Partnerships Are Boost to Pueblo Arts Culture
No matter how they express their talent, artists and performers have an enthusiastic and supportive home in Pueblo.
The city is justifiably known for its museums and major arts organizations, but its support of the arts trickles down to individual artists and smaller groups as well.
Organizations such as the Visual Artists of Pueblo and Pueblo Performing Arts Guild market and raise awareness of art and artists here, making sure that each gets a chance to be seen, heard and experienced.
The business community joins the city's residents in supporting the arts and was a major impetus behind the formation of the Pueblo Performing Arts Guild, says Susan Fries, executive director.
“They saw the need for an organization that could represent a lot of the others and get their message out,” Fries says. “Marketing and fundraising are things many groups don’t have time for, and we allow them to have more impact because we can do those things for them while they focus on their art.”
An early member and ongoing beneficiary of PPAG’s efforts is Christina Anderson, executive director of the Pueblo Children’s Chorale.
Comprising children from the second through eighth grades, the chorale manages to produce four programs and a school tour every year on a $35,000 budget, so any and all help is vital.
“PPAG promotes our concerts through their weekly e-mail blast,” Anderson says. “But they also promote our auditions and arrange performance opportunities for us.”
More importantly, she says, PPAG allows her to meet with other groups to network and brainstorm on ways they can perform separately and together for even greater community impact.
“Pueblo is really rich in the arts, and people may not know about everything there is,” Anderson says. “PPAG gets the word out to anyone who wants to be involved, from organizations to audience members.”
After more than 25 years of painting his native Colorado, 20 of those from the John Deaux Art Gallery, one-named artist Radeaux can take the long view. Having watched Pueblo’s arts community grow and thrive has not only been beneficial for his work, but for the city itself, he says.
“Artists come here for the low cost of living, the climate, the landscape – everything that Pueblo has to offer,” Radeaux says. “But the community is also very supportive of the arts. The various organizations really liven things up and get a lot of interest going. We do a First Friday Art Walk each month, and when PPAG gets people involved with that, it really adds to the atmosphere.”
The city’s artistic successes also help its economic development, Fries adds, so in the end everybody wins.
“Art events sell tickets, and they drive business,” she says. “We promote the arts, which brings people to the area, which drives tourism. There’s a lot of energy here, and we’re good at focusing that.”
