For the first time in nearly a decade, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center has reinstalled its permanent collection.
The new exhibition, "Gathering Place," invites visitors to experience the region’s history, cultures and landscapes through a fresh lens, one rooted in southern Colorado but still in the context of American art.
The first gallery features a cedar-plank platform built by the museum’s fabrication team. Beneath a glass case at the center are moccasins by Ute artist Debra Box. Guest curator Josh T Franco said their placement was deliberate.
“We wanted to suggest Native bodies in the room,” he said. “These aren’t simply objects that are kind of museum objects that go in a case, but they are installed in this unique kind of unusual way so that you’re experiencing, you have to orient yourself around her.”
Paintings and photographs of familiar landscapes, including Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak, surround the platform. But not every work is local.
A 1929 painting by modernist Arthur Dove entered the collection through East Coast patrons. To tie the piece to Colorado, the curatorial team collected clay from the region and used it to pigment the gallery walls.
“It was a moment of inspiration, and it worked out,” Franco said. “So even though Dove has very little to do with Colorado … he’s surrounded by actual earth from here.”
Each of the four connected galleries reflects a different perspective.
Art historian and artist James Córdova curated a space highlighting Hispano art and Santos, statues of Roman Catholic religious figures. Longtime FAC scholar Pat Musick focused on the institution’s history, incorporating archival films and weaving practices. Another gallery, led by the center’s staff, emphasizes contemporary art in a range of mediums, including sculpture, film and cyanotypes.
Throughout the exhibition, visitors find ample seating — a deliberate choice. Franco said the team wanted to encourage people to spend more time with the art.
“Not everybody can or wants to stand for 20 minutes in front of a painting, but if you have this nice upholstered soft seat … you might sit for 20 minutes to look at the Dove.”
The exhibition also connects past and present.
One gallery includes a watercolor of modern dance icon Martha Graham, who performed at the Center’s 1936 opening. Nearly a century later, Franco marked the reopening with his own performance piece.
“Martha Graham opened it. I reopened it,” he said. “I’m going to brag about that for the rest of my life.”
Franco joined the curatorial team without any prior ties to Colorado. He said being an outsider brought value.
“I had no assumptions about this place. I knew nothing,” he said. “I saw that play out, and I hope that was valuable. I hope my colleagues would agree that I asked questions that none of them would’ve asked.”
At the entrance, visitors are greeted by a purple Ute ribbon dress belonging to co-curator Cassandra Atencio. Franco described it as a powerful act of agency — a Native curator choosing how and why to display such a personal garment.
“It’s just a very special thing,” Franco said. “From a museum studies perspective, it’s a really powerful moment to see this dress greet you when you come in.”
Gathering Place is open now at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College.
Editor's Note: The Fine Arts Center is operated by Colorado College, which owns KRCC's license but has no editorial influence.
