LIFEST Y LES AN ADVERTISING SECTION OF COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA | VOL. 15 ISSUE 12 • DECEMBER 2023
Expansion begins at Center for the Arts Evergreen
This fall a woman walked into the gallery at Center for the Arts Evergreen (CAE). She brought her own stool because sitting during the long car ride from Highlands Ranch to CAE bothered her back. She wrapped herself in a blanket because she’s “always cold.” The woman sat quietly in front of an acrylic painting filled with movement—tall grasses blowing in the wind and wildflowers dotting the fields. Tears filled her eyes and she spoke in a whisper. “This reminds me of the summer I met my husband. My childhood in the Midwest.” Other residents from her assisted living facility joined her in the gallery, and she eagerly drew them to the painting, a painting that brought to life her days as a young newlywed. Soon, they were all sharing their stories. Later that afternoon, a group from Vertical Skills
FEATURE
OF THE MONTH Academy, a charter school in Evergreen supporting the needs of dyslexic children, visited CAE. When asked about his favorite artwork, one student pointed to a sculpture of a crumpled woman with her head in her hands. “This one makes me feel sad.” As the middle schoolers created artwork inspired by what they’d seen in the gallery, the boy painted a figure. The boy’s figure, in the same pose as the sculpture, had its face raised. She was smiling and surrounded by children reaching out to her. “In my painting she’s happy because her friends are helping her.”
Every day, Center for the Arts Evergreen staff and visitors are reminded of the power of art in building community and uniting us. Art brings us together physically—at gallery exhibitions, at concerts, and at classes and workshops. It also brings us together culturally—telling our community’s shared stories and inspiring us to think about others, create connections, and engage in a meaningful life. Thanks to the generous support of the greater mountain community, CAE is in the midst of an exciting (and long-awaited) expansion. What does this mean for our community? It means that the legacy of CAE will not only endure, it will also be able to serve so many more Please see CENTER FOR THE ARTS, Page 2