Reimagining the Arts

from Official Guide to Telluride & Mountain Village Winter 2020/21

by Visit Telluride

Shopping Guide

‘SO MANY PEOPLE FELT SO FULFILLED BEING ABLE TO BE IN THAT SPACE.’

Kate Jones

Telluride Arts lights the way for a winter of art, theater, music & more

BY MARTINIQUE DAVIS

The arts have long held a position of veneration within the ethos of Telluride, embodied most palpably through the work and programs of Telluride Arts, the local nonprofit arts council.

Since its inception in 1971, Telluride Arts has held the torch of creativity for the region, lighting the way for local artists to create, innovate and thrive. Never before has this mission been more important than today, with the Covid-19 pandemic transforming the way people interact and connect. Telluride Arts has faced the challenge of the current era head on, doubling down on its efforts to provide a lens through which the community can relate to art in its myriad iterations.

“This winter will continue to provide us with the opportunity to be more innovative,” says Telluride Arts Executive Director Kate Jones (top right photo), describing the organization’s shift in programming for the winter and noting that this winter will highlight the ways in which local art inspires and informs us in different ways. “Challenge is just another opportunity for artists to get creative.”

Telluride Arts’ pandemic pivot has turned attention towards the historic Transfer Warehouse, which the organization purchased through grants and fundraising in 2019. The unique structure, located at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and South Fir Street, became the unofficial nucleus of the local arts scene over the summer and fall, hosting book signings, poetry readings, a monthlong dance residency and performance, children’s theater, music and art classes, tiny concerts and a film series. Jones and the Telluride Arts board plan more programming to take place there over the winter and have invested over $50,000 towards improvements to the Warehouse to enable it to better serve the community.

“Over the summer we saw such a great need for positive human connection, and so many people felt so fulfilled being able to be in that space,” Jones says. That trend is anticipated to continue into the winter, with plans for live music, theater and community events to be scheduled in the semi-outdoor space. With added heaters, fire pits and overhead structures to protect from the elements, Jones envisions the space being utilized in a number of ways: From apres-ski live music (with drinks served up at a snow bar) to daytime theatrical performances, to a quiet place to eat takeout surrounded by snow sculptures.

“With so many theatres and music venues closed, we feel very lucky that we happen to have a roofless warehouse,” Jones notes. “We feel it’s our calling to upgrade it … to serve our community.”

The organization has more than doubled its staff over the last six months, driven in part by community interest in more arts programming. Telluride Arts has continued to work closely with local governments and other entities to increase funding for live music and art, as well as the creation of graphics and artwork for public health campaigns, and, all the while, the organization’s robust artist grants and resources program — all, Jones says, in an effort to ensure the arts in Telluride can weather these challenging times.

Other arts opportunities this winter include the popular First Thursday Art Walk, which has been reimagined to utilize more outdoor venues and viewing spaces. The annual Telluride Fire Festival is slated for Dec. 3-6, with fire performances, fire art installations, workshops and more planned for various outdoor venues throughout Telluride and Mountain Village. Winter art? We can’t wait.

Joanie Schwartz

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