The Carbondale Arts staff is heading to Steamboat Springs this week for the Colorado Creative Industries Summit, an annual event for Colorado creatives to connect, learn, and be inspired. More than 300 creative stakeholders from over 60 Colorado cities and towns attend the summit.

The office will be closed Thursday through Tuesday (9/30-10/5). Thanks to some stellar volunteers, R2 Gallery will be open 12-3pm Thursday and Friday, as well as 10am-2pm on Saturday. The gallery will not be open for October’s First Friday, and closed Monday-Tuesday (10/6-10/7). See you soon!

Carbondale Arts is launching the Youth Apprentice Program this fall, where youth are employed to gain creative skills and career readiness under the leadership of a professional artist. In this program youth will learn a series of skills needed to create zines, or mini-magazines.

This will include writing, editing, visual art and bookmaking techniques. There will be a series of outcomes from the program that will include an individual zine and a group zine that has content from the larger community. Weekly workshops will cover different creative skills from a variety of local artists. Youth will be asked to think critically about creating work for an audience, share their ideas in a group setting and engage with community residents in art making activities.

Applications now open for the 2021 Deck the Walls Holiday Market! Deadline to apply is October 8th. Every holiday season R2 Gallery is transformed into a magical holiday market featuring 40+ local and regional artisans and artists. The market will open November 19 through Christmas Eve.

A year in the works, through pandemic-logistic-obstacles, the community mural on the CenturyLink building is coming to fruition. The muralist team has been hard at work, and is excited to invite the community to help complete the mural, once installed at its new location of 4th and Main Street in early September. Learn more at carbondalecreativedistrict.com

Thank you to Brian Colley, Christie Interlante, Gabriela Mejia, Gayle Embrey, Lindsay Jones, Michael Stout, Sally Nicholson, Steve Keohane, Vanessa Porras for your time and talents!

This fabulous concert series will finish with a BANG, with two shows at The Orchard. Death of the Pugilist takes us on a journey to 1800s England to tell the story of a young man in a rough-and-tumble profession. This is an experimental musical ensemble paired with narration directly from author Daniel Mason’s story. Tickets are available HERE.

Our newest, and never been done before event, Convergent Circus, is coming up next month!! Inspired by the elements, this immersive art experience will be held at 13 Moons Ranch in alignment with the autumn equinox. Early bird tickets are available now through August 15. Full details on the Events page.

What makes a place what it is? What traditions and rituals strengthen the soul of a community? How do we discern what is worth bequeathing to the next generation? The story of the Carbondale Mountain Fair is one that answers these, and other important questions. While today's world is changing quickly, the Mountain Fair surviving and thriving for 50 years reminds us that some things are worth honoring and passing on. Tune in to KDNK.org or 88.1 on Tuesdays starting June 29th at 4:00 and hear the voices, the music, and the story behind Carbondale’s treasured summertime tradition. Additional episodes will air on Friday July 16 and Sunday July 18th for two full hours on the music of Mountain Fair. Learn More!

With much excitement we present the winning design for the 50th Mountain Fair happening this July. This eclectic and über-detailed illustration is by award-winning, local artist, Larry Day. Larry has illustrated for 25+ books and publications.

“Beginning at an early age, I drew everything around me. And what I didn’t draw, I observed. Art became even more meaningful to me after I flunked high school art class, I knew I was onto something bigger than learning macrame and decoupage. I was searching for the emotion of things. And I’ve been at it ever since.”

Talented Colorado muralist, Armando Silva will unveil his creation, co-designed by students of Stepping Stones for First Friday, June 4th at 4:00pm. Afterward he will join fellow artists as an extension to the R2 Gallery opening of “identidad Y Libertad” a group show telling the stories of the varied experiences of Latinx people in this country and of those south of the border curated by Gayle Embrey and Vanessa Porras. Learn More

Be sure to stop by the Willits General Store for a 2-day Flash Sale of Susanne Clark’s fun, whimsical and wonderful artwork. Proceeds benefit Carbondale Arts.

June 4-5
12-6:00pm

Because the Passport was so well received last year, we are thrilled to announce that we are doing it again in 2021. This year’s Passport will support the 50th Mountain Fair happening July 23 - 25, and other key Carbondale Arts programming.

This year's passport features OVER 35 businesses: restaurants, salons, wellness centers, craft breweries, retail, and more! Passports will be available starting June 1st, but you can preorder now! We also extended the usage time frame, passports can be purchased and used June 2021 through June 2022. Pick up from The Launchpad or we can mail to you!

We’ve missed the creativity, connection, and challenge of bringing the fashion show to life each spring. We plan to bring back the Extravaganza in March of 2022, but until then we thought let's let previous shows inspire and help us remember the magic of GITNB. We called on our dear friend Sue Drinker of Drinker Durrance Graphics, veteran fashion show photographer, to put a compilation together of the show over the years.

Curated by MinTze Wu, this series is designed to celebrate the rich diversity of artistic styles and cultural backgrounds in our place and time. Through innovative collaborations, we explore the layers of our stories and the composite of our passions. This thoughtfully curated series is comprised of four programs, each a different world created with its unique voice and narrative, sounds and expressions, ranging from baroque to folk, from minimalistic to classical, from poetry to modern novella. Concerts will begin at 6:00pm on the grounds of Thompson House Museum. Learn More!

Saturday, June 19th the first ever Carbondale Arts golf tournament, The Golden Putter, will be an “18-hole scramble” held at River Valley Ranch. There will be traditional and alternative scoring opportunities for ALL skill levels. Get ready for arts-themed holes, live performances, prizes and surprises! All proceeds will benefit Rosybelle, the Mobile Maker Bus, and our arts education programming. Early-bird pricing available through May 15, space is limited so don’t delay!

We believe that there is great value in fostering creativity and inspiration, which is why we are pleased to announce our 3rd Annual Artist Fellowship Program (AFP), consisting of one grant opportunity of two $1,000 grants from The Alleghany Meadows Fellowship. The AFP is for artists and creatives of any genre, who need some funding to help them further their career, their art, or their ideas. The criteria is fairly open for these grants, and any artist residing within a ZIP code beginning with "816" may apply. Learn More!

Become part of the dynamic team that helps keep Carbondale vibrant. The Education Director oversees Rosybelle, the mobile maker bus and all activities related to arts education and Carbondale Arts. Responsibilities also include event participation in signature CA events such as Mountain Fair and Green is the New Black Fashion Show. We are looking for a dynamic, independent leader that likes working with a team and well organized with a good understanding of youth+education. Learn More!

The Carbondale Creative District (scroll to the Mural Express section) and Carbondale Arts are partnering with Loge Properties, LLC, to produce 2 new murals at 1201 Main Street by the roundabout at Highway 133. Artists and or Art Teams are invited to apply for one or both mural projects (each measuring approx. 11'x15' and 12'x17'). Applications due April 23rd. Learn More!

On display through March 25th “NESTed Roots”, a collaborative exhibition in partnership with CU Boulder’s “Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts program and Aspen-based CORE (Community Office for Resource Efficiency).

Carbondale Arts is seeking entries for the poster and shirt design for its 50th Annual Carbondale Mountain Fair! For our “Golden Anniversary”, we’re looking for inspiring entries celebrating our brilliant half-century of the fair. Help us illuminate the way for the next 50 years! Submission deadline is April 30th. Learn More!

We are so grateful to our supporters and those who voted for us! Our team is dedicated to building a vibrant community through art and inclusion in the collective human experience. Thank you so much for this recognition and encouragement!