Empathy is a Superpower: Celebrating Five Points Jazz Grantee “Streets, Take 5”

 

In January of 2025, Denver Arts & Venues (DAV) announced a new approach to supporting the legacy of jazz in Denver's Five Points neighborhood. In place of the longstanding Five Points Jazz Festival, DAV created a new Five Points Jazz program, featuring both a new grant and partnership with the Five Points Business Improvement District. The move allowed DAV to support the arts locally, providing year-round support and opportunities to established and aspiring artists. Now that we've had a year under our belts, we’re excited to share the success of the new program.   

One of the Five Points Jazz grantees is JC Futrell, a steadfast artist with an enduring history of success in the neighborhood, who was awarded for his project, “Streets, Take 5,” a landmark exhibition celebrating the jazz legacy and creative spirit of the historic Five Points neighborhood. Curated by JC Futrell and featuring the artwork of Darrell Anderson, the show ran during the summer of 2025 at the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library and touched more than 800 lives during the exhibition.   

“The Five Points Jazz Grant, honestly, there's no words to what I can say about what the fund meant,” said Futrell. “Specifically, all the partnerships that we pulled in, that felt really organic, talking to community partners that felt disconnected with the festival ending. The Jazz Grant was a way to move away from the bigger spectacle of the festival. People would enjoy themselves for the day or might post about it, but then after the event, it became background noise to all the other things. So, to be able to do something you know, very connected to the community, and to pull in so many different communities, especially, that was really impactful.”  

The opening reception of “Streets, Take 5” brought the exhibition to life through a powerful fusion of movement, music and visual art—featuring dancers from the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company and live performance by Purnell Steen & Company.  

“Getting to do this event this summer was meaningful in so many ways,” shared Futrell.   
Purnell Steen, who performed at the exhibition opening and was a longstanding presence at the Five Points Jazz Festival, passed away in November at the age of 84.   

“Purnell Steen was one of the most important parts of this night and exhibition,” said Futrell. “Purnell was more than just a musician and more than just a luminary – he was a community partner, a friend, a visionary – he was a light that guided a lot of us.”   

This deep sense of community and rooted history of the Five Points neighborhood served as the basis for the exhibit. Through Anderson’s paintings and mixed-media works, “Streets, Take 5” paid homage to the rhythm, resilience and cultural brilliance that define Five Points. 

Complementing the visual presentation were public artist talks and jazz film screenings hosted at the library, where Anderson and community members explored the intersection of art, history and sound. Each event served to illuminate the neighborhood’s ongoing influence on generations of artists and musicians.  

“I think what worked well was the idea, once again, of connectivity and being into our strength, which is our long-lasting history with each other,” said Futrell. “Five Points has been a beacon for years, and the community shows up because the community understood the importance of celebrating how special Five Points is and all the stories we have to tell.”  

The exhibition concluded with a celebratory closing reception, gathering artists, neighbors and supporters to honor the project’s success.   

“Streets, Take 5 stood as more than an art show; it was a living archive of place and sound, a multidisciplinary expression of the enduring spirit of Five Points,” said Futrell.   
The exhibit was a testament to how the arts continue to connect people across time, culture and creative form.  

“What I love about Arts & Venues: organizations like yours actively fight to make sure that artists have what they need in order to be able to do the things that enrich us all,” said Futrell. “And at the end of the day, no matter the event or art, the most important thing to remember is that empathy is a superpower.”  

Finding our humanity in our stories, art, music and community is what drives the work at DAV, and we're thrilled to celebrate the successes of grantees in the Five Points neighborhood.