How Denver's popular Cherry Creek Arts Festival supports art education in Colorado schools

The Cherry Creek Arts Festival creates much more than meets the eye.

The juicy razzle-dazzle is the most obvious fruit of the annual July tradition widely regarded as one of the largest and most successful arts festivals in the U.S. This year’s event happens Friday through Sunday, July 5-7, and offers arts of all stripes, entertainments, street-eats and undeniably interesting people-watching in Cherry Creek North.

At the same time, the high-profile Cherry Creek festivities help fund a quieter undercurrent: the teaching of visual arts in Colorado schools.

Since 2015, Tara Brickell has served as executive director and CEO of CherryArts, the nonprofit organization that produces the Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Brickell estimated last year’s festival attendance at about 148,000 people. She emphasized that attending the Cherry Creek Arts Festival helps underwrite arts education programs in Colorado elementary and high schools year-round, statewide.

“Our mission is to support artists and arts education, and we see our work as a full circle,” said Brickell. “We have generations of people who have had the art festival experiences, but so many people don’t know what we do year-round.”

Brickell said CherryArts’ education programs engaged approximately 40,000 students across Colorado over the past year.

“We’re out there raising more art appreciators and artists, teaching the values of making and appreciating art,” Brickell said.

And while some see art as frivolous, Brickell underscores the importance of visual arts for human connectivity.

“Art can be an entry point for everyone to express ideas or to think about things in a different way,” Brickell said. “‘Art for everyone’ is our tagline, and all the things we do to remove barriers to art.”

Brickell noted a number of ways the arts festival interacts with Colorado’s art teachers and students, including the CherryArts Student Art Buying Program (SAB). Each year — based on applications — CherryArts issues grants of $500 for Colorado students to purchase an artwork for their school the first day of the festival.

Annually, approximately 24 schools receive the SAB grant along with classroom materials to encourage students exploring art appreciation and the business of art. CherryArts reports that since 2001, the SAB program donated $368,989 to students in 427 Colorado schools and affected 272,895 Colorado students who purchased 1,190 pieces of art for permanent display in Colorado schools.

The art teacher at Westminster High School, Michelle Music sings the praises of the SAB program.

“This is an awesome opportunity for students to go down to the festival, which is massive and super cool. They interview artists and find out how the work was made. They see that art is a potential career,” Music said.

The festival field trip teaches not only the business of art, but also interpersonal and financial skills, along with aesthetics.

“Everyone has different reasons and goals for buying art,” said Music. “The students compared works and talked between themselves about the art. I think we walked the entire festival three times.”

Music also avails herself and her students of the CherryArts Mobile Art Gallery.

“The goal of every art program should be to get in front of actual physical artworks. You can’t get the true sense of art until you see it in person and see the scale and the vibrancy and you’re in the same space as the art,” Music said.

“We have a lot of high needs in the setting of our school. Not all kids have the opportunity to get downtown to the Denver Art Museum, so bringing art to their space is really meaningful,” she said.

Music especially appreciates the art interpretation cards in the CherryArts Mobile Art Gallery.

“Art can feel intimidating, like you don’t have the in,” Music said. “These cards help students understand how the art was made, what it might mean, and they share that with friends.”

One good turn deserves another, so Music and her students help sell CherryArts In-School Art Kits at the Cherry Creek Arts Festival’s Creation Station, presented by UCHealth. CherryArts partners with the H.R. Meininger Company to create a variety of art kits: drawing, mixed-media and watercolor for grades K-to-6, or 7-to-12.

“They’re really nice art supplies, and they come with project suggestions,” Music said. “Sometimes people have a ton of art supplies but need some directions. Creativity is good for everyone.”

The sale of the arts kits raises funds for CherryArts projects and also provides a direct match with one kit donated to the school for every kit that is sold.

“It’s a sweet deal. And we had some nice patrons who bought the kits and gave them to the kids,” Music said.

She added that the sales experience drew out her art students.

“Typically, arts kids think of hiding in the classroom. They’re more introverted folks. But such a huge part of being a working artist is promoting yourself, getting out in front of the public, being able to interact with people you don’t know,” Music said.

“This sales project helps kids in new social situations, and they have fun,” she said.” They are active, and there’s art all around, and they feel proud of earning something for their school and themselves.”

The art kits help schools stretch small art budgets: “A lot of art programs are dramatically underfunded — visual arts even compared to performing arts peers. There are far less offerings across the state than there should be,” Music said.

In the information age, Music emphasizes the importance of teaching artistry and the values of art.

“Art teaches crucial soft skills: creativity, perseverance, what distinguishes us, time management, thinking outside of the self,” Music said. “We often hear that our number one problem is the lack of empathy. Art is the biggest, most crucial tool to fight that. Art makes a difference for people. I know it did for me. Art saved my life.”

Angela Alexander, on the faculty at Heatherwood Elementary in Boulder, was named Elementary Art Teacher of the year by the Colorado Art Education Association. In her acceptance speech, Alexander thanked CherryArts.

“We hosted the CherryArts Mobile Art Gallery this past April, and it was an amazing experience. Fifteen student docents in grades four and five were trained on the art pieces and stationed during our community night to educate the public about the artist, media and meaning,” said Alexander, a teacher for 21 years.

“The Mobile Art Gallery was very empowering for students. They practiced eye-contact, public speaking, and their art vocabulary,” she added.

For the first year, Heatherwood Elementary will participate in the Student Art Buying program at the festival.

“I have three students excited to visit with artists and purchase art in their ‘artrepreneur’ (art entrepreneur) role,” Alexander said. “Students practice social skills and negotiation, as well as public speaking skills as they describe their purchases in the afternoon community forum.”

She added that the school is excited to begin a permanent collection of professional art.

For Brickell and her CherryArts staff, bolstering art teachers and inspiring young artists bring gratification that lasts long after the three-day festival and extends far beyond Cherry Creek North. But for now, all hands are on deck to stage the 33rd annual Cherry Creek Arts Festival — a red-hot highlight of Denver’s summer.

“Our festival is free, and there’s always something for everyone, all ages,” Brickell said. “Whether you’re buying art or not, it’s a great creative experience for anyone who attends.”