There are hundreds of worthy organizations that deserve support on Colorado Gives Day, the annual, statewide fundraising campaign that has brought in more than $469 million for scores of nonprofits since it started in 2010.
The Colorado Gives Foundation lists all of the groups it channels money to on its website, and it's an impressive assemblage of organizations that help their communities with everything from health care to animal adoption to education.
To culture, as well, and that is where this list comes in. If your giving habits lean toward the support of art, museums, vibrant public spaces and good design, this lineup might assist in targeting recipients who are at a crossroads, and where your patronage could provide a benefit that extends beyond the moment and impacts the region as a whole.
Financial support pays the bills and builds a future for nonprofits, but it also provides encouragement for the folks in charge to think ambiguously and take risks. It can push them, in a caring way, just when they need it the most.
Denver's Civic Center, the groomed, green space adjacent to the Colorado State Capitol, has struggled to find relevance over the past decade. It remains a stunning piece of landscape architecture, but the public largely stays away; it lacks the amenities that people want in a 21st-century park.
Right now though, Civic Center has a chance at rebirth. The area around it is changing rapidly: thousands of new residences in the Golden Triangle, a renovated Denver Public Library, and commercial developments like the aspen tree-inspired Populist hotel. There are proposals to install pickleball courts across the road and to build a pedestrian bridge over busy Lincoln Street.
It's a moment for the Civic Center Conservancy, the nonprofit charged with animating the space, to seize. But innovative programming that will draw crowds needs ample funding, and the conservancy deserves the chance -- and the cash -- to make the kind of changes that will return this historic spot to a hub of downtown action.
More info: civiccenterpark.org
At the moment, Santa Fe Drive can be a bit difficult to maneuver. Construction feels endless along the busy thoroughfare, making the idea of visiting all of the galleries and museums along the strip a challenge.
But all of that work is leading somewhere, to wider sidewalks, new trees and lighting and, best of all, slower traffic. Will that mean a more robust place to roam, eat, shop, see theater and enjoy the offerings that are already in place?
The opportunities are there for the Art District on Santa Fe, the nonprofit agency that oversees public activities and encourages the health of small businesses, to rebrand the neighborhood and position the street as an exciting, inviting place to hang out. Supporting it now gives it the backing, and the encouragement, to think big, take chances and add a bit of fun to city life.
More info: denversartdistrict.org
There are, sad to say, too few serious places to see art in the Front Range suburbs. Art galleries and museums tend to congregate in the urban core, leaving a lull in the surrounding lands of cul de sacs and strip malls. Fortunately, there are a number of art centers picking up some of the slack, with public-private partnerships supporting thriving cultural centers in places like Loveland. Arvada, Longmont and Littleton.
One of the most important regional players is the Foothills Art Center in Golden, which has invested mightily in itself over the past few years, culminating with the recent opening of a whole new campus in the downtown's Astor Place, a historic building that has been renovated into two floors of sleek galleries ready to exhibit work from artists near and far.
When a nonprofit goes to all that trouble -- it was a $4.1 million project -- it deserves a pat on the back, plus an infusion of cash to make the most of the effort. Boring art shows come cheap, but high-quality efforts, featuring top-tier artists and visit-worthy installations, require solid funding.
Things are off to a good start. The center took a step up this fall when it produced a show by Joel Swanson, a regional star with a national following. But what comes next? That depends on the budget, and that is where donations make a difference.
More info: foothillsartcenter.org
Supporting the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art right now offers a chance to be a part of something monumental. The small museum is about to get plenty larger with a move across town to the North Boulder Creative Campus.
BMoCA's plans are ambitious. Working with local developer Andrew Ghadini, the museum will be part of a major urban project that brings new housing, retail and cultural spaces to a part of the city that has long been overlooked.
BMoCA will construct a new building, with a budget of around $40 million, and it is aiming high, interviewing world-class architects (all partnered with regional firms) that will, if all goes right, add a new design icon to the local landscape.
Money is the thing that will make it happen. Large gifts, government grants and gift-shop sales could all be part of the plan. But small donations that can keep operations going smoothly will be crucial. They add up to big bucks, plus they document widespread support for the role that art plays in both the local economy and the entertainment scene. The place is on a roll, and now might be a good time to roll with it.
More info: bmoca.org
Union Hall and Leon Gallery could not be more different in terms of style. Union Hall is polished and sleek and located in the (now) posh neighborhood that has emerged since the redevelopment of Union Station downtown.
Leon has more of a funky and democratic vibe, positioned in a storefront in the uptown neighborhood with exposed brick walls and a sticky front door you have to push hard to open.
But they are both having a moment, fulfilling their roles as nonprofit supporters of the arts by giving new talent a place to show their work. Neither space simply hangs art on a wall. They each do the hard work of seeking out new talent, curating the displays and giving the kind of professional guidance that helps artists build careers.
The current exhibitions are solid examples of how these spaces earn support. Union Hall has a solo show by Diego Florez-Arroyo and Leon is exhibiting Markus Puskar. These are self-made talents, with deep Denver backgrounds and an abundance of social consciousness, who might not get exposure without the backing of a gallery that understands its missions and acts. You can support artists by buying their work, or by helping to build the infrastructure that supports the whole city.
More info: unionhalldenver.org, leongallery.org
Ray Mark Rinaldi is a Denver-based freelance writer specializing in fine arts. For more information on Colorado Gives Day, or to learn how to make a donation, go to: coloradogives.org.