28 August 2018
Quinita Thomas
The Gallery of Contemporary Arts (GOCA) continues to come up with new ways to introduce art to the public. Events for the month of August include Full Moon Yoga, Wellness Wednesdays and public tours of sculptures.
Tours of the sculptures are open to the public every second Saturday of each month, according to Daisy McGowan the director of GOCA.
“These tours are always led by our student interns,” said Mcgowan, “Everyone meets in the main lobby, and we show art both inside and outside of the Ent Center for the Arts.” Each tour is a walking tour, allowing guests to learn about each piece.
“The tour started in March of 2018, and was a huge interest [for] the Colorado Springs community,” said Mcgowan, “The tours have continued throughout the summer and through fall. It’s a great way to reach out to the public, and share what’s going on at UCCS.”
Giving the tours every month allows students to strengthen their public speaking skills, according to Mcgowan.
“They have to explain every single piece that is shown, so they will get a lot of questions from the public. Some of the information includes how the sculpture got there, and the cement bases that go forty feet into the ground.”
GOCA has partnered with the Wellness Center to do yoga on Wednesdays at noon in the sculpture garden at the Ent Center. “This gives people a chance to see art in a new way,” said Mcgowan, “When people are inside looking at art they can feel intimidated, so outside exhibitions seemed ideal. People can look at the pieces from various yoga positions.”
“The goal is to reach out to those who love yoga. By having yoga outside, students can learn about contemporary art, who made them and artists who are a part of history,” said Mcgowan.
GOCA has had a relationship with the Wellness center for three years. By providing Wellness/Yoga Wednesdays to students, staff, faculty and the public, it fits in line with the Wellness Center’s idea of lowering stress levels.
“There is a yoga instructor from the Wellness Center who leads the class every Wednesday, but we do have guest instructors come in as well. Guest instructors who wish to lead a class must have a yoga certification,” said Mcgowan.
Full Moon Yoga will take place on August 26 at 7:00 p.m. at the Ent Center for the Arts. This event includes a Moon Pod, a piece that was designed by a UCCS student, and will be led by a guest instructor. “We tried to run it last month, but we couldn’t due to lightning,” said Mcgowan.
Anyone can join this event. However, due to limited space, it is best to pre-register. According to Mcgowan, forty people at the most can participate in Full Moon Yoga.
Overall, the Gallery of Contemporary Arts finds new ways to catch people’s eye when it comes to art. “Going inside to view art is a traditional experience. However, if there is an exhibition outside, you can drive by it and see the pieces that way. You don’t have to go inside. I think about diversity and new approaches for art,” said Mcgowan.