About Colorado Arts Center

The Colorado Arts Center, Inc. was formed in 2008 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in response to Denver mayor John Hickenlooper's Task Force on Creative Spaces of 2006. The Task Force was formed to better understand the needs of artists in the area. From this detailed review came the 144-page Space Matters Report, which outlined 8 key findings. Among them:

• Despite its many clusters and large arts facilities, Denver lacks a node for producers of creative content to congregate, share, collaborate, network and/or co-create. It also lacks a node for the dissemination of information to the general public.
• Suitable space is just as important as affordable space. There is a dearth of suitable space for several artistic disciplines including theatre, dance and music rehearsal space. Proximity to others in the creative community promotes innovation, collaboration and creative social networks, which generates thriving enterprises and a cohesive cultural community.
• Property ownership is essential to the stability of creative businesses and the neighborhoods where they locate. Enterprises that own property, or are in the process of acquiring property, need support to maintain the property, thereby sustaining the space in perpetuity for creative use and offering a safe environment for public assembly.
• Information about creative space availability, development process and where creativity takes place is fragmented and opaque.

The Colorado Council on the Arts commissioned a survey of Colorado's creative economy in 2008. A few pertinent statistics point out the readiness of the greater Denver area for a major arts facility, and the strong demographics which position Colorado positively for creative growth.

• In the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Bohemian Index, a measure of concentration of artists and performers by county based on occupational data, ten of the top 25 counties in the U.S. are in Colorado. That is 40 percent in a state with a population that represents only 4 percent of the U.S. population—and it is growing. In 2006, the state was home to 13,000 independent artists, writers, and performers.
• Based on 2000 census data, Colorado ranked 2nd among all states in concentration of architects, 5th in total artists, 7th in designers, 7th in writers and authors, 8th in photographers, and 9th in producers and directors and in musicians.
• The number of jobs in the creative economy ranks it as one of the larger clusters of the Colorado economy, nearly as large as biotech/biomed and IT & telecommunications…In terms of relative strength, the concentration of employment in creative enterprises is well above the U.S. average. In addition, Colorado's creative sector is one of the strongest in the state, ranking fifth among the state's designated clusters… Employment in creative enterprises has been growing faster than most other clusters.

The search for appropriate spaces and development of programs will be an involved process that will require input across the spectrum, but CACI is committed to pressing forward with the steps necessary to make the dream a reality. If you'd like to become active in this process either as a board member or volunteer, please contact Executive Director Jeff King at jeff@coloradoartscenter.org.