The Colorado Arts Relief Fund comes to the rescue of Colorado artists

Apply now for $7.5 million in arts relief

The Colorado Arts Relief Fund, a product of Senate Bill 20B-001from December’s legislative special session, is offering $7.5 million to arts and culture businesses, nonprofits and individuals affected by the coronavirus shutdown. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 8, according to the Colorado Office of International Trade and Economic Development.

“As COVID-19 continues to impact Colorado, arts and culture organizations are witnessing dramatic, unprecedented losses in employment and revenue,” officials said in a press statement. “Colorado’s largest and fastest-growing creative industries, including music, theater, dance and visual arts, have also been among the hardest hit by the impacts of COVID-19.” Recent state-sponsored studies estimate that between April and July 2020, creative industries as a whole lost nearly 60,000 jobs and $2.6 billion in revenue.

The Colorado Arts Relief Fund for individuals will provide grants up to $2,500 for eligible artists, while the fund for businesses and organizations will offer grants under a model in which ticket sales and/or physical foot traffic “direct a significant portion of total annual revenue that has been financially affected by venue closures due to the pandemic,” officials said. Read more and apply at oedit.colorado.gov/colorado-arts-relief-grant.

NEH’s $33 million mostly misses Colorado

Despite announcing $33 million for 213 projects nationwide this month, the National Endowment for Humanities only granted a sliver of that — $60,000 — to Colorado. Vilja Hulden, an NEH-Mellon Fellow, received the grant for research that analyzes representation and lobbying at U.S. Congressional Hearings between the mid-19th and later 20th centuries.

Large states, such as California and New York, received multimillion-dollar grants for various projects, while states such as Colorado, Georgia, Delaware received less than $100,000 each. See the full list at neh.gov.

Children’s Museum to reopen Jan. 7

Despite shifting state rules and variances for large institutions, some museums have decided to sit out this tumultuous holiday season. The Children’s Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus was one of them, but that changes Thursday, Jan. 7, when it reopens to the public.

Officials at the museum, which has been at a disadvantage during coronavirus due to its “high-touch” environment, will begin a phased reopening on Jan. 7 that includes exhibitions such as Bubbles, Ready Vet Go, Kinetics and 3 2 1 Blast Off. In addition to following all of Colorado’s current Safer at Home guidelines, the museum has created a Safer Play page that lays out visitor and staff expectations before your next timed, ticketed visit.

Reservations are open for Jan. 7-9 and Jan. 14-16 at mychildsmuseum.org/safer-play.

Colorado Film and TV office wins global honor

A panel of TV- and film-industry judges including executives from Warner Bros. and Netflix recognized a Colorado project with the Ute Mountain Tribe as part of the international Makers & Shakers awards program.

The Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media (COFTM) received the recognition for its short film entry during the “Film Commission Initiative of the Year” award ceremony on Dec. 14, officials said. The film captured young tribal members from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe telling their personal stories and exploring “new pathways to employment,” according to a press statement. The two-week intensive summer workshops were conducted by Colorado Film School instructors and introduced Ute Mountain Ute students to filmmaking, culminating in the short film.

“Films tell our many stories, and it is immensely gratifying to see filmmaking actually shape new chapters of inclusion and opportunity,” said Donald Zuckerman, director of COFTM. “We are indebted to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and the Lieutenant Governor’s Office for making this project possible.” See more at makersandshakersawards.com.

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