Rural Arts Connect

WHAT CAN OTHERS DO?

Chaffee Arts

Tracy Gallegos “Contribute financially, participate and/ or volunteer, and share experiences with others.” Creamery Arts Center “One of the most important things is to get buy-in and support from the community. Here again, Grand Mesa is an example of an organization who went to the community, found out their needs and wants. Are they retirees? Do the residents want more culture? Are they willing to put work into the building to complete? Are there donors with money to contribute? Do you have lots of willing volunteers?” “Any art museum that serves rural arts groups can serve as a resource to spearhead this type of collaboration. In the beginning, AAM had to launch the program but as we got to know each other we communicated on our own. That was a big step and proof of the value of Rural Arts Connect.”

Gunnison Arts Center

“Large institutions can recognize the value and power in a network of rural communities. Because we are not densely populated and our resources are scarce, our artists are often overlooked in the art world at large. If mainstay museums like the Aspen Art Museum can recognize the incredibly ripe opportunities that exist from these disconnected resources, they should consider launching a similar program. There is pure, untapped, unrecognized talents in these rural communities whose abilities could be a resource for similar towns, or even those larger institutions.

NMHFM

“I think a good first step is to ask the community what they want. By getting feedback from those who have lived in the area for a while, we can gain insight on what used to be offered and what they miss about those opportunities. From there, you can assess how RAC can fill those gaps.”

Arts for All

Grand Mesa Arts & Events Center

“It is daunting, but by joining with other organizations, we all learn and all improve what we offer. Period! It requires sustained effort and leadership.”

“As our anchor organization, if the Aspen Art Museum could share information, expertise and opportunities that would be helpful to smaller, less connected venues.”

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