The creator and executive director of TNL, Marie-Juliette Bird, encouraged a group of like-minded female artisan business owners to form a collective, allowing each one to divide building expenditures while still keeping 100 percent of their revenues. With a focus on underserved and minority communities, TNL accepts submissions from all female-identifying creators and also offers juried artists a venue to exhibit their work. In return, the selected artists agree to provide art education courses to the public.
The New Local is located at 741 Pearl Street in Boulder and is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Courtesy of Bridget Dorr
We spoke with Bird to learn more about TNL's history, goals for the future and current tactics for surviving as a nonprofit in Boulder.
Westword: What was your vision for The New Local (TNL) when you first launched it in 2019?
Marie-Juliette Bird: As a fine-jewelry designer — I have a company called Blackbird and the Snow — I was looking for a space to pop up ahead of the holidays in 2019. I found a great venue on East Pearl Street (the old ’Top Hat’ space, across from Frasca) and negotiated a short-term rental. From there, I reached out to colleagues and pitched the concept of a collective space in which we would share expenses and "gallery-sitting" responsibilities. The experiment was a great success! As local artists, we created our own platform [to] sell our work while keeping expenses manageable. We made friends, launched collaborations and shared resources. The community loved the opportunity to discover and support local talent. I knew there was something special in the model, something worth pursuing. I didn’t intend to create a women’s art organization, specifically, but the project organically evolved this way, and it works!
How did you create the business plan that allowed you to convert the TNL pop-up into a nonprofit?
COVID hit following our pop-up success, so I used the time in lockdown to incorporate The New Local into a 501(c)(3). I saw an opportunity to build a bridge between our incredibly talented community of creators and the broader community, in service of accessibility for art education and programming for everyone. I also wanted to foster a downtown collective art space in Boulder that would support local artists. Because real estate has become so expensive downtown, I knew that TNL needed access to funding sources like grants, corporate sponsorships and donations. Boulder has the third-highest concentration of professional artists in the nation, per capita. But we lag in arts funding and philanthropy, and downtown real estate is very, very expensive. I personally think that it's important to have a venue downtown, where visitors to Boulder can experience the breadth of talent here, and where artists can interface with a rotating public, not just local, valued patrons. Boulder Arts and Crafts Gallery filled this space in Boulder since its opening in 1971, but sadly, that space was back on the market in 2021 — for $50,000 [per] month. No artist, group of artists or local small business owner could inhabit that space at that price. The current economic climate in Boulder requires a new lens; ours encompasses education and a nonprofit structure.
The New Local supports women creators who show their work throughout the space.
Courtesy of Bridget Dorr
The New Local has a public call for work every six months. Any female-identifying creator from Colorado can apply via our website: thenew-local.org. An impartial, diverse jury curates a new collection of artists every six months, with an eye toward originality, quality and craftswomanship. Term II launched on June 1, and our opening is June 15, 6 to 8 p.m. Just a few of our new artists are: Natasha Mistry, Salihah Moore, Fawn Atencio and many, many more. We’ve just launched our TNL CREATIVE INCUBATOR program, which nurtures local artists in a myriad of ways, from the opportunity to display work in our downtown HQ to educational offerings on "artrepreneurialism" from local leaders. We’re finding new ways to support local artists so that they may continue thriving and contributing to Boulder’s unique culture.
How did the search for TNL's permanent home at the Montgomery House go?
This was definitely a community effort! I was granted a spot in Boulder’s [Small Business Development Center] marketing incubator, taught by Suzi Bahnsen. Suzi referred me to Terri Takata at Downtown Boulder Partnership, who introduced me to Molly Bayer, a local broker who specializes in women small-business owners. Molly connected us with Stephen Tebo, who owns the Montgomery House. I think that Tebo liked the idea of this iconic Boulder landmark being used for a community project while infusing the West End with culture. We’re thrilled; we love our new downtown HQ.
How has TNL been received in the community?
We’ve been overwhelmed by the positive support and love since opening our doors in November. What we hear most when people come into the gallery: "This place has such great energy," "Boulder needed a place like this," "This is beautifully curated," "How can I/my friend/my sister/etc. apply as an artist?"
What role did social media play in TNL's expansion?
With sixty exceptional creators in one place, social media has been huge for us. Part of the magic of TNL structure is the exponential exposure and growth that every artist experiences through our social media cross-pollination.
What additional activities are happening at TNL in addition to showcasing the works of local women artists?
We now offer workshops and classes almost every day in diverse disciplines for children, teens and adults. Many of our classes are on a sliding scale/by donation basis in order to promote accessibility for the entire community. We also recently expanded into an annex, just down the street. In the old West Pearl grocery store (also circa 1880s), we host elevated workshops, events and Clay Club later this summer. Stay tuned for updates @thenewlocalboulder, our Instagram, or sign up for our newsletter online at thenew-local.org. We also just launched our Annex Artist program, which highlights the work of a single artist and rotates every six weeks. Our current Annex Artist is Darcie Shively, a textile artist and weaver. Darcie’s work is on display through June 26, and she’ll be offering all kinds of workshops, demonstrations and events to the community.
What are your long-term goals for the nonprofit organization, and how has TNL changed since its inception?
Boulder’s appetite for interesting, creative workshops has been a big surprise. We will continue to nurture these offerings and expand our outreach to the most vulnerable members of our community. We’ve also recently partnered with [El Centro] Amistad, a local nonprofit that serves the Latinx community; we’ll be offering workshops to Latina women that culminates in a show in the Annex later this year. I’d love to create an organization that grows deep roots and outlives all of us currently working on this project! Having grown up in Boulder, I loved the creative opportunities that comprised my childhood; I spent every afternoon at Ballet Arts, which is now Boulder Ballet and housed at the Dairy [Arts Center]. But my friends and I grew up dancing above Tom’s Tavern (now Salt on East Pearl), with a live pianist, snow falling outside in the winter, with the smell of fries wafting up through the floorboards. It was magic, and I loved being part of the historic downtown scene. I hope that The New Local can create some similar, magical memories for students as well as opportunities for local artists. Also, we love becoming a ‘destination’ and hope to contribute to the thriving businesses of our West Pearl neighbors.
Term II opening, 6 p.m. Thursday, June 15, 741 Pearl Street, Boulder.
