CBCA Celebrates 2025 Business for the Arts Awards Honorees& 40 Years of Arts & Business Partnerships

Marquee outside Seawell Ballroom advertises "CBCA Business for the Arts Awards Luncheon presented by MSU Denver." Modern glass building and a sign reading "Join the Theatrical Thrill Ride!" are also visible.

By CBCA Press Release

Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) recognized 12 honorees for its 2025 Business for the Arts Awards, the only statewide event honoring companies and individuals for their outstanding cross-sector partnerships and engagement with the arts. The 2025 awards program also celebrated CBCA’s 40th anniversary.

The Business for the Arts Awards luncheon, presented by MSU Denver, was held on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, in the Seawell Ballroom at Denver Center for Performing Arts (DCPA). This annual arts-infused event hosted over 650 corporate, cultural, and civic leaders in attendance, as well as statewide livestream participants.

“Congratulations to all the outstanding 2025 Business for the Arts Awards honorees and talented Colorado performers. It was an inspiring and joyous celebration, which in these challenging and uncertain times impacting both arts and business, it was powerful to see our mission in action, and the community coming together on behalf of CBCA and our creative economy,” said Christin Crampton Day, CBCA executive director. “We are sincerely grateful to the many individuals and organizations who supported CBCA’s largest annual fundraiser and celebrated our 40th anniversary milestone with us.”

The event was co-emceed by Michelle Griego with CBS Colorado and Betty Hart with Local Theater Company and Colorado Theater Guild. The annual awards luncheon is also recognized as a showcase highlighting the diversity of Colorado’s artists and performers, and this year was no exception. The program was punctuated with four live performances featuring regional artists. It kicked off with a performance by Denver-based, critically acclaimed all-female band May Be Fern. Samba Colorado gave attendees a taste of Brazilian Carnival with dancers and live drumming. The Denver Center Theatre Company offered a taste of its current sci-fi musical theater production Little Shop of Horrors. And Dream Create Inspire (DCI) Tour closed out the event with a one-of-a-kind interactive musical performance, “By Any Dream Necessary Live Mixtape.”

Honorees and sponsors attended a VIP Reception, sponsored by Anythink Libraries, with live music by René Moffatt. Guests mingled at a festive networking reception, sponsored by PNC Bank, featuring drag performers Gucci Blaze and Brittany Blaze-Shearz. The original Award Artwork, sponsored by HCA HealthONE, presented to each honoree was a fantastical ceramic sculpture commissioned by local artist Linda Bishara. At each table were colorful paper flower bouquet centerpieces crafted by CBCA community partners and volunteers.

2025 Arts & Business Partnership Award Honorees

The Arts & Business Partnership Award honorees are exemplary organizations that have gone above and beyond to support the arts and creative industries.

  • Breckenridge Grand Vacations, a real estate development and property management company, supports cultural opportunities in Summit County through event sponsorship, in-kind lodging for visiting artists, bilingual employee engagement programs in the arts and more.
  • Clear Creek Makerspace, powered by Localworks, is a public/private partnership with the City of Wheat Ridge to provide a new state-of-the-art, business-oriented makerspace to fuel creativity, economic growth and entrepreneurship.
  • Cultura Chocolate, a Latina-owned bean-to-bar chocolate making company, is providing platforms for uplifting cultural expression and heritage, supporting local talent, and economic development through a café, cultural space and the Hecho en Westwood initiative in SW Denver.
  • Havana Business Improvement District – On Havana Street works with Aurora’s Art in Public Places program to present the “Art2C on Havana Street” rotating exhibit, plus community cultural events, which benefit local businesses, artists and the public.
  • Mexican Cultural Center is dedicated to elevating Mexico’s unique arts, customs, traditions and destinations throughout Colorado by partnering with various municipalities, corporations, schools & universities, cultural organizations and international artists.
  • The Museum of Friends has transformed Walsenburg and Huerfano County through its dedication to cultural enrichment, historic preservation, economic vitality, education and community-driven development with unique partnerships.
  • The People’s Building, a city-owned facility in the Aurora Cultural Arts District, provides a high-quality, affordable and accessible space for artists to explore, educate and perform while engaging in vital economic stabilization and development.
  • WeldWerks Brewing Co., based in Greeley, partnered with the inaugural artist-led WeldWalls Mural Festival by providing in-kind marketing and operational support, in addition to hosting the festival at the brewery for a mutually beneficial weekend.

MSU Denver Next Wave Leadership Award

The MSU Denver Next Wave Leadership Award honors rising professionals who are leading the future of our cultural community.

  • DNA Picasso, a Recording Artist, Songwriter, Culture Curator, Community Advocate and Co-Founder of Colorado Music Industry Alliance (CMIA), is cultivating a strong music community and advocating for underrepresented genres through events like the R&B Jam Fest and Aux Wars and volunteer leadership with The Auditorium, Sonic Guild and more.

Cultural Leadership Award

The Cultural Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding graduate of CBCA’s Leadership Arts program who has made an impact on arts and culture in Colorado.

  • Laura Moody, Redevelopment Revitalization Manager for the City of Longmont and the Longmont Urban Renewal Authority, has been advancing economic development through the arts since she graduated from Leadership Arts in 2014. Her professional and volunteer roles span the Aurora Cultural Arts District, 40 West Arts and West Colfax BID in Lakewood, and now revitalization projects in Longmont.

Volunteer Attorney Impact Award

The Volunteer Attorney Impact Award recognizes an outstanding attorney who has provided pro bono legal services to Colorado creatives and advanced CBCA’s Colorado Attorneys for the Arts (CAFTA) program.

  • Max Hass, Founding Partner, Holon Law Partners, has been an active volunteer with CAFTA since moving to Colorado in 2019. A professional musician, as well as an entertainment attorney, Max is dedicated to helping creatives of all kinds to thrive and regularly gives workshops and presentations around Colorado and the country.

John Madden, Jr. Leadership Award

Named for CBCA’s founding chairman, the John Madden, Jr. Leadership Award recognizes a lifetime of extraordinary leadership and a legacy of support for the arts.

  • James A. Holmes, Executive Director, Cherokee Ranch & Castle Foundation, has a legacy of community leadership in the arts and business sectors. Ranging from his fundraising chairmanship for the MLK I Have A Dream Monument in City Park to over two decades of trusteeship with Denver Art Museum, James has held dozens of community and cultural leadership roles. With a background in real estate lending and sales, James is also now an active visual artist whose artworks are exhibited and sold throughout the metro area.

CBCA thanks our generous sponsors who made this event possible. The 2025 Business for the Arts Awards are presented by Metropolitan State University of Denver. Generous support is also provided by HCA HealthONE, Anythink Libraries and PNC Bank. In-kind sponsors are CBS Colorado, Philosophy Communications, Occasions and The Publishing House.