Colorado attracts art lovers from around the world, and some of the best cities in Colorado have a fun, artistic vibe. Whether you want a small town atmosphere and a close knit community or the options and inspiration offered by a big city, Colorado has it all. In this state, you can find towns brimming with visual artists, poets, dancers and at schools, but the top five cities for the arts in Colorado are these eclectic winners:
1. Denver
2. Boulder
3. Trinidad
4. Manitou Springs
5. Telluride
Check out the reasons why these five towns make the list of the best cities in Colorado for the arts:
For people who love to network and want the amenities and inspiration of a big city, Denver has it all. Considered to be one of the best cities in Colorado for everything from sports, to restaurants, and nightlife, Denver doesn't disappoint when it comes to the arts, either.
This city hosts the Denver Art Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art ,as well as dozens of private galleries, showcasing artists from Colorado and the rest of the world. The Buell Theater primarily shows touring Broadway shows with an emphasis on musicals, and the Stage Theater in the Denver for the Performing Arts complex focuses on repertoire pieces Opera loves enjoy the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Denver also offers outlets for young artists through the Denver School of the Arts, a magnet junior high and high school focused on the arts, and the private Colorado Academy.
The hub of the city's artistic flavor is located in the Art District on Santa Fe. This area hosts the first Friday Art Walk, during which most of its 70 plus galleries offer free admission, and artists and art lovers celebrate in the streets with everything from chalk sidewalk drawings to impromptu jazz ensembles.
Boulder became popular in the 1960's as the premier destination for hippies. Since that time, the real estate values have skyrocketed to a level that most true hippies cannot afford, but the city maintains its commitment to its original values -- namely free living and creativity, and as a result, the city is one of the best in Colorado for the arts.
It hosts the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the University of Colorado Art Museum and the Collage Children's Museum as well as many other smaller museums.
Students from the fine arts, dance, theater, and other creative departments at the University of Colorado also help to keep the city well-stocked with artistic and cultural events from dances, to art shows, and poetry slams.
However, educational artistic opportunities are not limited to college students. The city also has everything from dance lessons to art classes available for people of all ages and skill levels from places such as Boulder Swing Dance, Streetside Dance Studios, PoshSplat, and Color Me Mine.
Located in Southern Colorado near the border of New Mexico, Trinidad is a small town with a big heart, and it's full of artists and artistic opportunities. Originally settled by Spanish explorers, this town retains a perfect inspirational balance of Spanish culture and Old West individualism.
Home to roughly 10,000 residents, Trinidad is part of Colorado's Space to Create program. This innovative program helps artists find affordable living and working spaces so that they can focus on their art outside of the stresses of bills and jobs.
The town has art galleries such as Gallery Main and the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art and theaters including Gallery Main and the Famous Performing Arts Center, but it doesn't restrict creativity to traditional spheres. You can often find a drum circle in the middle of the city park or see art cars driving around the town's quaint cobblestone streets.
Manitou Springs is located at the base of Pikes Peak, the tallest mountain in Colorado, and it's slogan is "Keep Manitou weird." The tiny mountain town features a small downtown, free of chains but full of art galleries such as the Commonwheel Artists Co-op and the Mountain Living Studio as well as funky boutiques and bars and cafes full of free-thinking, free-loving arty types.
One of the town's biggest centers for collaborative projects and learning is the Manitou Art Center. This venue hosts a makerspace, ideal for digital artists or those curious about 3D printing, but it also has courses in traditional visual arts and studio spaces for everyone, from jewelry designers, to painters, and poets.
It is located near the border of Colorado Springs, so artists from Manitou Springs can easily access schools and museums in Colorado Springs, the second largest city in Colorado. There, you can find the Bemis School of Art, the Cottonwood Center for the Arts and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center as well as other educational venues and galleries for artists.
Located on the western slope, Telluride is a destination for upscale skiers, nature lovers and artists. If you're looking for somewhere to work on your craft, the town hosts The Stronghouse Studios, which has old school dark rooms, studios for visual artists, recording space and more. For pottery enthusiasts, the Ah Haa Ceramics Studio has studio space and classes, and book and print artists love the American Academy of Bookbinding.
The town also hosts a range of galleries and collaborative work spaces, including Mixx Projects + Atelier, the Oh-Be-Joyful Gallery, the Slate Gray Gallery, and many others. These galleries feature everything from paintings to jewelry from local, as well as world-renowned artists, and thanks to Telluride's position as a world class ski town, you can find art lovers from around the world frequenting these galleries. However, when the snow melts, the town retains its vibrant artistic flavor and continues to draw tourists with its signature Blue Grass Festival.
