The Chamber Orchestra of the Springs, in partnership with the Colorado Springs chapter of the Gospel Music Workshop of America, is the winner of an online competition to receive a $10,000 grant prize.
The winner of the Art Creates Community contest was announced at a reception March 15. The contest sought proposals for an arts nonprofit or artist-led project to produce an inclusive, creative community event or project in 2010. The 25 proposals were narrowed to five finalists, and those five finalists were previewed online for three weeks, allowing citizens to vote for which project should be funded. The grant prize is provided by two Colorado Springs-based foundations, Bee Vradenburg Foundation and Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado. Nearly 1,000 votes were received.
The winning project is a concert called “Community in Unison,” a September event featuring new arrangements of works performed by the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs joined by the voices of the nearly 100 singers of the Gospel Music Workshop of America. Additionally, the concert will include a volunteer fest with information about how citizens can get involved with nonprofits serving the community.
The Art Creates Community contest was a call to the entire Pikes Peak region to have a direct vote in creating an inclusive, creative community activity in 2010. In addition to the $10,000 prize, the media sponsors of the contest – The Gazette, KRCC and PeakRadar.com – have offered to support the winning project through in-kind advertising.
The other four finalists were a filmmaking contest spearheaded by Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival; a series of events on the history of philanthropy led by Pioneers Museum; a project bringing neighborhoods together to create a public mural, led by artist Wendy Mike; and Concrete Couch organized a summerlong series of T-shirt-making sessions and science experiments.
Bee Vradenburg Foundation advances Bee Vradenburg’s vision of a thriving and diverse cultural community by investing in the excellence, innovation and sustainability of the arts in the Pikes Peak Region. The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado works to create a Colorado where all people are treated equally and respectfully.
