Hailed as “an eruption of cross cultural joy” Nobuntu, the female a cappella quartet from Zimbabwe, has drawn international acclaim for its inventive performances that range from traditional Zimbabwean songs to Afro Jazz to Gospel. The ensemble’s concerts are performed with pure voices, augmented by minimalistic percussion, traditional instruments such as the Mbira (thumb piano) and organic, authentic dance movements.
NOV 29 - DEC 22 , 2024
DUSTY LOO BON VIVANT THEATER
Sisterhood and scandal, romance and rumors, high society and...horses? Jane Austen’s Dashwood family bubbles with wit and warmth in this energetic, familyfriendly adaptation of the classic novel, following sensible Elinor and sensitive Marianne Dashwood as they navigate the perilous waters of courtship and the human heart.
Living life to its fullest includes experiencing Colorado Springs’ vibrant performing arts scene. Celebrating our 98th year, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic is the home of captivating performances and deep moments of connection. From essential Masterworks to Pops entertainment, there’s something for everyone. Come see (and hear) it for yourself and allow us to fill your heart to the brim.
WITH THE ARTS Uniting our community
BY ANGELA SEALS Executive Director
Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region
This past spring, an Ipsos* survey found that 81 percent of Americans now believe that our country is “more divided than united,” yet 69 percent say that most of us “want the same things out of life.” As Arts Month 2024 overlays the weeks leading up to the presidential election, the Cultural Office invites our community to unite around the uplift, connection, and frankly, reassurance of our shared creativity. Throughout life’s seasons and politics’ twists and turns, community heals and grows by singing songs, making with our hands, tasting one another’s cooking, and saying “thank you!’ with a collective round of applause.
At the heart of this annual campaign is an arts community that invites you to experience it. Visit ArtsOctober.com to find the full lineup of local events and get out there in the mix! You’ll be surprised and impressed with the diversity and strength of our local arts & cultural scene in 2024. There are many ways to celebrate, as our community usually offers over 300 arts events in the 31 days of October!
To help you explore the full spectrum of local arts, we’ll highlight genres throughout the month:
Orchestrated annually by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, Arts Month elevates the visibility of arts & culture across El Paso and Teller Counties. Our local Arts Month initiative coincides with National Arts & Humanities Month, which was established in 1993 and is observed every October throughout the United States. This national program was initiated to encourage Americans to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives, and to begin a lifelong habit of participation.
But I’ll let you in on a secret that more and more people are realizing … the energy we spotlight during October is actually happening year-round.
The invitation of Arts Month lasts all year. Our local artists, cultural groups, nonprofits, and creative businesses, are always busy bringing creativity into the life of the Pikes Peak region. Their work generates important economic activity, cultural tourism, workforce attraction, arts education, positive mental health outcomes, community connection, empathy, and a higher quality of life for all of us.
There is always at least one moment during a live concert,
play, or film screening when I stop listening to the show and become aware of the audience. That we, as hundreds of strangers, gasp in unison. We chuckle together at that punchline. We feel one another’s momentum to stand at the end. When we nod knowingly at a playwright’s relatable lines, we are united with the writer, actor, and each other for a
miraculous split-second.
I’ll look for you in those audiences this October. That’s where we’ll find each other. *www.ipsos.com/en-us/withhonor-ipsos
SPONSORED BY
ON THE COVER
Arts and culture again take center stage across the Pikes Peak region this October as our creative community celebrates Arts Month 2024! This image designed by Neon Pig Creative invites you to “Unite Your World With The Arts” this October.
Visit ArtsOctober.com for details on experiencing the strength and vitality of our arts community this month and all year round.
The Cultural Office Local Arts Guide was edited by Jonathan Toman and designed by Gina Pietramale.
A PROGRAM OF THE CULTURAL OFFICE OF THE PIKES PEAK REGION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GAZETTE
ANGELA SEALS Executive Director
DYLAN CRADDOCK , Program Manager, Creative Economy
JONATHAN TOMAN, Program Manager, Cultural Promotion & Tourism
MELISSA O’REAR, Program Manager, Education
BECCA DAY, Office Coordinator
RICHARD WILLIAMS, President & COO
STACEY SEDBROOK, Vice President of Sales
TRACI CONRAD, Director of Sales
KAREN HOGAN, Director of Advertising Operations
GINA PIETRAMALE, Creative Services Lead
SAMANTHA THOMAS, Graphic Designer
MICHELLE THOMSEN, Graphic Designer
ERIC ANDERSON, Advertising Sales
LORI CURRY, Advertising Sales
NIKKI DIRKS, Advertising Sales
STEFANI RACKLEY, Advertising Sales
JACKI STAMBENE, Advertising Sales
SUE WILLIAMS, Adverting Sales
Ormao Dance Company’s performances offer engaging original work. Photo by Melanie & Tyler Photography. See page 6 for more.
One of the new additions to the Rocky Mountain Highway lineup, Rocky Mountain Flower Fest takes over Venetucci Farm in July. Photo by Ashley Travis Photography. See page 17 for more.
9
ARTS MONTH EVENTS YEAR-ROUND ARTS EVENTS TO EXPERIENCE
BY PEAK RADAR STAFF
ARTS MONTH
Comedy Night with Jeff Dye
October 10
Boot Barn Hall
Spinphony
October 11
Stargazers Theatre & Event Center
40th Annual Woodcarving & Woodcraft Show
October 12 and 13
Shrine Club
Vienna Light Orchestra: “The Greatest Showman”
October 13
Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts
Boogie Nights Dance Party
October 18
Lulu’s Downtown
Pikes Peak docuFEST
October 18 and 19
COS City Hub
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
October 18–20
Colorado College — Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center
The First Annual Colorado Springs
Tattoo Arts Festival
October 18–20
Colorado Springs Event Center
Mozart/Beethoven
Ent Center for the Arts
October 19 and 20
Ghost Stories of Old Manitou Walking Tours
October 11, 12, 18, 19, and 25
Manitou Springs Heritage Center
Night at the Museum
October 26
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
Front Range Maker’s Market
October 26 and 27
Lewis Palmer High School
YEAR-ROUND
Carnivale Weekend
March
Downtown Manitou Springs
Pikes Peak Poetry Summit
April
Pikes Peak Library District
Meadowgrass Music Festival
Memorial Day Weekend
La Foret Conference & Retreat Center
Colorado Springs
Western Street Breakfast
June
Downtown Colorado Springs
Commonwheel Arts Festival
Labor Day Weekend
Memorial Park in Manitou Springs
Rock Ledge Ranch Annual Powwow
September
Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site
Best of the West Wingfest
September
Western Museum of Mining & Industry
Three Nights of Horror Film Festival
October
Ivywild School
Festival of Lights Parade
December
Downtown Colorado Springs
THESE GREAT EVENTS AND MUCH MORE AT …
Find unique, catered arts programs for your schools and students: workshops, field trips, professional development, and more!
COMMUNITY MEMBERS
Find arts classes and camps for youth, military, 55+, and adults of all ages.
ARTS ORGANIZATIONS AND ARTISTS
List your educational experiences and training programs for schools and the community to find.
www.PeakRadar.com/ArtsEd
a program of the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region For support, contact Melissa O’Rear, melissa@culturaloffice org
ORMAO CONNECTS THE WORLD AROUND US
BY JAN JOHNSON Executive & Artistic Director Ormao Dance Company
Ormao Dance Company is an innovative, inclusive, and communityoriented home for dance and the arts in downtown Colorado Springs. Ormao fills a need in the Pikes Peak region for a professional modern and contemporary dance company, school, and community engagement programs focusing on artistry and improving the well-being of people of all ages through meaningful, relevant dance expression and experiences.
Professional performing company
Ormao remains committed to a repertoire of original work that mirrors our commitment to excellence and collaboration in the arts. Our 2024-25 season reflects a creative response by engaging our community with a mixture of indoor and outdoor performances that create new audiences, by connecting them to see
their community and outdoor spaces in new and unforgettable ways.
This past summer, Ormao had the opportunity to travel to Basalt, Colorado for a week-long residency. In addition to performing dances in a theatrical setting, the company spent the bulk of their time creating a sitespecific work with dancers from the Roaring Fork Valley.
Working with new dancers affirmed something Ormao has felt time and again — that when we move and create together, we create sincere and meaningful bonds. Dancing together under the sun, grass squishing under our feet, we explored not only the space we were in, but our memories, experiences, and humanity. By dancing together and witnessing each other, we became more vulnerable with each other and began to really feel each other.
After just a few days rehearsing together, an audience joined us. With viewers (soon to be participants) scattered across the lawn, company members wove through them, danced
through dance
next to them, handed them mementos to activate their senses, and immersed them in Ormao’s co-created world. Everyone leaned in, willing to let go of the traditional audience role and inhabit their own humanity. Both portions of the experience — the creative process and the performance, reminded us that dance has the power to bring us together.
Community engagement
We continually assess community needs and ponder how the practice of modern dance can help address the social, emotional, and physical health of our community.
In 2022, Ormao dance artists began a series of participatory arts events and open-to-thepublic classes within the Hillside and Southside neighborhoods of Colorado Springs. Rather than delivering already formulated dance performances or classes, the artists partnered with neighborhood leaders to construct socially impactful artistic programming. As
Colorado’s Oldest Aviation Museum
guests to the neighborhood, they asked, how might we move with community participants to develop sustained relationships?
Along with prominent community leaders, Ormao co-created Dancing Your Stories — a dance and storytelling laboratory with elders at the Hillside Community Center. An ongoing dance of civic reciprocity, the elders have performed throughout Colorado Springs, including at Colorado College’s Fine Arts Center and the Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS.
Their performances represent two years of relational community engagement — a constellation of interconnection — and publicfacing events intended to embody an ecology for creative interaction across social and cultural difference. Every Tuesday and Friday at Ormao, people living with Parkinson’s Disease (and other mobility challenges) gather to enjoy community and connection through the art of movement. Dance brings
Learn about the origins of the Congressional Medal of Honor and our United States Air Force recipients at our Memorial Park.
ACCESS: Non-DoD ID holders require a base pass. Please call or email us 3 days in advance of your visit to arrange your pass. Large group tours arrange access at least 2 weeks ahead. 719-556-5543. Email: Staff@petemuseum.org.
DAYS/HOURS OF
OPERATION: Free Admission. 10am - 3pm Tuesday through Friday. Closed Saturday through Monday, Federal Holidays and USSF Family Days.
We’re always looking for volunteers. Come visit!
In the Airpark, walk inside the Warning Star, an airborne early warning and control aircraft from the Cold War.
imagery, and music, allowing each person to be supported and seen. For a population of older adults living with a progressive disease, an hour of dancing brings out smiles, laughter, and hope.
School
Offering open classes for ages three through infinity, Ormao proudly provides a robust program for youth and adults where everyone is welcome and joyfully encouraged to find their own movement voice. Adults can expect to sweat, express, and connect — to themselves and their community.
Looking for something new? Try our monthly series of Dance Diversity classes, where all ages and levels of experience can explore dance forms such as Celtic, Odissi, Flamenco, and Capoeira.
We believe our work creates a community that loves dance and views dance as an essential ingredient to our community’s vibrant lifestyle.
“Movement is the elixir of life,” says Ross Jacobsen. “Place that in a creative, educational, communityfocused vessel and you’ve got Ormao. The best part? I get to participate. Join me. You won’t be disappointed.”
Ormao traveled to Basalt, Colorado over the summer for a week-long residency. Photo by Raliegh Burleigh, The Sopris Sun.
CREATIVE STAYS
DAVID SIEGEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ENT CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Pikes Peak is Colorado Springs’ most prominent feature. It’s an ever-present beacon on the horizon, inspiring and reminding people of the natural beauty surrounding it. The mountain was once called Tava, or Sun Mountain, by the indigenous Ute people. Today it goes by the nickname America’s Mountain. By any name, the mountain dominates the region’s geography and draws people from near and far.
David Siegel grew up at the base of Pikes Peak in Manitou Springs. Now he is the executive director of the Ent Center for the Arts at UCCS (University of Colorado Colorado Springs), as well as an arts advocate and musician who performs with several ensembles in and around town. As the host of this Creative Stay in Colorado Springs, David has curated an itinerary for a relaxing getaway that engages the arts, the outdoors and unique opportunities at their intersection. You’ll experience Pikes Peak close up, far away and on top, and you’ll enjoy a relaxing, artistic retreat in the mountain’s shadow.
Explore the arts and outdoors around Pikes Peak with a peaceful getaway based in Green Mountain Falls.
ABOUT CREATIVE STAYS
Creative Stays is a digital campaign to attract cultural tourists to the Colorado Springs area during Arts Month, and throughout the year. The series features 13 weekend getaway itineraries curated by a diverse group of local creatives. Each of these local creatives will share a little about themselves, and recommend some of their favorite lodging accommodations, community attractions, restaurants, entertainment activities, hidden hangouts, and not-to-miss cultural destinations.
Perfect for out-of-town visitors and local residents, Creative Stays offers a whole new way to explore and enjoy some of the wonderful attractions and amenities that the Pikes Peak region has to offer! Check out all the Creative Stays itineraries at cosCreativeStays.com.
W H E T H E R Y O U C O L L E C T O R J U S T A P P R E C I A T E
A R T , W E ʼ R E B U I L D I N G A C O M M U N I T Y F O R Y O U .
A r t A d m i r i s t s i n c l u d e p e o p l e f r o m a l l w a l k s o f
l i f e i n c l u d i n g : s e a s o n e d c o l l e c t o r s , c o m m u n i t y
m e m b e r s , e m e r g i n g a n d e s t a b l i s h e d a r t i s t s I f
y o u ʼ r e c u r i o u s a b o u t s e e i n g a n d e x p e r i e n c i n g
s o m e t h i n g n e w w e w e l c o m e y o u t o A u r i c G a l l e r y
N e w E x h i b i t s M o n t h l y
P a r t n e r i n g w i t h o u r t a l e n t e d l o c a l a n d r e g i o n a a r t i s t s ! W e h a v e r o t a t i n g m o n t h l y e x h i b i t s w i t h t h e o p e n i n g r e c e p t i o n s o n t h e F i r s t F r i d a y o f e v e r y m o n t h C u s t o m C u r a t i o n W e c a n a s s i s t y o u i n c u r a t n g a n d d e s g n i n g Y O U R i d e a l s p a c e W h e t h e r y o u n e e d h e p r e o r g
s o u r c i n g a s p e c i
F o o d f o r t h e S o u l P A G E 0 6
P A G E 0 1
WATCH DAVID’S ITINERARY VIDEO
Keeping Manitou creative,
BY AUDREY GRAY Executive Director | CRANE
In a year when Manitou Springs is celebrating the 50th birthday of Commonwheel Artists Co-op, one of its premier art institutions, CRANE (Creative Alliance Manitou Springs) is working hard every day to help keep the town creative.
This year, CRANE , which in 2022 was born of the union between Manitou Springs’ state certified Creative District and the 20-yearold Manitou Springs Arts Council, is adding sculpture and murals (along with a healthy dose of cookies) to Manitou’s artscape. In addition to our public art projects, we are working to connect artists to opportunities and knit together the creative community.
Our purpose is to lift creatives and support the local creative economy — so we are expanding what we can offer to artists, including help with grants, fiscal sponsorships, and connection to expanded opportunities. And this year, a little more fun. Our Cookies with CRANE events allow the creative community to come together over a delicious snack while discussing various topics or simply celebrating.
One highlight so far this year was a reception to reveal five new murals at 441 Manitou Avenue and honor the local artists who created them. The project was funded by Colorado Creative Industries and Manitou Arts Culture & Heritage tax grants in 2023 and 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with the result — an
Mural artists (from left to right) Sally Knox Hall, Natalia Pulido, Paige Talerico, Hank Frank, and Katie Curcio pose in front of their murals at the 441 mural unveiling. Photo by Taylor Trask.
CRANE: Creative Alliance Manitou Springs
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
otherwise art-less section of Manitou Avenue morphed into a celebration of local culture and talent.
Turning a routine sculpture move into a community-wide scavenger hunt was also exciting. The Portable Deity, by Larry Terrafranca, had graced the roundabout at Ruxton and Manitou Avenue for 10 years. This year, the artist is donating it to the community, and it has been relocated to a new home at the Shoshone Spring pocket park.
As part of the move, CRANE asked local artist Adam Rath to create 100 3D-prin
