Art for All! We know art matters and *making* art makes a difference. That's why we offer opportunities for all ages and abilities to be creative, get messy, and build a stronger community.
Groundworks Art Lab provides community art education programs at the Pottery Lab in Boulder as well as 60 partner locations throughout the community. Over half of our students are enrolled in free classes developed specifically with folks who are underserved and/or have marginalized identities, such as families in low-income housing, teens experiencing homelessness, seniors and older adults, youth in crisis, adults and kids with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ youth, and others.
Adult student during COVID pandemic:
"It's been the biggest blessing to have the pottery studio be part of my life during these uncertain and unsettling times. It has literally been a grounding force, something I look forward to every week, and I have absolutely needed more than ever before. I am so grateful that the pottery studio has been a steady force; helping me through these times."
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) was founded in 2009 by Paul Heffron and staff, students, and friends of the Boulder Pottery Lab. They saw a need for art education beyond the pottery program at the Lab.
The Pottery Lab was created in 1954 and run by the City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department for 60 years. Generations of families have walked through the historic firehouse doors at 1010 Aurora Avenue to participate in ceramics classes and camps. Many of our current adult students remember bringing their children or coming as a child themselves to pottery classes there.
Studio Arts Boulder began managing the Pottery Lab on January 1, 2015. Since then, the program has grown exponentially. In 2024, the organization opened a larger facility to add more pottery programs as well as community teaching studios in woodworking, blacksmithing, printmaking, and "warm" glass.
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