Community Outreach Anderson Ranch Arts Center

About

Community Outreach

Anderson Ranch Community Outreach

Anderson Ranch is committed to changing lives through art and serving the greater community in the Roaring Fork Valley where we are located. While there are a variety of public programs that take place onsite, the Ranch makes an effort to extend its reach beyond the borders of our campus ¬ from Aspen to Glenwood Springs and beyond. The purpose of the Anderson Ranch outreach program is to serve the local geographic community of artists and non-artists through accessible, sustained programming and area partnerships structured to meet the needs of the Roaring Fork Valley using the visual arts.

Onsite Programming

Open Houses and Studio Tours
Public Lecture Series
Gallery Exhibitions

Youth and School Programs

Artists-in-Schools (ARTISTA) at Crystal River Elementary School

Through initial pilot funding from Alpine Bank, (Alpinebank.com) Anderson Ranch launched the ARTISTA program (Anderson Ranch Teaches Intellectual Skills Through Art), a visual literacy program designed to increase student achievement and critical-thinking skills in elementary school students through inquiry and curriculum-based projects. The aim of this program is to impact students in elementary school through integrated arts education that promotes critical thinking and literacy skills in relation to artworks, the process of art making, and targeted curriculum areas. Through this multidisciplinary effort, students use valuable 21st century skills such as problem solving, synthesis, hypothesis, risk taking, and innovation. Local artists act as teaching artists and collaborate with classroom teachers as facilitators and designers of each project. Funding for ARTISTA is also provided by a grant from the Colorado Council on the Arts.

The Ranch coordinates individual programs with local schools to enhance student’s experiences in the visual arts. Anderson Ranch introduces children to working artists by inviting them into our artist studios and providing demonstrations on the art making process. This exposure provides a powerful learning experience and allows children to experience the art world in an intimate way. We also facilitate visits by school aged children to local artistsą studios, not located at the Ranch.

Aspen High School Experiential Education Photography Project
Yampah Mountain School- Teen Parent Program
Field trips to the Ranch
Junior Internship program for high school students
Anderson Ranch artists-in-residence school visits and slide talks

Programs for Area Artists, Educators, & Professionals

Teaching Artists
Local Artist Resource
Monothon
Professional development sessions for artists and educators

Wintersculpt & Kidsculpt

This public event coincides with Winterskol, an annual celebration of winter every January in Aspen and on local ski slopes. Teams of adults and children make snow sculptures which are displayed on the streets in downtown Aspen. Sponsored by Claudia Potamkin and The Aspen Thrift Shop. To learn more about Wintersculpt or to apply, click here.

Scholarships

ARAC President’s Scholarship- for local, specially selected graduating high school seniors and eighth grade students
Duke Ellington School for the Arts, Washington D.C. (made possible by the generosity of the Dickstein family and the law firm Dickstein Shapiro)
Denver School of the Arts, Denver, CO (sponsored by the Mimi Fund)
Institute for American Indian Arts, New Mexico
Working Classroom, New Mexico

Community Partnerships

Community Arts Educators Coalition - Arts educators and staff from local nonprofit arts organizations meet on a regular basis in order to communicate programming efforts, support educational goals, and discuss issues in arts education in the local geographic region. Representatives from these organizations are interested in strengthening and enhancing the arts for youth, schools, and the general public in the Roaring Fork Valley.