Newsletters

To read the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) October 2025 Month Newsletter, see below.

Director's Letter of the Month:

October 2025

Dear CU Boulder Community & Supporters of the CHA,

Human dignity. This is the basis for the humanities – identifying, chronicling, preserving, and amplifying human dignity. Because to be human is to be deserving of dignity. I truly believe that human dignity underpins all that we do at the CHA, because what every person on this planet desires is to be seen as a fully enfranchised person who is treated with respect. 

And I know that the news is full of stories that are not illustrating the best of humanity. 

Which is even more reason I feel privileged to be the director of the CHA. Learning about the scholarship of our faculty fellows, reading the reports from people who have stayed in the Hazel Barnes Flat, participating in our Fall 2025 book club, and hearing people talk about immigration at our Difficult Dialogue event fills me with pride and hope because I am immersing myself in an atmosphere of intellectual engagement and curiosity. I am surrounding myself with people who are treating others with human dignity and who are creating knowledge that centers human dignity.

I hope you’ll apply for funding [upcoming deadlines: Faculty Small Grant, Oct 15, MFA/MM Grant, Nov 2, Hazel Barnes Summer occupancy, Nov 15],  look into staying at the Hazel Barnes Flat in London, take part in an event, and/or join our Spring 2026 book club, where we’ll be reading David Owen’s Where the Water Goes: Life and Death along the Colorado River (Riverhead Books 2017). We received a grant along, with four other humanities centers in the Rocky Mountain west, to talk about water and specifically the Colorado River. We have also partnered with Impact Playback theater to bring to life the stories of people who have interacted with the Colorado River – we’ll hold an immersive theater event in February 2026 (details to come shortly). If you are interested in joining the Spring 2026 book club, please fill out this google form.

Finally, I’ve been thinking about the phrase “Make America Great” [note: there is no “again”]. What does it mean for America to be great? Who makes it great? Who decides what great means? And just where does this America exist? I’ll explore more in the November newsletter and hope you will join me in this exploration, which will be artistic, humanistic, intellectual, existential, imaginative, aspirational, and maybe even inspirational. 

Sincerely,
 

Jennifer Ho

Director, Center for Humanities & the Arts

PS. I recently visited Green Mountain Falls, where I got to hike to a James Turrell Skyspace. The Green Mountain Falls Skypace was a truly meditative experience: when I sat inside, I felt at one with the art and with the surrounding environment. It’s just outside Manitou Springs and well worth the trip.

CHA Upcoming Opportunities

Join us for the first Difficult Dialogues: Community Conversations event:

Immigration: Is This Who We Are? 
📅 Thursday, October 9
🕕 6:00–7:30 PM
📍 Colorado Chautauqua’s Community House

Registration may be full, but if you come, there most likely will be a seat open. The next Difficult Dialogues: Community Conversations can be found at https://www.colorado.edu/cha/difficultdialogues.

Don’t miss this powerful dialogue—open to the community!

🎨 Calling CU Boulder faculty & staff! Apply for a CHA Small Grant—up to $3,000 to support your research or creative work in the arts & humanities. From painting to performance, theory to storytelling, we’re here to help bring your vision to life.

🗓️ Deadline: October 15 📌 Projects must begin on or after Nov. 5, 2025 to qualify.

🔗 Learn more & apply: https://www.colorado.edu/cha/funding-and-resources/faculty-opportunities/cha-small-grants

Spring 2026 Book Club
The CHA will host a series of meetings (in person and on zoom) to discuss Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River by David Owen. Water issues seem simple—ban golf, stop selling hay to China—but Owen’s story reveals a complex, man-made ecosystem shaped by engineering, law, and cooperation. This book explores how life thrives in the desert and what happens when the system breaks down.

How to Join

To join the discussion in Spring 2026, fill out this google form, which has links to interviews with Owens—first 150 people will get a free copy. People can pick up books whenever the CHA Office is open, 10:00 am–3:00 pm, Tuesday through Thursday. Please see the CHA Office calendar for any updates to office hours.

Arts & Humanities Opportunities Across Campus

Sharing with the Devil: A Story of an Indonesian Plantation, 1830s–2000s

🗓️ Join us for a compelling lecture by Pujo Semedi exploring the paradoxes of plantation economies in Indonesia.
Despite high productivity, plantations often struggle with profitability and internal theft. Could theft be the very thing keeping them alive?
📍 CU Boulder
Date: 10-10
Time: 4:00 PM
Location: Hale 230
Don’t miss this deep dive into colonial legacies, economic survival, and the tension between accumulation and sharing. 

📚 Event: Adam Smith, Rhetoric, and Literary Form

Did you know Adam Smith began as a lecturer on rhetoric and literature before becoming famous as an economist? This talk explores how his Theory of Moral Sentiments blends philosophy and literary style—connecting Smith’s work to authors like Jane Austen.

📅 Mon, Oct 13, 2025 | 5:00 pm (refreshments at 4:30)
📍 Norlin Library, M549 | CU Boulder
🎓 Sponsored by the Center for British & Irish Studies & the 18th- & 19th-Century Studies Network 

🌍 Calling CU Boulder grad students in British & Irish Studies!

Apply now for: ✈️ Ogilvy Travel Fellowships – Global travel support (Dec 1, 2025 – Apr 30, 2026) 🎤 Conference Travel Grants – Present at U.S. or international conferences (virtual included)

📅 Deadline: Oct 15, 2025 at 5:00 PM MT
📬 Administered by CBIS | Questions? cbis@colorado.edu

📣 Call for Applications: Arts & Humanities Dissertation Fellowships

CU Boulder PhD candidates—this is your chance to focus fully and finish strong! Fellows receive a stipend, tuition, fees, and health insurance for the 2026–27 academic year.

📝 Apply by: October 15, 2025
📬 Notification: December 2025
📍 Info Session: Monday, Oct 13 @ 5:00 PM (refreshments at 4:30)
📌 Location: CBIS, Norlin Library M549

✅ Eligibility: – Arts & Humanities doctoral students – Advanced to candidacy (D status) – Within one year of completing dissertation.

🎓 PhDs: Explore Justice-Driven Career Pathways

Join us for a dynamic workshop on how your doctoral training in humanities & social sciences can lead to impactful careers in law, policy, media, and nonprofits.

🗓️ Oct 16 | 10 AM–12 PM (MT)
📍 Zoom:cuboulder.zoom.us/j/94012370105
☕ Refreshments served at 4:30 PM (if attending in person)

Hosted by Visual Evidence Lab in partnership with SCALES-OKN Funded by an ACLS Sustaining Community Connections Grant.