Heyy friends & artists!
So much arty stuff coming up that we must alert you to – buckle up, buttercup! – art grants, opportunities to bring & display your artwork, Apogaea announcements, GAYLA stuff, etc. etc. etc.
First of all, in case ya missed it – our Apogaea Art Show at Lakewood Cultural Center was a hoot. We featured art from lots of Apogaea artists and had a killer turnout for the opening night party.
CATS GAYLA FUNDRAISER:
Sat Dec 6 @ Gather at Lakeside
> IF YOU’D LIKE TO BRING AND DISPLAY YOUR ART PIECE AT THE GAYLA, please get in touch with us ASAP at [email protected].
> IF YOU’VE GOT ART OR GOODS OR SERVICES TO DONATE TO OUR GAYLA ART AUCTION, please get in touch with us asap (*also/still at [email protected]).
All proceeds from the ticket sales & art auction goes directly back into the community, both to fund more Apo art grants and also as donations to local Colorado art education and public art programs. (See more on this below!)
IF YOU BRING OR DONATE ART TO THE GAYLA, you’re eligible for a discounted ticket.
Walsenburg Mural Fest
>> Donations from Apogaea/CATS 2024 Gayla went towards:
- $2,500 to Walsenburg Mural Fest – 2 Murals (Alex Popkey & Colm Weakliam)
- $4,000 to Clara Brown Entrepreneurial Academy (Elementary school art supplies, 9 potters wheels & assorted clay stuff)
- $4,500 to Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning (High School Freshman installation art program, install to take place 11/20 at The Rainbow Dome in Arvada)
Clara Brown Entrepreneurial Academy
Read some feedback from art teachers that we’ve donated supplies to, regarding the importance of youth art education:
”We’re so excited to collaborate with CATS to improve our STEAM program at our small public school that serves a large population of impacted and divergent teenagers.
The CATS funding has already helped us to purchase hot knives for cutting foam, programmable LEDs, a membership to rent tools at the Denver Tool Library, materials to build seven different public art installations, safety materials for a full class of twenty-six, kids, and other tools for our maker space that will serve more than 400 kids aged K-12th grade every year.
We focus on introducing trade skills and creative engineering processes to urban youth, many of whom have never touched a tool or worked with their hands before. I hope this will open doors for continued work in the trades and artistic fields, especially as our country currently lacks the skilled tradespeople we need. In a time when college education is unattainable for many high school graduates, a career in the trades is a career track that is empowering and pays well.
CATS contribution has already put tools into the hands of my middle and high school students, who are exhilarated to be trusted with real building technologies and the permission to be audacious with their curiosity in new ways.”
-Alisha Black-Mallon,
art teacher at Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning
“In 2025, there is a serious deficit of creativity and attention span with kids. Partially, in big part, due to social media and the entertainment and engagement that goes with (that) … so being able to slow down, being able to focus, to take the time to build creativity … hasn’t really been super prevalent in their upbringing. (Art class) is a time when they have to be off their devices, they have to sit and fiddle around and experiment and sometimes be bored until something comes from that time. That’s how creation starts.
(It’s important to) fund arts education because so many young minds are just (being entertained) by social media. Kids (think they) don’t have to be creative because somebody else has already been creative for them. (Art class) is important because it is a break from all that, a much needed pause in all that. You have to make something. Yes, you have to.”
–Kenneth McBroom,
art teacher at Clara Brown Entrepreneurial Academy
> Do you have a suggestion for a local Colorado-based art education program that we could donate to?
Please email us at [email protected] with ideas & info.
>> Did you know that Apogaea is making a name for itself with our exceptional commitment to supporting the arts!?
With a crowd of 1,535 attendees in 2025, Apogaea disbursed a whopping $74,000 in art grants, which means $48 per sold ticket (19.2% of total ticket costs) went directly to art support. #artmath
Speaking of Apogaea…
> The Apogaea 2026 THEME CONTEST is currently open -submit your best/worst theme ideas HERE thru Nov 17, then be sure to VOTE on the themes. The theme winner will be announced at the CATS GAYLA (& online!) and the winner will receive a FREE APO ticket to this year’s event.
Apogaea Art Grants:
> Big $$ Round is open! It will be open thru New Years Day @ midnight for submissions, grants up to $8k (incl. temple + effigy submissions).
> APPLY HERE FOR BIG $$ ART GRANT.
Don’t forget to review So Rachel’s Tips for Writing & WINNING Art Grants before applying. It’s full of lots of useful information. Full transparency: We’ve got a neat new system for our art grants on the back end that will hopefully make things easier and more seamless. You’ve got to make an account and sign in, in order to apply. If you experience problems at all, please email us asap at [email protected]
More Arty Opportunities Etc.:
>> Call for Entry – Tiny Art Big Ideas Exhibition @ Spectra Art Space:
”This is an OPEN CALL TO ALL ARTISTS IN ALL MEDIA! No submission Fee, and Non-Vetted, this means if you sign up in time & follow the rules, you WILL GET IN!
The biggest submitted works can be is 6″x6″x6”!! Now, I know that many of you work much larger than that, so consider this a challenge! Give us your tiniest works of art! The idea here is to create what you love, create art that makes you happy. This art prompt serves as a reminder to us, as artists, patrons, and humans, that even in our darkest hours, we must remember to be grateful for the small things in life.
*Part of the proceeds from the opening event & art sales will go to The Second Wind Fund an organization for youth suicide awareness and prevention.”
>> Town of Vail Seeking Large Scale Art – Art In Public Places:
> Apply here, deadline Nov 9
“The town of Vail’s Art in Public Places and the Vail Recreation District — through the management of Black Cube Nomadic Art Museum — seek to commission large-scale public artworks as part of the Dobson Arena Remodel Project. The artworks will be sited in up to five prominent locations throughout the highly trafficked building complex. The total budget for the project is approximately $273,000, which will be distributed across all commissions.”
> Do you know of an arty opportunity or local grant program that we should alert the community to? Please email us at [email protected] with details so we can spread the good word.
Thanks so much for reading our CATS newsletter. We look forward to seeing you and your art around town in the near future. Don’t forget to spread the art news to your artist friends who may not be ((online)) people – we wouldn’t want them to miss out on these grants & opportunities!
… and one more time for the cheap seats in the back:
DON’T MISS THIS YEAR’S CATS GAYLA FUNDRAISER !
Sat Dec 6 @ Gather at Lakeside
