The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPR) has been awarded a $35,000 Arts in Society grant to support a new initiative restoring arts access in two Harrison School District 2 elementary schools in southeast Colorado Springs. The project will unfold during the 2026–27 school year and is expected to reach over 300 students by integrating the arts into delivery of core academic subjects.
“This project is about restoring access to the arts for students who have been without it by weaving it throughout their everyday learning,” said Angela Seals, Executive Director of the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region.
“When students have consistent access to the arts, it strengthens how they engage, learn and connect—and that matters for the future of the Pikes Peak region.”
The initiative, Restoring the Arts Through Integrating the Arts, will be led by the Cultural Office in partnership with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College, and Ormao Dance Company. Teaching artists and classroom educators will co-develop lessons that integrate music, dance, theater and visual arts into daily instruction.
“You can see the impact right away when students are given the opportunity to engage with the arts,” said Joye Levy, director of the Center for Future Audiences at the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. “It builds confidence, engages the full brain and body, and may even be a more effective way of learning core subjects.”
The project focuses on schools identified as “arts deserts,” where students have limited or no access to arts education. In addition to direct student impact, the project will provide professional development for teachers and teaching artists, equipping them with strategies they can continue using beyond the grant period.
“This work supports both students and teachers in meaningful ways,” said Melissa O’Rear, Program Manager of Education for the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region. “By relevantly integrating the arts, we’re helping educators bring creative approaches into their classrooms in ways that can continue long after the project ends.”
Arts in Society is a cross-sector grant program supporting art projects that create meaningful impact across sectors including health, environment, and human services throughout Colorado. Of the 22 projects funded for amounts ranging between $13,000-$35,000 for the 2026 grant cycle, this is one of two projects in the Pikes Peak region. The other benefits “Amplify the Silence: A Youth Led Music Project” at Shutter and Strum in the Knob Hill neighborhood of Colorado Springs.
About the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPR):
The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region champions and supports the creative sector through advocacy, connection and strategic initiatives that strengthen arts and culture across the region. COPPR works to ensure access to cultural experiences, support creative professionals and advance a vibrant and sustainable cultural community. Learn more at www.culturaloffice.org.
About Arts in Society:
Arts in Society is a cross-sector grant program supporting art projects that create meaningful impact across sectors including health, environment, and human services throughout Colorado. It is a collaboration between Bonfils-Stanton Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado Health Foundation, Denver Arts & Venues, and from the Pikes Peak Region: Bee Vradenburg Foundation, Bloom Foundation, El Pomar Foundation, Joseph Henry Edmondson Foundation, TDB Family Foundation, and the Tiemens Foundation. Since its founding in 2017, this collaborative initiative between Colorado funders and administered by RedLine Contemporary Art Center has grown to meet more than $10 million in annual grant requests from across the state. To date, Arts in Society has awarded over $5 million to projects that weave arts and culture into the disciplines that matter most to the health and well-being of Coloradans.
