Fine Arts Center acclaimed during public opening

The public came in droves to Saturday’s official reopening of the Fine Arts Center. Some came solo; others brought their kids and grandkids. There were more than a few out-of-towners.

The mood was festive, and the galleries were alive with conversation.

In “The Eclectic Eye,” an exhibit of modern art from the Weisman collection, an 8-year-old pointed at a piece by Nam June Paik and said, “That’s a robot!”

Indeed it is: “Michelin Man Laser Robot” is a robot made of video monitors.

Not everyone was enamored of the Weisman collection, the first in a new series of major touring shows.

“A lot of these are oddities,” said Albert Chulay, who’s supported the center since moving to Colorado Springs four years ago.

But Chulay liked the look and feel of architect David Owen Tryba’s addition, and the possibilities it opens up for the center.

“This is what you’d expect in New York,” he said as he strolled through the enormous El Pomar Gallery. “I’m impressed with the openness.”

“This is right up there with the Atlanta art museum,” said Leslie Raith, who moved here two years ago from that city. “I can’t believe the quality of the permanent collection.”

Praise for the expansion itself was virtually unanimous.

“It’s a fluid transition between old and new,” said Kim Banner, who was visiting the galleries with her nephew Ethan. Museum docent Kathy Hartman said the addition lets the art show to its best advantage.

“It’s not about the architecture, even though that’s beautiful,” she said.

What negative words were heard had to do with the art on display, not the expanded center.

“There’s no pottery, no santos,” said retired art teacher Rosemary Scheuring. “The center has a vast collection of Southwest art that’s known all over the world, but there’s almost nothing to see.”

On the other hand, Margaret Larsen liked the diversity, saying the old museum “was laden with Native American art.

“It’s neat seeing the wide array of art,” she said.

Larsen and her family had just paid the center the highest compliment: purchasing a museum membership.

The occasion was especially gratifying for architect David Owen Tryba, who: “All of what we’d imagined has just happened,” he said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.