Photo credit: Liam Doran, courtesy Breckenridge Creative Arts

Guest post by Robb Woulfe, President + CEO of Breckenridge Creative Arts

www.breckcreate.org 

In an era of declining investment in the arts, our small town high in the Colorado mountains is going out of its way to embrace arts and culture—building up our existing cultural organizations, giving voice to little-known artistic visionaries, and styling contemporary new festivals to breathe life into our creative culture.

Already, our labors have begun to yield fruit. In 2015 and 2016, Breckenridge was named the No. 4 small-to-medium city in NCAR’s Arts Vibrancy Index.

Steeped in culture and heritage, Breckenridge provides a unique mix of creative opportunities for people of all ages and interests. Generations of artists, makers, musicians and writers have chosen to live in, or visit, this beautiful Rocky Mountain destination, its inspiration reflected in their work. Through visual and performing arts, cultural heritage, craft education, culinary and healing arts, design, film and literature, the community offers a scenic mountain environment with diverse opportunities for individual self-expression.

One key characteristic contributing to the vibrancy and dynamism of Breckenridge is how the town has maintained a strong entrepreneurial spirit throughout its history, from attracting fortune seekers during the Gold Rush, to its twentieth century transformation into one of the most successful ski resorts in the world, to its status today as a burgeoning haven for creative enterprise.

The recent ranking from the Arts Vibrancy Index not only acknowledges the work and impact of many creative individuals, businesses and organizations within our community, but it is also a testament to the visionary leadership and support of the Town of Breckenridge, who continues to recognize the value of investing in arts, culture and creativity to enrich its community and drive economic development.

Breckenridge is indeed a place that specializes in creativity. Drawing on the multidisciplinary strengths of our peer creative community and utilizing the town’s cultural assets, we and our partners offer a year-round program of activities that cut across music, dance, film, spoken word, literary and visual arts, education, and the creative and technology sectors. We seek out bold, relevant programming that engages our community as a creative partner, offers artistic experiences that reflect our time and place, invites audience co-creation and hands-on involvement, and showcases Breckenridge’s global identity.

As we move forward, it is our hope that, amidst the stunning vistas and spectacular landscape of Breckenridge, visitors and residents will continue to find an interdisciplinary arts environment allowing them to exchange ideas and find collaboration and inspiration in the most unique of places.

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Robb Woulfe is the president and CEO of Breckenridge Creative Arts, where he provides vision, leadership, curatorial oversight and management expertise in the areas of program development, financial planning, operations, marketing and public relations. In addition to serving as chief spokesperson for BCA, Robb works with local artists, creative businesses and cultural organizations to develop opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships within the themes of collaboration, capacity-building and creative tourism.