/krē’āt/ mountain arts + culture quarterly
Published by Breckenridge Creative Arts | ISSUE NO. 3, Summer 2016
/krē’āt/ : to make or produce : to cause to exist : to bring into being Launched in 2015, /krē’āt/ is an online magazine published quarterly by Breckenridge Creative Arts. Each issue profiles a creative individual or business, cultural organization, event, and object of art in a thoughtfully curated visual journey that aims to highlight and promote the greater creative community of Breckenridge. Creative Director Robb Woulfe, Breckenridge Creative Arts
Editor + Content Writer
contents features BIFA x2
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PUSH TO PERFECT
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COOPERATIVE ART
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departments Foreward
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Scene UNCIVILIZED
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Portrait JASON RODON
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Around Town THE PEOPLE’S ART
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Conversations OF CULTURE + CHARACTER
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Objectified ATHENA FIRST FLUTE + LYDIA FIRST VIOLIN
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Sourced
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Erica Marciniec
Art Director + Designer Kate Hudnut, GatherHouse Inc.
Contributing Photographer Liam Doran
Additional Photo Credits Sila photos by Kevin Yatarola, courtesy of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc.; The Herd and The Swarm photos courtesy of Tasha Lewis; L’homme Cirque photos courtesy of David Dimitri; Saurus and STX photos courtesy of Close-Act Theatre; Maya Beiser photos by ioulex; Streb photos by Tom Caravaglia and Aubin Pictures; National Repertory Orchestra photos courtesy of the NRO, with shots by interns Tasha Hopkins (ppg. 1, 18, 23) and Travis Wilson (p. 18).
Cover Artwork Photo by Liam Doran Special thanks to the Town of Breckenridge for its generous support. @breckcreate // breckcreate.org
FOREWARD /krē’āt/ summer 2016 Our third issue of /krē’āt/ hums with the music of dreamers, trailblazers, and creative risk-takers, ushering forth in a spectacular amalgam of acts and arts for the second annual Breckenridge International Festival of Arts. We pay homage to the boundary-pushers of the arts world in this issue, while at the same time honoring keepers of traditional art forms such as the National Repertory Orchestra, whose graduates are so well-trained they fill the ranks of orchestras around the world. That training—and education in general—underlies the success of the cultural arts. In turn, the arts are formative, beneficial to our education and personal self-development. No-one knows that better than Arts Alive Gallery, a co-op that not only shows a diverse range of local art, but also uses the arts and education to build community.
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FEATURED EVENT Breckenridge International Festival of Arts
From August 12-21, BIFA transforms Breckenridge into a creative mecca of art experiences from sculpture to film, circus to dance, genre-bending orchestra to rock.
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BIFAx2 Breckenridge International Festival of Arts returns
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he days of spectacle are almost upon us. Come August, a swarm of giant butterflies will alight on town, dinosaurs will walk Blue River Plaza, and a herd of antelopes, impalas, and gazelles will leap toward Main Street. Expect the unexpected—from random acts of music on forest trails, to classical musicians who may (or may not) perch in the Blue River to deliver “Sila,” a cutting edge composition by John Luther Adams. It’s time again for the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts, or BIFA—the new late summer arts festival from Breckenridge Creative Arts. This is the second year for BIFA, which runs 10 days from Friday, August 12 to Sunday, August 21, with a preview day August 11. An unusual festival by US standards, the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts is modeled after multidisciplinary arts festivals in Europe and Australia—although the idea is catching on stateside according to Robb Woulfe, the festival’s creator and chief curator. “If you haven’t experienced an international arts festival, you tend to think ‘art fair.’ This is not tents selling art. It is a well-curated festival of various visual and performing arts,” he said. BIFA meshes local, national, and international artists in a range of disciplines from sculpture to film, circus to dance, experimental orchestra to genre-pushing rock.
“The spectacle component is part of what makes BIFA unique,” Woulfe said. “I’m a big fan of large, outdoor attractions. They are a great way to gather people in a public space, and to animate that space from what it’s been.” Dinosaurs + butterflies + gazelles Thus the dinosaurs to walk around downtown from August 17-21 are an act called “Saurus” by the Dutch artists Close-Act Theatre, with stilt-walkers in 18-foot-tall dinosaur-like costumes. The butterflies are part of an installation called “The Swarm” by Tasha Lewis, for which volunteers will create blueprint-fabric butterflies to attach via magnets on metallic surfaces throughout town. And gazelles will romp with impalas and antelopes in Lewis’ sculptural piece, “The Herd,” on view daily at Old Masonic Hall. Tiny circus comes to town Another act slated to animate a Breckenridge space in a new way is L’Homme Cirque—a one-man show featuring Swiss circus artist David Dimitri, who will set up his circus tent in South Gondola Lot for the Colorado premiere of his show August 11-14. Dimitri’s act incorporates elements of traditional circus—including a human cannonball, a 50-foot-high tightrope, and theatrical humor. In fact, he toured with traditional acts, including the Big Apple Circus, for more than a decade
before striking out on his own. But his current work, which takes place in his “tiny tent with only four rows of seats,” is also a crossover to contemporary circus or “nouveau cirque,” an art form that is experiencing a renaissance right now, particularly in France. “The circus techniques are used to express yourself, not just to show a trick,” he explained. “That’s the change that’s really happening.” For Dimitri, shooting himself from his own cannon is about much more than the simple act; it’s about the story that surrounds it—how he has to get the cannon lined up just right to make his landing, and how he communicates that to the audience. The high wire act is less about danger, and more about emotion. “The main thing is that I am going into the sky,” he said. “I disappear through a little opening in the tent. I tell the people to come with me.” “I could probably go anywhere in the world with this show,” Dimitri said, reflecting on the warm reception he’s received in diverse communities. “There are no words, and it’s for everybody. I often have people with tears in their eyes. They are really moved by this man who does impossible things.” Creative daredevils While Dimitri’s act flirts with contemporary, STREB Extreme Action Company slams directly into it. STREB is a New York-based company of dancers and athletes who push the boundaries of what is possible with the human body while embracing risk as the stuff of life. Founded by contemporary choreographer Elizabeth Streb, the group strives to invent a lexicon of extreme action that is portable to all audiences, and hopefully, universally relatable. “We can’t travel with the mountains,” said Streb, who has long been enthralled by the
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feats of professional skiers, “but we try to replicate the feeling, the reality of forces that are turbulent and unpredictable.” STREB dancers hurl themselves face-first at walls, and land face-down on the ground from impressive heights, making cringe-worthy slapping sounds and vocalizations that are amplified to increase their effect on audiences. “What I am attempting to do is to invent actions that feel like things that happen in the world,” Streb said. “We land; we don’t camouflage gravity. There’s a lot of impact in what we do.” The landings are designed to spread out impact over a body’s base of support—whether a body fully prone, or landing on the upper back, shins, or legs. For the face-down landing, dancers hurl themselves at maximum speed and then align their bodies at the last second in order to take the impact on a large surface area of flesh. “Every time you change your base of support, you are aligning your body above it,” Streb said. That is the essence of a technique called “pop action” that she and her dancers have evolved over 30-plus years. For some of the acts, the company travels with man-made contraptions like a spinning 21-foot-tall ladder which dancers scale and drop off. The spinning ladder is the centerpiece of “Ascension,” which will make its Colorado premiere along with “Quake” on August 20 on the Riverwalk Center lawn. These shows are free to all. There will also be a free screening of the documentary “Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity” plus a question-and-answer session with the audience the night before, on August 19. Then on August 21 the STREB Extreme Action Company presents a final show, “SEA (Singular Extreme Actions),” inside the Riverwalk Center.
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‘Sila: The Breath of the World’
What STREB is to dance, one might say “Sila” is to classical music. The avant-garde composition by John Luther Adams premiered at Lincoln Center in New York, and will make its Colorado premiere at BIFA. “Sila” is an Inuit word for the spirit that animates all things—in other words, the breath of the world. Adams composed the piece after many years living in Alaska, where he was an avid student of the sounds around him. The composition is played in an outdoor setting in five widely dispersed ensembles including woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings, and voice. “Each player plays or sings at his or her own pace, with each tone lasting the length of one full exhalation,” said Tamara Nuzzaci Park, who came on board this year as executive director of the Breckenridge Music Festival
(BMF) Orchestra. The BMF Orchestra will perform “Sila” free of charge outside the Riverwalk Center on August 13. “Listeners are encouraged to move around and discover their listening points,” Park said. “It’s a really interesting and flexible piece.” “Sila” is offered in partnership with BIFA as part of the BMF’s Festival at the Fringe series, programmed this year by artistic partner Steven Schick. Later that same evening, the orchestra will present “The Safekeeping of Memory,” a concert that combines video projections, spoken word, and music. Both aim to break down boundaries between nature and “civilized” music, with a similar theme underlying Schick’s programming for BIFA’s “Trail Mix” series. “Civilization is the firewall we place between ourselves and the terrifying forces of the natural
world,” writes Schick, who is a percussionist, author, faculty member at UC San Diego, conductor of the La Jolla Symphony & Chorus, and champion of contemporary music. “By extension, a civilized music is insulated through concert halls and aristocratic conventions from the wild. But what if it weren’t?” “What if we could strengthen—not weaken— the bond between a piece of music and its place in the world?” he asks. “Would music be more forceful that way, less ‘civilized?’” Random acts of art For the Trail Mix series, Schick brings another John Luther Adams composition, “songbirdsongs,” to be played by members of the BMF Orchestra at the Savasana of a free yoga session on the Riverwalk Center lawn on August 14 in partnership with Meta Yoga Studios. In total, the Trail Mix series will feature 24 events on area trails over the 10-day festival, for which the BMF is performing 12, including works by Joseph Haydn, Aaron Copland, and John Cage.
Dimopoulos returns with a piece entitled “Red Chairs,” which he will exhibit on Moonstone Trail, and local artist Dina Sanchez will be doing an installation on Illinois Creek Trail, among others. Cyclists, indie-rockers + storytellers Other events include “Cycle In’ Cinema,” a showcase of independent bicycle-themed films with accompanying party, co-presented with the Breckenridge Film Festival. This is followed three days later with a concert from the genre-bending duo Calexico, whose influences range from indie rock to Tex Mex. Then on August 18 The Moth Mainstage brings its live, old-fashioned storytelling with a modern twist to the stage in yet another debut of a standout act for the BIFA festival. A study in contrasts In many ways, the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts offers a study in contrasts—from traditional art forms magnificently rendered to creative risk-taking at the forefront of contemporary art.
“Everything that happens in a place as majestic and imposing as the Rocky Mountains takes on the qualities of that place,” Schick writes. “So, let’s look up and outward as we go to and from concerts. Let’s let the scale of a grand place help us take the measure of great music.”
Taken together, for a 10-day moment in time this August, the diverse collection of arts and artists that make up BIFA will transform the public spaces of Breckenridge into a collective canvas upon which a culture’s most creative imaginings are rendered.
On the way, guests can keep an eye out for ephemeral—or fleeting temporary installations —of visual art, also part of the Trail Mix series. “The Blue Trees” mastermind Konstantin
If there ever were an event you don’t want to miss, BIFA is it.
Breckenridge International Festival of Arts // breckcreate.org/bifa David Dimitri // daviddimitri.ch STREB Extreme Action Company // streb.org John Luther Adams // johnlutheradams.net
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Uncivilized BMF + BIFA present ‘The Safekeeping of Memory’
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n August 13, Breckenridge smashes the bounds of tradition with “The Safekeeping of Memory,” a program of revolutionary works by some of the biggest names in contemporary classical music— including David Lang’s “World to Come,” performed by virtuoso cellist Maya Beiser, and BMF concertmaster Kathryn Hatmaker’s rendition of Anna Clyne’s “Rest These Hands.” The program invites guests to reflect on the human connection to the natural and spiritual world—an idea conceived of by Steven Schick, this year’s artistic partner with the BMF’s Festival at the Fringe series. “To us, musical fringe means different combinations of musicians and instruments, ones you might not find in a traditional orchestra setting,” said Tamara Nuzzaci Park, the BMF’s new executive director. “It allows us to take our vision of diversity to the next level.” The concert opens with Igor Stravinsky’s “Octet for Winds” followed by “World to Come,” a piece Lang composed specifically for Beiser. Lang describes the piece as “a kind of prayer” in which “a cellist and her voice become separated from each other, and they struggle to reunite in a post-apocalyptic spiritual environment.” Beiser is a world-renowned cellist, hailed not only for her musical performance but also her “rock-star charisma.”
Following intermission, Hatmaker delivers Clyne’s deeply personal piece on solo violin, enhanced by Josh Dorman’s stop-motion animations and a live reading of a poem by Clyne’s mother. The concert closes with “Appalachian Spring” by Aaron Copland. The selections are geared toward breaking down the lines between classical music—often conceived of as “civilized” and thus separate from nature—and humankind’s place in the world. “What if, when we performed Aaron Copland’s rustic ‘Appalachian Spring,’ we heard it as a part of nature, imagining the famous tunes as coming from a particular landscape, from particular people?” Schick asks. “What if we heard David Lang’s elegiac ‘World to Come’ not just as a new piece by a notable composer, but as his love song for lower Manhattan and his grief at seeing it in flames in 2001?” By featuring the works of modern composers, the BMF and BIFA hope “to challenge and educate audiences, to present what is important to the field of music, and share reflections on modern society through music,” Park said. “We can create a musical experience here in Breckenridge where visitors are not only inspired by mountains and mountain culture, but also great art.”
Breckenridge Music Festival // breckenridgemusicfestival.com Maya Beiser // mayabeiser.com Anna Clyne // annaclyne.com David Lang // davidlangmusic.com
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Jason Rodon,
percussionist, woodworker + Meta Yoga Studios owner Background Home: Delaware Flats, Breckenridge Family: Leslie and our cats, Little Man and Herman Education: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: bachelor’s in music performance;
University of Denver, master’s in percussion performance Why Breckenridge? I fell in love with Breck on my first snowboard trip in the mid 80’s.
Art Medium: Manipulating struck vibration into form, and custom woodworking Latest project: Building the Blue Barn, which houses my wood shop below and a
salon music performance and rehearsal space above Favorite creative space: Stillness in the midst of chaos Source of inspiration: The (not so) random patterns of nature Creativity is: Being open to the unknown
Insights Personal hero: Philip Glass Favorite book: “Tao Te Ching” by Lao Tzu Favorite restaurant: Modis Song in your head right now: “Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ” by Steve Reich Unique home or office decor: A meteor specimen—the latest addition to my desk’s
geological oddities Favorite movie: “The Blues Brothers” Favorite causes: Sharing yoga Favorite way to spend free time: Cooking, and taking wood-burning saunas
Confessions What keeps you up at night? My cats getting crazy Pet peeve: People who insist they are right First job: Electronics repair for Radio Shack in 4th grade First choice for a new career: Artisan goat cheese maker from my own herd What do you do to recharge your batteries? Soak in hot springs, ride my bikes,
and discover new music Guilty pleasure: A heavily toasted onion bagel dripping with butter Jason Rodon is the founder/owner of Meta Yoga Studios and Meta Yoga Schools. He is a percussionist with The Denver Brass and The Playground Ensemble, and owns Trimworks, a shop that makes custom furniture, cabinetry, and trim. He is also a partner with New West Partners, builders and developers. Meta Yoga Studios // metayogastudios.com Trimworks // nwpartners.net The Denver Brass // denverbrass.org The Playground Ensemble // playgroundensemble.org
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FEATURED ORGANIZATION NATIONAL REPERTORY ORCHESTRA
Each year, the National Repertory Orchestra trains a cadre of top-tier musicians to fill the ranks of orchestras and creative organizations around the world.
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PUSH TO PERFECT Classical musicians train like athletes in Breckenridge
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n average day for a classical musician in the National Repertory Orchestra looks something like this: Wake up. Rehearse from 9:30 to noon. Break for lunch. Rehearse again from 1:30 to 4:00. Head to an evening engagement, whether a class or concert. Then catch some sleep before getting up and doing it all over again. It’s an intensive experience some liken to a top-tier coaching program, but for classical musicians. The National Repertory Orchestra (NRO) is a group of 88 young musicians, hand-selected annually as part of a fellowship program that draws applicants from around the globe, who play a full repertoire of concerts from late June to mid-August at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge. The concerts are affordable to locals and visitors, and the music is top-notch. “We get audience members here from all across the country, people who attend concerts in Dallas and New York and Los Angeles,” said Kathleen Clabby, patron relations manager for the orchestra. “They are amazed at the quality of the NRO. They say it is just as good as this country’s major orchestras.” Each year’s new crop of musicians is selected through a live audition process, conducted nationwide. “We audition approximately 900 musicians every year, and of those take 88,” Clabby said. “They get one shot, and they have to nail it. It’s a very high pressure situation, so the level of the musicians we get is very high.” Once in Breckenridge, NRO musicians undergo intensive, real-world orchestral practice under the baton of Maestro Carl Topilow and guest conductors, while executing a season’s worth of concerts. “They perform as many different programs in an eight-week period as most orchestras present in a nine-month season,” said Douglas Adams, the NRO’s chief executive officer. “It’s kind of like a boot camp for young musicians who want to go into the professional ranks,” explained William Eddins, who directs the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in Canada and served as a guest conductor with the NRO in 2014. “They get to do repertoire that they don’t normally get a chance to play, and they have to learn it quickly, and they have to play it well.” Ultimately the NRO’s goal is to prepare its top-caliber musicians for job success in professional orchestras throughout the world.
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“NRO teaches its students how to manage the challenges that come with playing for hours and hours at a time and how to move from one thing to the next very quickly while still enjoying your life,” commented Katherine Williamson, who was a violinist with the NRO in 2013 before winning a position with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. “Because NRO is unyielding with its vigorous and demanding schedule, I have been extremely well prepared for my new position.” There are also opportunities for internships with the NRO administration in development, photography and videography, and marketing; and on the concert operations side in artistic education, personnel, library, and production operations and recording. “We have musicians who have ended up in the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, and our interns go on to work in arts organizations behind the scenes. We have one at the Kennedy Center and another at Rocky Mountain PBS. I could go on and on,” Clabby said. “A lot of what we hear back from the interns and musicians is that they would not have gotten their current position if it wasn’t for their time with the NRO.” “Our musicians get a chance to really test their skills in a professional setting,” said Cecile Forsberg, artistic and operations director for the NRO. Forsberg herself served as a personnel intern with the NRO before working at the Utah Symphony and later returning to Breckenridge. “There’s some hand-holding, but not a lot,” Forsberg said. “It’s a very intense and rigorous format. The pace is unlike any other festival that I know of. We do at least two different full orchestral programs a week.” Evening master classes, seminars, and outreach activities mimic what musicians might experience working for a professional orchestra—like being asked to play at a donor’s home, take part in a radio interview, or participate in a marketing event, Forsberg explained.
“Nowadays it’s not enough for musicians to sit onstage and perform,” Clabby said. “Our aim is to give them an overall experience—to broaden the reach of classical music, but also to give these musicians a feel for community outreach programs they might do as they move on in their careers.” Thus NRO musicians join music therapy teacher Defiora Lane for sessions at Timberline Daycare Center. They play for patients at St. Anthony Summit Medical Center, children at the library, or passersby on Main Street. It’s a win-win situation where both musicians and the community benefit. The NRO’s master classes are taught by members of the New York Philharmonic, Dallas Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra, offering musicians “the chance to work with the best of the best in terms of people they admire, and the kind of dream job they are going for,” Forsberg said. A number of musicians make the rounds to classical music festivals around the country, most of which are tuition-based. But the National Repertory Orchestra raises enough funds to give its musicians a tuition-free experience, and its emphasis on real-life learning sets it apart from most.
“The amount of time and dedication the musicians put into this is really amazing,” Clabby said. “It’s like watching a ski racer. These musicians are aiming to be top in their field. They’re already top in their university or college programs.” The goal of preparing musicians with the highest level of training explains why the National Repertory Orchestra doesn’t cave to popular demand and deliver more pops concerts in place of its classical repertoire. “To play a pops piece is more like snowboarding a blue run,” Clabby explained, “whereas performing the classical masterworks is more like skiing Lake Chutes. They’re more challenging and more fulfilling—as well as something our musicians need in order to go out and get jobs in professional orchestras.” “Each musician has won a spot in the NRO by besting as many as 900 competitors through our audition process,” Adams said. “This process assures us that everyone who joins the orchestra is an excellent musician. They are all thrilled to be part of this career-building and life-changing experience, so they have great attitudes. That quality and that joy is evident in every NRO performance.”
National Repertory Orchestra // nromusic.com
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The people’s art All hands on craft at Street Arts Festival
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t wasn’t long ago one had to frequent railyards, underpasses, and other tucked-away urban spaces to witness street arts like graffiti and stencil work, hip-hop music and dance. The term “street art” implied “underground,” an act engaged in hiding.
Across Washington Avenue at the Tin Shop, guest artist Cara Lynch from New York will share her spray-chalk work and the techniques she uses to make it. She will create a spray chalk installation on the Arts District campus, and host a community project.
But the so-called street arts have skyrocketed in popularity over the years, and contemporary art has embraced their many forms. Engaging in artwork, side-by-side in the street, is a way to animate our shared spaces and encourage community interaction around the arts.
And, of course, the chalk art contest returns—a Fourth of July favorite that’s been going on for more than a decade. Children spend a couple hours completing their chalk drawings on Washington Avenue, followed by judging and cash prizes.
Now in its second year, the Street Arts Festival in Breckenridge transforms the downtown Breckenridge Arts District, from Ridge Street along Washington Avenue to Main Street, into a place where community artists of all ages gather—joining established graffiti, chalk, hip-hop, and breakdance artists—to make art.
“Drawing with chalk is nostalgic,” said Robb Woulfe, CEO of Breckenridge Creative Arts, the group putting on the Street Arts Festival. “It brings back memories so many of us share. We think this is a great opportunity for people to connect, to express themselves creatively, and also to see some excellent work by our featured artists.”
The event takes place July 2-4 and includes demonstrations by graffiti artists, who will be creating family-friendly spray paint works on special cellophane strung between lampposts at the Arts District. Professional chalk artists— some creating impressive 3D illustrations—will render their visions on asphalt. There will be a DJ spinning tunes, a break dancing group throwing down, and hip-hop dance classes offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The Arts District also plans to offer some make-and-take art projects for families and kids.
“It’s exciting to see the street filled with families and kids being creative,” said Jenn Cram, BCA’s director of public programs and engagement. “Washington Avenue becomes bright and colorful for a moment in time—and then the rain comes and washes it all away. It’s true ephemeral art.”
Cara Lynch // caralynchart.com Naomi Haverland // naomihaverland.com Benjamin Hummel // peopleofthechalk.com James “East” Foster // facebook.com/thealphachild Chuck “Emit” // graffiti.org/emit Gamma // gammagallery.co Micah Hollenbeck // facebook.com/denverchalkart
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Of culture + character Robin Theobald’s interests range from preservation to pyrotechnics
Why are you dedicated to preserving historic architecture? Breckenridge has a unique history that many people find very interesting. I am 5th generation in Breckenridge, so I am committed to the place and its history from a personal standpoint. But my family is also in business here, and Breckenridge is in competition with every other resort in the world for vacation dollars. We have to set ourselves apart. People are not going to be fooled by fake. We have to retain our historic integrity, preserve our historic sites and buildings, and keep increasing our historic interpretation. Is there a historic site you recommend? I invite everyone to visit the Breckenridge Sawmill Museum on Boreas Pass Road that we opened last summer. It is a great self-guided tour through the kind of sawmill that built Breckenridge. Breckenridge will soon install an original sculpture by Albert Paley. Why do you think his work is a good fit? I was first attracted to Albert Paley through blacksmithing. He is always pushing the envelope of what is possible with materials and technology. Paley is a very high profile artist. He has a piece across the street from the Smithsonian American Art Portrait Gallery, and a gate at the National Cathedral, among other pieces all over the world. It seemed like a real opportunity to acquire a piece of art that would not only
make an artistic statement in its own right, but also a statement about Breckenridge being an art destination. What is the value of public art? Public art is another thing that sets a community apart. It infuses character and interest to a place. When Albert Paley was here, he gave a presentation on building a sense of place through public art that I thought was very perceptive. Most of the public art in our collection is very representational. With the Paley piece we are getting a very big, splashy piece that is not representational. I believe there will be much more interaction between the public and the Paley piece. It invites and may even require that level of interaction. It will be fun to watch. I hear you dabble in fire arts? I’m a ‘hobbyist blacksmith.’ I play around with it, and I’m capable of doing a few things. For the Fire Arts Festival, I did a piece we called “Fire on the Water,” a 6-foot-long cylindrical structure that had water in it and flames on top of the water. Is there an art to creating a fireworks display? There’s literally a book written on which colors go together well, and which shells should be shot in which order. There’s a tempo to a fireworks show. You build up to crescendo and have a false finale, then slow down a bit before building up to the big finale.
Robin Theobald, 65, resides in the high country with his wife, Patty. An art and history aficionado, he has restored 16 historic buildings in Breckenridge. He also puts together the annual Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve fireworks displays.
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FEATURED CREATIVE ARTS ALIVE GALLERY
Arts Alive is a co-op gallery run by local creative minds who exhibit their work while growing the reach of arts education in the community.
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Cooperative art A GALLERY INTEGRATES ART, COMMUNITY + EDUCATION
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ucked into a comfortably expansive second-floor space in La Cima Mall at the south end of Main Street is Arts Alive Gallery, where 37 area artists show work including watercolor, oil, and acrylic paintings; photographs, mosaics, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, and fiber arts.
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Arts Alive is a cooperative gallery or co-op, so the artists work at the gallery too, offering up a day or more per month to run the space. There’s a featured artist each month—often a person who has gone above and beyond in serving the needs of the gallery and its community outreach efforts. That person takes on a 12-foot display space, with new shows opening the second Saturday of every month. “Visitors come to town and are looking to purchase artwork by local artists,” said Jenn Cram, director of public programs and engagement for the nonprofit organization, Breckenridge Creative Arts, which manages town-owned arts venues and programming. “Local art has a story to tell, and they can make connections with that,” said Cram, who showed her work at Arts Alive Gallery for a number of years. “It’s a great experience to go in there and see the talent that resides in Breckenridge, Summit County, and other nearby counties.” “Most visitors are looking for winter scenes, or mountain scenes, so you tend to go with the direction of the client,” said Tom Kramer, an oil painter who exhibits his high country and Southwestern landscapes at the gallery. Kramer also serves as president of Summit County Arts Council (SCAC), a nonprofit organization founded in 1990. The arts renaissance underway in Breckenridge right now in many ways traces its roots to SCAC, whose members continue to serve the arts in various capacities—as teachers at the Breckenridge Arts District, for example, and as members of BCA advisory committees.
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In 2004, SCAC founded Arts Alive Gallery, which originally occupied a first-floor storefront in La Cima Mall before moving upstairs to its larger space next to Park & Main restaurant in 2013. “The gallery looks great,” said Cram. “It really has a professional look because of the expertise of the members working on it.” New artists are juried in by a committee with an eye for high quality works. Because it’s a co-op, would-be members must commit to running the gallery at least one day a month, and are encouraged to become involved in the group’s outreach efforts, which range from teaching art at Summit School District’s alternative high school, Snowy Peaks, to hosting various fundraisers and benefits for area nonprofits. On June 11 for example, Arts Alive Gallery is hosting a show to benefit Keystone Science School, with funds supporting student scholarships. The group also holds a benefit called “Meet the Artists,” an annual show at Blue River Plaza in Breckenridge that features Colorado artists, taking place this year June 25-26. For gallery member Janis Bunchman, who worked for Summit School District for 30 years—first as an art teacher and later as principal of Frisco Elementary School—the arts are essential to education. “Studies have shown that when children are engaged in the arts they’re more focused and more productive, and that process helps them in different aspects of their education,” said Bunchman, who volunteers her time to teach art classes at Snowy Peaks. “Not only visual arts, but musical and theatrical arts too,” she said.
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On top of her volunteer work, Bunchman teaches a full slate of summer art classes—originally intended for children—at the Breckenridge Arts District. The classes include Southwest Gourd Paining, Impressionist Painting, Watercolor Batik, and another called Woven Watercolor in which watercolor paintings are cut up and used to make a large weaving. Lately, she has discovered that adults are eager to attend her classes too. “Everybody can learn to be a good artist with the right instruction,” Bunchman said. Her own work, which she displays at Arts Alive Gallery, runs the gamut from acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media watercolor landscapes to encaustics and acrylic paintings on ceramic tile. Her subject matter focuses on high country and Southwestern landscapes, as she splits her time between Breckenridge and Arizona. Arts Alive Gallery offers artists the opportunity to show their work and to get to know the local creative community. New members are assigned a mentor artist who works with them for a year, helping with the various aspects of showing their work professionally from framing, setting up displays, and writing a bio to advertising their work. “The co-op is a wonderful avenue for first-time artists who want to get their foot in the door,” Kramer said, and it doesn’t hurt that “this town is just popping with art and new ideas.”
Arts Alive Gallery // summitarts.org
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/objectified/ An object of art
Athena First Flute + Lydia First Violin A pair of bronze musicians plays a soundless duet of flute and strings from perches of stacked red slate outside the Riverwalk Center, where two local orchestras can often be found rehearsing. The sculptures are the work of Michael Adams, once a fixture in the Summit County arts community. The piece was donated to the Breckenridge public art collection by the Breckenridge Music Festival. // breckcreate.org/explore/public-art/
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/sourced/ A guide to creative businesses and organizations in and around Breckenridge Cultural Organizations Breckenridge Backstage Theatre 121 S. Ridge St. backstagetheatre.org Breckenridge Creative Arts 150 W. Adams Ave. breckcreate.org Breckenridge Film Festival 103 S. Harris St. breckfilmfest.com Breckenridge Heritage Alliance 309 N. Main St. breckheritage.com Breckenridge Music Festival 217 S. Ridge St. Alley breckenridgemusicfestival.com Breckenridge Tourism Office 111 Ski Hill Rd. gobreck.com National Repertory Orchestra 111 S. Main St. nromusic.com
Branding + Design The Brandon Agency 235 S Ridge St. #2A thebrandonagency.com GatherHouse Inc. 110 Second Ave., Frisco gatherhouse.com KL Creative Design 304 Illinois Gulch Rd. klcreativedesign.com McGraphix Creative & Consulting 201 S Ridge St. mcgraphixcreative.com Nikki LaRochelle Design nikkilarochelle.com
Squeeze Designz squeeze-designz.com Straughn Design 552 97 Circle straughndesign.com Summit Creations 102 Continental Ct. summitcreations.com
Galleries
Museums + Historic Sites Alice G. Milne House and Memorial Park 102 N. Harris St. breckheritage.com Barney Ford House Museum 111 E. Washington Ave. breckheritage.com Breckenridge Sawmill Museum Boreas Pass Rd. breckheritage.com
Arts Alive 500 S. Main St. summitarts.org
William H. Briggle House 104 N. Harris St. breckheritage.com
Art on a Whim 100 N. Main St. artonawhim.com
Country Boy Mine 542 French Gulch Rd. countryboymine.com
Blue River Fine Art Gallery 411 S. Main St. blueriverfineartgallery.com
Edwin Carter Museum 111 N. Ridge St. breckheritage.com
Breckenridge Art Supply 201 S. Ridge St. artsupplybreck.com
High Line Railroad Park 189 Boreas Pass Rd. breckheritage.com
Breckenridge Fine Art Gallery 421 S. Main St. vailfineart.com Breckenridge Gallery 124 S. Main St. breckenridge-gallery.com Colorado Scenics 421 S. Main St. coloradoscenics.com Exclusive Collections 421 S. Main St. ecgallery.com Gary Soles Gallery 300 S. Main St. breckenridgephotoshop.com The Photo Shop 300 S. Main St. breckenridgephotoshop.com
Lomax Gulch 301 Ski Hill Rd. breckheritage.com Mountain Top Children’s Museum 605 S. Park Ave. mtntopmuseum.org Prospector Park 112 N. Main St. townofbreckenridge.com Red White and Blue Fire Museum 308 N. Main St. breckheritage.com Summit Ski Exhibit 308-B S. Main St. breckheritage.com
Boutiques + Specialty
Architecture
Breckenridge Photographics 500 S. Main St. breckphoto.com
Allen Guerra Architecture 1915 Airport Rd. allen-guerra.com
The Glass Art Company 411 S. Main St. #16 theglassartcompany.com
Arapahoe Architects 322-C N. Main St. arapahoearchitects.com
Global Candle Gallery 326 S. Main St. globalcandlegallery.com
bhh Partners 160 E. Adams Ave. bhhpartners.com
JK Studio 100 S. Main St., 2nd floor jkstudiollc.com
Equinox Architecture, LLC 520 S. Main St. equinoxarchitecture.com
Magical Scraps 310 S. Main St. magicalscraps.com
J.L. Sutterley Architect 500 S. Ridge St. jlsutterlyarchitect.com
Marigolds Farmhouse Funk + Junk 215 S. Main St. marigoldsfarmhousefunkandjunk.com
Matthew Stais Architects 108 N. Ridge St. staisarchitects.com
Ole Man Berkins 326 S. Main St. olemanberkins.com Portiera Designs 326 S. Main St. portieradesigns.com Ready Paint Fire 323 N. Main St. readypaintfireco.com Ruby Jane 232 S. Main St. valleygirlboutique.com Wandering Daisy 326 S. Main St. Young Colors 226 S. Main St., Unit 1 youngcolors.com
Breweries + Craft Beverages Après Handcrafted Libations 130 S. Main St. apreslibations.com Breckenridge Brewery 600 S. Main St. breckbrewpub.com Breckenridge Distillery 1925 Airport Rd. breckenridgedistillery.com Broken Compass Brewing 68 Continental Ct. brokencompassbrewing.com
Cafes + Coffee Houses Amazing Grace 213 Lincoln Ave. amazinggracebreck.com
Michael F. Gallagher Architect michaelgallagher.com
Cabin Coffee Company 222 S. Main St. cabincoffeecompany.com
Neely Architecture 1705 Airport Rd. neelyarchitecture.com
Clint’s Bakery & Coffee House 131 S. Main St. clintsbakery.com
Healing Arts
Cuppa Joe 118 S. Ridge St.
Alpine Spa and Salon 500 S. Main St., 3rd floor alpinespaandsalon.com Ambika Healing 435 N. Park Ave. ambika.massagetherapy.com
Mug Shot Café 435 N. Park Ave. Starbucks 225 S. Main St. starbucks.com
Blue Sage Spa 224 S. Main St. bluesagespa.com Breckenridge Bliss Massage Therapy 325 S. Main St. breckenridgeblissmassage.com Meta Yoga Studios 118 S. Ridge St. metayogastudios.com
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These are the comfy new auditorium seats at the recently renovated Breckenridge Theater. Other updated amenities include a more spacious lobby that doubles as a gallery space, extended stage wings, green room, dressing rooms, and storage areas.