Fine Arts Center

Beautiful place for events of all kinds and sizes. Parking is a decent, but I did have to park out in the street.

If you are looking for a place that is handicap accessible, I would not recommend. The seats they have reserved are extremely uncomfortable for anyone let alone, seniors. When asked if we could sit in the normal empty seats about 5 feet in front of us, we were told that it would be an extra $40 for each person, so that would be an extra $320.

Quite a wonderful collection of art that features different exhibits from time to time. Free admission fridays (every third of the month) is a great budget friendly experience. Sarah, one of the curators, has a program for volunteers to help restore and clean statues, which makes for a great volunteering opportunity!

We come down from Denver for a visit every 3 or 4 months. Love the Southwestern art exhibit. You won't find a larger array of Spanish Colonial art, including 200 year old retablos and statues anywhere else in the West - unless you're in Santa Fe. There are always a number of rotating exhibits that are well done.

A real hidden gem. The exhibits are varied and spectacular. The building is beauty itself. So enjoyable. A bit miffed about paying to park AND admission. Still a positive place to be.

Visited the Deco Lounge to view visiting artist's embroidery works. Massive Chihuly glass sculptures are in a few rooms. View is from outside the Deco Lounge, but you can also see from inside.

My friend and I visited on a free day to see the Chihuly blown glass exhibit - his work is absolutely incredible! Also enjoyed other art exhibits throughout various rooms and hallways. Plan to visit more often.

I brought my children to see the play Hadestown on Saturday night. It was a wonderful performance and the staff was very friendly and helpful. We will be returning for future events.

Three of four loved the new production , Where We Belong at FAC. How did she remember all that? As a Mohegan and a Shakespeare doctoral candidate her discussions on language disappearing was intriguing. In addition having someone sign for the deaf brought another dimension. I loved the show.

Absolutely incredible show. I saw Elf and let me be the first to say it was so Christmas. My one complaint they didn't ask me on stage...I was confused. Pissed I didn't get on stage.

So sad & depressing. I hadn't been here in years and was excited to take my kids. I had memories of it being full of beautiful art & enthusiastic art lovers. However now it's mostly empty except for a few galleries that rival a high school art show & a handful of confused patrons who are unlikely ever to return.

Went and saw Carrie the musical tonight with a group of friends and my husband. The cast was magical! So happy we came and saw this show. The fine arts center is always a great time, but tonight. Tonight was spectacular!! Can't wait to come back time and time again!

You only have til September 22 to experience this amazing traveling exhibition World of Wearable Art. The pictures say it all. This is the true intersection of art, fashion and design. Some of the artists shown design for Cirque du Soleil. This exhibition was my first introduction to this fine art museum. Other installations going on now include current works by Colorado Springs art instructors as well as established artists in Colorado Springs from the 1900s on.

Came to town and being the artsy brotha I am I totally had to check out a gallery and or museum. To my favor there was a pretty good museum near where I was staying in Colorado Springs. Upon entering the front desk ladies were very accommodating and knowledgable about the current and mainstay exhibits. They really and made me feel way more comfortable prior to me navigating the museum. There was so many beautiful pieces of rich cultural art here that I loved such as Tony Ortega's "Kitchen Help" and great graff style pieces like "Kablaam" by CRASH the infamous NYC graff artist. There was also a room with interactive art where the viewer was able to access an envelope of random newspaper and magazine clippings to create messages on a board with pins! That was pretty fun for me although the choices of clippings were limited, I certainly made it work! I must say though that one or the major highlights was the dim lit room filled with hand blown glass art by Dale Chihuly! There was this huge orange one that stood out in the middle of the room looking like something out of a lucid dream on LSD!! I proceed to enter the gift shop like a shameless American consumer of course() and encountered Eliza and Lauren. They were great and very informative where employees that recommended some places to check out to dine and even shared their amazing take of hiking up the mountains and what they went through to get up top including the duration of time. That was great and they were very welcoming and interactive! The gift shop was also filled with goodies! Kudos to management to whomever hired these two young ladies! All in all I really liked this place and I had already made a mental note to return whenever I make my way back to Colorado(Springs)! Gave 4 instead of 5stars because there should always be rook for improvement. Otherwise, I would've surely given it a 5stars! Excellent place to visit!

The Gift was an absolutely wonderful exhibit. The Tactile Gallery is fabulous. The rest of the gallery was very sparse. I planned on getting another membership. Brought a friend with me and we were both looking forward to a day of art. Sadly disappointing. I am 62 years old, I grew up in Colorado Springs and have always enjoyed the Fine Art Center. On this visit it felt empty. I hope it returns to its past splendor. Patricia Moore

Such a wondering local Arts center! I love the events that they put on! We went today to enjoy the events, music and free day at the museum. They really do a lot to bring all different walks into the Center. My son is special needs, he really enjoys the tactile part of the museum! I can't wait to see what future events they will have! Follow their website and social media for all of the awesome updates!

I was given tickets to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels by my daughter-units and it made sense to eat at facility prior to show. Wife unit had some sort of pasta which she loved. I had scallops with sausage. My presentation was assume, as was the food. Cocktails were good. We chose to eat in the bar area rather than the dining room, basically meaning we gave up linen but got the room to ourselves until just before curtain time when others arrived for a pre-performance cocktail. This made for a quieter meal and no competition for my hearing aids. I might quibble a little about the prices, they did seem a little high, but this is par for the course at restaurants associated with galleries and theaters. We really enjoyed avoiding the hassle of driving and re-parking and the stress-free situation of already being at the venue.

Hours and cost are low. They do offer a military and senior discount. Students and teachers are free. Permanent collection has some very unique artwork and pieces from artists in the Colorado Springs area and beyond. The visiting exhibits were interesting the time we went. However, keep an open mind...they might not be your cup of tea. Parking is easy and free. Also, for those who come with younger children ask for a cube from the front desk...that will make discussion easier when looking at pieces.

Unfortunately has gone woke and terrible since CC takeover. Was a member for decades. No more. Very sad.

Art. Don't fail me now. While on vacay in The Springs, I was in need of some culture ... some class ... some art. It was time to discover the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. Like the art, it was fine ... small and fine. * Open daily: 10am - 5pm * Friday nights open til 7:30pm * Free Days on 3rd Friday of the month * Adults $12; Children free * Free parking on Dale Street * It takes about 2 hours or less to see * No photos on 2nd floor, but 1st floor is ok * The Museum Shop folks were friendly * Taste restaurant open for lunch except Mondays There aren't a lot of classic masterpieces available at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, but there are some fine pieces of art like: * Some Dave Chihuly hand-blown glass pieces * Portrait of Miss Elsie Palmer by John Singer Sargent (1889-1890) * A Mountain Lake by Henry Otis Young (1876) * Taos Autumn by Wilson Hurley (1989) * Teton Range by Albert Bierstadt (1863) * Native Land by Chuck Forsman (1993) * A handful of Native American art The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center evolved from a collection of art from the Broadmoor Hotel in 1936. It survives near downtown Colorado Springs as a vacay within a vacation by living up to its name as a fine place for some art, class, and culture.

I absolutely love coming here. The temporary exhibits are often very unexpected and oh-so-good. The permanent exhibit is quite extensive and something that any Colorado Springs dweller should be proud of and perusing often. The building itself is a stunning architectural jewel, they did a great job when they built the addition. The new part of the building merges seamlessly with the older style and during sunny days (many here in our city) the light inside the museum is gorgeous. The courtyard is one of my favorite places. So beautiful and peaceful. But I also am obsessed with the 2 Chihuly chandeliers (and a few more of his sculptures) that are to die for! I want to start coming here more often, not only for the temporary exhibit, but also to check out their theater performances and to enjoy the restaurant more.

Chulilly, Chulilly, Chulilly! (Honestly, I could simply quit right there. They have lots of Chulilly. Do not just look for displayed Chulilly, look at the ceilings! Best place in the Springs to spend a quiet afternoon. Exhibits are changed often with many special events throughout the year. Many of the art works have become familiar friends over the years.

This is nice organization and initiative but I would question if they do promote some sort of partiality for the teachers members and basically creates a discrimination in Colorado around dance and vocal singing. Is there something where this is internal business to open a another channel for money earning? Most of the education sites/no profit I have been involved do authenticate advertisements on their site. For e.g. if it is tutoring site there is validation etc around teaching capability and qualification so that visitors take words from organization and trust them. I strongly suggest them to provide a little control around who and what can be advertise in their site.

The latest performance at Colorado Springs Fine Art Center was amazingly professional and well-delivered by a handful of dedicated and passionate performers! Tiny Beautiful Things covered the spectrum of emotions and was thought provoking long after the show ended! The upstairs theater was intimately decorated to make for a comfortable and enjoyable show!

Have been there three different ocassions in the last two years, and have taken the tour once. The tour is very informative and interesting. I would recommend if you have never taken it. Normally I love to admire the Native American works in the FAC. Today the center was slighlty more upbeat and I really enjoyed "A Naturalist & an Artist: John James Audburn & Kevin Sloan exhibit, (at the Pomar Gallery) which will continue up until May 31, 2014. If you like birds and nature you will absolutely love it! On some side notes: they have a small cafeteria and a gift shop. Also a convenient self-check coat room, and complimentary wheelchairs. And if you are a Pikes Peak Community College student, entry is free :)

Saw Matilda here and it was fantastic. The play had a great set of actors and actresses. The sets were stunning and helped to captivate the audience. My only complaint was that the seats felt like the extremely small and cramped seats you expect to sit in on a roller coaster.

Went to the free museum day and had so much fun. They had some cool things for the kids to try out and explained a bit more about how some of the art was made. Even found out about the costume sale the next weekend and came back to get a great halloween costume!

My family and I went to see Peter and The Starcatcher's this past Sunday and really enjoyed the Fine Arts Center. I know this seems weird but... man I really love how clean everything is! The entryway, the "selfie station" with props for fun pics, the bar and yes most importantly the bathrooms. Seriously so clean! The parking really wasn't terrible either. I'm always so worried about not having enough parking and having to run in late because I was stuck driving around for an hour trying to find a spot...especially downtown, but we found a spot in the lot and no problems. Every seat seems to have a great view of the show. It's small enough to feel intimate and large enough to not feel like one of the plays my sister and I put on in the living room for my parents when we were 6... yeah you know what I mean... The drinks at the bar were pretty legit too. Just saying... the bartender surprised me with a drink that wasn't watered down at all. Nice. We didn't get to take advantage of seeing all that was there this visit but the photos that were on display were quite breathtaking.

The Colorado Springs FAC is a very nice, smaller museum. One can see all of the exhibits in a few hours. The emphasis is on North American Indian art and artifacts, especially those with a Christian theme. The FAC also has a "tactile" museum, which consists of dozens of pieces of sculpture and carvings that visitors are encouraged to touch. While it is intended to give the blind a chance to appreciate art works, its also a great experience for sighted people to be allowed to touch the artists' works. The museum charges a small admission fee, although the tactile museum is free.

Good selection of curated arts. Very nice to walk through with a simple and effective gift shop.

Founded in 1936, the center's permanent collection includes works by Georgia O'Keeffe, John James Audubon, and John Singer Sargent, as well as an extensive collection of American Indian and Hispanic art. The building also houses a performing arts theater, an art research library, a tactile gallery for the visually-impaired, and a stunning sculpture garden. Displays change often and traveling exhibits are added to the mix on a regular basis. The Art Deco-style building, a work of art unto itself, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

I have been here twice and have really enjoyed everything about the place! The first time I went here I went to see an exhibit with Andy Warhol's works which was absolutely amazing! The second time I was here was for a lecture by cult film maker John Waters which was equally amazing...just in a different way! I look forward to my next visit here whenever it may be! they also have a downtown location where I got some really great postcards as well as when I was at the Andy Warhol exhibit some great souvenirs

Unbelievable. The snow is plowed over the sidewalks at the fine arts center. Not just not shoveled but they took the time to block the sidewalks with the have rail on the hill. Then at the bottom is a lake of frozen water. We watched seven people fall going to their cars. I myself slipped. Luke Comak head of security did not care one bit. I helped an 82 year old man out of the snow and water. He was on his knees and could not get up. They had plenty of time to move the snow ONTO the sidewalk where the hand rails are. Not one paid employee on duty gave a crap. The volunteers said people fall all the time. Two of them badly tonight. We helped one to her car. This was absolutely a fail for the fine arts center.

This place is truly a hidden gem; very few people I talk to know about and even more believe the only place for art and fine culture is in Denver (or to get stoned and do it in Manitou Springs.) Not the case, I say - it's right downtown. I've been here for a few different events - plays, art openings, recitals - and they always do a fantastic job. The building itself is wide open, clean, and chock full of some interesting pieces that definitely get people talking. The theater is nice and open, with plenty of surprisingly comfortable seats. My personal favorite part is the insane variety of different things they have going on here - do yourself a favor and check out the website, I would be surprised if there is something that doesn't sound interesting. Support local arts!

The FAC is dreamy. I love wandering the long, elegant hallways ... my shoes lightly clicking on the beautiful, waxed tile floor as I make my way to the east side of the building; the east side because I usually start my journey by observing the most current exhibition first. And because I don't regularly monitor the FAC website or their brochures, I can always count on a really nice surprise. Today was no exception. "Continuance: Charles and Collin Parson" is on display through February 15, 2015. This is a magnificent, visually captivating display of large-scale sculptures of industrial steel and glass, accentuated by emotive color. It would have been so easy for me to just sit on the single, soft bench in the middle of the moody gallery and ponder the bigger picture. It would be fun to just sit in silence and absorb the "stunning atmospheric experience" but I was curious as to what might be in the next room ... Today was pretty special actually. I've been coming to the FAC for several years now and much of the artwork is permanent, supplemented by new smaller, rotating items. However, today was different. There were LOTS of new things. So many new things that I ran out of time and promised myself a return visit within the month. Not only were there several new exhibits but the old ones had been significantly re-organized and certain familiar pieces had been exchanged for similar but fresh ones. I won't give away everything I saw today in this review. Just get yourself to the FAC. Perhaps visit on a cold, snowy day when the snowfall can be enjoyed from their large wall-to-wall windows. Grab a cup of coffee in Café 36 or at Alice's, the museum shop next to the front desk. Support this wonderful community asset! If you're curious about the current exhibitions you can go to the FAC website at: http://www.csfineartscenter.org/museum.asp There's one more thing I'd like to highlight about my visit today and that was a room dedicated to photographs of Women of the Southwest, taken by Laura Gilpin from approximately 1916 until the year she died, 1979. Essentially, Gilpin "photographed ... women going about their daily lives in the Southwest without buying into stereotypes of the "Wild West" or stereotypes of women as powerless in society." Gilpin enjoyed a close relationship with the Navajo tribe in New Mexico and, consequently, was granted access and friendship with the most powerful women in this community. The photographs are wonderful, as are the textual wall displays which describe what you are seeing. The FAC succeeds in bringing absolutely wonderful art to our intimate, smaller city. The exhibits are engaging, mind-expanding, visually splendid, and perfectly selected and organized to convey timeless messages - messages from our ancestors to us and from us to future generations. The FAC is most definitely one of my favorite places to find solitude and joy in this great city. I hope you find it to be one of yours too.

Last night we saw the opening of a new one man play in the Music Room of the FAC. The play is called Fully Committed. "Sam" is the reservation rep at a very chic restaurant that EVERYONE wants to eat at. Mike Lee plays Sam and ALL the callers. It is as funny as it is amazing that he can do this. Try to sit at one of the tables up front. Well done FAC.

We took our daughters to see Matilda, and it has been all they can talk about since! We thought the quality of the show was spectacular. We see a show or two per year here because they always deliver, but that was definitely our favorite so far!

I have only visited this mueasum twice. Once they had Chihuly exhibit. He is my favorite blown glass artist and they displayed some beautiful instillations both indoors and out door....I believe he donated a piece to be displayed in their lobby??? The second time I think there was a play or music showing? Both times I had a wonderful experience and would go again...

For such a small gallery space, they do a really super job with the traveling exhibits, although I do often finish up feeling like I only ate half a burger. ...is this not the right approach to art appreciation? The big attractions for me are the architecture, with maize-detailed art deco finishes hearkening in the inevitable rise of the proletariat, the too-expensive-to-eat-thanks-but-I'll-have-a-coffee-on-the-balcony cafe, with a beautiful view of the park and the mountains, and wine tastings every first Thursday of the month. P.S. - They're finally covering up those hideous sculptures out front with the new wing, which is set to bring to the Springs it's innovative and cutting edge, shoebox design. And how many damn Chihuly chandeliers can you fit in one building?

This is a really nice fine arts center, love looking at the Chihuly pieces. They have a free day very month so definitely take advantage if that if you can. Otherwise it's worth the money! If you like art this is a must see.

What a nice place! We came for the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit and were so glad we did. Admission is a little pricey, but we got a bit of a discount because we are reciprocal museum members. This is a lovely place to spend a long morning or afternoon. There is a great inner garden full of interesting sculpture, and the architecture of the place is a delight. The gift shop is small but really supports local artists. We will definitely come back.

Went recently for first time in years, and was not pleased. Paid extra for Chihuly exhibit and it was way smaller than expected, not worth additional cost for one room. When i look at photos of Chihuly displays in other cities, it seems like the Springs gets ripped off. The upstairs was boring, with Jenga like wood sculptures that we're not impressive. We were thru the museum in under an hour for $40, not worth it. I have seen better art in the hall at school district 11 admin building done by young students, and in art displays by Air Academy students.

Our Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is one of the best! They have extraordinary exhibits, offer plays, and I have take several classes with Bemis School of Art. Awesome!

Recently,I visited this art museum and appreciated its fine collection of 20th Century American Art.While this art museum is limited in scope,I still enjoyed it very much.There were only 2 paintings by non-American painters in this art museum(Niccolo di Pietro Gerini's"Madonna and Christ Child" and Miguel Zendrejas'"Dream of Saint Joseph").Personal favorites in this aesthetically appealing art museum were;Niccolo di Pietro Gerini's"Madonna and Christ Child"(fine work by this Early Italian Renaissance master),Jules Tavernier's"Rocky Mountains",John Singer Sargent's"Young Lady in White",Marsden Hartley's"Christ Evicted",Walter Kuhn's"Trio",Milton Avery's"Fishermen At Work",Ernest Lawson's"Cripple Creek,Colorado",Phillip Pearlstein's"Naked Woman on Mexican Blanket",Rocky Rodgers'"Arranged Paint"(superb portrait of Native American),and Rafael Aragon's altarpiece.I also saw the temporary Georgia O'Keefe exhibit featuring her delightful paintings,as well as fine paintings by Ward Lockwood("Corner Grocery")and Raymond Jonson.For those without cars,bus route#9 goes very close to this art museum..