Cultural Vibrancy Fellowship Celebration illuminated success of 19 scholarship holders

The second annual celebration of the Cultural Vibrancy Fellowship, which was held by the city of Aspen in cooperation with the Red Brick Center for the Arts and the Wheeler Opera House, took place on Thursday, May 15, in the lobby of the Vault Bar in the Wheeler Opera House.

The event emphasized the successes of the 19 fellows of the program – seven young people and twelve adults – that shared their artistic trips and the effects of the scholarship on their work and community.

“I would like to thank the city of Aspen for the support of the artistic community and offer me the opportunity to take part in this scholarship,” said Livier Cruz Guerrero Livier Cruz Guerrero. “This experience has made it possible for me to expand my network of artistic colleagues and to lead to collaborative opportunities and constructive feedback to my work.”

She said the cooperation in this scholarship made it possible for her to create a family show with music, theater and tabletop dolls entitled “The Circus of Life”, which contains a number of short stories inspired by personal life experiences.

Throughout the evening, Fellowship recipients presented their projects to an audience of friends, family members, members of the Grant Committee and Community.

The program included a panel discussion, which was moderated by the art program moderator Renee Prince and Cassidy Willey, in which the scholarship holders thought about how the community challenged and shaped them as an artist. This was followed by a question and answer session that recorded the participants a deeper understanding of the creative process of every man.

The participants described the community as transformative experience and found that it experiment and promoted risk. Surrounded by other creative people, they explored unknown media, received constructive criticism and found encouragement to remain loyal to their artistic messages. Many reported that the program not only promoted personal growth, but also sensible relationships.

For youth colleagues, the program confirmed their creative identity and gave them the trust of pursuing future artistic efforts. Some described the scholarship as relevant, to recognize art as a passion and a sustainable path.

Sarah Roy, director of the Red Brick Center for the Arts, emphasized the importance of the community for promoting local creativity. It wrote the arts and culture real estate transmission tax as a financing mechanism that enables the program.

“In its second year, the Aspen Cultural Vibrancy Fellowship uses real estate transmission tax for art and culture to support local artists,” said Roy. “This grant gives artists the freedom to experiment and grow without the pressure of producing an end product, promoting risk and focusing a deeper focus on the creative process.”

Roy emphasized that artists and their work are essential for the community of Aspen and that the investment in artists and their work enriches the community and strengthens the liveliness of local arts and culture.

“They help to establish connections, inspire compassion and bring beauty into our lives,” said Roy.

Further information on the program can be found at http://www.aspen.gov.