*NEW! Arts Education Symposium: "United by Creativity"
Tuesday, June 2nd from 9:00am-4:00pm
The Penrose House 1661 Mesa Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80906
Registration: $75
For school-based arts teachers, including visual arts, dance, music, drama, STEAM, multi-media. Lunch and all-day coffee bar included.
A certificate of 7 hours of CEUs offered at the end of the day!
Arts educators, if you’re needing inspiration, resources, and connection, this is where you belong! The Cultural Office and community partners invite you to the inaugural Arts Education Symposium: United by Creativity, a focused day of collaboration and professional growth at the beautiful Penrose House. Come together in this unique and serene location and find a renewed sense of purpose. This interactive, full day experience recognizes the essential role of arts education, strengthens connections between schools and local resources, and supports a more unified and creative arts education community in the Pikes Peak region!
Keynote Speaker:
Laurie Schell of ElevateArtsEd
Widely recognized for leadership in the nonprofit and education sectors, Laurie Schell of ElevateArtsEd has worked to foster arts education through strategic alliances and partnerships, policy and advocacy campaigns, innovative programs, directed research, and mobilizing constituencies for action.
Sessions
Sessions are designed to help you connect to one another and local arts organizations, give you skills to develop sustainable arts programs, generate new ideas for your classroom and renew your own artistry and wellness as an educator.
Attendees will rotate throughout the day through the following sessions:
- Advocating for and Sustaining your Arts Programs: Create sustainable arts programs through advocacy featuring a panel of arts education leaders, school administrators and seasoned arts teachers
- Developing Community Partnerships: Discover the path to generating relationships with local arts organization partners through a panel discussion and 10 arts organizations tabling
- Teacher Wellness: Join the Mindfulness and Positivity Project in renewing your own artistry and wellness through a calm workshop designed for reflection and growth
- Trade Secrets – Skill and Lesson Swap: Generate artform specific ideas for your classroom. Speak to seasoned teachers to understand what a strong lesson looks like then share and get lesson ideas and activities.
- PeakArtsEd Showcase: 10 arts organizations from the community will talk about school-based programs and creating partnerships. Don’t miss the performances from several arts organizations during the opening and closing!
PeakArtsEd Arts Organizations Present
Engage with the following arts organizations during the “Developing Community Partnerships” session at tables and as facilitators:
- Ormao Dance Company
- The Colorado Springs Philharmonic
- The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
- The Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale
- The Colorado Springs Conservatory
- Peak Improv Theatre
- The Millibo Art Theatre
- Dance Alliance of the Pikes Peak Region
- The Imagination Celebration
- Dr. Wanda Tisby-Cousar
- Concrete Couch
- EPIC Educational Partnerships Immersive Concerts
Other Ways to Get Involved
We know many people across our region believe in arts education, and space is limited to attend this first Symposium. If attending isn’t the fit for you, but you’d like to support arts educators in our community, you can help by:
With appreciated support from:
Arts Education Network
The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region strives to connect educators of all levels and disciplines to the arts!
The cultural plan found that the main barrier to accessing high quality arts education in our region is the fragmentation of having 22 school districts across the two counties.
Inspired by ArtsVision2030, the Cultural Office launched a community-wide arts education program. Since 2023, we have formed the Arts Education Network with a total database of 1200+ regional arts educators and 150+ active members. Its objective is to increase student access to high quality arts education by empowering teachers in schools and community settings with resources, trainings, and a new community of practice. Please join the arts education network below and receive up-to-date information about workshops, trainings, and resources!
Arts Education Network: Who We Are
We are working diligently to connect arts educators of all disciples to each other and the greater Pikes Peak Region.
Whether you are looking for arts educators who are school affiliated or have a community practice, this contact list serves as a valuable resource to make those connections.
The contact list is working document and ever-evolving. If you are an Arts Educator in El Paso or Teller county and would like to be added, please sign up using the form below.
If you would like to be added to the Arts Educators Contact List, please complete this form.
You will also receive up-to-date information regarding the arts education network including e-mails about meet-ups, resources and more!
Past Arts Together Workshops
Through Arts Together workshops, arts educators, arts education supporters and people who are curious about arts education gathered. These events were a way for participants to gain access to arts organizations and the experiences they offer in arts education. Stay tuned for the next Arts Together offerings in 2025-2026!
ENT Center for the Arts / GOCA
September 17th, 2024
Presented by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region at the ENT Center for the Arts.
Calling all Arts Educators in schools and in the community! Let us celebrate you through this kick-off event for the 2024-2025 season of Arts Together Workshops. We will start the evening off with a private tour of the ENT Center’s Gallery of Contemporary Art (GOCA) by Joy Armstrong, the Director and Curator of GOCA. Then enjoy a dinner reception with special announcements including the Arts Together Workshop season, professional development and other resources available to you. We will finish off our drinks and at 7:00 watch the performance of The Butterfly Effect, a piece that combines music composition, physics, storytelling, poetry, dance, and painting, in the Chapman Foundation recital Hall, created by Karen Mosbacher and featuring Ormao Dance performers.
The Colorado Springs Philharmonic
Friday, April 11th at 6:30
Presented by The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.
Pikes Peak Center, 190 S Cascade Avenue
FREE! Arts educators and those wanting to learn about arts education programming are welcome to attend! We will celebrate the final Arts Together with a toast! Enjoy giveaways and engage in a workshop led by the Philharmonic before we head into the Pikes Peak Center hall to watch the dress rehearsal for their Gershwin/Price concert. Teachers will receive a certificate of CEUs.
Shutter and Strum
March 10th, 4:30-6:00pm
Presented by The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.
Through visual art, photography and music, come see how youth are encouraged to engage in artistic expression and build confidence in themselves and in the world. Shutter and Strum offers middle and high school students in the Colorado Springs area unique opportunities to explore creative pursuits in a safe and non-judgmental environment. We will take a tour of the studios and galleries, learn about partnerships with their programs and take part in an art project.
Teachers will receive a certificate of CEUs. Snacks also provided! FREE!
Colorado Springs Children's Chorale
February 10th, 5:30-7:00pm
Presented by The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.
Come experience the impact of music on young lives. Learn how The Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale cultivates integrity, professionalism and leadership through musical excellence. We will sit in on a rehearsal, talk to the singers themselves and learn about partnership opportunities for our own schools and classrooms. Teachers will receive a certificate of CEUs. Snacks also provided! FREE!
Ormao Dance Company
January 17th, 4:30-6:00pm
Presented by The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.
Join us at Ormao Dance Company’s studio to explore the impact of movement. We will watch Ormao Dance Company dancers during a rehearse, learn about programs that Ormao offers, and engage in a movement piece. Ormao Dance Company is an innovative, inclusive and noncompetitive home for dance and the arts in downtown Colorado Springs. They have catered programs for schools including “Mathtastics,” integrating math and dance together and “Hands are for Holding,” using dance to learn about healthy relationships. A wide-array of community classes are also available. Come expand your idea of what movement can be! A $5 fee will go to Ormao for facilitating the workshop.
First Friday Art Walk
December 6th, 5-7pm
Presented by The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.
Arts Educators, let’s do First Friday together! We will meet at COPPR offices downtown (121 S. Tejon St. Suite 111) and enjoy some hot cacao and light snacks. Audrey Gray, who is currently on exhibit at the office, will make a special appearance and talk about her work with CRANE, Creative Alliance Manitou Springs. We will learn how the organization oversees and cultivates public art across the community while supporting our creatives, heritage, celebrations and special projects. Then we will walk the downtown streets of Colorado Springs, home to almost 20 galleries!
Heritage and History through Dance with Ballet Folklorico de Barajas
Nov. 4, 6-7 p.m. Presented by The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region in partnership with Ballet Folklorico de Barajas.
Ballet Folkorico aims to share the art of traditional Mexican Folkorico Dance. Arts educators will engage in discussion around the history, cultural sensitivities, behaviors, and customs of the Mexican culture. We will learn how Ballet Folklorico is keeping traditions alive and how it is helping young dancers in the community. We will take part in a traditional dance as well! A free book, Unearthing Joy, A Guide to Culturally and Historically Responsive Curriculum and Instruction, by Gholdy Muhammad, will be given out while supplies last. Come join us!
The Fine Arts Center Teacher Brunch
Saturday, October 5th
10am-1pm
Presented by The Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
Calling all K-12 teachers! Come see what the Fine Arts Center has to offer for local educators. Get an exclusive tour of the museum, experience a hands-on art class with Bemis School of Art, and see behind-the scenes of the theatre. Learn what exciting opportunities there are at the FAC to enrich your students’ learning experience. Brunch buffet is included. Cash bar will be open. Teachers receive free 2pm matinee tickets to Dial M for Murder. Free, registration required. Register by Sept. 25, 2024
Location: The Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, 30 W. Dale Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Concrete Couch
March 2024
Presented by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region at Concrete Coyote, Colorado Springs, CO
Put a spring in your step with a walking tour of Concrete’s Couch‘s 7-acre adventure park, Concrete Coyote. Concrete Couch’s mission is to work with kids and community groups to create public art, build community, and create environments and experiences that humanize our world. We will learn about the amazing work they are doing in our community and how you can get involved in their programming. Then we will take part in a collaborative art-making piece together that will either be used on the land or for their outreach programs.
Speed-Networking
February 2024
Presented by The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region at The Ivywild School, Colorado Springs, CO
This lively event will be blooming with thoughtful conversation through a “speed dating” format. Meet arts educators from around the region. Come prepared to talk about what you do (or would like to do) in the communities you serve. Connect with peers who have similar goals to yours, find a collaborative partner, and experience the breadth of the arts education work in our community.
Speed-networking will start at 5:30PM, followed by resource-sharing, mixing, and refreshments! Registration is $5, which includes a drink token and delicious snacks from Lazo Empanadas. Space is limited, so registration is required!
Arts Educator Meetup
September 2023
Presented by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region at the Millibo Art Theatre, Colorado Springs, CO
Are you an arts educator in the Pikes Peak region? Join COPPeR in fostering networking between arts educators across districts, grade levels, and disciplines at our Arts Educators Meetup on the Millibo’s beautiful garden patio! Whether you work in the community or are school-affiliated, we want to connect with you. Please join us in connecting arts educators across the Pikes Peak region and building a sustainable community of practice.
Cash bar, light refreshments, and live music!
