Pirronne Yousefzadeh has broken her silence about her sudden departure as artistic director of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College’s theater division, which she announced on her Facebook page Dec. 31.

Yousefzadeh, who left after 18 months on the job, called into question both the historic alliance struck in 2016 that brought the FAC under the auspices of Colorado College – and the authenticity of the college’s commitment to ongoing anti-racism work.

“From the beginning of my time at the Fine Arts Center, it was clear that the relationship between it and Colorado College was tenuous, at best, and over time, those tensions only increased,” Yousefzadeh told The Denver Gazette. “I gradually discovered the ways in which the leadership and I were not in alignment in how we define our anti-racist values, and how we believe those values should manifest in process, policies and of course, programming.”

Colorado College announced its commitment to anti-racism in a statement published in 2019. It reads, in part: “Our mission to provide the finest liberal-arts education in the country requires us to strive for an environment that does not foster negative experiences or outcomes based on race. … While we may never achieve the goal of becoming an anti-racist campus, every step we take toward anti-racism will make us better, and prepares our students to push for progress in the world. We will work diligently on this, and we won’t stop.”

Yousefzadeh, who joined the FAC in July 2021, said today: “As a woman of color and the child of Iranian immigrants, it is important to me to work in spaces where we strive to manifest anti-racist values more and more fully and deeply.”

Yousefzadeh, who has since been named Interim Associate Artistic Director of the Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis, declined to offer specific examples of the conflict she perceives between the college’s words and deeds when it comes to anti-racism. But the timing of her statement today is likely no accident. The FAC is planning to release its 2022-23 theater season on Friday.

The only season under Yousefzadeh’s leadership included “Songs from the Border,” by Satya Chávez and Brian Quijada, and ends with the musical “In the Heights,” by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes (March 2-April 2), followed by a touring production of “Where We Belong,” a play that grapples with nations that have failed to reckon with their ongoing roles in colonialism (April 13-23).

One way or the other, Friday’s season announcement should serve as evidence of the college’s ongoing commitment to social programs and programming.

Yousefzadeh’s departure was the fourth by a prominent FAC artistic leader in less than two years, following Artistic Director Scott RC Levy, Executive Director Idris Goodwin and Associate Artistic Director Nathan Halvorson. On Feb. 16, it was announced that Nicole Herden of Nebraska will assume the Executive Director role on July 31.

Manya Whitaker, executive vice president and chief of staff at Colorado College, chose not to directly respond to Yousefzadeh’s statement, but said Herden’s appointment makes this an exciting time for the FAC.

“Nicole was chosen, in part, because of her multifaceted vision for how the FAC can continue to enhance the college’s academic goals and our mission of preparing students to create a more just world,” Whitaker said. “Her goals for the FAC align with our institutional anti-racism commitment.

“As part of that effort, we must acknowledge that people enter this work at different points. As one of the campus entities that engages with the Colorado Springs community, the FAC plays a critical role in advancing our anti-racism goals as we meet people where they are in their anti-racist journey and as we co-create shared values together.”

Yousefzadeh ended her own statement today by saying: “I wish everyone at the Fine Arts Center and Colorado College the very best of luck as they continue to define their relationship and vision going forward.”