See You There – New C U Art Museum

My "artist's date" last week was a little field trip into Boulder to see the new CU (University of Colorado) Art Museum. They've just finished a bizillion dollar remake of the Visual Arts Complex which includes a five story building devoted to studio art and art history, as well as the CU Art Museum.

Taking it's cue visually from the rest of the Colorado sandstone campus, it's quite handsome and strikingly modern. The studio arts building houses the departments of drawing and painting, ceramics, sculpture, woodworking and printmaking. The basement of this new wonder building houses the video and digital integrated arts department. Be still my beating heart. It's really a lot to take in. I wandered up to the building's dedication ceremony about a month ago and had a chance to work my way through each floor, peering into brand new teaching studios. I was high just from the thought of all the great art that will be generated there. I especially loved their print making studio. After my experience this summer, I'm sure I'll have some print making classes in my future.

 The museum has three spacious galleries, plenty of room for traveling exhibits and room to rotate their considerable collection of over 6,000 works of art. The collection was started in 1939 with a small group of art objects intended as a teaching resource. (Utagawa Ichlyuaal Hiroshige)

 "From ancient Greek ceramics to Pop Art paintings, the collection includes works in a variety of media from a diverse array of epochs and cultures, including Old Master works on paper, Southwest American and South American santos, southeast Asian and Iranian pottery, African sculpture, 18th century British engraving, 19th century photography, Japanese ukiyo-e, American prints of the 1930s and 1940s, minimalist works on paper, and contemporary sculpture, prints, photographs, and paintings." (Georges Innes)

 If you are in the area or visiting Boulder it's worth a trip to stop by and check it out. If you're in my age group or older, you'll feel about 100 years old walking among the whipper snappers, but it's a good reminder that age is just a state of mind. Admission is free and the museum is open M – F 10:00 – 5:00, T 10:00 to 7:00 and Saturday noon to 4:00. (Kate Breakey)