$250 raised by 1 donor
5% complete
$5,000 Goal
For more than five decades the Crested Butte Arts Festival has been an iconic fixture on Colorado's rural landscape, presenting a diverse showcase of visual art, live performances, and interactive art-play activities.
Beyond enriching the cultural life of our rural mountain town, the CBAF produces an engaging environment benefiting our community’s mental and emotional health. Art engagement and appreciation stimulates personal inspiration and contributes to overall community well-being. Civic engagement is enhanced by shaping a public space where diverse community members can connect, be represented and feel seen.
The CBAF is more than just an annual event, the festival also serves as a critical fundraising apparatus to sustain our local creative community. Beyond producing an impactful festival experience, our organization uses the festival as a means to accrue revenue into our Artistic Enrichment Grant (AEG) fund. Profits generated from the festival are annually redistributed to local artists and organizations through our AEG grant cycle.
The Crested Butte Society (dba Crested Butte Arts Festival) awakens and nurtures artistic enrichment throughout the Gunnison Valley. We present the annual Crested Butte Arts Festival to sustain cultural vibrancy, advocate for a thriving creative community, and financially support local artistic programs.
From modest beginnings the Crested Butte Arts Festival was born out of an upstart group of locals dubbing themselves - The Crested Butte Society. The Society’s founding members were motivated to preserve the social and architectural history of Crested Butte, while nurturing the artistic energy that was flourishing within the community.
With this vision, the Society organized the first Crested Butte Arts Fair in 1971. The event provided local artists with a platform to showcase their work and earn some income, while also enriching the cultural life of the rural area. What started as an informal gathering of mainly local artisans selling handmade crafts has since grown into one of the most competitive juried fine art shows in the Western U.S.
Organization name
Crested Butte Arts Festival
other names
Crested Butte Society
1973
Tax id (EIN)
23-7299390
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
PO BOX 324Gunnison County, CO, US