“There’s a moral imperative to be inclusive, to reach out to underrepresented communities, and to support authentic artistic offerings.”
Since 1966, the Boulder County Arts Alliance (BCAA) – a grantee of the Community Foundation – has worked to stimulate and sustain a thriving local arts community.
“We don’t set an agenda as much as we respond to the needs of our community,” says Charlotte LaSasso, Executive Director. “And the needs of our community are both interesting and compelling.
“We look at what’s going on in the world around us, and then we work locally to address issues of equity, diversity, artist displacement, affordability of artists’ studios and living spaces, and the like.
“When you end up with a community that lacks diversity, cultural offerings are less diverse, too, and it’s a much less interesting place to be. There’s also a moral imperative to be inclusive, to reach out to underrepresented communities, and to support authentic artistic offerings.”
Specifically, the BCAA promotes a range of arts opportunities, and supports all performing, visual and emerging arts disciplines. “From accessible and affordable professional development workshops [e.g., grantwriting, marketing, social media, etc.] to fellowships, fiscal sponsorships, and grants for individual and organization projects – we foster experimentation and innovation as much as we work to grow the capacities of our members,” says Charlotte, one of just two staff members who rely on an active board and a behind-the-scenes volunteer corps that logs more than 1K hours annually.
Founded by a group of Boulder citizens – including Christopher and Margot Brauchli – the BCAA was inspired by the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1984, Neodata Corp. donated a building that was subsequently sold to establish the Neodata Endowment for the Arts.
“Since then, we’ve administered endowment funds on behalf of Boulder County’s cultural community,” explains Charlotte. “The endowment is just about $1.3M now, and provides an annual infusion into the community to nurture collaboration among arts disciplines, strengthen artists’ business competencies, and develop our own strategies to respond to tomorrow’s challenges.
“The idea is to ensure arts funding in perpetuity.”
The BCAA also manages donor-advised grant programs that, according to Charlotte, “support unforeseen hardships” and other special circumstances within the local arts community. The Martha Kate Thomas Fund for Artists, for example, is distributed by the BCAA on behalf of Community Foundation.
“If people want to give money away, we make it very easy,” continues Charlotte. “We provide a process and the mechanisms to make funding available across all arts disciplines, including the visual arts, theater, dance, music, storytelling, literature, film, and so on.
“Giving away money is fun to do, but it’s also heartbreaking – this year, we gave away $54K, but we received $170K in funding requests. While the needs far outweigh resources, we’re pushing hard to expand our reach, and to advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusivity in our community – which, in turn, makes for a more enriching arts community that benefits everyone who lives here.”
