Culture is big business here.
Culture abounds and thrives in Metro Denver, even from a business standpoint.
Citizens in Metro Denver support arts and culture through the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), a voter-approved sales tax earmarking one cent of every $10 in retail sales to support art, culture, and scientific organizations in the seven-county Metro Denver region. A national model for funding culture, the SCFD distributes $40 million annually to 300 arts and culture organizations.
The 2008 Economic Activity Study of Metro Denver Culture study by the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts found that culture in Metro Denver generated a $1.691 billion economic impact, a 19 percent increase over 2005, the last time the study was conducted. In 2007, nearly 40,000 people contributed their time and talent – the equivalent of 717 full-time employees. This high level of volunteerism demonstrates community engagement in the arts.
Gov. Bill Ritter announced in early 2010 new job-creation and economic-growth strategies for Colorado's creative industries sector.
Recent venue expansions and construction of new facilities further illustrates the vibrancy of Metro Denver's cultural scene:
- Denver voters passed Denver Bonds 1G and 1H (which began in 2008) allowing $60.5 million to be used to refurbish, and $70 million to expand Denver's cultural facilities.
- A $91 million expansion of the Denver Art Museum, designed by world-famous architect Daniel Libeskind, was completed in 2006. The visually stunning Frederic C. Hamilton building increased the museum's gallery space by 40 percent, providing additional areas for special exhibits and increased space for permanent collections.
- The $92 million, 2,268-seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House opened in 2005. The Ellie houses Opera Colorado as well as Colorado Ballet and is the cornerstone of the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the nation's largest performing arts complex under one roof.
- The Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver (MCA) opened a new $15.8 million, 27,000-square-foot museum in Lower Downtown Denver designed by Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye in 2007. The Museum achieved a LEED Gold certification – the first such museum in the country to earn this "green" designation.
- The privately funded Clyfford Still Museum, housing the entire collection of the deceased Still, a highly regarded 20th century abstract expressionist, will be built near the Denver Art Museum. The project broke ground in mid-2009. Several American cities vied for the opportunity to host Still’s works.
- The Creative Space Agent is a free go-to Web resource for searching or advertising creative space in the region. Users can find temporary or long-term space to create, a partner to share space, or a tenant to enliven a vacant storefront.
Helpful links:
- Arts to Zoo - Colorado's Guide to Cultural Events and Organizations
- Denver365 - Denver's Year-Round Events Guide
- Maps - Denver's Creative Enterprises