On
Thursday, January 26th, 2017, CU Denver music students had the
chance of meeting Lisa Gedgaudas, of whom works as Program Administrator for
‘Create Denver’, a sector of the Denver arts and Venues organization. As the
lead of Create Denver, Lisa researches statistics about the economics of music
in the City of Denver. She presents research statistics to government officials
and as well as proposes grants for artistic community cultivation. Programs
such as ‘Create Denver’ help sustain a vibrant Denver music scene.
Some
of the goals of this organization are: facilitating affordable housing for
artists, putting on community festivals for artists and listeners alike (such
as the five points jazz festival or the Underground music showcase,) and
allocating funding for further music cities research. Gedgaudas has already
overseen that 1 % of all public development resources in Denver go towards
non-profit arts and cultural organizations. This is helping programs such as Youth
on Record, a non-profit organization that supplements musicians with
employment: teaching music and other subjects to youth in the community. Gedgaudas
explained that there are three teirs, or levels that Denver non-profit
organizations are divided into. These go from one: largest venues such as the
Denver Zoo, to three: small independent organizations that may just be getting
started.
The
visit to CU Denver was a valuable opportunity for student musicians and
aspiring music industry professionals to meet Gedgaudas, and also learn about
the many programs around Denver that benefit artists, musicians, and creative
people alike. As well as being creative with their art, Gedgaudas explained
that creative people are invaluable to city and local governments. This may be
because musicians and artists can use their creative prolem solving strategies towards
taking on problems in the community unrelated to art: such as (for example)
affordable housing and work opportunities for citizens.
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