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.

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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.  

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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.