The center was founded by local philanthropist Alice Bemis Taylor in 1920 as the Broadmoor Art Academy. She initially planned to simply display her collection of Native American and Hispanic art in her home, Penrose Mansion, but this idea soon evolved into the academy. Several prominent artists taught there, including George Biddle, whose former&nbsp;classmate was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Biddle wrote to Roosevelt suggesting to include an arts program as part of the Works Progress Administration (the government-funded program that provided jobs to millions of Americans during the Great Depression).&nbsp; The evolution of the academy outgrew its space and it was clear that a new building was necessary. The collection at first mostly consisted of Taylor's Native American and Hispanic art but over time, especially during the 1950s, the museum acquired more art. The museum and the theater&nbsp;expanded and were renovated a few times in the coming decades. In 2007, the most recent of these efforts were completed.

The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center was established in 1920 by philanthropist Alice Bemis Taylor.

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The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is one of the state's premier art institutions. It features a museum, theater, and art school. The museum's permanent collection focuses primarily on Native American and Hispanic art, murals, and sculptures. Changing exhibitions explore other topics and often feature local artists. The building was constructed in 1936 and designed by John Gaw Meem, who blended together Native American (Pueblo and Navajo) elements with the Art Deco style, which was the prominent architectural style during the 1930s. The center was founded by local philanthropist Alice Bemis Taylor, who also donated funds to Colorado College and other organizations. The theater is well respected in Colorado and presents a variety of shows throughout the year. The school features art classes for people of all ages and offers credit to students at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Starting at Van Briggle Pottery, the walking tour heads through Colorado College campus to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.

Colorado Springs Art and Culture Walking Tour

Interestingly, Artus was an accomplished and widely acclaimed painter, receiving many awards including awards in Europe where he studied. However, towards the end of the 19th century, he started to dabble in pottery. It was during this time that he saw the Ming Dynasty pottery and also met Anne. Unfortunately, he contracted tuberculosis in 1903 or early 1904 (it is not clear precisely when) as he was closing in on the right formula to make the matte glaze. Despite being severely ill, he was able to achieve this before he died in 1904. He was also informed that his pottery won awards in the U.S. and Europe. Anne continued the business and won several awards herself, thereby cementing her skills as a master potter.&nbsp;

Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, the Van Briggle Pottery Company holds an important place in the development of American pottery. Founded by Artus and Anne Van Brittle in 1901, it was here that Artus, who was born in Ohio in 1869, was able to recreate the matte glaze he saw on Chinese Ming dynasty pottery while he was in Europe. This rediscovery, which had taken several years to develop, had a profound effect on American pottery and the Art Nouveau movement, which emphasized natural forms found nature. The Van Briggles (Anne was also an excellent artist) depicted animals, plants and human forms on their pottery, a large portion of which were decorative tiles. The building itself is very unique architecturally, combing elements of the Arts and Crafts movement with Flemish elements. This is not surprising since the architect, Nicolas van den Arend, was of Dutch descent. Today, the company is still active and producing pottery, maintaining the tradition that began more than a century ago.  

Van Briggle Pottery Company

This ignimbrite, a Colorado volcanic rock, &nbsp;structure was constructed in 1908 to offer the college's female students with safe living spaces with modern amenities, that were also scenes for social events. The hall was funded by the founder of Colorado Springs (who had helped with other buildings on campus), General William Palmer and Judson Bemis, a major manufacturer and local philanthropist. The latter's daughter, Alice, was also a benefactor of the college and was honored by having the hall named after her. The architect was Denver-based Maurice Biscoe.&nbsp; The hall is located in the residential&nbsp;quadrangle&nbsp;that faces the main quad. The hall sits near the&nbsp;Ticknor, McGregor, and Montgomery halls. All these buildings showcase the city's ties with New England and with&nbsp;prestigious&nbsp;British colleges such as Oxford and Cambridge.&nbsp; In the 1990s, the hall was restored and renovated through grants and funds given by the college and the&nbsp;Colorado Historical Fund. No longer a dorm, the hall is now used for social and&nbsp;educational&nbsp;events such as lectures, shows, conferences and lunches.&nbsp;

This 1908 women's dormitory was one of the first buildings constructed for Colorado Springs, Colorado College. This Tudor-Revival style building was made possible through significant contributions from General William Jackson Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs and Medal of Honor Recipient, and Judson Bemis, a major manufacturer who moved to the city in 1881. The hall bears the latter's name, as well as for his daughter, Alice, who was also a major benefactor of the college. The hall is now used to host lectures, conferences, lunches and shows. 

Bemis Hall (Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Major Henry McAllister donated land to the growing city&nbsp;for the construction of a building. Peabody and Sterns, an architectural organization in Boston, was hired to design the building. The&nbsp;High Victorian Gothic&nbsp;building was built between 1877 and 1880 and between 1881 and 1882 wings were added to the building.&nbsp;It look several years to complete the building, due to lack of funding.&nbsp;William Jackson Palmer, realizing the importance of the college to the new city, provided the funding necessary to complete construction of the building.&nbsp;It was the first college building, and was first called "the College" and included all the necessary rooms for the college: classrooms, library, combination auditorium and chapel, and a chemistry lab. The college also taught students for the affiliated Cutler Academy, a preparatory school.The school taught&nbsp;metallurgy&nbsp;and&nbsp;chemistry&nbsp;courses, such as&nbsp;assaying&nbsp;and&nbsp;blowpipe analysis, which attracted prospectors and miners to the school, such as&nbsp;Winfield Scott Stratton. It taught physics and other sciences, and was involved in early study of x-ray photography. Artus Van Briggle studied local clays and pottery, later founding the&nbsp;Van Briggle Pottery&nbsp;company.The building was named "Palmer Hall" in 1889 in honor of William Jackson Palmer's dedication to the college. Palmer funded the construction of a science building. The new building was named Palmer Hall, and the original college building was named Cutler Hall for philanthropist Henry Cutler who was a contributor to the college. Cutler Academy classes were held until 1914.The bell on top of the building was used to call students to classes, and students rang the bell after athletic victories. The bell was rung vigorously at the end of&nbsp;World War II&nbsp;by Marine students. It fell and was irreparably damaged. The Navy loaned a bell to the school from the World War II carrier, the&nbsp;U.S.S. Geneva.The hall was renovated in 1937 for college administrative offices, and&nbsp;geology&nbsp;classes were still conducted in the building. In 1966 college administrative offices moved to Armstrong Hall, and the Education Department moved its offices to Cutler Hall. The building was remodeled in 1972 and alumni affairs, public information, yearbook and college publication offices moved into the hall. College relations and development offices moved into the all in the 1980s.Colorado Historical Fund&nbsp;grants provided funds in the 1990s for restoration of the exterior and windows.&nbsp;The hall now has the financial aid and admissions offices.

The Cutler Hall is a Gothic library building on the Colorado College campus in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was the first building on the Colorado College campus, built between 1877 and 1880. Called "the College" it held all the offices, classrooms, a library, auditorium, and more for the burgeoning school. It is now used by the financial aid and admissions departments. The American Institute of Architects named Culter Hall as one of the top 20 buildings in the Pikes Peak Region.

Cutler Hall (Colorado Springs)

This sculpture was originally designed by prominent artist William Zorach as a monument to a Texas pioneers. His design was selected for a public monument on the Texas State College for Women campus in Denton to mark the centennial of the Texas Republic. Texas residents were outraged that the State Board of Control intended to place a nude family grouping on the campus of the state women's college. Some argued that the figures resembled apes. Others declared that nude sculpture did not belong on a women's college campus. In response to this public outcry, the state broke its contract with Zorach and replaced it with a more demure pioneer woman sculpted by Leo Friedlander.Zorach's design was later renamed "The Family" and cast in heroic size amid the avant-garde art movement of the 1960s for Columbia Savings bank. Castings were placed in a niche specially designed for it in the Mining Exchange Building in downtown Colorado Springs and another at the bank's Pueblo, Colorado, office. The work was featured prominently in Columbia Savings advertising in the late 1960s:<blockquote>“William Zorach sculpted this bronze Family to symbolize strength and unity … To us they [also] symbolize the idea upon which we have built our business. The idea is this: You should get something more than efficiency from a savings and loan association or a bank. … And while you may not save with us simply because of our antiques and art, you might because we make saving an art.”1</blockquote>Three decades after they were installed in Colorado Springs and Pueblo, Zorach’s statues were removed from the banks that had once so proudly displayed them. The sculpture from Colorado Springs' Mining Exchange Building was sold at auction. The sculpture that once stood in Pueblo was restored and now stands in front of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs.

Originally designed by William Zorach as a monument to a Texas pioneers to mark the centennial of the Texas Republic. Texas residents were outraged that the State Board of Control intended to place a nude family grouping on the campus of the state women's college. The state broke its contract with Zorach and replaced it with a more demure pioneer woman sculpted by Leo Friedlander. Zorach's design was later renamed "The Family" and cast in heroic size amid the avant-garde art movement of the 1960s for Columbia Savings bank. Castings were placed in a niche specially designed for it in the Mining Exchange Building in downtown Colorado Springs and another at the bank's Pueblo, Colorado, office. They were removed in the 1990s, and the Pueblo casting was restored and installed at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center.

Colorado Springs Art and Culture Walking Tour

Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information