Out of 25 Colorado art organizations and artists chosen as recipients for the Folk and Traditional Arts Project Grants, three were from Montezuma County, according to information provided Monday by the Colorado Creative Industries Division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.
“These grants will help preserve, celebrate and document the local artistic traditions and heritage of unique Colorado communities,” the news release said.
The Montezuma County recipients were Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance, Willowtail Springs Nature Preserve and Education Center and the Mancos Creative District.
Each entity will receive $3,000 grants to go toward specific programs or initiatives.
The Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance will use the money for traditional Native American arts through its Four Corners Indigenous Art Market.
This market is a “vibrant celebration of Native American artistry and cultural heritage.” Artisans come from many of the 26 tribes and Pueblos associated with the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, according to the release.
“This will be our third year doing it, and we invite Indigenous artists from traditionally associated tribal communities that are associated with Canyons of the Ancients to come to the visitor center and set up like a booth to fill their artwork,” Markleigh Swanson, executive director of the Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance, told The Journal. “They do demonstrations. We have traditional dance and music to go along with that, and then a couple of lectures as well.”
Willowtail Springs Nature Preserve and Education Center said it will use the money for a Native American storytelling installation.
The education center will be “celebrating and documenting the stories of Native storytellers in an installation at the Willowtail Springs Nature Preserve and Education Center TreeHouse Gallery.”
Kerin McClure, president of Willowtail’s board of directors, shared that the preserve and education center provides “engaging and educational community events” on their 60-acre preserve on traditional Navajo land.
“It has been our honor to host a concentration of Native artists to our residency program in the arts and natural sciences,” McClure told The Journal on Wednesday. “We are grateful to be recipients of the Folk and Traditional Arts Grant as it provides us the opportunity to further celebrate and document the powerful stories of these Native artists as well as preserving a vital aspect of Colorado’s cultural heritage.”
McClure added that Willowtail Springs will host a community event in 2025 that will introduce a new installation in the Tree House Gallery that will include visuals, video and other works by the Native residents.
“The installation will serve as a place of permanence for the traditional storytelling work of our Native residents and support non-native members of our community in understanding the importance of the healing nature of storytelling for their Native neighbors,” McClure said.
The final recipient, the Mancos Creative District, will host folk and traditional art classes at the Mancos Public Library with their grant.
There, members of the community will be invited to learn more about folk and traditional art from different artists of varying cultural backgrounds. These classes will be offered in the spring and winter of 2025.
“This grant gives us the opportunity to provide a stipend to four regional artists who are interested in creating classes in the spirit of supporting cross-cultural learning, sharing and connection, said Chelsea Lunders, executive director of the Mancos Creative District.
Artists or “makers” in the area who are interested in participating and sharing their traditional craft and art form in Mancos can contact admin@mancoscreativedistrict.com.
OEDIT director Eve Lieberman shared that the grant is meant to help communities embrace the values and traditions of the past, while preserving them for future generations.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the culture and heritage of communities across our state and help ensure these traditions continue into the future,” Lieberman said. “The recipients announced today embrace the values and traditions from past generations through their preservation of folk and traditional arts, offering all of us the opportunity to realize the rich history our state holds.”
The grant is meant to enhance “community well-being, cultural identity, economic vitality and sense of place,” in areas that are seen as underrepresented. Eligible projects include the “creation, presentation or teaching” of folk or traditional arts through archiving, photojournalism, oral history, video and more.
A total of $75,000 was awarded to 25 artists and art organizations across the state of Colorado.
