Executive editor emeritus
Back in late July, some wheels began turning toward a major new partnership in Manitou Springs’ arts, culture and economic community.
Today, almost five months later, that effort has reached the brink of reality, which as of Jan. 1, 2022, will mean the birth of a new organization — Creative Alliance Manitou Springs. Playing with the letters, those involved came up with an acronym to help eventually in building identity: CRANE.
It will be the full name to some, just Creative Alliance to others. Assuming you care about Manitou, in particular its culture and character, you should have an interest in learning more.
That’s my task in this column, planting the seeds of public awareness.
The idea evolved in mid-2021 from discussions between leaders of the Manitou Springs Arts Council and the Manitou Springs Creative District. Those two groups weren’t competing as such, but each had elements the other coveted.
The Arts Council brought its well-known Art on the Avenue program, providing public art across Manitou, and charity status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with 15 years of existence to build credibility.
The younger, state-sanctioned Creative District had undertaken or supported various programs (Manitou Made, Turtle Crossing, Pollination Stations and Skeleton Craze, to name a few) led by a full-time executive director, Becca Sickbert, with a dynamic local presence.
(Disclosure: I’ve been part of the Manitou Springs Creative District as a founding board member and president.)
There was good reasoning to believe combining strengths and resources would produce a much stronger, more stable entity. So, in July, the two boards agreed to form a merger-restructure group — three from each organization, plus Sickbert as facilitator — that started weekly meetings in August.
I was honored to be on that team alongside six women with close ties to Manitou — Audrey Gray, Farley McDonough, Edie Greene, Pat Sitzman, Mary Snyder and Becca Sickbert. We waded slowly through issues and concerns, finding common ground and building consensus for a path going forward.
Those women are all remarkable in their individual ways, even more so as allies in a common endeavor. Audrey Gray deserves special mention for her leadership as president of the Arts Council.
This is also a good place to applaud the Creative District’s first executive director, civic leader Natalie Johnson, and another founding board member, Laurie Wood.
This wasn’t a takeover, nor was it one side saving the other from extinction. It was simply common sense, both groups driven by the shared desire to help lift Manitou Springs to greater heights.
We crafted a “purpose” for the organization, “to support a thriving, vibrant arts and business community in Manitou Springs that helps to move the city toward an inclusive and creative future. … CRANE shall serve to support the visual, performance, holistic, literary and culinary disciplines through public art projects, marketing endeavors, educational and cultural programs, charitable activities, and the like.”
That’s a lot of verbiage, but there was a lot to cover, making sure to satisfy the priorities of the Arts Council and Creative District. The new name emerged late in the process.
Last week, the separate boards approved restructuring details, with the Creative District board dissolving and the Arts Council adding some of those board members. On Monday, Dec. 13, the new board met for the first time and set the framework for going forward.
Soon will come progress by the Creative Alliance’s most visible working sub-groups, the Public Art Committee and Outreach Committee.
What will all this mean to you, and to Manitou Springs? Hopefully, in time, a lot.
It will mean a stronger structure of operation for Art on the Avenue, both in funding and people. It should mean more grant money to bolster programs such as Manitou Made, more support for local artists and businesses, plus more plans to cultivate beneficiaries for the Manitou Arts, Culture, and Heritage tax (MACH).
And yes, the Creative Alliance will continue as one of Colorado’s 26 state-certified Creative Districts.
Already, as some of us have seen firsthand, Manitou Springs is capturing the attention of other cities. They see the MACH tax as a way to generate broad-based support. They admire the stunning public art, arguably better than other towns our size.
They marvel at the backing of city government as well as the Chamber of Commerce. They see the advantage of having a high-energy executive director like Becca Sickbert, a true community asset.
But trust me, none of this would have happened without the years of dedicated work and focus by volunteer leaders of the Arts Council and Creative District.
And now that the groundwork is in place, you’ll know to watch for the Creative Alliance Manitou Springs in your future.
It will be special. And if you want to become part of the movement, just ask.
Ralph Routon has been elected as chair of the Creative Alliance Manitou Springs for 2022; contact him at ralphrouton@msn.com.