Manitou Springs is full of larger-than-life personas – think of civic legends like former Mayor and Colorado state representative Marcy Morrison, artist Charles Rockey and the legendary Emma Crawford, whose coffin slid down Red Mountain during a heavy rainstorm in 1929.
Manitoids see themselves as quirky and fun, sharply contrasting with the dull and duty-driven folks in their sprawling neighboring city – except Old Colorado City and the Westside, of course!
Take Julia Wright, who moved to Manitou for good in 1976 as an independent, self-reliant woman in her early 20s. She was just hitting her stride as an artist, and like many of us at that stage of life, thought that she could do anything she wanted. Unlike most of us, she did. Here’s her story. (Bias alert: I’ve known Julia for decades and treasure our friendship. She’s smart, fun, cool, witty and has no horrible backstories – although if she did, I wouldn’t mention them!)
After moving to Manitou, Julia quickly got plugged in with the Commonwheel Artists Co-op and the then-new Commonwheel Art Festival. As for prior to that, according to her bio on the Festival website, “She began her art career in theatre in 1969 designing sets and directing shows. Fiber arts became her focus after graduating from UNC, starting with macramé, then added off-loom weaving, marbling cloth and working with feathers.” She started her Manitou Festival career as a vendor in 1974, became more deeply involved in 1976, and found that she was both a talented artist and a competent executive.
“After three festivals, I was pretty much in charge of the Festival,” she recalled. “And except for a couple of sabbaticals, I’ve done it ever since.”
She’s exhibited at every Festival, and has been the festival coordinator for almost all, save a few years in the early 2000s. She’s also found time to create, market and sell an immense and bewildering assortment of books, journals, feather masks, decks of cards, illustrated mugs and two-dimensional images of all kinds. She’s authored and published more than 25 books. Find them at one of her websites: HieroGraphicsBooksLLC.com.
How does she do so much? Aren’t artists supposed to stick to art, writers and editors to words, designers to design and let executives and marketers do the daily grind?
“I think I use both sides of my brain, and sometimes switch back and forth between creative and executive,” she said, laughing. “Those are fun times, but usually it’s one or the other. With the Festival, there are a whole lot of people behind the scenes, and you’ve got to get into the rhythm – it’s an all-year thing, you can’t just spend three months doing it.”
As always, the Festival will take place on Labor Day weekend (Aug. 31through Sept. 2 in 2024) and this year 2. Wright will celebrate her 45th year at the now-iconic event. And yeah, she’s still the event coordinator.
Wright’s most successful artistic endeavor? Written under the pen name of Violet Burbach, it’s an illustrated children’s book titled “Discover the World of Squirrels.” Written years ago, it still sells briskly.
Her multifaceted personality is best expressed in her books. Some are from Creative Julia, including monthly Dream Journals for adults and half a dozen activity books for kids, such as her “Butterflies and Winged Bugs Coloring and Activity Book.” Others are from Executive Julia, such as “How to Plan a Sustainable Event: A Guide for Creating a Waste Wise Event.” And there’s even a third category: Concerned Citizen Julia. “Lessons from Colorado Fires and Floods” shares stories about the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012, and the floods that deluged the area in 2013 in the region near Manitou Springs. All are available on Amazon.
Artists, writers, journalists and gamblers have one thing in common: they all want success. Creation, investigation, publication – there are lots of players in the game. And while the big win is fun to dream about, the long run may be best for authors, audiences, journalists and artists.
Julia’s a heavy player in the written and visual arts, but gambling doesn’t interest her. “If I go to Cripple Creek, I only take $20,” she noted. “When that’s gone, I’m finished.”
Julia may not have national renown, but she’s loved, respected, admired and treasured by her fellow Manitoids. One longtime friend and co-worker, who didn’t want to be named, praised Wright’s steely determination.
“She knows everything and everyone, never gets frazzled, and never screws things up. Nothing scares her – whatever happens, she’s seen it before and knows what to do. It’s just three days, but she starts planning for next year the day after the Festival shuts down.”
To learn more about the 50th Annual Commonwheel Artists Co-op Labor Day Weekend Art Festival 2024, go to www.commonwheel.com/festival.html.