14 MAY 22-28, 2025 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | LETTERS | CONTENTS | grams possible, “the Gardens is fortunate to have diversifi ed support systems” and is “able to adapt to still achieve the majority of our aims.” Motus Theater Boulder’s Motus Theater was supposed to get $35,000 in its eighth NEA grant since 2013; the money was to support Youth Behind Bars, four autobiographical monologues from adults who experienced incarceration when younger. Motus Theater communica- tions, outreach and development director Cristian Solano-Córdova says that despite the loss of the grant, the theater will push forward with the premiere on May 31 at the Boulder Public Library Canyon Theater. “Motus’s NEA grant amounted to about 5 percent of our budget for 2025, which is not life-threatening to the organization,” Solano- Córdova says. “But we have an amazing com- munity of donors who are sticking by us. The decision to terminate our NEA grant won’t stop us from continuing to lift up the perspec- tives of people too often ignored and stories too often buried. That’s what Motus is built for.” But now, in order to tour the monologues, “we are planning on launching a fundraising campaign to raise the full $70,000 starting at the premiere,” Solano-Córdova adds. People can support Motus at coloradogives.org/ donate/MotusTheater. Su Teatro Su Teatro executive artistic director Anthony J. Garcia issued a statement after the Denver theater group received word that it would not be getting $15,000 in NEA funding for the presentation of Yankee Bajan by Linda Parris Bailey. The show is a recollection of her experience as the child of a child of a child from Barbados. “The NEA’s grant ...was to house, trans- port and pay performers,” Garcia says “The size of personnel and distance of travel ex- panded our budget beyond $65,000. In such matters, every penny becomes crucial.” While Su Teatro was given the option to appeal within seven days of the notice, no cri- teria for such an appeal was included in the NEA’s email. “We suspected and have since confi rmed that this email was received by more than a hundred nonprofi t arts groups across the country,” Garcia continues, add- ing that Su Teatro “will honor our word, and we will proudly present Yankee Bajan September 18-20.” Turning the Wheel Turning the Wheel, a nonprofi t arts and edu- cation organization in Boulder “dedicated to making body-based creative expression and play accessible to individuals of all ages, experiences, genders, cultural and socioeco- nomic backgrounds” was slated to receive a $10,000 NEA grant. Facilitator Suzanne Palmer says she was disappointed but not surprised to lose the grant, given national reporting on the NEA situation. “Still, we hoped our project — ap- proved in 2024 — might move forward. We fi led an appeal, but the process pulled focus from our ongoing local and national work, including the project tied to the NEA award,” Palmer says. “Fortunately, we learned that we had received emergency support from the Warhol and Frankenthaler Foundations before the NEA offi cially rescinded the grant, which allows us to continue that project. However, we’ve had to reallocate funding and are still assessing how this shift will affect other programs in Colorado and beyond.” Union Hall Denver art space Union Hall was slated to receive $25,000 to support a collaborative curatorial training program. “NEA funding has historically been something of a badge of honor, and we appreciated the recognition at the end of the year,” says board chair Amy Cara. “With the turn of the administration, we knew we were at risk, however. Ulti- mately, with this turn of events, we are now looking to fi ll this gap through corporate and individual giving, as well as, hopefully, an emergency grant from the Bonfi ls Stanton Foundation we are applying for.” Cara adds that those behind Union Hall realize they will have to consider new models of collaboration and partnership with other organizations, since “this environment isn’t likely to change soon.” In the meantime, she recommends seeing Union Hall’s cur- rent experimental exhibition, Oracle, to get inspired to help the arts. Other Colorado Organizations That Were to Receive NEA Grants Aspen Santa Fe Ballet: $25,000 to sup- port an after-school program based in Mexi- can Folklórico dance. Athena Project (Denver): $10,000 to sup- port mobile pop-up arts events. Colorado State University:$15,000 to support the Center for Literary Publishing in the publication and promotion of a new poetry title and the journal Colorado Review. Denver Architectural Foundation: $25,000 to support a series of architecture education programs for youth. Fraser Valley Arts: $10,000 to support a plein air painting festival. Gift of Jazz: $20,000 to support the Next Up jazz concert series and Jazz for the School educational program. Metropolitan State University of Denver: $20,000 to support a professional devel- opment lab and teaching apprenticeship program. New Dance Theatre, Inc./Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (Denver): $25,000 to sup- port the creation and presentation of Legacy, a collection of dance works featuring chore- ography by Cleo Parker Robinson, Kathryn Dunham, Winifred Harris and Hope Boykin, performed by the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. Performing Arts Academy (Highlands Ranch): $10,000 to support musical the- ater education programs for underserved students. Tank Center for Sonic Arts: $15,000 to support the artist residency program “Con- necting Colorado: A Sonic Arts Exchange.” University of Northern Colorado: $20,000 to support the UNC/Greeley Jazz Festival. Vail Valley Foundation: $20,000 for the development and presentation of dance works as part of the Vail Dance Festival and the Winter Dance Series. Email the author at [email protected]. Culture continued from page 12
