The Gay & Lesbian Fund supports organizations that enrich lives through the visual arts, performing arts, and cultural programs because we love the way film, literature, performances, and community festivals inspire people to think and feel.
The success stories of our Arts & Culture grantees are numerous:
- When Fort Collins’ primary public venue for arts and culture closed for renovations in 2011, local nonprofit Beet Street launched “Streetmosphere” bringing more than 3,000 public performances to the city’s downtown area over five months. From May to September, musicians, jugglers, magicians, acting troupes, comedians, dancers, storytellers, and visual artists transformed downtown Fort Collins into an outdoor arts center for everyone to enjoy.
- In Colorado Springs, artists donate their talents to transform individual butterfly sculptures into creative masterpieces to raise funds for arts programs in local schools. The money raised by the “Butterflies & Friends” program ensures that children have access to essential arts education that promotes brain development, social skills, and improved communication.
- An icon of political, economic, and social power, the Governor’s Residence at the Boettcher Mansion offers visitors a historic setting to experience the legacies of Colorado’s leaders. The Governor’s Residence Preservation Fund hosts year-round events and programs, opening the mansion’s doors to hundreds of visitors.
- The Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum features permanent exhibits about the history of the Pikes Peak region and changing exhibits related to current events and local interests. In 2011, the museum created the “Pedal Power” exhibit in celebration of Colorado’s first Pro Cycling Challenge, highlighting the region’s noteworthy bicycles, bicyclists, and biking history.
- The Spirituals Project in Denver collects, preserves, and revitalizes the music and teachings of African American sacred songs that were created and first sung by slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. The songs are a historic art form and tradition, and the project’s programming in local schools and educational settings ensures they will be passed on for future generations.
Explore the many ways in which our grantees are building a better Colorado by reading their stories in our “Grantee Stories” section.
Colorado Black Arts Festival
The Colorado Black Arts Festival brings thousands of people together annually to celebrate African-American Heritage. The festival’s 25th anniversary theme in 2011, “Gifted and Black,” reflected the eclectic creative talents of the hundreds of local, regional, and national African American art and culture artists that attend the event each year.
