Art students have been able to display their work in the Capps Capozzolo Student Art Gallery for the past 70 years. Photo by Daniel Potter.

For the past 70 years, students at Colorado State University-Pueblo and the surrounding community have been able to view student artwork in the Capps Capozzolo Student Art Gallery. Within it, generations of students have displayed talent in painting, photography, ceramics, graphic design and drawing.

CSU-Pueblo has two galleries for the students to use. The CSU-Pueblo Fine Art Gallery and Capps Capozzolo Student Art Gallery are two of the most important parts of the art department, and its effort to encourage students creatively has been visible in student work.

The Fine Art Gallery is a always open to the public, featuring 6 to 8 pieces of artwork with a wide range of themes. Educational values and cultural significance play major roles in most of the art.

The gallery offers annual events where prominent people in the art world make appearances and offer insight. This includes annual panel discussions with scholars and art historians and international exhibits, among other events.

Not only is the gallery a place to see pieces of student art, but it also presents students with creative opportunities.

They have the opportunity to learn exhibition protocol and procedure. Internships with museums, galleries and art centers also become available to students.

Students also have a chance to show off their work in the annual spring art show.

Separated from The Fine Art Gallery is the Capps Capozzolo Student Art Gallery. This gallery is located in the heart of the art department, conveniently close to almost every art class. It offers rotating shows including one, two and three person shows of student work.

Mainly for art shows and presentations, students have the opportunity to see art pieces from a wide range of art students.

Art been one of the most successful programs at CSU-Pueblo throughout the years, and its galleries have thrived.

The Capps Capozzolo Academic Center for the Arts is located in the lower lobby of Hoag Hall.

Courtesy of cleoparkerdance.org/

The word “dance” makes many people think of beautiful tutus or pink point shoes. Some think of breakdancing or salsa or one of a number of dance forms.

Dance is one of the most universally understood forms of art in the world. Some cultures even use it as a way to express feelings about different issues, sort of like a language.

The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, who recently performed at Colorado State University-Pueblo, used forms of dance and movement as way to celebrate and teach their audience about Black History Month and important issues in the Black community.

According to its website, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is a Denver-based cultural arts institution that has been around since the 1970s. Its programs bring together a myriad of people from every gender, race, age and ethnicity to form a cross-cultural community through artistic dance. They are one of the largest arts institutions in the Rocky Mountain region.

The CPRDE show at CSU-Pueblo began with a performer’s voice, describing to the audience what the theme of the show would be, as well as some of his own points of view.  He described how talking to prominent people in the Black community, such as political activist Angela Davis and Malcolm X’s wife Betty Shabazz, impacted him profoundly.

Following his introduction the four performers proceeded to dance a beautiful mixture of ballet, modern and hip-hop dance styles. The performers also incorporated spoken-word ballads into their choreography.

One of the performers, Chris Page, explained how important he felt the art piece was.

“This is a piece that needs to be shown right now,” Page said. “Especially with all that’s going on with America’s political system and justice system, there’s a lot that’s going on. There’s a lot of change and a lot of movement that’s happening. It seems like the way we presented this piece is very timely for what’s going on in America and all over the world.”

The dancers performed their movements while passionately speaking their ballads about issues such as civil rights. There was a large projector in the background displaying prominent historical images that are important to the Black community.

Senior Cole Gilmore said he thought the over-all message of the show was very positive.

“I thought the show was good. It was very appropriate for Black History Month. It was not only entertaining but informative, and the message was powerful,” Gilmore said. “I would definitely enjoy seeing the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Troupe again at some point.”

The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble performs all over the world and those interested in their work can visit their website at www.cleoparkerdance.org.

Photo courtesy of Second City Hits Home

If you happened to hear laughter coming from Hoag Hall Thursday night, you were probably hearing the sounds of the Second City Hits Home group as they performed hilarious sketches for comedy fans from CSU-Pueblo and the community.

The Second City has been in the business of making people laugh for more than 50 years, specializing in improv and sketch comedy. The six comedians who made up the Hits Home team put together a live sketch comedy show with everything from short two-liners to lengthy skits.

Keeping true to the classic Second City style of comedy they are known for, the show was filled with relevant, clever and racy humor. Some in the audience remarked that the show was similar to Saturday Night Live, which is understandable considering many SNL stars got their start with Second City in Chicago.

“I thought it was really funny, and it reminded me of SNL. I like how they incorporated things from Pueblo into their acts,” said Ashley Smith, a psychology major at CSU-Pueblo.

The six performers, Lisa Barber, Jo Feldman, Julie Marchiano, Chucho Perez, Nick Rees and Adam Shrek were experts at inducing laughter and getting their audience involved.

One lucky student named Derek was brought onstage to meet his boyfriends’ parents for the first time. Another skit saw the group create an extensive song about audience member’s name.

To incorporate Pueblo, which each comedian pronounced “Pueeblo,” into the show, they set sketches at local places like the River Walk, the Pueblo Reservoir and even Adolfo’s. At one point, the actors had the crowd cheering on the CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves.

Other memorable sketches included a set of embarrassing parents and their teenage daughter, and a romance between a woman and a robot.

“The skit about American families in different time periods was probably my favorite,” Smith said. “I heard a lot of Second City actors go on to SNL when they performed here last year. I think that’s really cool.”

The Second City has several tour groups that visit college campuses, and CSU-Pueblo has been a scheduled stop for several years. The Second City website at  www.secondcity.com offers more information about improv, Second City comedy workshops, and touring schedules.

Colorado State University-Pueblo recently welcomed students to show their art in the annual student art exhibition on campus.

Mike Womack, the Professor of Painting and Drawing at CU Boulder, chose art from various students to be in the show.

A variety of media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, photography and digital art were on display. Without a uniform theme, the pieces ranged from wooden sculptures of fish to colorful paintings of aliens.

“It really amazed me how much talent the students at this school have. I wasn’t aware of all the good artists that go to CSU-Pueblo,” said Cole Gilmore, a junior at CSU-Pueblo.

“I really loved the show, even though I don’t usually go to art shows. My favorite piece was the one by Barrett Skul. He painted four really freaky looking alien people. It was all really creative,” he said.

The pieces were judged and the winner received the coveted “Best of Show” title. First, second and third place received cash prizes.

“If I was judging that show it would have been so hard for me to pick a winner. Literally every piece amazed me. I’m just glad I got to observe rather than judge,” said art show attendee Jana Mitskevych.

The show takes place every year in The Fine Art Gallery, located in the Art and Music Building, Hoag Hall in the Capps Cappozzollo Academic Center for the Arts on the CSU-Pueblo campus.

RMPBS hosts Matchwits
Photo courtesy of Dustin Cox

MatchWits, a game show style competition for high school students, has been bringing schools throughout Colorado together for years to compete on TV.

The program is produced by Rocky Mountain PBS on campus at CSU-Pueblo.

This competition, which is in its 30th season, invited schools from all over the state to compete for the second time.

There are three different rounds to the quiz show including a championship round, where prizes can be won.

Rounds include toss-up questions, which allow individual players to answer for their school and speed round questions where each school works as a team to answer as many questions as possible in a short period of time.

Students have the opportunity to share their knowledge of subjects including English, history, geography, science, current events and math.

Some competitors and their families stayed at and explored CSU-Pueblo’s campus during the competition.

Scott Jones, Rocky Mountain PBS producer and director and professor at CSU-Pueblo, explained that the competition started in 1977.

Although the show has not been on air for 30 consecutive years, it has always had roots at CSU-Pueblo.

“The university has been a part of the show since the very beginning,” Jones said.

CSU-Pueblo welcomed the newest opportunity to host this competition not only because it is a way to promote to the school, but also because it gives CSU-Pueblo the chance to show other schools and the community the resources it has available.

One reason CSU-Pueblo is the top choice to host Matchwits is its unique broadcasting system. CSU-Pueblo is the only university in the state that has a full broadcasting station on campus, making it an easy choice for a game show like Matchwits.

Matchwits airs on Sunday, Jan. 4. It will air for 15 weeks at 6:30 p.m. from January to the middle of April, as well as online at rmbs.org.

Photo by Jodi Schlosberg

Here in Colorado, ski and snowboard season is one of the most exciting times of the year. As soon as the news spreads of the first resort’s opening day, the excitement is almost palpable throughout the state. Here in Pueblo, students at CSU-Pueblo are no exception. They are among the many anxious skiers waiting to hit the slopes.

Because opening day at the resorts in Colorado is such a big deal, some resorts make opening an all-out festival.

Keystone Resort announced recently that its opening day is set for Friday, Nov. 7. The first chair will take skiers to the top of the mountain starting at 9 a.m., officially kicking off the resort’s 44th winter season.

While the cold weather athletes anxiously wait for 9 a.m. to roll around, there will be festivities and food to occupy them. According to Keystone’s website, skiers and riders will enjoy warm doughnut holes from Keystone’s renowned pastry chef Ned Archibald, as well as hot chocolate and coffee at the base of the River Run Gondola. There will also be a disc jockey, and prizes awarded to guests.

Like Keystone, Breckenridge Ski Resort will open Nov. 7. Breck ended their 51st year last spring with an extended season and huge powder days. The start of this season will kick off as Peak 8 opens with what locals call their “favorite day of the year.”

Since Pueblo is not necessarily known as a “ski town,” skiers and riders around the area must make the long trek to their favorite mountains for opening days. Waking up at the crack of dawn and driving a minimum of two hours is nothing unusual for the Pueblo skier or rider.

However, any skier or rider will tell you it is well worth it. CSU-Pueblo student and avid snowboarder Kenny Porter explained his thoughts on being a snowboarder, living in Pueblo and still getting the most out of the season.

“Living in Pueblo does make it kind of difficult to go snowboarding a lot because it is a long way away from any resorts. The closest one is Monarch, which is two hours away at least. Plus, going to school here makes it hard because I don’t have much time between that and my job,” Porter said.

Regardless of the challenges living in Pueblo may present, the excitement of the ride is always worth it for ski and ride enthusiasts. Porter explained that a large part of the thrill of snowboarding is the fact that it’s not easy and requires skill.

“The immense challenge of the sport makes it fun, and it’s even better when you have the possibility of hurting yourself when you mess up,” Porter said. “It’s something you can always get better at. And of course I like it because I’m good at it.”

This year’s ski and snowboard season is looking like it will be one of the best yet. With so many resorts already open and many more opening in the next few weeks, you will not want to miss the chance to hit the slopes in the snowy Colorado mountains.

Collage by Rick Hernandez

Oct. 31 is the beginning of Día de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead celebration, which is a traditional Mexican holiday that focuses on getting together with family and friends to pray and remember deceased loved ones.

According to Frances Ann Day, author of “Latina and Latino Voices in Literature,” Oct. 31 is All Hallows Eve. On this day, the children make a children’s altar to invite the angelitos, or spirits of dead children, to come back for a visit. Similarly, Nov. 1 is All Saints Day, when the adult spirits will come to visit. Nov. 2 is All Souls Day, when families go to the cemetery to decorate the graves and tombs of their relatives.

The three-day fiesta is filled with various symbols and decorations. These include marigolds, the flowers of the dead, pan de muerto or the bread of the dead, sugar skulls, cardboard skeletons, tissue paper decorations, fruit and nuts, incense and other traditional items.

Although it originated in Mexico, Day of the Dead is celebrated in various parts of the world. Each region, including Pueblo, has added its own flare to this holiday. CSU-Pueblo will celebrate this colorful holiday starting in November. On the morning of Nov. 3, students who have reserved a spot are invited to begin setting up the traditional three-tiered altars in the Occhiato University Center. They may decorate the altars however they like, to commemorate one person or a group.

According to the university’s Chicano Studies website, the most important thing to place on an altar is a photograph of the person or persons to whom the altar is dedicated. Other significant things to include are the symbolic colors: purple for pain, white for hope and pink for the celebration. Candles are also placed on the altar to light the way for the dead as they return.

If you are interested in viewing students’ altars and celebrating a traditional Dia de los Muertos, the festivities will be taking place Nov. 3. Swing by the OUC Great Hall from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. or 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to be a part of the celebration. The event is sponsored by the Diversity Resource Center.

To read more about the Day of the Dead celebration and Hispanic Heritage Month, visit the Chicano Studies page on the university website at chass.csupueblo.edu/CHICANOSTUDIES.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4

Get your pencils sharpened, Pueblo, because it’s time to vote. There are many important issues on the ballot this year, and with so many resources to help you cast your ballot, voting in Pueblo couldn’t be easier.

Voting has long been an important right in this country. If you are passionate about an issue, don’t like the way something is being run or just enjoy politics, voting is the gateway to change. In Pueblo, there are more than a few passionate voters trying to make a difference.

According to Rebecca Packard, a member of the Pueblo County Election Board, Pueblo is in good shape this voting season.

“Pueblo County has around 90,000 active, registered voters who were sent a ballot for the November election. Of course, not all of those people will choose to cast their vote. The Election Department is expecting a return of about 60,000 ballots for this election. It is always harder to get people interested in voting during a midterm election. People are much more excited to vote in presidential elections,” Packard said.

However, midterm elections should get people just as excited. With pressing issues such as Obamacare, birth control and the environment on the ballot, Pueblo residents should be first in line to vote.

“We have been working hard on getting our new programs, particularly ballot tracking, up and running. We would like to see more people sign up to track their ballots. This service is incredibly user-friendly and helps with voter security and peace of mind.” Packard said.

One easy way to take part in the voting process is to get involved with the election department through Pueblo Votes and the national program, “Get Out the Vote.”

Packard explained that Pueblo Votes is a non-partisan, community oriented “Get Out the Vote” program that is run by the election department. It focuses on registering new voters, informing and educating the public, and community outreach.

This election, Pueblo Votes has brought ballot tracking to Pueblo County. This innovative program works to track ballots through the mail system the same way you would track a package. Voters can watch their ballots and receive notifications about it every step of the process, from the time it is printed at the vendor, until it is received for processing back in the office. You can sign up for ballot tracking at any time on pueblovotes.com.

Pueblo Votes has been community oriented since its inception. With booths at almost every festival and CSU-Pueblo activity, Pueblo Votes has been promoting voting in the community. Officials have spoken at political party meetings and in college classrooms. The public is even invited to take tours of the downtown voter registration office to see the process in action.

Packard explained that the Pueblo County Election Department is a branch of the county clerk’s office that handles all election related business in Pueblo County. This includes registering new voters, updating voter info such as change of address, or cleaning up the voter rolls by removing deceased voters and voters who have moved out of state.

“We handle every step of the process, from registration and issuing ballots, all the way to verifying and counting the ballots.” Packard said.

Since the election is right around the corner, the voter service, polling centers and drop off locations are open so people can vote. More information, including locations and times can be found on the Pueblo Votes Facebook page, at pueblovotes.com or at county.pueblo.org.

Rocky Mountain PBS

This Sunday, art enthusiasts can get an inside look into the lives of CSU-Pueblo instructors and artists, Richard and Vicky Hansen, in a new documentary titled “Art in the Elements.”

Sam Ebersole, a professor at CSU-Pueblo, spent the last two years documenting and filming the lives of the Hansens. The half-hour documentary, “Art in the Elements,” features information on the couple’s artwork, their teaching and their environmentally conscious life in the country.

The Hansen’s live at the base of Pikes Peak in Penrose, Colorado, immersed in the land around them. The documentary explores their sustainable lives and their art, which is created out of clay, water, fire and stone.

“I thought it was great to do a documentary about some great people who have a very interesting lifestyle. In 30 minutes, I really try to capture that,” Ebersole said.

After Rich and Vicky graduated from the College of William & Mary in Virginia, they moved to Penrose. They were inspired by the adobe homes in various other locations and got to work constructing their own homemade living quarters. Being lovers and teachers of pottery and clay work, constructing this home seemed like an easy decision.

“In retrospect, I don’t know if we could or would do it now, but when we were 21, we thought we could do anything,” Vicky said about their ambitious project.

The documentary explains why the couple have been passionate about living ecologically friendly. Their home includes solar panels for energy, along with green water systems and compactors.

Although the couple drives 70 miles round trip to teach at CSU-Pueblo each day, they explained that you can’t be overly sensitive about your ecological footprint, but doing what you can to reduce it is important.

Ebersole said he knows the Hansens are very careful with their water usage. They are very insightful about what it means to live in Colorado, and they try to make a minimal impact all-around.

“Living like this has been a wonderful challenge and opportunity. We get to live in the country and have a wonderful, inspiring landscape and a great place to work,” Vicky said.

In the film, Vicky represents the elements of clay and fire, showcasing her many beautiful pots and ceramic works. The documentary also shows how some lucky students get to visit the Hansen’s extraordinary home and spend time firing pots in the couple’s kiln, something Vicky does with her ceramics classes each year.

Rich, representing the stone and water segments of the documentary, creates beautiful sculptures that blend running water with stones and rocks. He explained that he has a love for the beauty of the water and stone mixture. He said he is a lover of poetry, and creating these sculptures is another medium for him to express his poetic reflections.

Along the River Walk in Pueblo, Rich’s work can be seen in several benches and fountains that he has created.

The Hansen’s are excited to see the compilation of their achievements in Ebersole’s film. Vicky said, more than anything, they are grateful for everything he has done for them. She said Ebersole was very sensitive to their input in the story, and it has been a very humbling experience.

The couple said that the few shots of their dog, Haiku, and their cats are show stealers and are bound to get the viewers’ attention. Vicky’s brother also plays his harmonica throughout the film.

“Art in the Elements” will air this Sunday, Oct. 12, at 1 p.m. on Rocky Mountain PBS.

Photo courtesy of Paramount’s Laser Spectacular

Classic rock band Pink Floyd is notorious for combining some of the most difficult and well played rock music with their own brand of insane, mind-warping banter. Weird, genius and trippy, are just a few words that pop up when Pink Floyd fans are asked to describe the band.

Throw some lasers into the mix, and you have one of the most sought after shows in the country: “Paramount’s Laser Spectacular, featuring the music of Pink Floyd.”

This Friday, Memorial Hall, in downtown Pueblo, and Global Spectrum will be presenting the show, which has been touring the country for over 25 years. Pink Floyd fans in Pueblo are fortunate to have the opportunity to experience it, because it is the only stop for the production in Colorado.

The show will boast high definition video effects, 10,000 laser beams, and extraordinary sound. The music will be from two of Pink Floyd’s most popular albums, “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall.”

Each year, something brand new is added to the show, keeping it as surprising and fresh as the band’s music itself. And a pair of 3D glasses will be provided to each audience member, just in case they want to experience a more mind-altering view of the two and a half-hour show.

If you enjoy the music of Pink Floyd, surreal lasers or just escaping reality for a while, then “Paramount’s Laser Spectacular featuring the music of Pink Floyd” is not to be missed.

The show is rated “E” for everyone, and starts at 7 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Tickets are $32, or $35 if you buy them the day of the show.

Like the band said, “Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner and shine.” The show should be an event that music lovers in Pueblo will not soon forget.