Wes Van Briggle pottery tour returns to CC

Dana Cronin
Guest Writer

Ever wonder what the brick and tiled building on the northwest corner of campus is and how it got there? On Sept. 20, it will be featured in the upcoming yearly pottery tour highlighting the world-renowned pottery artist, Artus Van Briggle.
The building was originally constructed as a memorial to Van Briggle after his tragic death. Van Briggle was a famous artist and potter of the 19th and 20th centuries who studied for many years in Paris. He contracted tuberculosis and decided to move to Colorado Springs in 1899 in search of a cure. He died five years later at the age of 35 after making a name for himself here in the Springs.
“He is quite a Colorado Springs icon,” said Caroline Vulgamore, former President and current member of Woman’s Educational Society (WES). WES of Colorado College is an organization that provides scholarships and mentorship programs for women of CC. They sponsor the pottery tour to raise money for scholarships and special projects to benefit CC students.
“He was an artist but eventually fell into fascination with pottery,” said Vulgamore about Van Briggle.
His pieces are currently displayed at the Louvre in Paris, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Kirkland Museum in Denver, and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. The memorial building is located on the northwest corner of campus, adjacent to Uintah. It has been featured on the popular PBS series Antiques Roadshow, and certain parts of the building have been valued at over $50,000.
“The building looks like a dutch farm house… On the outside it has all of this amazing architectural detail,” said Vulgamore, who will be one of the tour leaders at the event. She also noted that the building has withstood many fires and floods since its establishment in 1908.
The pottery tour will take place on Saturday, Sept. 20 at the corner of Glen Avenue and Uintah Street from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.