Published: Sept. 1, 2023

The third annual Culture Crawl is on Sept. 19 and 20. This year’s events will feature CU Boulder and local artists and performers. It will also give attendees the opportunity to create their own artworks. 

View the full list of events

Music performance

Performing on the steps of Norlin Library is part of a long campus tradition and the University Libraries is bringing that back with a brass quintet composed of students from the College of Music on September 19 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Local professional trombone musician Darren Kramer of ElektroHornz will lead a New Orleans style jazz parade to other Culture Crawl events and tour the CU Scale Model Solar System on Tuesday, September 19 starting at 2:30 p.m. at the Kuiper Belt by the Museum of Natural History and ending at the Sun outside of Fiske Planetarium. A second tour begins at 3:15 p.m. leading participants to the Visual Arts Complex and Art Museum. A third and final tour begins at 4 p.m. returning back to Fiske.

On September 20 starting at 7:30 p.m. in the Grusin Music Hall, CU Presents is hosting SoundWorks where student composers of the College of Music’s Composer Fellows’ Initiative will perform short opera scenes.

On display

Stop by the Visual Arts Complex between 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. on September 19 and 20 for light refreshments and to stroll through the works of CU Boulder students and visiting artists exhibited throughout the building on all floors.

In addition to their new Lush: Prolific Nature exhibition, the CU Art Museum—open both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.—will have CU Boulder faculty creative work on display including ceramics, film, multimedia and sculptural installations, painting, photography and video works.

Do-it-yourself

Explore your inner artist during this year’s Culture Crawl. Make a world map artwork from watercolors or flowers with the guidance of local artist Charlotte Bassin at the Earth Sciences & Map Library. Both workshops are on September 19 and registration is required.

On September 19 from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m., Norlin Library will have supplies to make your own zine publication or spine poem in the Children’s and Young Adult area or craft a red sunflower in the west entrance while exploring the unique historical materials behind the cultivation of the flower.

The centers located in Macky Auditorium—the American Music Research Center, the Center for African and African American Studies, the Center for Humanities & the Arts and the Center of the American West—are hosting a button-making bonanza on September 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. where you can make a a one-of-a-kind pinback button out of fabric scraps, printed paper, images and other art supplies.

Enjoy light refreshments and music while you create an upcycled craft at the CU Natural History Museum from 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. each day. Also, don't miss out on their new exhibition, Take a Closer Look, which pairs the macro photography of Felix Salizar with an elegant collection of curated items from the museum.

The CU Art Museum will have supplies for you to paint your own flower pot including wildflower seed sachets to take home and plant from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on September 20.