FUNDING
Four Colorado groups share $400,000
Four Colorado arts organizations and agencies were among 631 nationwide to receive nearly $29.8 million in economic-stimulus grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
With this latest round of allocations, which were announced last week, the endowment has distributed $50 million set aside for the arts as part of a $787 billion federal stimulus package passed in February.
The $400,000 in Colorado awards went to: Denver Office of Cultural Affairs ($250,000), Central City Opera ($50,000), Colorado Ballet ($50,000) and New Dance Theatre ($50,000), all based in Denver.
The four groups represent 18 percent of the 22 Colorado organizations that sought funding. That compares with a 26 percent success rate among the 2,400 applicants nationwide.
“The competition for the money was pretty intense,” said endowment spokeswoman Victoria Hutter.
Elaine Mariner, executive director of the Colorado Council on the Arts, said she was surprised at first that there were just four Colorado recipients.
“I did immediately look at what our neighboring states got in terms of dollars, and Colorado fared OK,” she said. “So, (in terms of) total dollars, I wasn’t devastated.” Kyle MacMillan
ART
See it by cycle
Here’s a quintessentially Colorado event: a Sunday-morning public art tour, conducted entirely on bicycles.
The 3-mile tour kicks off at 10 a.m. July 19 at the City of Cuernavaca Park, located at 20th and Platte streets downtown, before winding through areas such as the Denver Skate Park, Commons Park, Colorado Convention Center and Civic Center.
Learn the intimate details of creation and installation for dancing aliens, a giant blue bear, bronze Botero statues, delicate mosaics and more.
The two-hour tour is limited to 15 people, so call tour guide Rudi Cerri at 720-865-4307 or e-mail rudi.cerri@denver to reserve a spot. John Wenzel
FILM
Art documentary
The Denver Film Society, in partnership with the Documentary Cinema Institute, will screen Megumi Sasaki’s (pictured above) “Herb & Dorothy” at DocNight, 7 p.m. Thursday at the Starz FilmCenter.
Over decades, Dorothy and Herb Vogel, a librarian and a mail carrier, amassed an astounding contemporary art collection. DocNight has put avid audiences in touch with filmmakers. But the fresh alliance of the two organization helps address questions filmmakers often leave DocNight with: How did a project get off the ground? What kinds of creative decisions did the director make?
“This partnership is really providing an opportunity for aspiring and developing filmmakers,” says Documentary Cinema Institute founding director Carol Beeby.
Sasaki will conduct a two-hour seminar, “Feature-length Storytelling,” at the FilmCenter’s Gallery 30 at 4 p.m. Friday; a limited number of tickets are on sale at or the Starz FilmCenter box office. Information: , or 303-444-1351. “Herb & Dorothy” begins a one-week run Friday at the FilmCenter. Lisa Kennedy
