Office of Arts and Culture

The City of Boulder’s Office of Arts and Culture is a division of the Office of Cultural and Economic Development, responsible for the oversight of cultural grants, creative sector programs, public art, support for cultural nonprofits, creative neighborhoods programs, and support for individual artists and creative professionals.

The Office of Arts and Culture is implementing the Boulder Arts Blueprint. The Boulder Arts Blueprint outlines shared goals to support artists, creative businesses, vibrant neighborhoods and cultural life. Developed over 18 months with input from nearly 2,000 community members, the Blueprint connects vision to action through policies, funding strategies, programs and partnerships. It offers a clear ten-year roadmap for investment while identifying practical steps to sustain and strengthen Boulder’s creative ecosystem.

It centers around the following vision: Creative expression is at the core of Boulder. Creativity energizes and renews Boulder’s spirit. It is central to the city’s sense of self, to its quality of life, to its global reputation. Here, the arts are supported and seen; here, culture threads the fabric of everyday life. Here, talent is nourished, cultural heritage honored and risk-taking embraced.

---

The Boulder Arts Commission and the Office of Arts and Culture have adopted the Americans for the Arts Statement on Cultural Equity and will take steps to align the work of cultural affairs to these principles: To support a full creative life for all residents and champion policies and practices of cultural equity that empower a just, inclusive, and equitable community.

Read the full Statement on Cultural Equity.

---

Boulder Arts Commission Statement on Intolerance (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.

Artists experiencing harassment may refer to our list of resources here.

Through grants to organizations and individuals we support the resiliency and sustainability of cultural organizations to enhance their ability to benefit the community. Each year the Boulder Arts Commission grants program will offer funding for our community’s cultural organizations and artists. Learn more about the grants program.

Boulder’s public art program is guided by the community’s priority to “focus on the expression of culture and creativity in the public realm through public art, the urban landscape, culture in the neighborhoods, and serendipitous encounters with the arts.” Learn more about the public art program.

Through programs and resources we strive to create a supportive environment for artists and creative professionals, while fostering innovative thinking and leadership among them. Learn more about resources for artists and organizations.

Understanding the current state of culture in Boulder is critical to accomplishing the goals of the Community Cultural Plan. Outcomes in the community are measured through projects like cultural asset mapping, a census of professional artists, and the Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 study. Learn more about our research projects.

Office of Arts + Culture Staff