Mayor Mike Johnston and Denver Arts & Venues Announce DENVER CREATES: A Collective Commitment to the Arts

 

DENVER – Denver’s arts and culture sector will have access to another round of grant giving, collective impact programs and arts-focused, city-led initiatives as part of a new plan announced today by Mayor Mike Johnston and the City’s arts agency, Denver Arts & Venues. The new cultural roadmap, DENVER CREATES: A Collective Commitment to the Arts, lays out strategies for supporting artists and the business of culture into the next decade.

 

“From our public art programs to our cultural investments and iconic landmarks, Denver is, and always will be, an arts town,” said Mayor Mike Johnston. “With this plan, we have an opportunity to shape the future of arts in our city, a future where the arts are accessible to all and where our creative community thrives and drives our city’s economy. I can’t wait to see what we’ll achieve together.”

 

“When developing a new cultural framework for our city, we took a community-driven approach to cultural planning and allowed ourselves to be guided by the voices of the creative sector,” said Denver Arts & Venues Executive Director Gretchen Hollrah. “Through surveys and more than 100 in-depth interviews, Denver Arts & Venues asked the Denver arts and culture community what they need to thrive. DENVER CREATES represents the 2,500+ voices we heard and delivers a collective action plan to address the needs of the sector.”

 

Through DENVER CREATES, Denver Arts & Venues will lead collective action, including a biennial Summit, Impact Teams and a yearly update that will show progress on goals, highlight community efforts, celebrate wins in the cultural sector and use new data to shape next steps.

 

The agency will also launch four new programs to meet community-identified needs from DENVER CREATES, including expanded cultural-partner programming at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the creation of a downtown Arts Marketplace with pilot Artists-in-Residence program, convening a sector-wide strategy for Denver arts organization amplification and branding, and new arts and culture engagement for youth ages 12 and up.

 

While Denver Arts & Venues will steward DENVER CREATES and serve as a convener of the cultural sector, artists and arts sector employees, community leaders and passionate arts supporters each have something to give – and something to gain – from supporting arts and culture in Denver. This initiative calls on the creative community to join in a continuous effort to co-create a more vibrant and equitable creative environment.

 

“DENVER CREATES captures and delivers an action plan ready to accomplish the most pressing needs of our sector,” continued Hollrah. “This is our collective call to commit to arts and culture in Denver, together.”

 

For more information and to read the full roadmap, visit Denver-Creates.com.

 

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About Denver Arts & Venues

Denver Arts & Venues’ mission is to enrich Denver’s quality of life and economic vitality through the advancement of arts, culture and entertainment opportunities for all. Denver Arts & Venues operates Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, Colorado Convention Center, Denver Coliseum, Theatre at Loretto Heights and McNichols Civic Center Building, using proceeds from events at these venues to run and maintain these facilities and to provide access to art for all through free and low-cost community events, grants for artists and arts organizations, public art and art education. Using Good Times, For Good. For more information, visit www.ArtsandVenues.com