Our newsletter is dedicated to celebrating the people and practices that make up the vibrant world of art, architecture, design, and museum studies at CC—bringing together students, staff, faculty, alumni, and anyone who shares our enthusiasm for creative endeavors.
To our new students, welcome to the Department of Art, and for those who are returning, welcome back! We are excited to begin what promises to be an engaging and insightful school year. Did you create artwork over the summer? Participate in an exhibition? Conduct research? Have an event, project, or announcement coming up in Block 2? We want to hear from you! Email Cheri at carfsten@coloradocollege.edu.
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Confined Spaces brings together six book artists working within a shared framework of identical antique metal four-drawer compartments. The exhibition includes invited artists Ingrid Porter, Janet Reynolds, Sandy Rhodes, Susan Vaho, Rhiannon Alpers, and Amy Lund. Each artist created an altered sculptural book or series that inhabits this common structure.
Exhibition dates: August 7 – November 10, 2026.
Exhibition Location: Tutt Library, second floor
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Book Arts & the Environment Exhibition Opening
Friday, Sept. 4, from 4-6 p.m.
Fleming Gallery in Robson Arena on Tejon Street
Please join us for the opening of Book Arts & the Environment, featuring work created by eight students alongside instructors Jillian Sico and Charlotte Gabrielsen and guest artist Jocelyn Catterson of the San Luis Valley. Through book arts, the exhibition explores wetland ecology and the distinctive landscapes and ecosystems of the San Luis Valley.
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Block 1 Open House
Tuesday, September 15, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Packard Hall and Honnen Arts space
See the awesome work from Block 8!
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This summer, Ja’Toria Johnson ’27 and Alex Elwell ’27 embarked on journeys of artistic discovery as recipients of the 2026 Edith Kirsch Prize. Awarded annually to support independent travel-based study of art and architecture, the Kirsch Prize gives Colorado College students the opportunity to bring their curiosity beyond the classroom. Read on to explore their projects and adventures. All continuing CC students are encouraged to apply for the 2027 Kirsch Prize when the application period opens in spring 2027.
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Cologne Cathedral, Cologne, Germany
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“Being awarded the Edith Kirsch Prize, I had the opportunity to work on an independent art history project in England and Germany for two and a half weeks in June. My project was about the impact of Christianity on stained glass in cathedrals and the beautification of the church. I visited and toured several cathedrals, churches, and historic sites in both countries to be exposed to various kinds of stained glass, and understand the history behind them.
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From medieval to modern styles, and from drawing religious inspirations to political ones, each piece of stained glass told a story about the state of the church, highlighting the beauty of the people and the God they worship while painting a forever told story between God and man. Even a stained-glassless, modern, minimalistic cathedral can still hold the same awe invoking presence as an overwhelmingly beautiful cathedral filled with stained glass.” – Ja’Toria Johnson
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Alex Elwell at Belvedere Palace, Vienna
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“This past June, I was lucky enough to travel through Europe supported by the Edith Kirsch Prize. This grant allowed me to do research for my thesis, focusing on the turn-of-the-century (late 1800s, early 1900s) London, Vienna, and Paris, where and when a fascinating cultural response to women’s growing independence in a time marked by decadence and hedonism can be documented.
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In short, I am exploring the nascence of the Femme Fatale archetype. Reflecting the locations I am studying, I began my travels in London, before moving on to Vienna, and then, finally, Paris.
With this grant, I spent two weeks in more museums than I have ever been to and learned much more than I anticipated. Being in physical proximity to the pieces I have been studying and seeing how an exhibition or collection can be oriented taught me more than anything I could merely have read. I learned of many artists I had not heard of that curators put in the same exhibitions as the artists whose works I came to see. By visiting the cities where these pieces were painted, I felt the energy of the period in a singular way.” – Alex Elwell
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One of Friedman-Gerlicz’s clay 3D printed form in progress.
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Assistant Professor Camila Friedman-Gerlicz Attends Digital Clay Residency at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts
Assistant Professor Camila Friedman-Gerlicz recently participated in the Digital Clay Residency at the Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Edgecomb, Maine. The Watershed Center is a small arts organization that hosts themed, two-week residencies throughout the summer, bringing together artists from around the world to explore new ideas and approaches to making.The residency brought together 17 ceramic artists who were all interested in using technology to make work out of clay.
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Participants represented a wide range of geographic locations, artistic backgrounds, and career stages, which made for an environment of rich collaboration and conversation. During the residency, the artists transformed a traditional ceramics studio into a tech hub by incorporating over fifteen different 3D printers, plotters, scanners, and other Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines. Throughout the two weeks, Camila developed her own work while also observing, collaborating with, and learning from fellow artists. See more photos at the Wet Ink website.
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Sam Cornwall ’07
For anyone interested in photography, Sam Cornwall ’07 has created The Photo Glossary, a resource featuring more than 500 terms used on professional photography sets. Originally assembled several years ago, the glossary may be especially useful for art students and others interested in working in photography.
Explore The Photo Glossary or visit the Photo Glossary website.
Sam also recently completed a two-year project documenting and digitizing the stained-glass windows at Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The project makes these one-of-a-kind windows, which depict stories from the founding of the United States, accessible to researchers, students, and the public for the first time. View the details of the project at Sam’s website.
Detailed descriptions and historical notes are continuing to be added for each window, and a book is planned.
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M.G.B. Hurst ’25
With support from the Open Education Curriculum Development Grant, Rachel S. Jabaily, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Organismal Biology & Ecology, and M.G.B. Hurst ’25 collaborated to write and illustrate The Biology of Plants Coloring Textbook. The resource combines a textbook, lab manual, and workbook into a single interactive learning experience designed to help introductory students engage more actively with plant biology. As an Open Educational Resource, it also gives instructors flexibility to adapt the material for a variety of classroom settings. Explore The Biology of Plants Coloring Textbook.
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The Teller County Regional Animal Shelter is looking for people who would like to work with the shelter by creating online content, engaging the community, and bringing awareness to TCRAS. This is a new program currently in development and offers flexibility based on students’ interests, skills, and availability.
To participate, you must be 18 years or older and comfortable with social media and technology. If you want to work hands-on with animals, you must complete a short in-person training on shelter protocols and how to handle the animals. Please contact Kathleen Ruyak, <a href="mailto:Kathleen@tcras.org" rel="noopener" style="text-decoration: underline; color: #4764af;" target="_blank" title="Kathleen@tcras.org“> Kathleen@tcras.org, for more information.
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The Last Museum is a digital art discovery platform that aggregates millions of artworks from museums worldwide, allowing users to search and explore art by theme, style, subject, or visual concepts. Check it out!
Know an amazing online art space? We want to hear about it!
Share your favorite digital galleries, artist-run websites, online exhibitions, creative platforms, or art publications. We may feature your recommendations in a future issue of Wet Ink.
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