12 MAY 22-28, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Funds and Games COLORADO ARTS ORGANIZATIONS COMMENT ON THEIR LOST NEA FUNDING. BY KRISTEN FIORE Arts organizations across the U.S. have been getting the bad news all month: The National Endowment for the Arts has to rescind the grants it announced at the start of the year. President Donald Trump’s proposed budget calls for the elimination of the NEA altogether; the agency has already lost mil- lions of dollars that it passes on to hundreds of arts organizations in grants every year. Twenty-two Colorado organizations were slated to receive more than $400,000 in NEA funding; the NEA emailed this message to many awardees late on May 2: “The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that refl ect the na- tion’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities.” The message added that Trump’s priori- ties are topics like AI, “the 250th anniversary of American independence” and empower- ing houses of worship. The NEA has not issued an offi cial state- ment about the funding cuts or responded to media requests for comment (including one from Westword), but arts entities across the state are speaking up. In response to the federal cuts, the Bonfi ls-Stanton Founda- tion has revived its Art and Culture Rapid Response Grants, with awards of $5,000 to $20,000 to support eligible arts and culture organizations experiencing a loss of revenue due to federal policy changes. The Dairy Arts Center issued a mes- sage directed to Colorado residents. “When support is pulled from any part of an arts ecosystem, it reverberates across the entire network — artists, organizations, audiences, and venues — because we are all symbioti- cally connected,” the Boulder organization said, noting that many people have been asking how they can help. “And we’re say- ing here is what you can do: Attend a live performance. Watch a foreign fi lm at your local cinema. Paint something loud. Share your story. Send a note of appreciation to an arts leader. And support the organizations and artists who are working in your city every day to keep the creative fi res burning.” Westword checked in with the Colorado organizations that had been announced as recipients of NEA grants to learn if they’d received the funds. (So far, only one has; see more responses on westword.com.) Amber Adams Amber Adams is a Longmont poet who won a $25,000 NEA grant to support a creative writing fellowship for a collection of poems she’s currently working on; she says she actually received the funding before the end of March. “While I personally received funding, the organizations who do the work of bringing art to audiences have not. While I cannot speak to what the loss of funding means specifi cally to these organizations, it is a devastating blow to the literary community, as we all know that this will result in fewer opportunities for writers,” Adams says. “But more so, the NEA has been America’s commitment to a vibrant culture and artistic excellence since the 1960s, and a divestment from this tradition is really a loss for every American.” Blue Sage Center According to Ali Lightfoot, executive direc- tor at Blue Sage Center in Paonia, which was set to receive $10,000 for performances by Quarteto Nuevo and Jerod Impich- chaachaaha’ Tate, Blue Sage has not received a cancellation notice from the NEA. “But they never sent us our 10k award, either,” Lightfoot says. “We were awarded 10k for our music series, which will be over soon. So we may receive the money one day, but what it was supposed to fund will be long over at that point. We may cancel the bands because we can’t afford to foot the bill in hopes that one day we will be reimbursed.” Colorado Conservatory of Dance The NEA’s decision to pull $10,000 in funding from the Broomfi eld-based Colorado Conser- vatory of Dance has had a “signifi cant impact,” according to marketing and development man- ager Jameson Courville. That support “helped make our spring semester programs possible, bringing high-quality dance to schools and communities with limited access to the arts,” Courville says. “With that funding gone, we’ve had to stretch every dollar further than ever before. It’s forced us to make painful cuts and put emergency plans in motion to keep our doors open. It’s not just about losing a grant. It’s about losing momentum, losing opportunities, and potentially losing the ability to serve those who rely on us most.” While he says that CCD is at a crossroads, it’s not giving up. The organization is restruc- turing its fi ve-year plan, “but the immediate future depends on our ability to raise emer- gency funds in the coming months: $150,000 in total,” Courville says. “If we can rally the support, CCD has a strong path forward. If not, we face the real possibility of closure, but that’s something we’re fi ghting every day to prevent.” “Right now, we need donations, plain and simple,” he adds.”Every gift, no matter the size, helps us keep serving our students and our community.” Creede Repertory Theatre Emily Van Fleet, artistic director at Creede Repertory Theatre, confi rms that the NEA withdrew a $20,000 grant to support the Headwaters New Play Program in 2025. “Through the Headwaters New Play Pro- gram, CRT commissions, develops and produces new American plays for all ages, am- plifying the voices and culture of Colorado’s San Luis Valley and the rural Southwestern United States,” Van Fleet says. “The program supports many avenues of new work and op- portunities for emerging artists.” The loss of the NEA award brings “signifi - cant fi nancial hardship” for CRT, as projects are already underway. “Please support your local arts organizations if you’re able,” Van Fleet says. “To support Creede Rep and these incredible programs specifi cally, visit https://creederep.org/donate.” Denver Art Museum The Denver Art Museum was set to receive a $30,000 grant to support an exhibition survey featuring the work of contemporary Indigenous artist Andrea Carlson; director of Institutional Giving Chiara Robinson confi rms that grant has been terminated. “We have been applying for NEA grants for decades. The DAM is fortunate that we do not rely on NEA grants to continue to operate. In our case, when we have been awarded NEA grants, funding has gone to help us plan ex- hibitions, develop and deliver artist-centered programs, and conduct critical collections research, among other projects,” Robinson says. The NEA’s grant review process has always been extremely competitive, she adds, and receiving an NEA award felt like a form of affi rmation that the project or program was meeting a need in the community and driving the arts forward in positive ways. “We are at a critical moment for the arts in this country,” Robinson says. “While Colorado has long held the distinction of having some of the country’s highest arts participation among our residents, it is more important than ever that you support your local organizations.” If patrons can, she advises they make a donation or buy a membership to an arts or- ganization that they enjoy. “If you can’t make a donation, see an exhibit, take a creative class, attend a theater production or go to the ballet or the symphony, especially if you never have before,” Robinson adds. “Even if it’s free, your participation makes it possible for organizations like ours to continue to be the vibrant cultural destinations we have all come to appreciate and enjoy in metro Denver. Don’t take anything for granted!” Denver Botanic Gardens Lisa Eldred, director of exhibitions, art and learning engagement and head curator of art at the Denver Botanic Gardens, confi rms that DBG’s $40,000 NEA grant – the largest sum on the list – has been retracted. The grant was going to support exhibitions and programs that share traditional and contemporary art and culture, and efforts are being rescaled as a result. “Fortunately, direct payments ot artists occurred early within the grant period, so we are still able to support the community in this way,” she says. Eldred adds that while federal support makes select pro- CULTURE continued on page 14 KEEP UP ON DENVER ARTS AND CULTURE AT WESTWORD.COM/ARTS JustUs monologists narrate stories of their experiences with the criminal legal system at Motus Theater, which recently lost its $35,000 NEA grant. MICHAEL ENSMINGER
