The Campus Collection

Mission  The Colorado College Campus Collection supports and contributes to the College’s commitment to educational excellence in the visual arts. The primary mission of the Campus Collection is to administer, preserve, collect, and exhibit quality works of art and objects for the benefit of the campus. Supporting teaching and learning are the top priority for the collection, including providing access to works of art for the campus community; as well, the Campus Collection supports exhibitions, projects, and programs that engage the College and Colorado Springs community. 

Goals  Campus Collection projects (such as the Art Loan Program) draw from Colorado College’s broad and vibrant engagement with the arts, which is not often evident in our campus settings. We believe our visual environment on campus can better represent the diversity of our community’s values and goals.

Acknowledgements  This program leverages the existing resource of the Campus Collection in collaboration with facilitators and supporters across campus (faculty in Museum Studies, staff in Residential Life and Student Life, departments including the President’s Office, the Art department, the FAC Museum, Creativity & Innovation, and Tutt Library).

Campus Collection FAQ

CC’s Campus Collection is a group of about 600 objects, primarily paintings and works on paper. The Campus Collection is comprised of works donated by the CC community (students, donors, friends, parents, community members, etc.) since about 1970. About 100 objects are currently on display across campus. The rest are stored in a dedicated climate-controlled (but non-accessible) space in the attic of Palmer Hall. 

This year's interns are: 

Jeremy Cashion 

Sophia Hartt

Skye Eddy

Rio Shattuck

Vivienne Diggs

Nick Thomas

Kira Smith

The Colorado College Campus Collection has moved through a number of different iterations and identities. Early collecting projects were quite ambitious: the Natural History Museum, originally located in Palmer Hall, contained thousands of specimens, sherds, geological examples, and other items (including a 58’ fin whale skeleton). This museum was dispersed in the 1970s, with objects going to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science (the fin whale hangs in their main foyer), the Fine Arts Center, and other institutions. In the same time frame, the Southwest collection, a group of important vessels and pots from primarily Pueblo origins, was put on long term storage at the Fine Arts Center (where it remains).
The Art Loan Program is a new project that offers students, staff, and faculty the ability to interact and live with art. As well, Campus Collection interns will start adding to the collection through accessioning new works of art. We will be working with local, regional, student, and alum artists to diversify and strengthen the collection. Check back for updates!

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Report an issue - Last updated: 02/28/2024