More than 500 guests turned out to experience Pikes Peak Community College’s diverse artistic offerings at the BIG Arts Night on April 19 at the Plaza of the Rockies in downtown Colorado Springs. Envisioned by Dr. Lance Bolton as a “friend raiser” for PPCC’s Arts Department, the event was the culmination of the year’s finest visual, culinary and performing arts and served as an ideal showcase for our talented faculty and students. 

For two solid hours, a capacity crowd meandered and mingled through four adjacent spaces in one of Colorado Springs’ premier business centers, each room bursting with vocal and instrumental music, paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, dance and ceramics. Both inside and out, guests were treated to creative delicacies prepared by current and graduated PPCC culinary arts students, including former student government president and current Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Executive Chef Nate Dirnberger.

In a brief break between performances, Dr. Bolton explained the reason for hosting the BIG Arts Night off-campus: “When I got to PPCC, I discovered a secret that was going on in our classrooms. We have brilliant faculty who know the arts and are teaching brilliant students, and I said, ‘We have got to get these people out into our community.’”

Thanks to the combined talents of faculty, staff, student artists and volunteers, arts education at Pikes Peak Community College has stepped off campus and into the spotlight, bowing deep in front of an appreciative audience.

We’d like to thank Nor’wood, UCCS GOCA, the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPeR), Bristol Brewing Company, Barefoot Wine and all involved in planning, setup and tear-down. We’d also like to especially thank those of you who attended, supported and made our BIG Arts Night a huge success.