Colorado: Arts in Society

Arts in Society is a two-year pilot program of Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) that supports “social practice” art projects, which work with the medium of interpersonal interaction to strengthen community relationships through dialogue, inclusive action and other forms of social engagement. Each year, CCI and the program’s two funding partners—the Hemera Foundation and Bonfils-Stanton Foundation—are awarding 15-25 grants of $10,000-$50,000 each to artists, arts organizations and nonprofits working in health care, human services, community improvement and other sectors. The grants, administered by the RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver, fund cross-sector projects that leverage artistic excellence to engage social issues in communities across Colorado. Grantees also benefit by sharing best practices with and learning from colleagues at three Learning Community Meetings. Funded projects include an effort to create a Rube Goldberg-style machine designed to engage community members in participatory budgeting, a sewing social enterprise for women refugees, and a festival of films by and about indigenous people. The Arts in Society blog highlights the latest activities of these and other projects. For more information, contact CCI Executive Director Margaret Hunt.