New theme chosen for community project

Greeley and UNC community members hosted an organizational meeting Tuesday to brainstorm ideas for Voices of the Americas.The project is a campus and community-wide collaboration to present a variety of events focused on a single theme.

This is the third collaboration of its kind since 2008, with the previous themes being Pathways to China and Earth Reveries. 

Serving as the umbrella organization, the College of Performing and Visual Arts promotes collaboration throughout the campus and Greeley.

According to the Voices of the Americas Web site, the project will provide participants with extensive opportunities to explore and celebrate the heritage and cultural diversity of the people of the American continents.

Andrew Svedlow, the dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts, said the objective of this year’s theme is to interpret the perceptions and realities of all people of the Americas and to deepen students’ knowledge of the diversity of neighboring cultures.
With the help of several groups, organizations and businesses, a full calendar of events from January to May will be planned over the course of the next few months.

Susan Nelson, the College of Performing and Visual Arts director of the Office of Community Arts, is one overseer of the collaboration.

“The theme is about voices, which includes both talking and listening,” Nelson said. “This is a huge opportunity for us to get to know each other better and to make connections.”

More than 40 people from the Greeley community and the University of Northern Colorado  campus showed up for the conversational meeting on Tuesday, which was the kick-off for this collaborative event.

This entire collaborative effort is run without a budget, and therefore, electronic media are the main means of getting the public involved primarily through e-mail lists and networking sites, such as Facebook. Word of mouth is also a means of publicity, and anyone already involved is encouraged to pass the word along to others.

Nelson said anyone is welcome to become involved in this event if interested in any way.
For more information visit the Web site at www.arts.unco.edu/voices.