Colorado Senate Inaugurates Arts Education Month in Colorado
Denver – Co-sponsored by Senator Marc Snyder (D-12) and Senator Mark Baisley (R-4), the Colorado Senate passed a resolution on Monday, March 2, 2026, designating the entire month of March as “Arts Education Month” across Colorado. The resolution passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support.
This initiative was led by two nonprofit organizations, Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) and Think 360 Arts for Learning (Think 360), as a way to elevate, demonstrate and celebrate the value of arts learning in schools across the state.
CBCA and Think 360 have prepared a resource tool kit for teachers, schools, districts and community organizations to participate in Arts Education Month and share information about their activations. Going forward, the goal is to pass a resolution every March at the Colorado General Assembly and grow the recognition each year.
“It is exciting to have a full month to uplift the value and importance of arts education for Colorado students and our communities,” says Senator Snyder. “Not only does instruction in the arts improve overall academic performance for youth, but it also strengthens our future workforce through innovation, creativity and collaboration.”
The idea for the Arts Education Month came from a policy briefing paper that CBCA and Think 360 authored and published in December 2025, “The State of Arts Education in Colorado Public Schools Grades Pre-K – 12.” One of the first policy recommendations is to “recognize the value of arts education as a core subject.”
The resolution validates the many benefits of a substantive visual and performing arts curriculum, including dance, media arts, music, theatre and visual arts. Quality and accessible instruction in these disciplines is essential for a well-rounded and complete education.
However, according to the resolution, “standards for dance, drama & theatre arts, music, and visual arts have been fully embedded in the Colorado academic standards and are updated every six years, but there is no statewide instructional requirement for elementary schools, middle schools, or high schools.” In addition, the policy briefing paper and resolution stress that Colorado is one of only two states that does not collect and aggregate data on course-level offerings in the arts across all districts or data on student participation in the arts.
Senators Baisley and Snyder are in their second year as co-chairs of the General Assembly’s Arts Caucus. They are joined by Arts Caucus Co-Chairs in the House, Representative Meg Froelich (D-3) and Representative Brianna Titone (D-27).
Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) advances Colorado’s creative economy by connecting business and the arts through arts engagement, advocacy, training, research, and volunteerism. CBCA is a 501c3 nonprofit membership organization of leading Colorado companies that recognize the link between cultural vitality and economic success. Learn more at www.cbca.org.
Think 360 Arts for Learning is Colorado’s leading provider of K–12 arts education, integrating visual, performing, digital, and literary arts into classrooms and communities statewide. Since 1963, the organization has partnered with professional teaching artists to expand creative learning, strengthen school communities, and advance equity in education. Think 360 Arts engages students, educators, and families in the transformative power of the arts. Learn more at think360arts.org
