Art for Everyone. Made Possible by You.
Art has the power to connect us, inspire creativity, and remind us of what we're capable of. We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to experience it.
At Groundworks Art Lab, some people walk into our studios already knowing they love working with clay, glass, wood, metal, or printmaking. Others are picking up a tool for the very first time. No matter where they begin, everyone deserves the chance to discover what their own hands can create.
Groundworks Art Lab is a nonprofit community arts organization serving Boulder County through hands-on studio arts education. Across our three locations and through community partnerships, we create opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, incomes, and backgrounds to learn, explore, and connect through art.
But access to the arts isn't equal, and that's where your support makes a difference.
Through our free community partner programs, Pay-What-You-Can classes, scholarships, and adaptive arts programming, we work to remove financial and physical barriers to creative expression.
We bring art experiences directly to community members who might otherwise face barriers to participation, including youth experiencing housing instability, families with limited incomes, older adults, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ youth, and others who benefit from welcoming, accessible creative spaces.
For some, it's their first opportunity to try something new. For others, it's a chance to build confidence, find community, or reconnect with themselves through the creative process.
Your Gift Makes Art Possible
Every donation helps us keep our studios welcoming, our programs accessible, and creativity within reach.
$25 helps provide art materials and supplies for hands-on learning.
$100 can help provide a free or reduced-cost art experience for one participant.
$250 can help provide arts experiences for approximately three participants.
$500 can help provide adaptive art classes for approximately six participants.
$1,000 helps provide a free community partner class for 12 people who might otherwise face financial barriers.
Together, We're Cultivating the Artist in Each of Us.
When you give to Groundworks Art Lab, you're doing more than supporting an art class. You're creating opportunities for someone to learn a new skill, express themselves, build meaningful connections, and experience the joy of making something with their own hands.
This Colorado Gives Day, help us ensure that art remains accessible, welcoming, and alive in our community.
Because art is for everyone. And with your support, it can be.
The mission of Groundworks Arts Lab is to cultivate the artist in each of us by inviting creative collaboration in the study, practice, and advancement of the studio arts. The "studio arts" are those art forms that require significant investments in space, equipment, and safety precautions that are beyond the means of most individuals. By offering programs in a community studio setting, we make these art forms affordable and accessible for all.
Studio Arts Boulder (SAB), now known as **Groundworks Art Lab**, was founded in 2009 by Paul Heffron alongside staff, students, and friends of the Boulder Pottery Lab. Together, they recognized a growing need for accessible arts education beyond the Pottery Lab's ceramics programs.
The Boulder Pottery Lab was established in 1954 and operated by the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department for 60 years. Generations of families have walked through the doors of the historic firehouse at 1010 Aurora Avenue to participate in ceramics classes and camps. Many of our current adult students have fond memories of attending classes as children or bringing their own children to the Lab.
In 2015, Studio Arts Boulder assumed management of the Pottery Lab, building on its rich history while expanding opportunities for creative expression throughout the community.
In 2024, the organization opened a new, state-of-the-art facility, expanding its ceramics programming and introducing dedicated teaching studios for woodworking, blacksmithing, printmaking, and warm glass.
Today, as **Groundworks Art Lab**, we continue to honor our roots while growing our reach. Across three locations and through community partnerships throughout Boulder County, we provide hands-on studio arts education for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Through classes, scholarships, Pay-What-You-Can opportunities, adaptive arts programming, and free community partner programs, we remain committed to making art accessible to everyone.
From our beginnings at the historic Pottery Lab to the vibrant multidisciplinary arts organization we are today, our mission remains the same: **to cultivate the artist in each of us.**
Organization name
Groundworks Art Lab
other names
formerly Studio Arts Boulder
2009
Tax id (EIN)
27-0947724
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Organization Size
Large Organization
Address
3750 Canfield StBoulder County, CO, US