The Art Base serves a financially and culturally diverse community, providing art classes for the at-risk and under-served, including the developmentally disabled, teen parents and youth in addiction recovery.
Please contact info@theartbase.org if you are interested in creating a new community outreach or partnership program.
offer students an art-infused field trip from school characterized by a change of scenery, anticipation, excitement, interaction, art and hands-on learning. The program serves over 2,000 children, ages 6 to 12 each year. Students are encouraged to become visually aware of their surroundings and develop visual literacy skills as they tour current exhibitions and discuss the art, as well as the materials and techniques that were used. Students are encouraged to ask questions and to express their observations. Following the exhibition discussion, students have the opportunity to create their own exhibition-inspired artwork using materials supplied by the Art Base.
in collaboration with the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities, is an eight-week course for teachers focusing on creativity in the classroom. This continuing education class offers teachers a combination of readings, project-based learning and interactive exercises to unlock the skills needed to transform the classroom into a creative oasis, offering a fresh and vital perspective, regardless of the subject being taught.
is offered in collaboration with Youth Entity, the Town of Basalt, Aspen Valley Marathon, and the Art Base. Lemonade Day is a fun, experiential learning program for children grades K-12 who learn how to start, own, and operate their own business—a lemonade stand. Through managing a business and creating a plan for success, youth learn everything from customer service and supply management to marketing and how to calculate a profit.
is a workshop for adults with developmental disabilities. Students learn focus, while gaining self-confidence and independence. The participant’s artwork is displayed throughout the year, at the Art Base and at locations through out the community.
at Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, Colorado brings 20 teens recovering from chemical addiction to complete an all-day Journaling with Images program at the Art Base every six weeks. The at-risk youth from all over the state of Colorado are required to participate in the in-patient chemical dependency treatment program, often as an alternative to incarceration. The Journaling with Images process allows them to explore a new direction of self-expression as a healthy way to communicate their thoughts and feelings while on their way to recovery from drugs and alcohol. The Art Base teaches the integration of writing and image-making into the journal form to create powerful visual artworks that constructively express emotions and articulate creatively.
assists young parents in completing their high school education. The majority of students are minorities and come from low income and single parent homes. As part of the curriculum at Yampah Mountain High School, the Art Base provides art classes for the teen parents, helping to build their creative thinking skills and teach art as a family value. Participants are encouraged to think outside the box to find solutions to challenges that arise as each piece of artwork unfolds. Students learn important life skills that can be shared with their growing families.
is an experiential based program, held in partnership with Valley View Hospital’s Calaway Young Cancer Center, Pathfinders and author/therapist Sheri Gaynor. Art, Healing and HOPE provides cancer survivors an opportunity to process ongoing feelings and concerns in a facilitated, supportive and creative environment using expressive arts and healing practices. Art, Healing and HOPE gives cancer survivors a voice, a visual identity and more cause for HOPE.
is a workshop for English language learners offered in partnership with English In Action. Taking place at the Art Base every 12 weeks, this unique workshop offers mentor and mentee pairs an opportunity to work together to develop visual literacy skills while discussing the current Art Base exhibition. Afterwards, students complete a visual art project that teaches art techniques as well as art-related vocabulary.
We are diligently working in partnership with other local organizations to culturally enhance the mid-valley and establish the Historic Downtown Basalt as an art and intellectual center.
The economic benefit of a rich cultural and artistic presence within a community is no small matter. A combination of arts organizations, cultural events, and creative businesses has been shown to dramatically increase the financial vibrancy of the towns and cities in which they are located.
In times of economic recovery, the arts offer inspiration and entertainment. People travel to participate in arts activities and events bringing with them their need for meals, lodging and shopping. The rippling economic effect of arts tourism can be felt across all sectors of the local economy by creating jobs, building economic independence and vitality.
An investment in the arts is an investment in our community. Arts events and programming add value to our town by drawing visitors, creating inspiring public spaces, and leaving something beautiful in their wake. A high concentration of the arts in a community leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, higher child welfare and lower poverty rates, regardless of socioeconomic status.
Creativity is a renewable resource that if used freely, invigorates and energizes communities. The importance of creative thinking expands the ability to help resolve social and environmental issues. The evidence shows that the arts mean business.
The Art Base would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our community partners—we love working with you, and together, bettering the Roaring Fork Valley and the world.
Thank you specifically to the Town of Basalt, they graciously provide our facilities rent-free. Thank you to the Town of Basalt for believing in the Art Base, our mission, and most importantly—the power of the arts!