Arts Commission

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The Boulder Arts Commission was established in 1979 to increase awareness and support for the arts. It consists of seven members appointed by City Council for five-year terms.

The Commission’s mission (established 2022):

The Boulder Arts Commission believes arts and culture are the foundation for a diverse, inclusive, equitable, and accessible community. We work collaboratively with city staff, artists, arts and culture organizations, and the community to support artists and enrich Boulder’s quality of life and economic vitality and to help create a highly innovative, vibrant, and resilient city.

The Commission’s functions are:

1. To promote and encourage the development and public awareness of and interest in the fine and performing arts in the city;
2. To advise the city council in connection with all matters relating to the artistic and cultural development of the city;
3. To perform such other functions associated with the arts as the council may from time to time direct;
4. To make recommendations to the council with respect to annual budget appropriations for the arts;
5. To assist in the preparation of applications for grants or other sources of funding for arts programs for the city;
6. To administer the city arts grant program and other city arts programs pursuant to any authority provided therefor by ordinance of the council; and
7. To advise and consult with local arts groups as requested by such groups or by the council.

Boulder Arts Commission Statement on Cultural Equity (established 2015, updated 2022)

The Boulder Arts Commission supports a full creative life for all residents and champions policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, and equitable community. Review the full statement here.

Boulder Arts Commission Statement of Principle (2023)

The Boulder Arts Commission is aware that artists in our local community have been bullied and had their artwork defaced. We believe in and work to support the following tenants of a thriving arts environment.

• Protection of freedom of expression
• Acknowledging a variety of perspectives from the community while still honoring our Statement on Cultural Equity, and
• That the fabric of expression that we all weave makes us a stronger and more vibrant community when it includes diversity of expression.

These tenets form the cornerstones of the City of Boulder’s Cultural Plan.

The Boulder Arts Commission stands with our artists from all backgrounds including, but not limited to, the LGBTQ+, immigrant, BIPOC, Indigenous, Latine, disability, unhoused, faith-based, and other communities. If you find yourself, your organization, or your art as the target of harassment, bullying, or threats, here are local resources are to help you.

Applications for Arts Commissioner

• Applicants are required to be a resident of the City of Boulder. The term runs for five years. For more information to become an Arts Commissioner, please visit this website.
• Find out more by checking out the Boulder Arts Commission Applicant FAQs.

Office of Arts + Culture

The Boulder Arts Commission works with the staff of the Office of Arts + Culture, a division of the Community Vitality Department.