Category Archives: News

At a January Arts for Colorado-sponsored event at Denver’s Paris on the Platte, national public art consultant John Grant interviewed Jack Becker to get to the bottom of something. Becker is the Director of Forecast Public Art, a national resource for the public art field.

When reviewing Becker’s history with public art, you have to go back almost to the beginning. One could argue that his work in the field began in college, where he received his bachelor of fine arts from Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Or you could say that his career interest took shape when he established Forecast Public Art in 1978. But, as Becker explained it, you have to go back even further than that.

In 1963, Becker, a third grader in St. Louis, was asked to write something on a piece of paper about the city in which he lived. Although Becker insists he cannot remember what it is he wrote, he joked that it was “probably something profound.” Becker and all his classmates were to take these facts about the city and …

As 2012 comes to an end, the Arts for Colorado (AFC) board would like to highlight some of AFC’s major accomplishments and advocacy activities from the past year.

At AFC, we make it our business to ensure that state and private funding for the arts is maintained or increased from year-to-year, so the invaluable impact of the arts is never diminished by budget cuts. Through our lobbying and advocacy efforts, we ensure that Colorado Creative Industries and other arts organizations in our state receive the funding they need to fulfill their missions. A majority of these funds are allocated for grants programs across the state to benefit artists, arts-related programming, arts education, and much more. AFC does more than just secure money for Colorado Creative Industries, we provide advocacy tools and professional development opportunities for members of the arts community in Colorado. Below are just a few of Arts for Colorado’s advocacy activities and contributions to the state’s cultural community from 2012:

New and Improved Website: Our enhanced website provides you with informative legislative updates, quarterly newsletters, information on our …

Dr. Kerry Hart is the President of Morgan Community College in Fort Morgan and an Arts for Colorado board member. Hart often wonders how he arrived at his current career.

“Being a college administrator of any sort was never in my original plan,” said Hart. His original plan, from the early age of seven, was to become a musician. As a young boy,  Hart played saxophone in Denver’s Mile High Boys Band. The experience led him to his later role as a high school band teacher. From there, Hart went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in music education from Metropolitan State University of Denver and subsequently taught music for a number of years in various Colorado public schools.

Kerry Hart went on to receive his master of music degree in conducting and music literature and later earned a doctorate in music education and higher education administration from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. Attaining his degree opened the door to several college-level teaching opportunities. As his responsibilities increased, Hart eventually found himself in his current position but he …

DeVotchka’s Nick Urata has always had a unique and engaging voice.

In 2011, Urata used that voice to defend an engaging issue – advocating on behalf of National Public Radio (NPR) to members of Congress in Washington, D.C.

Urata and his bandmates, Tom Hagerman, Shawn King, and Jeanie Schroder, argued at the time that if it had not been for NPR, they would have never been discovered by filmmakers Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Dayton and Faris first heard the band on the Santa Monica public radio station KCRW, and later asked the band to score their breakout movie Little Miss Sunshine – which went on to receive an Oscar nomination for best picture. DeVotchka would later send a letter to the Colorado Congressional delegation referring to NPR as an “important platform for American musical culture.”

Still today, the band focuses much of their efforts on arts advocacy, inclusion, and helping underfunded non-profits in any way it can. We recently spoke with Urata about the importance of these issues and how DeVotchka will continue to use its …

Written by Andy Thomas

At the beginning of June we summarized the Colorado General Assembly (CGA) 2012 session and informed you of the Creative Industries Division (CCI) current budget climate.

In this update, are summarizing some other notable state art agency budget and restructuring activities from around the country for Fiscal Year 2013.

Positives and negatives can be taken from every funding situation but what should be stressed is that many of the proposals described here are pending and could change as deliberations are concluded.

Arizona: According to Arizona Citizens for the Arts, recent advocacy efforts were successful, as HB2265, the bill to reauthorize Arizona Commission for the Arts, passed unanimously. The committee hearing was preceded by a day in which 150 people gathered at the State Capitol to conduct meetings with approximately half of the state’s 90 legislators. These meetings, and advocacy like this in general, are seen as big reason why the legislation was successful.

Kansas: FY2012 was a bleak year for arts in the state of Kansas, as all state funds for the arts were …

Arts for Colorado lobbyist Jennifer Mello wants to relay the message that, in order for funding for the arts to increase in Colorado, people have to take a gamble – literally.

With a large portion of funding given to the Colorado Creative Industries Division (CCI) coming from Limited Gaming Funds, Mello stated that the major reason funding is down is because revenue from gaming has been decreasing, due in large part to the nationwide recession.

“In a recession people do not have as much disposable income, so they do not gamble as much, so the tax receipts go down,” she says. “We started the 2012 session facing a cut not because anyone was after us or was trying to take our money, it’s just that revenue was down. When you do not have as much revenue you do not get as much money.”

Despite the fact that people are not visiting casinos as much as in years past, Mello insists that the funds awarded at this year’s Colorado General Assembly (CGA) were much higher than anticipated.

“The fight we fought …

As National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman has noted, “Art works everywhere,” which is why the NEA’s Challenge America Fast-Track (CAFT) program supports projects from primarily small and mid-sized arts organizations that extend the reach of the arts to underserved audiences—those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Creede Repertory Theatre was selected to receive one of the 162 grants of $10,000 awarded to organizations in 46 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This NEA award will support Creede Repertory Theatre’s 2012 Young Audience Outreach Tour, which will bring much-needed performing arts experiences to tens of thousands of children in rural and underserved schools throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Oklahoma.

“Taken together, these Challenge America Fast-Track grants provide an extraordinary sampling of the work that arts organizations do to reach underserved communities,” said Chairman Landesman. “With these grants, we are helping to ensure that art works for all Americans.”

Creede Repertory Theatre’s Education Director, Renee Stynchula shared, “In 2011, the Challenge America award helped us …

Arts for Colorado December E-Newsletter

Creede Repertory Theatre Receives NEA Challenge America Fast-Track Grant

As National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman has noted, “Art works everywhere,” which is why the NEA’s Challenge America Fast-Track (CAFT) program supports projects from primarily small and mid-sized arts organizations that extend the reach of the arts to underserved audiences–those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Creede Repertory Theatre was selected to receive one of the 162 grants of $10,000 awarded to organizations in 46 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

This NEA award will support Creede Repertory Theatre’s 2012 Young Audience Outreach Tour, which will bring much-needed performing arts experiences to tens of thousands of children in rural and underserved schools throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Oklahoma.

“Taken together, these Challenge America Fast-Track grants provide an extraordinary sampling of the work that arts organizations do to reach underserved communities,” said Chairman Landesman. “With these grants, we are helping to ensure that art works for all Americans.”

Creede Repertory …