COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Thursday, September 19, 2024 — The Galleries of Contemporary Art are pleased to present What Kinda Brown Are You Panel Discussion and Performance as part of the We Are the Sky exhibition! We Are the Sky, a group exhibition featuring artworks created by 40+ Pikes Peak region artists. What Kinda Brown Are You Panel Discussion and Performance will happen on Thursday, September 19th from 6-8:30pm at the Ent Center for the Arts. The event will begin with a panel discussion from 6-7pm in the Chapman Recital Hall, followed by a short break in the GOCA Lobby, with the live performances taking place from 7:30 – 8:30pm in the Marie Walsh Sharpe Gallery. Join us for this exciting discussion and performance! 

The What Kinda Brown Are You Panel Discussion will feature exhibiting artists Jesse Allan Rozell, Lupita Carrasco, Noor Adwan, Jasmine Dillavou, and Kevin Shinelikar Persaud. The discussion will include conversations about languages lost, middle eastern diaspora, and creating as an artist of color within the arts community. Following the discussion will be live performances hosted by Ashley Cornelius of Poetry719. Poems and performance art will feature Kevin Shinelikar Persaud, Sofia Hernandez Crade, Jasmine Dillavou, and Avery Chatmon. 

The performance includes poems and talks on identity and the internal struggles within our current society. We Are the Sky Features more than 40 artists from throughout the Pikes Peak region, and is inspired by the work of late Colorado Springs artist Starr Kempf, whose monumental kinetic sculptures punctuate our local landscape. 

More than 80 artists responded to a call for entries, challenging them to respond not to Kempf’s forms or subjects, but instead to powerful themes present in the artist’s life and oeuvre. Mental health and wellness, community identity and interpersonal connection, and a spirit of innovation are central to each offering, inclusive of 2D and 3D gallery works to performances and ephemeral experiences. 

Over the course of three months, We Are the Sky will create space for poignant narratives around our unique and shared human experiences, a testament to the power of art in fostering dialogue, understanding, and healing. Within the gallery exhibition and related events, artists illuminate the interconnectedness of individual struggles and collective resilience, inviting viewers to engage in discourse and introspection. These 19 artworks address complexities of mental health, inclusion, and invention with empathy and solidarity, and all are new creations, born out of creative experimentation and collaboration. 

We Are the Sky is a transformative embrace of Pikes Peak region creatives at the intersection of artistry and advocacy, a celebration of unconventional convergence, and an illumination of interdisciplinary pathways toward healing and growth, greater sense of belonging, community empowerment, and a more compassionate and resilient future.

Media Contact:

Elyce Gronseth
Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications
Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS
egronset@uccs.edu

About the Galleries of Contemporary Art (GOCA): A regional hub for contemporary art, culture, and conversation, GOCA produces dynamic exhibitions and programs that connect national, international, and regional artists with the community. GOCA operate two galleries within the Ent Center for the Arts including an incubator for emerging artists. Visit entarts.org/gallery

About the Ent Center for the Arts: Located on the UCCS campus, the Ent Center for the Arts is a first-class facility fostering creativity and collaboration. It serves as a central space for the arts, bringing together diverse ideas and people. Visit entarts.org