The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (COPPR) has been awarded a $35,000 Arts in Society grant to support a special initiative deepening arts access in grades 1-3 at 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 centering access to the arts for students 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.”
Restoring the Arts Through Integrating the Arts
The initiative, “Restoring the Arts Through Integrating the Arts,” is created and organized by the Cultural Office but brought to life in the classroom through partnership with three iconic arts education organizations: Colorado Springs Conservatory, Ormao Dance Company, and the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. In the fall and winter of the 2026-2027 school year, teaching artists and classroom educators will co-develop lessons that integrate music, dance, theater and visual arts into daily instruction, using techniques they are learning from Focus5, a national consulting firm specializing in arts integration.
“You can see the impact right away when students are given the opportunity to engage with the arts,” says project coordinator 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 will study its results and share its learnings with others across the state of Colorado.
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.