“We need to do more programming at more venues that showcase the creative breadth of what Longmont has to offer, and that inform people about the richness of the arts in our community on an ongoing basis.”
According to our TRENDS Report, the arts in Boulder County are booming. As such, the role of organizations like Arts Longmont – a grantee of the Community Foundation’s Community Trust – is crucial to provide leadership and advocacy that supports, inspires, and enhances our arts community.
“Historically, over more than 30 years, we’ve been active on a variety of fronts,” says Marianne Lorenz, Executive Director, whose previous experience includes curator, director of education and grant writer at Foothills Art Center in Golden, and director of education at the Colorado History Museum. “We continue to support arts education in schools through our Artist in Residence program, a partnership with St. Vrain Valley Schools that reaches about 250 students – representing a variety of socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds – every year.”
What’s more, Arts Longmont partners with the Longmont Museum to present musical performances across a range of styles – from classical and chamber music to jazz, samba, world music, and more –, some of which are tailored to the senior population; as well as about six exhibitions a year featuring artists along the Front Range.
Adds Marianne, “One of our other main programs is the Longmont Studio Tour which attracts about 5K people per year visiting the studios of local artists.”
Art Around Town is another Arts Longmont program that “places work of emerging artists in various locations in Longmont where, every four months, we change out their art in local businesses,” Marianne says.
“There’s a lot of conversation right now among people who were part of the Downtown Longmont Creative District,” she continues. “We were designated as a creative district, so there’s lots of discussion about what that means, and what can Longmont do to inform people about the arts – like new kinds of programming that we can produce to let people know how vibrant Longmont’s arts scene is.
“We have lots of wonderful, engaged artists. We come in most contact with visual artists, some of whom have been here for many years, and some who are new to the area. We need to do more programming at more venues that showcase the creative breadth of what Longmont has to offer, and that inform people about the richness of the arts in our community on an ongoing basis.”
Citing the foundation’s Boulder County TRENDS Report, Marianne also points to a common challenge among nonprofit arts organizations in our community, and nonprofits in general: “You can always use more philanthropy. Because not only in Longmont, but also smaller-sized Colorado communities – some of which I’ve worked in – the idea of philanthropy and supporting the arts just isn’t on people’s radar.
“They don’t necessarily understand our education mission. Rather, some community members may see arts organizations merely as a perk – not a driver for social, economic, and educational activity. That’s why have to do a better job of communicating what’s behind our missions.”
