Photo: Visual Arts Building circa 1975-77
D
uring Homecoming and Family Weekend in October 2025, CSU's Visual Arts Building celebrated its 50th anniversary. A celebration created and executed by Anna Bernhard, Director of the Stanley G. Wold Resource Center, and Xinran Yuan, Director of Exhibitions and Community Engagement. In the podcast linked below, they reveal the grit, innovation, and community power that shaped one of the university’s most unique buildings.
During the social upheaval of the late 1960s and after the 1970 Old Main fire, art faculty member Perry Ragouzis mobilized students and parents to advocate for better facilities for the Department of Art and Art History, whose faculty taught in scattered, often condemned spaces and improvised classrooms using salvaged materials. The efforts of Ragouzis, other faculty, students, and parents ultimately lead to the construction of the Visual Arts Building in 1975.
Yuan and Bernhard curated a new interactive exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of CSU’s Visual Arts Building. Catch it in the Hatton Gallery through Jan. 30, 2026.
Liberal Arts Impact
Colorado State University’s College of Liberal Arts is a vibrant community of artists, thinkers, storytellers, and scientists who examine the human experience. In these podcasts, our faculty share their areas of expertise and talk about why their work matters in our world today.
Faculty and staff recorded their podcasts with CSU's Center for Science Communication through the leadership of Associate Professor Jaime Jacobsen and her graduate students in the Department of Journalism and Media Communication.