The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College hosts a silent disco dance party underneath Buck Walsky\u2019s “Beach Front,” an interactive art installation featuring fiber optics and LED lights. Artist William \u201cBuck\u201d Walsky is a Colorado native and proud parent of a CC hockey alumnus. He has one piece on display in the FAC permanent collection, and continues to create works of art, including an installation for the Burning Man festival.<\/p>\n
Joy Armstrong, curator of modern and contemporary art at the FAC, says she was excited to see Walsky\u2019s art in the interactive experience of the Snow Ball. \u201cI\u2019ve long admired a sculptural work in the FAC permanent collection that is a large wood carving of a bird taking flight,\u201d she says. \u201cI was delighted to discover a few years ago that not only was he still making remarkable works of art, but that he had been commissioned by the Anchorage Art Museum to create a monumental installation for Burning Man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my greatest passions as a curator of contemporary art is to engage with living artists and help facilitate the creation of their dream projects, specifically ones that are site-specific, immersive, and\/or interactive,\u201d she says. \u201cWalsky\u2019s \u201cBeach Front\u201d was a perfect fit for the Fine Arts Center in all regards: a celebration of a regional artist, an exciting transformation of an unexpected and under-used location, and an opportunity for Walsky to re-envision his initial concept by tailoring it to the FAC and constructing it the way he had only dreamt of the first time around.\u201d<\/p>\n
Armstrong says the installation was a labor of love that involved many hands, generous donors of heavy equipment and specialized skills, and ultimately resulted in a \u201cmagical experience that we\u2019re honored to share with our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy aspiration is to create a piece that holds people\u2019s interest and continues to draw them back in, that defines a community, and is a public gathering space,\u201d Walsky has said about the \u201cBeach Front\u201d installation.<\/p>\n
The Anchorage Art Museum presented a silent disco with its installation, and Armstrong says that video was her first introduction to Walsky\u2019s piece. \u201cI was inspired to bring this unusual dance party to Colorado Springs and keep it tied to the installation. I love any opportunity to engage with art in new ways, and the Snow Ball is certain to be a one-in-a-million night, and one to remember.\u201d<\/p>\n