Displayed above armchairs and tables, graphic design works exploring the history of Colorado State University and the broader Fort Collins area decorate the walls of the Morgan Library. These are the works of CSU’s distinguished professor Phil Risbeck, who died Dec. 29, 2024.
Risbeck taught at CSU for more than 50 years and chaired the CSU department of art and art history from 1993 to 2003. Risbeck is also known for co-founding the biennial Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition, which is displayed annually at CSU. Outside of his work at CSU, his work was exhibited in award-winning galleries around the world, from Moscow and Warsaw to Paris and beyond.
Silvia Minguzzi, the exhibition coordinator and designer for the Morgan Library, as well as a former student of Risbeck’s, said the exhibit was inspired by his decades of dedication to CSU’s art scene.
“(I) really wanted to just do my little piece of homage to him and how much he meant to me,” Minguzzi said.
Minguzzi previously elaborated on this to Visit Fort Collins Colorado, saying that Risbeck “expanded CSU’s reach onto the global stage. This exhibition celebrates his enduring legacy in design and education.”
She began by getting in touch with CSU’s graphic design department, which coincidentally had a set of Risbeck’s work already framed.
“When he passed away, … his wife handed them over to the art department, and so we had that group (of posters), which is a pretty good-sized group,” said John Gravdahl, a professor of graphic design and a former student of Risbeck’s. “When Silvia called about this idea to present his work in the Morgan library, … I went through those works and a few that came from other resources, to show … a good range of the different kinds of work he did.”
Interestingly, most of the displayed posters are advertisements promoting past musical performances and theater events hosted at the University Center for the Arts and for the Fort Collins Opera. The exhibit also focuses widely on Risbeck’s work from the 1980s and 1990s.
“The thing about great design is that you can show it from any particular era, and you don’t even have to know anything about the designer, frankly, but it holds up,” Gravdahl said. “His work is like that.”
Some of the posters are in foreign languages, so underneath each piece, brief contextual information can be found. This element of the exhibit required Minguzzi and her collaborator Rebecca Breniman, a graduate student, to conduct research on necessary pieces of information, including the dates of when the posters were made and the media modes that were used.
“I always try to work with students or other faculty at CSU … to get ideas that are a little different than my own,” Minguzzi said.
Breniman got involved in curating the homage through an internship with the Master of Arts Leadership and Cultural Management program, researching each pieces’ date and title.
“We made this joint effort by dividing up tasks to make the project easier to manage,” Breniman said.
“Phil was a great ambassador as a person. He was personable and very generous, and he found ways to gather interest in our program.” -John Gravdahl, graphic design professor
The homage was set up right before the start of the fall 2025 semester. Minguzzi was intentional with the installation of the exhibit, as she said every exhibit needs to “live and stay around the students.”
For her, the students themselves are integral to the showcased art.
“The students are in between pieces, and I feel like that’s where they should be,” Minguzzi said.
Risbeck’s legacy at CSU and his international works continue beyond the Morgan Library homage.
“Phil was a great ambassador as a person,” Gravdahl said. “He was personable and very generous, and he found ways to gather interest in our program.”
The homage is located at the southside entrance of the first floor of the Morgan Library and is open until Dec. 21.
Reach Chloe Rios at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @RMCollegian.
