“We are the next generation of voices. We are the future, we are change, we are hope, we are power and intelligence. We came into this program as strangers, and we will leave it not only as friends, but accomplished artists.” – Participants in the 2018 Social Justice Thru the Arts experience

The Hatton Gallery at Colorado State University will present a Social Justice thru the Arts Celebration on Sept. 30: the unveiling of a Holding Space mural and a virtual artist talk by Rose Jaffe.

The talk by Jaffe and mural unveiling will be presented in collaboration with Alliance Partnership, College of Liberal Arts, Women Studies and Gender Research, CSU Dance, and the Department of Art and Art History at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 30, in the CSU Visual Arts Building.

The Alliance Social Justice thru the Arts (SJTA) Summer Institute 2018 brought students from Alliance high schools to CSU campus for a week to learn about issues of gender equity, belonging, access, and justice through hands-on learning with CSU faculty, CSU student mentors, and renowned mural artist Jaffe.

The mural Holding Space found a new home in the Visual Arts Building on the CSU campus as part of the Engaged Art Walk Initiative, an arts-based community building project and an outdoor exhibition space that features rotating installations that integrate art, society, and education. Located on the north side of CSU’s Visual Art building, the Arts Walk is a visible space for activating CSU’s Principles of Community, as well as the Art and Art History Department’s educational and outreach missions.

About Jaffe

Jaffe, the featured artist from the 2018 edition of SJTA, will give a virtual artist talk and share her experience working with the Alliance students for an entire week at CSU. Jaffe is a visual artist who uses mediums spanning mural painting, ceramics, printmaking, and digital illustration.

Born and raised in the nation’s capital, Jaffe loves calling Washington, D.C. home. She earned her BFA at the School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan and has pursued an art career full-time after teaching middle and high school art in the city. She has painted over 30 murals nationally and internationally, including more than 20 in D.C.

Her art has been featured in more than publications, including the Washington Post and City Paper as well as NBC, CNN, and Channel 9, among others. The themes of her work include political activism, social justice, natural healing, and spiritual grounding. Her work is vibrant, colorful, and often playful. She is dedicated to the work of harnessing the power of art to find connections, build community, spark conversation, and create social change.

The participants

The Alliance Partnership Social Justice Thru the Arts – Holding Space, 2018
Featured Artist: Rose Jaffe
SJTA Students: Magdalena Garcia, Erin McGrew, Jimmy Lee, Moo Moo, Krysna Kassandra Quinonez-Gasca, Hemily Madrigal, Viviana Retana, Franchesca-Julia Reyes, Martin-Angel Reyes, Lael Vigil.
CSU Student Mentors: Puleng “Ratu” Marutle, Shayla Monteiro, Jovan Rivera-Lovato.
CSU Facilitators: Caridad Souza, director, Women’s Studies & Gender Research; Lisa Morgan, CSU Dance; Silvia Minguzzi, director, Hatton Gallery & Digital Performing Space; Patricia Vigil, director of Alliance and University Partnership Relations.

About the Alliance

The Alliance Partnership unites students, families, high school personnel, and the Colorado State University community in a common goal: to envision education beyond high school and send a greater number of Colorado students to college. By working together, partners can elevate the expectation of students and their families regarding the importance, access and attainability of higher education. The Alliance Partnership’s goal is to work together with the community to raise the expectation that all students can pursue an education beyond high school.

Event Details

Social Justice thru the Arts Celebration

Thursday, September 30, 2021 | 4 p.m.
F101, Visual Arts Building, CSU Campus
551 W. Pitkin Street, Fort Collins, CO
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/92727818927

Schedule

4 – 4:30 p.m. Visual Arts Building Tour
4:30 – 5:30 p.m. Social Justice thru the Arts Project presentation and virtual artist talk by Rose Jaffe
5:30 – 6 p.m. Mural unveiling supported by dance majors from CSU Dance

The Hatton Gallery provides an important venue for exhibiting contemporary and historical art. The gallery strives to engage with the global arts community through local, national, and international exhibitions showcasing the work of emerging and established artists alike.