The sound of the University of Northern Colorado’s drumline commenced the second annual Day of Art last Friday. It is the biggest yearly event for the College of Performing and Visual Arts, showcasing the work of UNC’s artists with both the campus and Greeley community.

The entire day was jammed packed, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with different events that featured students from the schools of Theatre Arts, Music and Art and Design. The events were hosted on campus at the Garden Theatre and the Campus Commons while others were in downtown Greeley, providing an opportunity for students to engage with the larger community. The School of Art and Design also hosted their own Day of Art for students and teachers. Students from the surrounding schools in the area were invited to campus to do workshops with faculty members and art students. 

“Most of the time, people in Greeley may not be aware of the different organizations we have at UNC and the incredible talent our students have,” said Professor of Theatre Education Gillian McNally, who organized this year's Day of Art.

The groups that were showcased this year were the UNC Chamber Choir, members of the senior musical theatre class, the Bear Lake Woodwind Ensemble and the Pride of the Rockies marching band. 

Some of the first events to take place included the event kickoff at the Garden Theatre with the UNC drumline, the All Smiles Reading and Play workshop for kids under the age of five at the LINC Library in downtown Greeley and the UNC Chamber Choir. 

The senior musical theatre class performed at the Garden Theatre in the late morning where individuals performed songs from musicals, shows and movies that they love. In the early afternoon, they performed more songs to a bigger audience at Luna’s Tacos and Tequila. 

“It’s a time for us musical theatre majors to showcase ourselves,” said Kimie Fujioka, a senior Musical Theatre major. “It’s a time to get out into the community and show our art to people. Not only to the people at school, but to the entire community of Greeley.” 

The Bear Lake Woodwind Ensemble played at the Midnight Oil Bookstore downtown, performing a series of songs to a small crowd in the bookstore. The ensemble is a quintet of woodwind instruments and a trio of flutes. All of them are graduate students and the group receives scholarship money to do smaller events like the Day of Art.  

Block printing was the activity that the School of Visual Arts decided to host this year at the Campus Commons Art Gallery. Participants were able to choose from six different block prints that were created by a faculty member in the visual arts department. The blocks featured designs that depicted Hispanic/Latinx imagery. Cathrine Cummings, a senior majoring in printmaking, helped participants with the process of making their own print on cards that they could keep for themselves. 

The last event of the day was at Lincoln Park downtown. The Pride of the Rockies marching band, which is largely comprised of students who aren’t music majors, performed different songs that included the UNC fight song. Many members of the audience danced and sang along with the band.  

For those who missed the performances during Day of Art, many of the groups have other performances or events happening throughout the rest of the school year. For more information, visit the UNC Arts Events calendar online.

– photos, videos and article written by Zvi Gutierrez, the Marketing and Communications Department student writer.