C
olorado is proving to be a land of opportunity for artists, performers, creative sector employees, and entrepreneurs, thanks in part to efforts by the State to build up the creative economy. With support from Colorado Creative Industries and a growing list of partners, new Creative Districts are popping up in communities across the state, and Colorado musicians are touring towns whose residents thirst for live shows but don’t get enough of them. Artists can apply for subsidized live/work space through the Space to Create program, and stakeholders from across the creative spectrum meet up annually to network and collaborate. The recent push to invest in the State’s creative economy began in 2010 under Governor John Hickenlooper, who led the charge to merge Colorado’s previous arts agencies into Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), now under the Office of Economic Development. “What really makes us unique is we are the only state arts agency that serves both the for-profit creative sector as well as the nonprofit sector,” said Margaret Hunt, CCI’s executive director. Nonprofit arts organizations benefit from funding, but so too do aspiring artists, for example, who can apply for a Career Advancement Grant or various calls for
entry. “We approach our work as an economic development strategy,” Hunt explained. “We’re about job creation.” Nationwide, creative sector growth is around 2% annually. But Colorado has witnessed an annual growth rate from 4-6% in its Creative Districts and other investment areas since it began collecting data in 2013, Hunt said. The Creative District program, launched in 2011, recognizes communities who have invested in creative centers that are walkable; distinguished by physical, artistic, and cultural resources; and have a concentration of arts and cultural organizations and creative resources. To become certified, communities must have a sustainable financial plan and arts programming in place. Benefits include technical and marketing assistance, training, networking, and access to funding. “When a community has a Creative District, it sends the message to creative workers—you’re valued here; you are part of this economy,” Hunt said. “When creative workers cluster together it’s like the rising tide rises all ships. We are seeing increases in revenue and job creation, as well as community identity. People want to live in communities where there are interesting people and things to do.”