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Creative

Will Grandbois
Glenwood Springs Post Independent
A scene from last year's creative summit Fort Collins.
Provided

This week, hundreds of creative leaders from around the state will gather in Carbondale for Colorado Creative Industries’ fifth annual summit, and residents are going to notice.

“You’ll start seeing some things you don’t see every day,” said Carbondale Arts Director Amy Kimberly. “A lot of synergy from this area will be coming together.”

You might see some rather large beetles wandering the streets, or encounter one of a pair of “art cars” from Trinidad.



“There’s going to be some really fun people in town,” said program manager Christy Costello. “The idea is to get everyone around the state that’s doing great, creative work together in the same place. It’s designed to highlight the transformative and creative things going on statewide.”

The state’s definition of “creative industries” casts a wide net — including writers, architects and other creative professionals. Carbondale, which is a creative district candidate and will be up for official certification in May, has further expanded its own definition.




“Health and wellness is such a strong part of this community, and local food production is part of our cultural heritage,” Kimberly said. “The state is very open and flexible. It’s really up to the community to determine.”

The workshops themselves are registration-based, but there will have plenty of opportunities for the community to engage with the summit.

“We work with the community to create other events that are open to the public,” Costello said.

It starts at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday with the Dolores Way Maker Party, an opportunity for attendees and locals to discover the vibrant neighborhood west of the tracks through brewery tours, a silent auction, T-shirt swap and music by DJ Dave.

“Some people that live here don’t even know about some of the amazing businesses over there,” Kimberly said.

Thursday evening features an artwalk at 5 complete with shuttles to SAW. The action continues at the end of Main Street with tours at Marble Distilling Co. and outdoor firings at the Clay Center followed by a street party with live music by Let Them Roar and a fire show.

“That’s going to be a huge celebration, and we really want the community to come out for that,” Kimberly said.

Throughout the summit, be sure to stop by the “Tiny Detour” on the corner of Fourth and Main, where a village of tiny portable buildings will host two days of free music, film and art in the form of performances, workshops and more.

You can also register separately for the Governor’s Creative Leadership Awards luncheon Friday afternoon. This year, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklorico artistic director Francisco “Paco” Nevarez-Burgueno will be one of the recipients.

“That’s an opportunity for us to celebrate individuals that have used the arts to leverage some kind of change,” Costello said.

Meanwhile, attendees will be filling the motels and restaurants and generally getting to know the town.

“We like to bring it to small communities because the involvement and the authenticity is really strong, and it has a bigger social and economic impact,” Costello said.

“I think it’s going to be fun,” Kimberly added. “This is our chance to have Carbondale shine — show everybody what we’re about. It strengthens that network with the kind of people who might enjoy our community.”

With First Friday and Dandelion Day following up the summit, some of them may even stick around.

“We’ll just keep it cranking through the weekend,” she added.

For more information on Colorado Creative Industries, including a full agenda of the summit, visit www. coloradocreative industries.org. For more information on Carbondale Arts, including special events around the summit, visit http://www.carbondale arts.com.