Chad Colby earned his BFA in Painting from Indiana University in 1994 and his MFA in Painting from The American University (Washington, DC) in 1998. Upon completion of his MFA degree, Chad relocated to Denver, CO to participate in a thriving art scene and begin his career in teaching at the Metropolitan State College of Denver (now Metropolitan State University.) He exhibited work at Carson-Masuoka Gallery and Studio Aiello, receiving critical acclaim that resulted in a 2002 Colorado Council on the Arts Fellowship.
Since 2002, he has served as Professor of Art & Design at Fort Lewis College (Durango, CO), a public liberal arts college and a Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI). At FLC, he has been invested in promoting undergraduate research opportunities for students in Arts and Humanities disciplines. Solo exhibitions have taken place at Adams State College (Alamosa, CO), The University of Oklahoma, The Harwood Art Center (Albuquerque, NM), The Dairy Center for the Arts (Boulder, CO), the McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art at Western New Mexico University, and the Peterson Art Gallery at Saint John's College (Santa Fe, NM). Beyond art and academics, he is an avid trail runner and bicyclist. He lives with his family in Durango, where he maintains his studio.
Chad Colby
office/studio #970.247.7152
email: [email protected]
EDUCATION
M.F.A., The American University, Washington DC, 1998.
B.F.A., Indiana University, Bloomington IN, 1994.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
Professor. Department of Art & Design, Fort Lewis College, Durango CO.
2015 – present. (Visiting/Assistant/Associate Professor of Art, 2002 – 2015)
Coordinator of Undergraduate Research in the Humanities, Fort Lewis College, Durango CO. 2018 – 2022.
Chair. Department of Art & Design, Fort Lewis College, Durango CO. 2012-2017.
Interim Gallery Director, Department or Art & Design, Fort Lewis College, Durango CO. 2010-2011.
SIGNIFICANT GRANTS, FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS and PUBLICATIONS
Sabbatical, Fall Semester 2026.
Awarded a sabbatical to pursue creative research agenda, including a solo exhibition and residency.
Artist-in-Residence, Buinho Fablab and Creative Hub, Messejana, Portugal, 2026.
Upcoming three-week residency to explore new directions in studio production.
Beyond Dada: Indigenous Reclamation through Contemporary American Collage, 2026.
Co-authored (with Olivia Perea) essay included in upcoming publication Why Collage? Anthropology and Art in a Fragmented World, Routledge.
Colorado Collaborating Artist, Meow Wolf Denver, 2019-2021.
Along with teammates Hayley Kirkman and Lexis Loeb, awarded a site-specific art installation commission.
Artist-in-Residence, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, 2019.
Awarded a two-week residency to create new works on paper.
Sabbatical, Spring Semester 2019.
Awarded a sabbatical to stage a solo exhibition of recent work and participate in a residency program to create new work.
Colorado Creative Industries Purchase Prize, 2016.
Two paintings selected for purchase by the state of Colorado’s public art collection for display at Colorado Mesa University’s new Escalante Hall.
Artist-in-Residence, Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts (WY), 2016.
Awarded a two-week residency to create works on paper in preparation for an upcoming series of large oil paintings.
Sabbatical, AY 2011-2012.
Awarded a full-year sabbatical to pursue a creative project in western Mexico. Fulbright Scholar alternate.
Featured Scholar, Fort Lewis College, 2007.
Award of distinction acknowledging outstanding performance among all FLC faculty in the category of research and scholarship.
Best of Colorado, Denver International Airport, 2006.
One of 70 Colorado artists chosen to represent the state in conjunction with the opening of the Denver Art Museum’s Frederick C. Hamilton building.
Colorado Council on the Arts 2002 Artist Fellowship.
Monetary award acknowledging outstanding artistic achievement.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2026 "Randomized Nonlinear Component Analysis." 5-year retrospective of work at the Peterson Art Gallery of Saint John's College, Santa Fe NM.
2026 "Remote Sensing." New mixed-media work, pop-up exhibition at Buinho Fablab and Creative Hub Headquarters, Messejana, Portugal.
2019 "Upcoming Predictions of Current Conditions." New and recent work. Francis McCray Gallery of Contemporary Art, Western New Mexico University, Silver City NM.
2013 "Coleigma Epitera." Drawing installation. The Dairy Center for the Arts, Boulder CO.
2012 "New Works on Paper." La Fabrica de San Pedro, Uruapan MICH, MX.
2011 "A Classification of Things, Part 2." Drawing installation in collaboration with Rachael Anderson and
Ross White at the Harwood Art Center, Albuquerque NM.
2008 “Primarily Painting.” 5-year retrospective of artwork in the Art Department’s Gallery, Fort Lewis College,
Durango CO.
2006 “Recent Paintings About Creatures and Structures.” Lightwell Gallery, University of Oklahoma Art Department.
SELECT GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026 “Light Cut on Paper: Photography and Collage.” Juried Exhibition in conjunction with Kolajfest 2026, New Orleans Photo
Alliance, New Orleans, LA.
“Bird on a Wire.” Juried Exhibition in conjunction with Koljfest 2026, LeMieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA.
"Shimmer: Vibrant Art/Science of New Mexico." Juried Exhibition (Andrea Polli, Curator) at St. John's College, Santa Fe, NM.
2025 “Big Orange Monster: An Emergency Collage Exhibition.” Kolaj Institute Gallery in New Orleans, LA. International Invitational Exhibition.
2024 “Visions of Nature.” SITE: Brooklyn. International Juried Exhibition (Gabriel de Guzman, Juror).
2023 “buffalo soldiers: reVision.” Collaborated with artist, poet, and FLC Professor Esther Belin on a
piece from her Missing series. Fort Garland Museum and Cultural Center, Fort Garland CO.
2018 “Texas National 2018.” National Juried Exhibition (Jed Pearl, Juror) at Stephen F. Austin State University.
2015 “Chromatic.” International juried exhibition at the Linus Gallery, Los Angeles CA.
2013 “Structure.” National juried exhibition (James Bacchi, Juror) at the Arc Gallery, San Francisco CA.
2012 "Strange Glue: Collage at 100." International juried exhibition of collage-based work at the Thompson Gallery, Cambridge
School of Weston, Weston MA.
2009 “Paintpresent.” International Juried painting exhibition (Bobby Campbell, Juror) at the Lexington Art League (KY).
“30th Annual Paper in Particular.” National juried exhibition (John Hull, Juror) at Columbia College, Columbia MO.
2008 “Texas National 2008.” National juried exhibition (Roger Shimomura, Juror) at Stephen F. Austin State University.
2007 “All in the Family: A Juried Show of American University Alumni.” American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center,
Washington DC.
“Best of Colorado” juried exhibition, Denver International Airport. One of 70 Colorado artists chosen to represent the state
in conjunction with the opening of the Denver Art Museum’s Frederick C. Hamilton building.
2005 “Combined Talents: 20th Annual Florida International Competition.” Juried exhibition at Florida State University’s
Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee FL.
“The Amarillo Biennial 600: DRAWING.” Juried exhibition at the Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo TX. Curated by James
Elaine, the Hammer Projects Curator, UCLA Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.