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ARTNAUTS 30th Anniversary Exhibition — Rhizome: Origins

A 30-Year Story That Began at CU Boulder

The Arnauts was founded in 1996 at CU Boulder by Dr. George Rivera, Garrison Roots, Dr. Beth Krensky, Dennis Dalton, and Luis Valdovino. More than 220 artists have participated over 30 years creating 256+ exhibitions, in 27 countries and 5 continents. The collective has worked across art, activism, social practice, peace building and global issues.

The 2026 exhibition brings together 22 artists with CU Boulder affliations. Many of those artists earned their MFAs or PhDs at CU Boulder. Thirty years after its founding at CU Boulder, the Artnauts return to the University as an established international collective, bringing the story of three decades of collaborative artistic practice back to its place of origin.

OPENING CELEBRATION
Thursday, September 3 | 4–6 PM

Participating Artnauts: All artists are affiliated with CU Boulder (Student, Professor, Staff)

Valerie Albicker
Pamela Beverly-Quigley
Barbara Colombo
Andrew Connelly
Dennis Dalton
Rebecca DiDomenico
Michael Dixon
Suzanne Faris

Heather Hanson
Samira Hemmat
Ben Jackel
Claire Jackel
Tsehai Johnson
Dr. Beth Krensky
Jane McMahan
Dr. George Rivera

Eileen Roscina
Martha Russo
Luis Valdovino
Rebecca Vaughan
Summer Ventis
Joo Yeon Woo

Rhizome: Origins — Programming

September 4, 2:00–4:00 pm

Artnauts at the CU Art Museum

CU Art Museum

Join us for an afternoon of Artnauts programming, including a community art making activity, artist-led gallery talks and an award ceremony for recipients of scholarships honoring past Artnauts.

Artnauts Panel Discussion

September 19, 1:00–2:00 pm

Collective Visions: An Artnauts Panel Conversation

Room IB20, Visual Arts Complex.
Light snacks will be served following the panel in the museum’s lobby

Artnaut founding members George Rivera and Beth Krensky are joined by Martha Russo, Pamela Beverly-Quigley and Eileen Roscina in a discussion about the history and future of the artist collective.

Artmaking: Artnauts + YOU

November 7, 1:00–4:00 pm

Social Sculpture: Artnauts + YOU

CU Art Museum

Join exhibiting artists for an afternoon of hands-on artmaking activities, talks and art demonstrations with faculty and students from CU Boulder’s Unstable Design Lab. Participate in the photo project “What is Peace?”, experience a teacup exchange, and make postcards for the “Sunflower Seeds” project, and build connections with other art lovers.

Exhibition Closing Celebration

December 12 1:00–3:00 pm

Rhizome: Origins Closing Celebration!

As we say farewell to this exhibition, Artnauts

Expressions of Identity in Ancient Greek Coins

Coins convey powerful messages through their symbolic imagery. These tiny objects reveal how the ancient Greeks conceived of themselves and their relationships to their communities, histories, and beliefs, both religious and political. They bear information about geographies, power and propaganda, artistic techniques and more. The coins in this installation illustrate these many dimensions of ancient Greek culture, giving researchers and visitors a tangible connection to the past.

More information about this exhibition

CU Collects: Imagining a Creative Campus

On View: July 7, 2026–Spring 2027

Campus collections gather and preserve objects that ignite research and inspire creativity. In CU Collects: Imagining a Creative Campus, works from the CU Art Museum and the University Libraries and Archives highlight the breadth of artistic and creative materials held across campus. Built with care over time, these collections are accessible to students, faculty and to communities in the Front Range and beyond. Together, they demonstrate the central role of arts and culture at CU Boulder, addressing a shared history of inquiry and engagement.

More information about this exhibition

Upcoming Events & Programs

The University of Colorado Art Museum provides a forum for exchanging ideas, inspiring collaboration and fueling imagination through art.

The museum’s growing collection and diverse exhibitions and public programs promote, inspire and generate interdisciplinary scholarship and cultural expression.

The museum mobilizes our strengths to support and enrich the academic and social missions of CU Boulder and to serve our communities in Boulder, statewide and beyond.

Hey students: the CU Art Museum is your museum! Let us know how we can serve you better.

Programs & Activities

We organize activities and programs that dive deeply into the ideas behind, and questions raised by, our exhibitions and collections. We also create programs to explore the creative research occurring throughout the university. Whether gallery talks, faculty lectures, expert conversations, concerts, performances, or workshops we welcome students and the public to join us for our free programs at the museum and around CU's campus. Stay tuned and check back, we’re always cooking up exciting new programs!

Education & Engagement

The CU Art Museum is a resource for the CU Boulder campus, the local community and beyond. It is a place that inspires collaboration, fosters compassion, fuels imagination and transcends boundaries. Our approach to education is to present exhibitions and programs informed by the perspectives of the cultures and communities represented. Visitors of all ages will find opportunities to discover, enjoy and be inspired by art and artists of the past and present.

Collections & Archive

Our museum features works from diverse aesthetic and cultural origins encompassing over 10,000 years of human history. Our growing collection of more than 12,500 objects represents the wide range of materials used in the creation of art. We present our collections in exhibitions and programming to spark curiosity and inspire dialogue. Since the foundation of our collections in 1939 as a resource for teaching, we have been a hub for exploration of art.

Ancient & Classical

Art of the Americas

Asia

Modern & Contemporary

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