photo by: Nathan Bilow
A Community Rich in History and Art
In the 1860s and 1870s, Crested Butte, Colorado was transformed from a tiny outpost of 100 trappers and hunters into a thriving mining town. Coal and silver mines drove the growth of a robust economy, and ranching soon followed. This boom was followed by a bust, however, in the early twentieth century. With the decline of the mining industry, many families had a hard time making ends meet. The population plummeted from a high of 1,250 in 1930 to 259 in 1960, and children in sixth through twelfth grades had to attend school in nearby Gunnison.
The town began a slow revival in the 1960s, when a ski resort was built on Crested Butte Mountain. More recently, in the 1990s, prosperity returned to Crested Butte as the area has developed other businesses, including a healthy tourism industry. Visitors began to come in the winter to ski and in the summer to enjoy many outdoor activities, and non-residents in these citizens greatly outnumber the year-round population of 1,500 citizens.
The economic rebirth of the town has been substantially enhanced by the cultural life that has developed in Crested Butte over the years. Even before its economy began to revive, the town was known to be home for artists, musicians, and other creative people, and this has helped draw seasonal residents and tourists to the community. This reputation was solidified in 2013 when the community was designated one of the Top Twelve Small-Town creative hubs in the country by ArtPlace, a prestigious collaboration of national and regional foundations, banks, and federal agencies committed to revitalizing communities through the arts. However, the award was based on the quality of the performance and exhibitions in Crested Butte despite the shortage of facilities needed to support this great creative work.
A World-Class Creative Center With Deep Local Roots
The mainstay of the arts in Crested Butte was born in 1985, when a passionate group of local residents came together to create a community arts center in Crested Butte. This determined team was able to convert an old county road maintenance garage into a 6,000-square-foot Center for the Arts that houses a 215-seat auditorium with a stage, lobby, art gallery, set shop, two dressing rooms and an attached outdoor garage that -when opened -serves as a stage for outdoor events. The Center for the Arts was the catalyst in putting Crested Butte on the national map as a friendly haven for artists and musicians, dancers and actors.
Once a grassroots startup, today Center for the Arts Crested Butte is the cultural hub of the Gunnison Valley for live music concerts including blues, jazz, bluegrass, classical, folk, rock, country, funk and more. Our live outdoor concert series, Alpenglow, enlivens the community with free entertainment on Monday nights during the summer. Professional dance performances range from ballet to modern to burlesque. Traveling productions and local theater productions all find a place at the Center.The Center also hosts the Crested Butte Wine & Food Festival during July with wine seminars, elevated dining events and food pairings. Numerous world-class performers have performed at the Center including Ario Guthrie, Junior Brown, Los Lobos, Robert Earl Keen, and Lisa Marie Presley. Although some of our guests may have seen these performers in New York, San Francisco or Dallas, the intimate setting of the Center for the Arts provides a whole new perspective.
The Center has a history of a vibrant culture of volunteerism, a strong can-do ethic, and a deep sense of community.
Today
Fewer than 8,000 people attended Center events in 1985, and 30 years later, more than 40,000 people attended over 650 events, positively impacting the local economy by more than $3 million. After recognizing the need to create a larger and lasting home for the Center, the Board embarked on an ambitious $20 million capital campaign to build a new, state-of-the-art facility. In December 2019, the new building was opened, featuring 28,000 square feet of multi-use space, including a 350-seat theater, two art studios, dance studios, a visual arts gallery, and new bar facilities. Truly unrivaled in Colorado as a captivating and welcoming place, the Center for the Arts brings people together to share, inspire, nurture, educate, and enjoy arts and culture.