin maker, artist’s early roles prepped her for newest Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/14/2019 - 14:14

Marysia Lopez

Meet Jeanne Quinn, the newly appointed chair of CU Boulder’s Department of Art & Art History

From working as a line cook to apprenticing with a violin maker, University of Colorado Boulder ceramics Professor Jeanne Quinn has never followed a straight path but is thrilled to draw upon her diverse experiences as the Department of Art & Art History’s newly appointed chair.

Today, Quinn is an accomplished ceramicist working with large scale installations whose work has been exhibited in major international museums. But as a young person, the artist felt compelled to explore many different forms of art including dance, music and cooking.

Jeanne Quinn

“In the long run, it all helped me—no doubt,” says Quinn.

While at Oberlin College for her undergraduate degree, Quinn studied art history and Baroque music. Unsure of how to combine these two passions but open to new opportunities, she went on to apprentice with a violin maker in Italy and then moved to Boston to make flutes.

It was while living in Boston that Quinn, who had no formal training as an artist, took a community ceramics class. Quinn quickly realized her passion for ceramics; it allowed her to combine her desire to create objects with her love of the visual arts.

A Thousand Tiny Deaths, 2009. Photo courtesy of Jeanne Quinn.

When Quinn’s teacher suggested she attend CU Boulder’s ceramics program, she was initially skeptical. Colorado was a mystery to Quinn then, but she soon realized that many spoke highly of the program at CU Boulder. With enough money saved up for one year and little idea of what lay ahead, Quinn applied to CU as a transfer BFA student and moved to Boulder.

Here, Quinn’s hobby quickly turned into a promising career as a working artist. She happily fell under the mentorship of Betty Woodman, a major contemporary ceramicist and CU Boulder professor. After three semesters of hard work in the ceramics program, Quinn was accepted into the University of Washington’s MFA program. Not long after graduating, she jumped at the chance to accept an instructor position at CU in 1997.

“It’s been amazing to get to build on that history and reputation we have in ceramics at CU,” says Quinn.

After serving as associate chair for several years, she feels prepared to take on her role as chair, though Quinn admits some aspects are less exciting than others.

“It’s not my natural habitat to sit in front of the computer and look at spreadsheets,” she says, laughing. But Quinn took on the role because she connects with other, arguably more important, parts of the job. It’s the creative, problem-solving aspect of the role—that will allow her to define the department’s values, listen to her colleagues’ ideas, and create a cohesive community—that compel her. Quinn is excited to help create change, and she already has ideas.

“I feel like our department is behind the times in terms of… digital design and fabrication,” says Quinn.

Quinn is referring to the processes that combine 3D modeling or computer design with manufacturing. She says that while the department has fantastic tools and facilities for this, they have no curriculum in place to support the students’ use of these tools. Quinn believes that the ability to effectively use these skills would be an advantage not just to fine art students, but to other students on campus.

When the department recently opened up its classes to non-majors, to encourage interest in fine art courses, Quinn was delighted to find engineering students in her Beginning Wheelthrowing class.

They were excited to create something without getting bogged down by the heavy theories that featured so prominently in their engineering courses. It was because of this that Quinn started to see a real connection between two majors often seen as being on opposite ends of the spectrum—fine art and engineering.

Quinn’s ability to bring seemingly unlikely things together and find their connection is perhaps her greatest strength. Just as the artist went from making single ceramic objects to creating large-scale installations in which pieces interact with each other, Quinn is also able to do this in her role as chair.

Reflecting on what got her to this point in her career, Quinn reminisces fondly about the many endeavors she’s dabbled in, including music, cooking and instrument making. She doesn’t see any of these ventures as detours, but rather as enriching experiences that helped inform her current role as artist and administrator.

Because of her varied experience, she feels prepared to take on this multifaceted role and says she is eager to build upon the Department of Art and Art History’s already rich history.

Meet Jeanne Quinn, the newly appointed chair of CU Boulder’s Department of Art & Art History.

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