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Fairy Tales and the Power of Wonder: Imagining Worlds, opening Thursday at the CU Art Museum, celebrates how these magical stories take us beyond 'Once upon a time...'

Of all the phrases in art and life, perhaps none is so magical as “Once upon a time…”

They are world-opening and world-building words, an invitation to exploration embodied in the fairy tales they begin.

That magic and mystery is celebrated in��,��a new exhibit at the �Թ��� of Colorado Art Museum debuting this Thursday, Feb. 5, with a reception from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The exhibit will open alongside��, a new display curated by CU graduate students in a curatorial practicum class held at the museum last fall.

Fairy Tales and the Power of Wonder: Imagining Worlds will be on display through May. It was co-curated with Suzanne Magnanini in the Department of French and Italian and is coordinated with upcoming exhibitions at the CU Museum of Natural History and Norlin Library. Rebecca Davis in the Division of Arts and Humanities provided curatorial support.

The origins of many fairy tales can be traced as far back as ancient Greece, Rome and China, Magnanini previously noted, which speaks to their ability to not only to help people of particular times and places explore their anxieties and questions, but to address the feelings that have been central to the human condition throughout history.

“When I think about fairy tales, I think about a number of characteristics that make them really appealing across time and space,” Magnanini said. “If you think about it, the protagonists are almost always young people heading out into the world—much like our students are heading out—leaving home behind, having to make their way in the world, facing challenges. That experience can be very transformational, so in a way these stories are all about metamorphosis and change.”

The exhibit highlights how “fairy tales help us imagine new worlds where everyday problems find magical solutions. Their characters and stories ask us to examine with fresh eyes our relationship to the natural world and with one another. Filled with optimism, fairy tales remind us that change and transformation can help us overcome obstacles and find a hopeful ending, no matter the struggles we face,” according to exhibit curators.��

“We were excited to partner with Professor Magnanini and highlight her research," says CU Art Museum Director Hope Saska. "This exhibition allows us to consider artwork in our collection through the lens of fairy tales, opening new possibilities for interpretation. The idea for an exhibition shared across multiple campus collections was initiated by Dulce Aldama in the �Թ��� Libraries and many of the rare books on view were coordinated with their support. We’re delighted about the conversations this will spark and have some exciting programming in store.”

The artworks, books and maps featured in the exhibit bring to life the stories and themes of fairy tales, which are often shared across fables, myths and saints’ legends.��The exhibit includes maps of Fairy Land that trace pathways and meandering routes through landscapes described in these stories. Open volumes reveal illustrations that interpret fairytale settings and scenes, while other art works feature the magical beings that are the typical characters of fairy tales—animals, humans and unearthly creatures.��

The exhibit and related programming are supported by CU Boulder Student Arts and Cultural Enrichment fees. The exhibition team includes Dulce Aldama, Sean Babbs, Rebecca Davis, Suzanne Magnanini, Kathy Noonan, Hope Saska and Nancy Stevens. CU Art Museum staff contributed to the exhibit, including Pedro Caceres, Elizabeth van der Marck-Gregg, Stephen Martonis, Maggie Mazzullo, Hope Saska and a team of museum attendants.����

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