Across Colorado, communities of every size are recognizing that arts and culture are more than amenities—they are essential contributors to vibrant downtowns, thriving local economies, community identity, lifelong learning, and civic well-being. From mountain towns and rural communities to suburban municipalities and urban centers, local leaders are finding new ways to leverage arts and culture as catalysts for economic opportunity, creative placemaking, public engagement, and quality of life.

The Colorado Local Arts Advocacy Field Guide was developed by Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) in partnership with Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) and supported by the Boettcher Foundation, to empower local leaders, advocates, cultural organizations, artists, municipal staff, elected officials, business leaders, and community partners seeking to strengthen arts and culture in their communities. The guide, researched and produced by strategy consulting firm Scansion under the direction of Denver-based Senior Partner David Holland, helps communities to explore and advance local investment in arts and culture. It highlights local funding mechanisms—including public funding, voter-approved measures, tax districts, and other community-based approaches—and provides examples and practical tools to help local leaders build sustainable support for the arts, strengthen their creative sectors, and expand access to arts and culture across Colorado.

Drawing upon interviews, case studies, and examples from communities across Colorado and complementary national models, the guide highlights practical strategies that communities have used to build public support, strengthen partnerships, and secure long term investment in arts and culture.

Whether your community is launching a new cultural initiative, strengthening an existing arts ecosystem, exploring dedicated public funding, or building relationships with local decision-makers, this guide offers practical examples and lessons that can be adapted to communities throughout Colorado.

Chapter 1: Public Engagement and Community Education

Strong advocacy depends upon informed and engaged communities. The first chapter examines strategies for building public awareness, strengthening civic participation, and creating meaningful opportunities for residents to shape cultural priorities.

Drawing from Colorado case studies, this chapter explores approaches to community engagement, coalition building, storytelling, communications, and public dialogue that help generate long-term support for arts and culture.

Chapter 1 Contents

Public Engagement is More Than Public Relations
Lessons for Colorado Communities
Case Study: Greeley Youth Arts Month
Case Study: Shared Vision in Steamboat Springs
National Spotlight: California Proposition 28
Strategies for Meaningful Public Engagement
Common Challenges
Resources Advocates Need
Try This, Advocates!

CHAPTER 1

Public support for arts and culture is not created solely through policy advocacy, communications campaigns, or funding initiatives. It is built through relationships.

Chapter 2: Local Tax Measures and Dedicated Revenue

This chapter examines how communities have translated public support into sustained public investment. Through detailed case studies from Manitou Springs, Littleton, and Durango, readers will explore how communities have developed dedicated funding mechanisms, governance structures, and implementation strategies that provide stable, transparent support for arts and culture over time.

The chapter concludes with a national spotlight on Cultural Access Washington, offering an example of how state policy can empower communities to establish locally governed cultural funding programs.

Chapter 2 Contents

Dedicated Revenue as a Community Investment Strategy
Lessons for Colorado Communities
Case Study: Manitou Springs Arts, Culture and Heritage (MACH) Initiative
Case Study: Littleton’s Diversified Public Investment Strategy for Arts and Culture
Case Study: Durango – Leveraging Tourism Revenue to Strengthen the Creative Economy
National Spotlight: Cultural Access Washington
Try This, Advocates!

CHAPTER 2

Public investment in arts and culture is rarely the result of a single campaign or ballot measure. More often, it reflects years of advocacy, relationship building, and community dialogue that culminate in a shared understanding that arts and culture are essential public assets worthy of sustained investment.

Chapter 3: Arts, Culture, and Infrastructure

This chapter explores how communities position arts and culture as contributors to broader public priorities, including economic development, downtown vitality, workforce attraction, tourism, housing, and quality of life. Through Colorado examples and national research, the chapter demonstrates how advocates can connect cultural investment to outcomes that matter to residents, businesses, and local decision-makers.

Readers will learn how communities have framed arts and culture as an essential component of community development rather than an isolated sector.

Chapter 3 Contents

Arts and Culture as Civic Infrastructure
Lessons for Colorado Communities
Case Study: Create Boulder Arts Funding and Visioning
Statewide Case Study: Innovative Funding Mechanisms for Capital Projects
Emerging Strategies for Colorado Communities
Expanding the Narrative: Arts, Health, and Community Well-Being
Common Challenges
Try This, Advocates!
Resources Advocates Need

CHAPTER 3

Across Colorado, communities are increasingly recognizing that arts and culture are not discretionary amenities—they are essential components of economic development, community vitality, and long-term resilience.

A Call to Action: Build the Community You Want to See

The work of local arts advocacy does not end with a successful funding measure, new policy, or public investment. It begins there.

Start Where You Are

Every community has a different starting point. Wherever yours begins, ask:

What do we want our community to become?
What role can arts and culture play in that vision?
Who needs to be part of the conversation?
What relationships and partnerships do we need to build?

Start by listening to residents and creating meaningful opportunities for them to participate—not simply as audiences, but as contributors, partners, advocates, and leaders. Connect arts and culture to the priorities that matter to your community, using both data and stories to demonstrate their value.

Build for the Long Term

The strongest advocacy efforts are not one-time campaigns. They are investments in civic capacity. Build coalitions, strengthen organizational capacity, establish transparent governance, cultivate advocates, and create sustainable funding and ongoing opportunities for public participation.

The communities featured in this guide demonstrate that there is no single model for success. Each has adapted its approach to its own history, aspirations, assets, and challenges. The opportunity is to learn from those experiences and develop an approach that works for your community.

Take the Next Step

The question is not simply whether arts and culture deserve support.

What kind of community do we want to build, and how can arts and culture help us get there?

Listen to your community. Build the relationships. Find common ground. Invite others in. Make the case. Invest for the long term.

CONCLUSION & RESOURCES

Thank You to Our Partners

The creation and publication of the Colorado Local Arts Advocacy Field Guide was made possible through a partnership between Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) and Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), with support from the Boettcher Foundation. The content was developed by Scansion.

Colorado Local Arts Advocacy Field Guide