Colorado’s ski towns learned long ago that art keeps the tourists coming in summer. and have their classical music and museums. Crested Butte has folk and opera. Telluride has blues.
It’s a good deal for everyone, and not just the local chambers of commerce. The quality tends to be high, and that gives residents and visitors alike something to look forward to.
This summer, Breckenridge is joining the cultural fray with a new event, the , which runs Aug. 14 through Aug. 23.
Breck may be coming “late to the game” as fest director , puts it, but it’s going all-in, producing an ambitious affair with its own niche: Variety. Instead of specializing in pop or classical music as others places do, it will have both. Plus dance, art exhibits, talks and trail walks.
Big names performers include avant garde classical act Ethel, the L.A.-based movement troupe and radio host Ira Glass, from “This American Life.” Artist Konstantin Dimopolous is presenting “Blue Trees,” which calls for painting a sizable chunk of the town’s trees blue with a “water-based, environmentally safe pigment.”
Woulfe programmed the festival to appeal to both broad and highbrow tastes. Some events are ticketed, many are free. One performing group, The Fruits from Australia, will perform their famous dance routines atop 15-foot poles three times a day from Aug. 13-16, on the lawn of the Riverwalk Center.
“Just because you are a mountain town, that doesn’t mean you have to be just bronze sculptures and classical music,” according to Woulfe.
That said, the event definitely has a Breckenridge feel. The art exhibits link closely with the natural environment. One exhibit, titled “ARTCRANK BRK,” will showcase bicycle-themed posters made by 25 Colorado artists.
“We wanted it to be loose but tell a little bit of a story about who Breckenridge is,” said Woulfe, CEO of Breck Creates, the non-profit assigned with overseeing the the town’s cultural offerings.
There’s also the “Trail mix” events, which will feature random musicians performing on the town’s three most popular trails, . “Nothing overly formal just a cellist or a trio or a percussion group,” said Woulfe. “We’re just going to let these be found experiences.”
Of course, you have to do a little hiking to find them, and that’s part of the festival’s goals. It doesn’t want folks to take in all the art passively. Instead, it hopes to capture Breck’s outdoor spirit by engaging visitors in a hands-on, personal way. Even the “Blue Trees” are being painted by a team of area volunteers.
“We wanted to turn the idea of cultural tourism into the idea of creative tourism where the audience becomes part of what’s going on,” said Woulfe.
Ray Mark Rinaldi: 303-954-1540, rrinaldi@denverpost.com or twitter.com/rayrinaldi
BRECKENRIDGE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS The inaugural festival of music, dance, and more runs Aug. 14 – Aug. 23 at various sites around Breckenridge. Some events are ticketed, others are free. 970-547-3100 or
