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Social Media
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Connect with us on our social media outlets to hear real-time updates, news and information on the Creative Industries in Colorado.
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| Greetings! |
 Governor Hickenlooper has launched a Bottom-Up Initiative for state-wide economic development. He understands that the number one priority of the residents of the State of Colorado is to rebuild the economy and create jobs. To do this, the Governor's Office and the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) have partnered with Colorado State University's Office of Engagement and Extension to engage Coloradoans in a statewide conversation about Economic Development. Before Friday, April 1, please click here and take 5-10 minutes to complete a brief survey from the Governor's Office. The State will compile the results and make them available to the appropriate County for use in considering a local economic development plan. Governor Hickenlooper is asking residents across the State, county by county, to share their thoughts about the economic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in their area. Your feedback will be used in the conversation about a strategic economic development plan in your County. The county plans will then be rolled up into 14 regional economic development plans by May 15. Finally, the regional plans will be rolled up into a statewide economic development plan. Please take a moment to share your feedback and ideas with the Governor's Office. |
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Professional Development and Networking
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Leading Edge for Entrepreneurs Course
Colorado Creative Industries is proud to co-sponsor the Leading Edge for Entrepreneurs course with the Roaring Fork Business Resource Center of Glenwood Springs. This 12-session class - aimed at creative entrepreneur/artists - is starting soon. For information call Randi at 970-945-5158 or e mail her at info@rfbrc.org or click here to read more.
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Colorado as a Creative Hub
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Creative Industries Day a Huge Success
Creative Industries Day  on March 1st was a great event for all. We started at the capitol networking with other advocates and hearing from cultural leaders about arts and creative industries issues. From there we visited the senate and house to speak with our legislators about our commitment to the creative industries. Later we had a lovely lunch at the Denver Art Museum and joined Governor Hickenlooper for the Governor's Arts Awards presentation (see article below). View more photos on our Facebook page.
Colorado at SXSW
The Office of Film, Television and Media is attending South by Southwest (SXSW) to promote the film industry in Colorado. SXSW is a conference and festival for music, film and interactive in Austin, Texas March 11-20. http://sxsw.com
We have a street team on the ground promoting two contests and talking about the advantages of bringing production business to our great state! Please help us by spreading the word that the Colorado Film Street Team will be at SXSW.
Post about us on your Facebook:
If you are going to SXSW look out for the Colorado Film Street Team! They have some great prizes to give away and will be promoting the film industry in Colorado.
http://tinyurl.com/48c236h
Post about us on your Twitter:
The Colorado Film Street Team will be at SXSW, they have some awesome prizes and will be promoting CO Film!
http://tinyurl.com/48c236h
If you can't see the image with contest information, click here.
ColoradoCreates.com Launches
 On March 1st at Creative Industries Day, a new website was launched to promote Colorado as a creative hub, www.coloradocreates.com. The website was created as a joint venture betweeen CCI, a team of industry leaders led by Norm Shearer of Cactus, and built by students from Boulder Digital Works. ColoradoCreates.com is a new portal for all of Colorado's brilliant creatives to meet, network, and showcase their work. Each month main features will be chosen based on popularity, innovation and overall creative impact. Additionally there will be stories submitted by creatives that the community can vote on. If you work with a creative organization or company that should be featured please upload your story and creative work.
The Capitol Gets Creative with Metro Denver Exhibit
Creative Capitol celebrates artists from Metro Denver at the Colorado State Capitol through June 2011. The Creative Capitol exhibit highlights 40 artists from Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties. The works range from photography and graphic works to oil paintings, pastel, small scale sculpture and watercolor. Visit the website for more information. |
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Arts Education and Workforce Development
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Thornton High Student Wins Poetry Out Loud State Championship
Samuel Opoku will compete for national title in Washington D.C.
Samuel Opoku, a junior from Thornton High School, won the title of Colorado State Champion of Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest. Mei Mei Pollitt of Denver School of the Arts, was named State Runner Up.
Colorado Creative Industries presented the Colorado state finals competition. Twenty-four high school students from across the state, who had already competed and won at the school level, competed to become the Poetry Out Loud Colorado champion.
Colorado Poet Laureate, David Mason, hosted and emceed the evening. Contestants recited works they selected from an anthology of more than 600 classic and contemporary poems. The state champion will travel on an all-expenses-paid trip with a chaperone to the national competition in Washington, D.C., April 27-29, 2011. Read more.
Colorado Creative Careers Festival
This year CCI became a sponsor of the 2nd Annual Creative Careers Festival on February 25, 2011. Presented by the Career and Technical Education (CTE) division of the Colorado Community College system, the focus of this event was to provide high school Career and Technical Education students and their teachers with a wealth of information on occupations and careers in the creative industries. Students were involved in hands-on workshops led by industry professionals in such areas as Computer Animation, Film/Video, Graphic Design, Sound and Audio Technology, Stagecraft and Costume Design, Photography, and Web Design.
There is a growing awareness of the opportunities for creative careers and a burgeoning interest from both students and their advisors. Last year, attendance at the event was about 160; this year, registrations had to be cut off at just over 850 students and teachers. Plans are to expand the festival even further in 2012, and planning has begun for the first CTE Student Leadership organization in the United States. If you are interested in next year's festival, contact Arts Education Manager Sheila Sears at Sheila.Sears@state.co.us.
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Creative Communities
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Fort Collins Wins Governor's Award
 The City of Fort Collins was honored at a ceremony at the Denver Art Museum on March 1st, as part of Creative Industries Day.
The annual Governor's Arts Award recognizes a Colorado town or city for their collective efforts to enhance their community and their economy through strategic use of the arts. Governor John Hickenlooper joined Mayor Doug Hutchinson in unveiling the award, which was an original oil painting by artist James Beckner of Denver.
Breckenridge received Honorable Mention and a smaller original painting by Beckner was presented to Breckenridge Mayor John Warner.
In announcing the awards, Governor Hickenlooper noted "The arts weave the fabric of a community together, building cultural bridges and showing us new ways of thinking and seeing. The arts are also a key strategy to grow jobs and revitalize Colorado's economy. It gives us great pleasure to honor these two communities."
See the video from Fort Collins.
Read more. See more photos on our Facebook page.
Small Steps Mini-Grants Get to Work
 Colorado Creative Industries offers Small Steps mini-grants to encourage local creative thinking about the role of arts/culture in economic development. We have granted all the funds for this fiscal year and here are just a few of the recent awards:
- In Paonia - the Chamber of Commerce is relocating its office into the gallery of the Blue Sage Center for the Arts.
- In Boulder - an exhibit will feature the work of Boulder County filmmakers and food producers.
- In Dove Creek - Dolores County will create a storytelling venue for its antique tractor exhibit so that a local storyteller/historican can share the agricultural history of the county with picnickers.
- In Park County - the County, working with local artists, is creating an art gallery driving tour as part of its National Heritage Area.
- In Yuma - the Golden Plains Extension is bringing the Executive Director of the Denver Botanic Gardens to talk with artists, gardeners, and economic developers about the interrelationship of gardens, beauty, and tourism development.
- In Denver - Denver Mind/Media, a group of media artists, is creating a series of low-cost promotional videos for nonprofits.
Truly, "Creativity, Innovation and Imagination at Work!" To learn more about our Small Steps grants, click here and scroll down to find Small Steps. |
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Financial Support and Incentives
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CCI Seeks Grant Panelists
One way that Colorado Creative Industries implements our mission is to provide grants that leverage local support for arts and cultural activities in communities across Colorado. CCI awards these grants annually on a competitive basis. Grant requests are reviewed by peer panelists who make funding recommendations to the Council.
Panels will meet in different regions of the state from mid to late May, 2011. Panels are comprised of artists, arts administrators, educators, and community leaders who represent diverse geographic, ethnic, philosophical and aesthetic perspectives. If you are interested in participating in a review panel, please read more information.
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Colorado Creative  Industries
Office of Economic Development and International Trade
1625 Broadway Street, 27th floor
Denver, CO 80202
303.592.4075
www.coloarts.org
www.coloradofilm.org
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