Culture Is Essential to a Thriving Denver, but Colorado Ranks 46th in Arts Funding

Denver Arts & Venues originally intended to roll out the city’s newest cultural plan in 2020. Obviously, the “Imagine 2020” plan never came to fruition.

“The irony that is not lost on me is that we did not imagine 2020,” said DAV Executive Deputy Director Tariana Navas-Nieves during “Digging Into the Data,” a November 19 presentation on the information behind the cultural plan that did finally materialize: Denver Creates.

Introduced in May, Denver Creates is a reimagining of Imagine 2020, with commitments to broaden access to the arts, cultivate cultural community and support the economic vitality of the city’s arts and cultural sector.

DAV worked with consultant Corona Insights to analyze surveys and interviews with Denver residents and creatives about their cultural opinions, perceptions and challenges. In recent years, the department has made a commitment to collecting community surveys, so data from 2024 can be compared to results from 2014, 2017 and 2020.

In early 2024, 10,000 surveys were sent to Denver households, and 730 usable surveys were collected. In 2021 and again in 2024, Navas-Nieves and Colorado’s ninth poet laureate, Bobby LeFebre, conducted interviews with over 100 Denver artists and cultural workers.

While positive perceptions about the importance, impact and availability of arts and culture in Denver dipped in 2020, those numbers are mostly back to pre-pandemic results as of 2024. Ninety-three percent of people surveyed agreed that it’s easy to find arts and culture in Denver. “We say in surveys that you never get 100 percent,” said Kate Darwent with Corona Insights. “This is about as close to 100 percent as you can get.”

Meanwhile, 80 percent or more of those surveyed believed that arts, culture and creativity in Denver contribute to Denver’s economy, improve the city’s national reputation and attract tourism.

To demonstrate the importance of arts and culture to Denver’s tourism industry, presenters pointed to an economic activity study conducted by the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts, which showed that cultural tourism had increased 15 percent from 2019 to 2022.

And yet, presenters also offered the statistic that Colorado currently ranks 46th in the nation for State Arts Agency Legislative Appropriations Per Capita. Colorado Creative Industries is Colorado’s designated arts agency that distributes state and federal funding to the state’s cultural sector. As of 2024, CCI’s operating budget hadn’t increased in a decade, but CCI was able to secure an additional $1.25 million this year. And Denver and its surrounding counties have the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, a regional tax that gives one penny from every $10 purchase back to cultural institutions across seven counties. SCFD continues to be the biggest monetary supporter of Colorado’s arts ecosystem, contributing $85 million in 2024.

Artists and cultural workers interviewed ahead of Colorado Creates said they worry about gentrification, burnout, lack of collaboration, the need to bring the younger generations into conversations and the cost of living in Denver. “Many felt that living in and working in Denver has become prohibitively expensive and voiced a need to see how city, county and local agencies would help combat the inflation that has driven out so many talented artists,” shared Catherine Rockey with Corona Insights. “Those who must live outside the city noted they can no longer access funding for local artists, even though their work is in the city.”

“My concern is about the many brilliant artists we are hemorrhaging,” then-executive director of One Denver Stephen Brackett said in one of the interviews. “I have this deep concern about the grassroots levels of artists who aren’t going to be here by the time they become professional.”

Even before Denver dug into the data, it announced one of the Denver Creates programs.

Arts Complex Creates

After being teased at the initial Denver Creates announcements, Arts Complex Creates was officially announced on October 21. It’s designed to enrich the city’s arts scene by welcoming new voices, experimental projects and innovative cultural expressions into venues in the city-owned Denver Performing Arts Complex.

Artists with projects that push creative boundaries, bring unique perspectives and engage the community can apply for the New Works Incubator and receive up to $25,000 in funding and up to four weeks of development space at the Champa Rehearsal Studio, followed by a final presentation at an arts complex venue. Two to three projects will be selected.

Meanwhile, artists and arts organizations with a fully developed production that just needs a space and funding to elevate the production value can apply for Producing Partners. Selected projects will receive up to $50,000 in funding and marketing support from DAV. Three to five projects will be selected.

Arts Complex Program Manager Peter Dearth says that as of mid-November, applications “are in the double digits.” The application deadline is Monday, November 24.

“I’m hoping Denver creatives feel a sense of freedom while imagining what can be done on our stages and bring bold ideas to the Arts Complex,” Dearth added. “We really want to shine a spotlight on fresh perspectives with diverse cultural offerings for our audiences. It’s not every day — or in every city, for that matter — that world-class venues open their doors to the public in this way, so we’re really excited to see what our creative community will do with the opportunity.”

As for the overall impact of Denver Creates, Navas-Nieves hopes the cultural plan will be a tool for Denver creatives. “Denver Creates captures and shares the data,” she said. “Now it’s our collective commitment to address the needs, hopes and aspirations of residents. …Data is only relevant and useful if we use it.”