"The U.S. House of Representatives begins debate today (2/15) on House Resolution 1 (H.R.1), a bill to fund the federal government for the remainder of the current fiscal year. So far, two amendments have been filed that will eliminate or slash support for the National Endowment for the Arts. The bill already contains a $22.5 million cut in NEA funding, but these amendments are even more extreme."

Americans for the Arts has an incredibly easy email system that allows you to directly contact your legislators with a personalized message. It only takes two minutes. Click here to take action 

DiMe Digital Media Symposium Tomorrow
 

The Digital Media Symposium (DiMe), dedicated to Colorado's digital creators in entertainment and technology, and those who innovate at media's cutting edge, takes place on Friday, February 18th at 1 p.m. at St. Julien Hotel in downtown Boulder.  Visionary leaders from the film, media and gaming industries will discuss applications of new technology as well as how to engage and collaborate.  Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at www.dimeboulder.com. More details.

 

New Website Featuring Colorado's Creatives

 

We are developing a new website that will showcase all types of creative work in Colorado. The web site is fueled by content submitted by creatives like you! Each month there will be main features that we choose based on popularity, innovation and overall creative impact. Additionally there will be stories submitted by creatives that the community can vote on. The story with the most votes will be featured the following month. If you work with a creative organization or company that should be featured, please let us know. Send us the company or organization name, why you are in Colorado, address, website, phone number, one high resolution image and an optional video hosted on youtube or vimeo. Send the information to coloradocreates@gmail.com. Look for the launch of this new site soon! 

 

Ken Seagren To Be Honored with 2011 Office of Film, Television and Media Hall of Fame Award

 

The 2011 Hall of Fame inductee will be Ken Seagren, owner of Lighting Services, Inc. and the Denver Studio Complex.  Mr. Seagren will be honored during the Denver Film Society's Party with Oscar® on Sunday, February 27th at 5:30 p.m. at the EXDO event center located at 3500 Walnut Street in Denver. Tickets available at www.denverfilm.org.

 

Ken Seagren is often the first name production companies think of when they think of Colorado. His company Lighting Services, Inc. has provided lighting to almost every major production filming in Colorado over the past 37 years. The sound stages he operates at the Denver Studio Complex have been the home of several television series including "Father Dowling", "Diagnosis Murder", "Perry Mason", and "Food Network Challenge".  His feature film credits include " Imagine That", Resurrecting the Champ", "Catch and Release", "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", "Die Hard 2", "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", "Flash Back", "Things to do in Denver When You're Dead", "Dumb and Dumber", "Dark Territory": Under Siege II", and a host of other productions. Read the press release. 

 

Art of Winter and Forum Showcased Colorado as a Creative Center  

  

Something Independent, an initiative promoting Colorado as a global hub of innovation & entrepreneurism, recently hosted a series of events alongside the SIA Snow Show. Rooted at the heart of Colorado's vibrant industry and culture of snow sports, Something Independent put on a Business Forum with the Denver Post and ColoradoBiz Magazine featuring Governor John Hickenlooper, Al White, Director of Colorado Tourism Office, and the founders of innovative Colorado companies - Loki Gear, Wagner Custom Skis, Montanya Distillers, and Mountain Boy Sledworks. The Forum, The Economics of Soul - Cutting to the Core of Colorado's Entrepreneurial Culture, showcased Colorado "as a place not only where creative ideas are born, but a place where those ideas can blossom into great products." 

 

Colorado snow sport companies as well as local artists were also on display at Something Independent's Art of Winter exhibit on Larimer Square. This indoor/outdoor gallery featured ski and snowboard art and design from boutique manufacturers, as well as original works on recycled skis and snowboards by Colorado artists. All skis and snowboards available for purchase via online auction through March 4. Proceeds support the Larimer Arts Association and the Something Independent Entrepreneur Award.

 

A special ONE-NIGHT only showing of the Art of Winter will be held on the upcoming March FIRST FRIDAY at Battery621 Gallery in the Santa Fe Arts District. Friday, March 4, 6:00pm-10pm, 621 Kalamath, Denver.

Poetry Out Loud State Finals Competition February 28

 

Colorado Creative Industries will present the Colorado State Finals for Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest on Monday, February 28 at 6:00 p.m. at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway in Lakewood. Twenty-five high school students from across the state, who have already competed and won at the school level, will vie to become the Poetry Out Loud Colorado champion. Contestants will recite works they selected from an anthology of more than 500 classic and contemporary poems.

 

Colorado's Poet Laureate, David Mason, will host the evening. Guest judges include Colorado poets, cultural leaders and literary experts. The event is free and open to the public.

 

The state champion will also receive an all-expenses-paid trip with a chaperone to the national competition in Washington, DC, April 28 & 29, 2011 with the opportunity to compete for a $20,000 National Finals prize.

 

The competition is presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. Participation from rural communities is supported this year by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. For more information about the Colorado Poetry Out Loud State Finals contact Sheila.Sears@state.co.us 

Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy receives 2011 New and Emerging Arts School Award from Arts Schools Network

 

On January 13, 2011, Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy, a Colorado Creative Industries Success Through Art (StART) school, received the 2011 New and Emerging Arts School Award during the national conference in Anaheim, CA, of Arts Schools Network, the nation's largest professional membership organization of specialized arts schools. This award is presented to a promising young Arts Schools Network school in its first three years of development. Designed to recognize schools that exemplify solid planning and well-defined goals, this award is given to a new school that demonstrates promise as an emerging school of excellence. www.artsschoolsnetwork.org 

   

ING Unsung Heroes Award (Deadline: April 30)

 

Are you an educator with a class project that is short on funding but long on potential? Do you know a teacher looking for grant dollars? ING Unsung Heroes® could help you turn great ideas into reality for students. For more than 10 years, and with $3 million in awarded grants, ING Unsung Heroes has proven to be an A+ program with educators. The program's "alumni" have inspired success in the classroom and impacted countless numbers of students. Each year, 100 educators are selected to receive $2,000 to help fund their innovative class projects. Three of those are chosen to receive the top awards of an additional $5,000, $10,000 and $25,000. Applications for the 2011 awards are now available. The application deadline is April 30, 2011.  More information.