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To read the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) August 2025 Month Newsletter, see below.

Director's Letter of the Month:

August 2025

Dear ���� Community & Supporters of the CHA,

The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity.��This is the title of the��pick, but it also speaks to the moment we are living in. Solidarity can feel like a fantasy—so hard to reach and so difficult to imagine the various compromises one must make in service of a greater goal. It’s also a necessity for our survival: we cannot move forward, especially in times of turmoil, alone.

If I were a��kind of person, I’d try to focus on the positives rather than bring up the many attacks facing,, and. I also am reminded by a recent conversation with CU systemwide president Todd Saliman, that I, Jennifer Ho, am sharing my opinions as an individual and not on behalf of the ��ñ����, or even the CHA. And I do have opinions about the state of the nation, which��in The Colorado Sun. There are days when I wake up and feel a keen sense of despair.

As I said, I’m not someone who bright sides.

I am, however, a believer in arts and humanities. Because even in the midst of horrific places and events, people have created art and told stories. We need to be in solidarity with each other to survive—and we need arts and humanities to help us make sense of our lives, especially when there is so much that causes.

The CHA is facing many challenges, first and foremost how we will carry out our mission with a��due to our events and communication coordinator position being eliminated by our parent unit, the Graduate School. While I am thrilled that��has moved from being the temporary to permanent Program Manager, I want to also respect that she is now having to shoulder additional labor without additional help or compensation. So I ask for your patience as the CHA tries to figure out how we can continue to support all of you with our,,, and marvelous��with limited resources.

We welcome partnerships and volunteers—if you have ideas or wish to help, please get in touch with us either at CU-CHA@colorado.edu or with me at CHADirector@colorado.edu. I created this email alias to ensure continuity and an archive of communications beyond my term as Director. This is the final year of my second term; I’ve requested reappointment for a third and final term. The Graduate School Dean will convene a review committee in December or January and a report will be issued about my reappointment. If you received a link to a Qualtrics survey last year, thank you for filling it out, but it was premature to have me reviewed last year, so the Dean is asking for another report.

Ending where I began, we will be holding meetings to discuss��on Zoom and in-person in September, dividing the book into Part I: Introduction-Chapter 5 and Part II: Chapters 6-8 and Conclusion.��In times of crisis, it may seem a small and perhaps trivial thing to gather together to talk about a book, but book clubs offer,.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Ho

Director, Center for Humanities & the Arts

PS. I was fortunate to spend part of my summer in the San Francisco Bay Area where I got to see the. I’ve always loved her art, but—being incarcerated in Arkansas, being denied a diploma to become an art teacher in Milwaukee, raising six children while creating art—the challenges and roadblocks (and racism/sexism) in her life must have been arduous, but it all led to her being one of the most luminous sculptors/artists of her generation. And it has made me re-think what it means to create art even in the most dire of circumstances.

CHA Upcoming Opportunities

Faculty and Staff Small Grant Opportunity
Hosted by��Center for Humanities and the Arts (CHA)

Deadline: September 15, 2025

Provides up to $3,000 to support the research and creative efforts of ���� faculty and staff. Supports work in creative and performing arts (e.g., creative writing, painting, sculpting, music, acting, directing, dance) as well as critical, historical, and theoretical studies of the arts.

Graduate Research Awards Demonstrating Excellence (GRADE)
Hosted by��Center for Humanities and the Arts (CHA)

Deadline: September 15, 2025

A semi-annual competition��for graduate students in humanities and arts. Supports conference participation, where students present papers or perform/display their work. Students from non-traditional arts/humanities fields must show how their work engages with multi- and inter-disciplinary arts and humanities methods.

Book Featured: The Fantasy and Necessity of Solidarity by Sarah Schulman

Book Club Dates: Part I: September 2-11. Part II: September 15-25

This Fall, we’ll be reading ,��a searing yet uplifting exploration of the psychological and social challenges of solidarity and why it still matters. Drawing on movements from AIDS activism to campus protests, Schulman offers a powerful vision for what meaningful solidarity can look like today.

Visit the CHA webpage for more information:

Difficult Dialogues: Immigration – Caring for Others in Times of Need @ Grace Commons Church, Boulder
Hosted by��Center for Humanities and the Arts (CHA)

Monday, September 29 | 6:30pm | Grace Commons Church - 1820 15th St, Boulder, CO 80302

A community conversation about the emotional and political complexities of immigration and citizenship in the U.S.—including what it means to be here “legally” or “extra-legally,” the language we use around immigration, and how concepts like visas, green card status, and constitutional protections apply to different people.

Arts & Humanities Opportunities Across Campus

Expanding Colorado Voices: Promoting the Public Influence of CU Scholars

September 12 - 13, 2025 |�� ���� Campus

1.5-Day In-Person Workshop (On Campus)
��Participants learn to translate their research into persuasive public commentary and op-eds. Most complete a full outline—or a rough draft—during the workshop, then can refine it with professional editors from the OpEd Project. Training also includes pitching strategies.

The workshop is open to up to 30 CU scholars (faculty prioritized, graduate students welcome) and is jointly funded by CMDI, RIO, and the CU Office of Collaboration.��

Annual Meeting of the Barney Ford Lab��@ Kittridge MPR
Hosted by��Politics of Race, Immigration, and Ethnicity Consortium (PRIEC).��

Friday, September 19, 2025 | 9am - 5pm | Kittridge MPR on ���� Campus

Join us as we present new research on immigration, race, and gender politics. In addition to ���� faculty and graduate students, we will have guest scholars from peer institutions: UCSD, UCSB, UCLA, UT Austin, TAMU, Yale, Brown, Chicago, Colorado State, Arizona State, Utah, New Mexico, etc.

A reception at the UMC Connection from 5pm-7pm (bowling, billiards, games, etc.) to follow.