Public Art & Entertainment Class

Wow! What an amazing finale to our class. Thursday night’s The Public Art & Entertainment Class Creative Experience was a huge success and we enjoyed every moment of it! Thank you to all who supported us and helped make this event happen, including: Fuel & Iron Food Hall; the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at CSUP; the Department of Media and Entertainment at CSUP; and SOCO Student Media. Thank you to all the talented creatives who took the stage: our headlining musician Morgan J. Cox; and poets and floets Miles Bush, Peyton Vinyard, Brenda Corona, Ember Peaslee, Javier Quiñones, Camila Robles, James Beck, and DJ/MC B-Alex. Positive feedback is still streaming in from our audience that night about the event and our zine. This means so much to me, and I will pass along the praise and support to my students! What a beautiful night. We can’t wait until next time!

📸 Photo credit: Kim Pluskota

Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo

Enjoying Morgan’s tunes and getting psyched up for Thursday night’s event after a busy evening setting up our stage, sound, lights, and art at Fuel & Iron Food Hall! The last photo is a shot from the stage of the comfy, cozy seating area we have ready for our audience. Come out and join us from 7-9pm to enjoy a great lineup of talented poets and a live musical performance by Morgan J. Cox!

📸 Photo credit: Kim Pluskota

Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media

Thanks, Colorado State University Pueblo, for the great article about the Public Art & Entertainment Class and our upcoming event!!!

My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media

CSU Pueblo to highlight public art and entertainment at Creative Experience ‘24 | 2024 | CSU Pueblo PUEBLO, Colo., June 24, 2024 - In a testament to CSU Pueblo's commitment to fostering local talent and strengthening community ties, students from the university's Public Art & Entertainment class are set to showcase Pueblo's vibrant arts scene. The class will host "The Creative Experience," a free....

What a stellar night of music at Blo Back Gallery tonight! Big shout out to Legatia for making this event happen. “The Time is Now” Morgan Cox Vinyl Release Party was amazing. Darcy Nelson and Tensas started the night off with great tunes and great vibes, then Morgan continued to energize the crowd with a powerful performance! We are thrilled that he will be the headliner of our event Thursday night at Fuel & Iron Food Hall!

📸 Photo credit: Kim Pluskota

SOCO Student Media

Getting promo materials and our zine together for the event we are putting on at Fuel & Iron Food Hall this Thursday night!



Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media
Morgan Cox

It’s been a busy week already, as we are planning, creating, and preparing for our final event at Fuel & Iron on Thursday, June 27th from 7–9pm. There will be artwork, poetry, music, and zines! More info coming soon!

📸 Photo credit: Kim Pluskota

Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media

Thursday we had a fascinating tour of Pueblo Memorial Hall, which brings a variety of great entertainment to Pueblo, while drawing in an audience from many surrounding states because of the quality of the acts. Dave Cesario from Center Stage Entertainment, who works with Pueblo Memorial Hall, led the tour. He explained the history of the building, while showing us all of the behind-the-scenes rooms, hallways, and tunnels that house important elements. In combination with all of the dedicated off-stage spaces for technology and the needs of the performers, there is often a quite large production crew that is integral to making a show go on. All of these important hidden elements and the extra long hours that go in to preparation and load-out of a show are unknown to the audience. The goal is to have a seamless performance in which guests can appreciate the experience to the fullest. Jacob Rivera, who is the Marketing Director for Pueblo Memorial Hall and the Pueblo Convention Center, joined us on the tour and helped in guiding the questions and with additional information so that we could better understand the space and what it has to offer to the community. Jacob also gave us valuable insight regarding the marketing of such a prominent venue and the additional roles he sometimes fills to contribute to its success. Another topic we discussed was the Kick Ass Film Festival, as Jacob is one of the original founders. This unique festival uses extreme timeframe parameters to put the pressure on filmmakers and their teams to focus all of their energy and creative effort into a short period of time to make a successful film. It was great to hear both Dave’s and Jacob’s passion for what they do and their interest in a thriving entertainment scene in Pueblo and the surrounding area. A big thanks to these two entertainment industry professionals for their contributions to our class!

📸 Photo credit: Kim Pluskota

Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media

Today in class we had the pleasure of talking to two notable people in the Pueblo community–Javier Quiñones of Mad Fresh Productions and artist John Wilbar.

Javier, a Chicago native, has called Pueblo home for years and runs Mad Fresh Production full-time with some part-time support from a talented team. He explained the details of operating a non-profit and what it takes to produce unique and dynamic festivals in Pueblo, like the Hip-Hop Festival and the Multicultural Festival. Javier is influenced by his life experiences and understands the importance of community and creativity. One of Javier’s focuses is reaching local youth and giving them a positive outlet for their energy and creativity. Some words of advice for the community that really stuck out to me from Javier were: “Give our youth a voice. Get them involved in the community. Get to know your neighbors.” Thanks, Javier, for all of the valuable information and being such a great leader in the community!

Our chat and studio visit with John Wilbar was equally inspiring. John’s portfolio of work is impressive and it is clear that he is dedicated to his studio practice and thoroughly enjoys it. His work ranges from paintings to sculptures and furniture, with a special focus on geometric shapes. He is currently working on set pieces for a musical with the help of his daughter, Meghan Wilbar, who is also a talented and successful local artist. A timeline of John’s art, from old to new pieces, is dispersed throughout the walls and shelves in his studio. Entering the space is like being immersed in a colorful installation, where creativity is everywhere–even the tables and floor are splattered with paint. John believes that the arts are an important focus for young people, as they facilitate problem-solving skills in addition to creative expression. It’s wonderful that he has not only inspired his family with his artwork, but he surely has an impact on many others through his many notable sculptures around Pueblo and beyond. Thank you, John, for inspiring my class as well!

At the end of class we took a quick walk to a nearby sculpture garden, where many of the Latkas’ pieces are on display. That was magical as well!


📸 Photo credit: Kim Pluskota

Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media

Some descriptions from students, Brenda and Rebecca, of their experience during Tuesday’s class (photos by Renee Zink, Brenda Corona, and Rebecca M.):

“Ethos is a place that I was curious to visit, as I have been to multiple events promoted on FB since they started. Emily and Sandra gave us a very thorough tour, their energy was very engaging and they were very open to share their space. They both discussed how this place is a safe place for many. It is an alcohol free bar with mocktails. They are very thoughtful towards people recovering from alcohol, and younger community that go in there. They only sell mocktails to individuals over 21. This space is also very LGBT friendly, and they are very passionate about keeping it that way, as they have a zero tolerance for hateful comments towards any group of individuals. Art was around from cool clocks, to a very meaningful unicorn quilt, to a community art doodle wall. What an amazing venue! After learning the intentions behind the people who run this place and work there I realize we need to have places like this in Pueblo. It is so wonderful to see young community members like Emily Gradisar and her team bring that kind of energy and offer it to the public. This place is so important to have in our community.

The Latkas – As soon as we entered the home and yard space your eyes were delighted with garden scape views. A giant arch decorated the entrance as Tom Latka welcomed us into his home. He mentioned the garden has developed over 50 years and it is a masterpiece of his gardener, ‘it belongs to him.’ There were multiple trees and many flowers, like a botanical garden as well as sculpture pieces interwoven in the design it was open yet so many detail. I was taken by a giant kokopelli sculpture that was in front of one of the trees, and a small fountain that was adorned with teal crystal like stones. He then showed us the clay studio which was outdoors, he made a point to say that the materials they like to use are salvaged. You can see that in some of the sculptures and in the flooring of the main studio. This studio is where Tom showed us his glass creation on tiles, I saw they were many, these along with some framed worked gave me an idea of Tom's style, a combination of dark bright colors creating abstract designs. If you looked very closely you would find many decors like out of the ordinary dream catchers and a pin placed purposely yet nonchalantly saying ‘love trumps hate.’ Some of the decor and style was coming from Jean Latka who is also an artist and just finished a mural piece. It was a great sensory experience seeing the art around their garden and studios that are very much a part of the ambiance when you enter. My biggest takeaways from this visit was learning the history behind the Latka's journey as prominent artists in Pueblo, and the way that Tom said ‘Pueblo has been good to us.’ I also have to mention his small creation of a lookout over the Arkansas river which he calls ‘The Beach.’”

- Brenda Corona

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“The Ethos: Visiting The Ethos was so very enjoyable for me. Two young women have transformed a historical Pueblo building into a safe haven for many. A non-alcoholic bar/restaurant/art gathering space is a rather unusual business. I think we were all curious how they could 'keep things running smoothly' financially without the monies coming in from a regular bar, but they have a spirit about them that allows nothing to happen except 'the impossible.' Emily Gradisar and Sandra were very open with us, and the tour of the building and interview was delightful. The Ethos is located in an older neighborhood and blends right in within it. From what I could tell, The Ethos is only in its first year of business but will be a continually evolving positive force in the Pueblo community, as a while. This is a place that I will help patronize with my business! Sandra has a fully functioning ceramic studio and conducts classes there a few days per week.

The Latka Studios: We were immediately welcomed into their massive garden estate by an archway of stone and color. Sculpture and flora is everywhere. Tom and Jean Latka have lived in their home/studio for over 40 years. He told us that they purchased it months before he was made aware that his mother was born in the same home. I can describe this studio as the most magical one I have ever visited in person. Tom lead our tour and was so forthcoming and gracious that we could have stayed much longer, just to listen to his stories of, how they began as artists, how they live as husband and wife, as artists, and how they view the community and engage it, as artists. They purchased a few hundred windows from the USAF Academy in 1978 (Frank Lloyd Wright designed) and resold them to 'launch their businesses.' They own commercial properties that help fuel their financial coffers and enjoy the benefits of a life-long relationship with public art projects in Pueblo. They have dedicated their lives as artists to remain true to their own vision of what they art should be. Their outdoor kiln overlooks a beautiful backdrop of the Arkansas river and the Union train station. We were not able to meet Jean Latka, but her spirit is everywhere, in clay, glass, oil paintings, woven fabric and braided branches. I loved this visit!"

- Rebecca M.


📸 Photo credit:
Renee Zink
Brenda Corona
Rebecca M.

Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media
Ethos Pueblo
Tom Latka
Jean Latka

THE DROP 4th Annual Block Party at Levitt Pavilion Denver was spectacular! Rocky Mountain Public Media and The Drop hooked us up with tickets, and some of us even got a backstage tour with Unique! It was a great opportunity to experience an entertainment event from a behind-the-scenes and an audience perspective. Common rocked the stage and there were many talented openers as well. The crowd was energized and the setting was beautiful. Couldn’t ask for a more perfect night! A big thanks to Rocky Mountain Public Media, TheDrop303, and Unique Henderson!

In addition to its regular broadcast area in Denver, you can also tune in to The Drop Monday through Friday from 2–7pm on our CSU Pueblo student radio station, Rev 89! There is a live stream feature at socostudentmedia.com if you are not in radio broadcast range. Enjoy!

📸 Photo credit: Kim Pluskota

Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media

We had class downtown last night during First Friday. The gallery adventures started at Liminal Space Gallery and the Pueblo Arts Alliance grounds, where the Graffiti Show was taking place. Vibrant artworks, multiple DJs, live painting, vendors and more filled the space with great energy. Thanks to Mad Fresh Productions, Pueblo Arts Alliance, and other participants for putting on such a great event! The next stop was Steel City Art Works, where we had a chance to meet some of the artists and see a variety of beautiful work, including paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, and more. Last, but not least, we visited JOHN DEAUX ART GALLERY, where we had a fascinating chat with Radeaux, Barb Yaeger, and Joel Carpenter. These talented artists implement their own unique approaches to art-making. Radeaux and Barb are heavily inspired by nature and wildlife, while Joel’s work consists of colorful, stylized female portraiture. The gallery is filled upstairs and downstairs with a selection of carefully curated, well-made work of a variety of color palettes and subjects. Overall, the evening was a perfect combination of art and entertainment, and there was a great sense of community. Thank you to everyone who took the time to chat with our class! We appreciate your perspective and expertise!

📸 Photo credit: Kim Pluskota

Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media

Another stellar class today filled with exciting tours and chats! First on the itinerary was Ethos Pueblo and CREEPi Space Studio, where we met with Emily Gradisar and Sandrah Burrier to learn about their multitude of great events and unique offerings. The Ethos as a venue and as a community is such an asset to Pueblo and is oozing with creativity and positive vibes! For our next visit we went on a magical tour of Latka Studios, with its lush, colorful garden and “beach” overlooking the Arkansas River. Tom chatted with us about his and Jean’s careers as artists, showed us their fascinating work and studio space, and explained some of their processes. Both of the creative spaces we visited today were like art museums, with unique and captivating work displayed in every nook and cranny. After class, some of us took some time to regroup at The Sacred Bean, reflect on the day’s experiences, and continue planning for our zine and event. The Sacred Bean is yet another great space that supports the arts. It was a fun bonus to chat with James Beck and Javier Quiñones on the way out. What a great day!

📸 Photo credit: Kim Pluskota

Colorado State University Pueblo
My CSU Pueblo
SOCO Student Media