CO/LAB Gallery

Currently on Display

Symmetry, Structure, Space: Mathematical Visions in Art

February 25th through August 9, 2026

This exhibition, created by advanced mathematics students with guidance from museum staff, explores the connections between art and mathematics through a sample of works from across cultures, time, and materials. We invite you to see mathematics not as a set of numbers or equations, but as a way of thinking about pattern, structure, space, and transformation.

We selected works of art from the permanent collection based on how they visually suggest mathematical ideas in logic, algebra, and geometry. We do not claim the artists intended their work to be mathematical. We focused on mathematical concepts we observed and questions that arose from our observations. By placing mathematics in conversation with visual art, we hope to show how mathematical thinking can offer new perspectives on creative processes.

Curated by Kristina Moen, PhD candidate, Mathematics, CSU Class of 2027

With contributions by: Jacob Cleveland, PhD candidate, Mathematics, CSU Class of 2027; Enrique Mercado, PhD candidate, Mathematics, CSU Class of 2030; Parker Montfort, PhD candidate, Mathematics, CSU Class of 2028 and Asiye Uctuk, Candidate for BS Mathematics & BFA Art, CSU Class of 2028

Join us for a curator talk and reception, Thursday, April 9 from 5pm to 7pm.

ART 100: Body and Identity in Art

Selected by Annie Krieg, Department of Art and Art History

Featuring works by Rose Simpson, Fang Lijun, John Collins, Shan Goshorn, Patrick Ryoichi Nagatani, and Barbara Tisserat.

A ceramic 3D image of a woman standing on adobe bricks — Rose Simpson, The Answer that Ended Creation F

ART 492A Exhibiting African Art: Context, Change, and Collaboration

Selected by Dave Riep, Department of Art and Art History

This display emerges from a hands-on course where students are redesigning and curating the museum’s African Gallery for a summer 2026 reinstallation. Bringing together objects from the museum’s permanent collection, the project explores how works of art acquire meaning through collection, display, and interpretation, particularly within United States and European museum contexts.

A central question of the course asks what happens when individual artworks are treated as representatives of entire cultures. Such approaches can obscure the dynamic histories of artistic production across the African continent, reducing diverse and evolving societies to static stereotypes. The works presented here, created by Ndebele artists, challenge that simplification. Variations in form, color, composition, and materials reveal an aesthetic tradition that is continually adapting and renewing itself.

This celebration of Ndebele artistic innovation also anticipates the museum’s upcoming visit from Ndebele artist Sophie Mahlangu in July 2026, further extending the dialogue between past and present.

A woman's front apron with glass beads and leather — Amaphotho [woman’s front apron] detail
20th century
Leather and beads

The Museum’s core purpose is to support the educational mission of the University in its dual commitment to students and, as a land-grant institution, Colorado residents. For this reason, our main gallery is devoted to reinforcing the classroom experience. The works of art that you see in this space were selected by CSU faculty, staff, and students to enhance teaching, research, and engagement, and to create links between the visual arts and academic disciplines across campus.

Gregory Allicar Museum of Art invites individuals to engage with works of art to generate dialog, inspire fresh perspectives, and embrace the wonder of creative expression. As an extension of the classroom, the museum serves as a catalyst for promoting visual literacy and critical thinking that instills a passion for learning.

Our exhibition spaces are dedicated to educational vitality, embracing all audiences, and honoring the diversity of art making across time periods, geographies, and cultures.

If you are interested in reserving a space in the CO/LAB Gallery for a course-related display, please inquire at the front desk or email artmuseum@colostate.edu.

Free & open to all!

Support for the museum’s exhibitions and programming is generously provided by the City of Fort Collins Fort Fund, Colorado Creative Industries and the FUNd Endowment at CSU.

Fort Fund