Preview
Art on the Streets 2010
Twenty-six artists submitted 36 pieces of art for the 12th annual Art on the Streets exhibition. Invited back for a second year, Star Juror Jan Schall selected eight works to grace the Downtown corridor for the coming year. Among the selected artists, two are from Colorado Springs, four are from other Colorado communities, one hails from California and the eighth resides in New Hampshire.
Expect to be wow'd by works that are contemplative, whimsical, kinetic, thought provoking and inspirational. Current (2009-2010) work will be removed in the coming weeks to allow for installation of the new exhibit beginning in early June.
Art on the Streets 2010 will open on June 18, 2010. A walking tour map will be available online at www.downtown80903.com and at the Downtown Partnership office, 111 South Tejon, Suite 309.
Art on the Streets has influenced purchase and permanent installation of many of the nearly 50 works of public art in downtown Colorado Springs-everything from life-size portrayals of city founders to giant metal sunflowers in arterial medians and contemporary, interactive, non-representational works tucked into the urban landscape. More than 150 works of art have adorned downtown Colorado Springs since AOTS began in 1999.
Juror Jan Schall is the Sanders Sosland Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Kansas City's Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. She holds a doctorate in art history from the University of Texas at Austin and a master's degree in art history from Washington University in St. Louis.
In 2000, Schall organized the National Endowment for the Arts Millennium Projects exhibition Tempus Fugit: Time Flies and produced both its accompanying catalogue and award-winning website. More recently, she curated Kiki Smith: Constellation and co-curated Sparks! The William T. Kemper Collecting Initiative and the five-part New Media Projects exhibition.
Schall oversaw the renovation and reinstallation of the Museum's Kansas City Sculpture Park and developed and implemented both the program and installation of the modern and contemporary collection in the expanded Museum. Schall's research has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Art on the Streets is a cornerstone project of Community Ventures, Inc. and is presented each year by US Bank, Nor'wood Development and G.E. Johnson. Community Ventures's vision is to"promote a diverse and engaging cultural environment in downtown Colorado Springs that will attract visitors and enrich the daily lives of the city's residents." |
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Don't miss out
DDA Challenge Grant Deadline
There's still time to apply for the first round of 2010 Downtown Development Authority Challenge Grants. The deadline is 4 p.m. on April 30, 2010. Application packets can be downloaded at the Downtown Partnership website, www.downtown80903.com. For more information, contact Jacque at 719-886-0088. |
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Strike up a conversation
On Homelessness
As part of its series, "Conversations in the Galleries," the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center will host a discussion on homelessness April 17th at 2 p.m. Inspiration for the topic is tied to the museum's current exhibit, Conflict / Resolution and will also feature a work from the center's permanent collection: Nicolai Fechin's Disasters of War (Spoils of War), 1921. City Council member Jan Martin and Brett Iverson of the CSPD will speak; discussion will be moderated by Blake Milteer. Free with gallery admission.
For more information and to find other upcoming FAC events, go to www.csfineartscenter.org or call 719-634-5583. |
Mother lode
MOMart
An original design by local artist Laura Ben Amots, Director of the Downtown Studio Art Gallery at Pikes Peak Community College, will be featured on t-shirts for sale over Mother's Day weekend, May 9th and 10th. Participating Downtown retailers so far include Colorado Co-op, Idoru, Lulu, Terra Verde, Saboz, Mount Tejon, Rico's, Kirk and Hill, and Drama.
Retailers will donate profits to Momart, which in turn donates to Women Partnering, a project of the Sisters of St. Francis that provides support and referrals to women and children in need. The average income of the hundreds of women served is below poverty level and more than 75 percent have mental health concerns. Women Partnering provides counseling, networking, referrals and more. You can learn more about Women Partnering at www.stfrancis.org/WP/default.aspx.
"Momart offers a creative way to foster community involvement-to create community, and achieve results," Lynch says. For more information about the Mother's Day Momart event, contact Gloria Lynch at (719) 633-0798 or email her at linchfamilycs@comcast.net.
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Fashion and funds
1st Annual Downtown Fashion Week
Get your glam fix and support our soldiers at the same time at the first annual Downtown Fashion Week & Silent Auction, May 3-8.  Downtown merchants will provide a series of in-store micro seminars; a fashion show and silent auctionwill be held at the Fine Arts center on May 5th, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.; and all proceeds benefit "Homes for Our Troops." Admission to the fashion show is $45.
Homes for Our Troops is a local nonprofit that builds homes for service men and women who have incurred life altering injuries while in the service of our country. This year's recipients include Army SGT Tim "TJ" Johannsen and Marine LCpl Kade L. Hinkhouse.
For more information, visit www.homesforourtroops.org or call Linda at 719-578-1819. |
Keep it beautiful
Adopt a Downtown Median
The times they are a-changing. Due to extreme budget cuts, the City of Colorado Springs Parks Department has not been budgeted any funds to maintain or water medians and right-of-ways. To ensure our Downtown stays beautiful during the growing (and high tourism) season, consider adopting a median!
Parks, Trails and Open Space Manager Kurt Schroeder says his department will work with any individual or organization to tailor an agreement that fits their desired level of participation. Adoptions can run the gamut from trashcans to the total maintenance of a park. For more information on the program and to learn what others are doing, call Schroeder at 719-385-6555. |
From the Downtown Snoopster
The Train Stops Here
Do you know of any space that has a stunningly sensual curved wall of simple two-by-fours, a concrete conference table with a built-in data port, walls of Venetian plaster and old Wyoming snow fence? Well, you do now. The sweetest suite you will ever see is the new home of Stauffer & Sons Construction, at 76-L S. Sierra Madre St. (Old Depot-South). This office is a showplace for the ingenuity the company applies to its custom building. Stauffer & Sons is a one-stop shop for anyone needing a residential or commercial dwelling renovated or constructed from the ground up.
Owner Andy Stauffer promises full project management, an in-house architect, and collaboration with the country's largest and oldest timber company, Riverbend Timber Framing. Stauffer is Riverbend's Number One preferred builder in the nation for precision-milled timber-frame homes. Stauffer projects have included the Lyda Hill residence, the Broadmoor Brownstones, Garden of the Gods Club, Three-Forks Ranch, and Cougar Canyon Golf Clubhouse.
With hands in the now and eyes on the future, Stauffer stays abreast of evolving technologies. He's a member of the U.S. Green Builder Council and can build as green a structure as anyone wants. He is committed to designs and technologies that can "future proof" a place, like home automation and flexible-use spaces. "The high tech gadgetry, though is all within the context of good design-the classic, the timeless," he says.
Stauffer's suite is available to rent for meetings or other events. Visit the stunning space (which will include beautiful boxcar images by photographer Tim Davis) during the company's open house on June 3 and 4.
For more information contact Andy Stauffer at 719-492-3982 or email andy@staufferandsons.com.
www.staufferandsons.com
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Can you guess?
Downtown puzzler
Makes your mouth water, doesn't it? If you've got a craving for this classic French fare, do you know where to find it? |
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It's national Poetry Month
High Frequency Poetry c/o KRCC
Some of the world's finest poets, including Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, T.S. Eliot, Robert Browning and Edna St. Vincent Millay (among many others) have found special inspiration in April's rejuvenating energy. Throughout the month, poetry's inspiring power will be celebrated throughout the Pikes Peak region. A schedule of April poetry events can be found at PeakRadar.com or at the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate web site.
High Frequency Poetry comes from our Downtown friends at KRCC 91.5 FM. Each day in April, you can visit http://krccnetwork.org/pplp/ to hear a new local poet reading his or her work. Recordings are archived in case you don't make it daily!
Some of the featured poets to date include Autumn Hall, Brandi Ballard, Carolyn Hull, Dave Reynolds, Cynthia Storrs, Delores Campbell Quinlisk, David Mason and Amie Sharp. |
Welcome to the neighborhood
FutureSelf relocates to Downtown
FutureSelf, a local non-profit serving youth, ages 12 to 24 through arts education, career-readiness and micro-enterprise has moved to 214 E. Vermijo Ave. (behind the Independent). In its new location, FutureSelf will provide art workshops, training and open studio for young people after school and on the weekends. The wider community can view and purchase exhibited work or commission artists for specific creative projects.
An open house will be held Saturday, April 24 from 1 to 5 pm and 7 to 10 pm. During the day guests can enjoy beverages, picnic-type food, furniture, birdhouses, youth art, garden art, film screenings and other surprises. The evening will bring more of the same, along with the blues stylings of local artist-extraordinaire Grant Sabin and special delectable treats from local restaurants and adult beverages provided by Bristol Brewery.
Established in 2000, the mission of FutureSelf is to invite transformation through the arts. FutureSelf programs provide the transformational power of the creative process to youth who may not have access to exploratory, safe risk-taking experiences, positive peer and adult mentoring, or simply a place to belong. Although open to every young person 12 to 24 years of age, many of the youth FutureSelf works with are low-income youth from the Pikes Peak region.
For more information, contact Amber Coté, Executive Director, at 719-233-4143, amber@futureself.org, or visit www.futureself.org. |
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Steel away
Reggae Festival
If you love reggae, you won't want to miss the April 20 Reggae Festival at the City Auditorium. Featured artists include Passafire, Cornerstone Dub and SlaughterHouse Rootz. Doors open at 7 p.m. and shows begin at 8 p.m. General admission is $18 in advance and $25 at the door. Box tickets and "meet and greet" options are available, too. The festival is open only to ages 16 and up. For more information, visit www.myspace.com/GlassDorrEntertainment. |
Puzzled no more
We've got answers
Enjoy the best crepes around and more at Crepe Francaise, 321 N. Tejon St.
Executive Chef James Davis and Chef Marcel Chene are the masters behind eight savory crepe and numerous sweet crepe dishes, French Onion Soup as well as a Soup du Jour, salads, quiche and sandwiches. Owner Florence Reinhardt will soon add steak and fish to the dinner menu. Breakfast includes beignets, French waffles, Benedicts brioche, quiche and of course, a breakfast crepe. You can also get eggs and a hash brown gratinee with sausage or ham.
Beautiful linen-draped tables span the dining rooms; outside patio seating affords a streetside view-and a chance to see your crepes created by one of the chefs. Breakfast and lunch are served Monday through Saturday, 8 to 10:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., respectively. Dinner is available Tuesday through Saturday, from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Call 473-6999 for information and reservations! |
Home sweet temporary home
Camps Disappearing
Following a City Council vote earlier this year to ban camping along the creek/I-25 corridors, the homeless encampments are fast dismantling. According to Officer Brett Iverson with the CSPD Homeless Outreach Team, emergency funding from El Pomar Foundation has made a significant impact on relocating the homeless.
El Pomar provided an emergency grant of $100,000, which is being administered through Homeward Pikes Peak. Funding pays for the rooms but no administrative expense. HPP Executive Director Bill Holmes has stated he expects the funding to dry up by the end of May.
Iverson reports that the process of emptying the camps has been smooth and to date, no tickets have been issued.
Approximately 130 individuals, processed through or referred by HPP, have moved to the C-C Boarding House, located within the Express Inn at Eighth Street and U.S. Highway 24. They have received assistance with job-hunting, including creating resumes and learning interview and other skills. From that group, Office Iverson said, 60 have found jobs, and another 20 or so expect to secure employment soon.
"Having an address, being able to bathe and wash clothes goes along way," he said. "With that, what happens when the funding runs out? We're waiting to see." |
The sound of youth
Cavalcade of Music
Cavalcade of Music is praised as one of America's first-class high school and middle school music competitions. And it's here at the Pikes Peak Center for Performing Arts April 22 to 24.
The competition features local student musicians as well as those from dozens of states and Canada. Performances are open to the public. Check out the schedule at http://www.visitcos.com/cavalcade_schedule |
Membership
Welcome back renewing members!
Downtown Partnership Members
Friends Level
Associates Level
Member Level
Partners Council
Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority
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Major Sponsors
of the Downtown Partnership
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