The Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced today that the Latino Cultural Art Center (LCAC) in Denver and Clear Creek Center for Arts and Education (CCCAE) in Idaho Springs have been selected to receive Community Revitalization Grants (CRG). These grants support projects that combine elements such as affordable housing, retail and community spaces while meeting the diverse needs of their communities.
“The Community Revitalization Grant program is about so much more than preservation. It helps infuse new life into celebrated community institutions across Colorado, elevating the creative industries and supporting each community’s unique economic development goals,” said Program Manager Sarah Harrison. “These projects will contribute to more equitable economic recovery and development in their communities while demonstrating how mixed-use public funding contributes to a Colorado economy that works for everyone.”
The CRG program is intended to help revitalize community spaces in creative districts, historic districts, main streets and neighborhood commercial centers across Colorado through mixed use development.
The LCAC and CCCAE projects (described below) are the final CRG grants funded by HB22-1409, which provided $20 million to the CRG program. To date, the CRG program has funded 55 projects in 17 counties.
Las Bodegas (Latino Cultural Art Center) – $1,900,000
Denver, CO
The Latino Cultural Art Center (LCAC) is taking side-by-side existing structures and transforming them into a vibrant community art space with renewable energy features. Las Bodegas will be a mixed-use space and home to the LCAC community arts programs, including Ofrendas celebration (known as the Day of the Dead) and public art programs. It will also include two studios for resident artists, four flexible art class spaces for intergenerational workshops, a multimedia lab to teach youth about film and audio, and a cafe that provides additional workforce training opportunities with Girls Inc./Bold Beans as future partners. The development of this permanent and affordable space ensures there will be a place for all community members to call home and access the arts, including those who have historically encountered barriers to this type of programming. Las Bodegas plans to achieve this through high-quality mentoring, technical training, mental wellness/grief programming, and job placement for artists, high school students and undergraduates. This multidisciplinary approach to workforce development will be a catalyst for an equitable recovery. Artists, educators, and youth will have access to workshops and technologies that empower them with the 21st century skills needed to succeed across numerous industries.
Tower Theater (CCCAE) – $1,538,000
Idaho Springs, CO
This important Bauhaus-Brutalist building, owned by the Clear Creek School District and designed by Tom Nixon, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, is known as the “Tower of Learning.” It will soon be the home of the Clear Creek Center for Arts & Education (CCCAE) and the Tower Arts Complex. Disciplines utilizing the space will include theater, music, dance, health & wellness, visual art, as well as industrial and textile construction and design. Vacant for 20 years, the rebirth of this multi-use building will include an elementary school and community educational hub for all ages. A thriving arts district will economically diversify Idaho Springs. There are 119 workforce housing units under development within a 5 minute walk of the property, and once the project is completed it will bring major economic progress to the region.
About the Community Revitalization Grant Program
The Community Revitalization Grant (CRG) program is intended to help revitalize community spaces in creative districts, historic districts, main streets and neighborhood commercial centers across Colorado. Grants are awarded to projects that combine several uses, such as creative industry workforce housing, commercial spaces, performance space, community gathering spaces, child care centers, and retail partnerships. The projects must also focus on economic recovery and diversification by supporting creative sector entrepreneurs, artisans, and community non-profit organizations. Initially funded by the State of Colorado, the Colorado Economic Development Commission allocated an additional $16.5 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to continue the program. All CRG projects are evaluated by a panel review process overseen by CCI and the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).
About Colorado Creative Industries
Colorado’s Creative Industries Division, Colorado’s state arts agency, is a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Established to capitalize on the immense potential for our creative sector to enhance economic growth in Colorado, the mission of Colorado Creative Industries is to promote, support and expand the creative industries to drive Colorado’s economy, grow jobs and enhance our quality of life. oedit.colorado.gov/colorado-creative-industries