Supporting Colorado's Cultural Legacy: 25 New Folk and Traditional Arts Initiatives Awarded Across the State

DENVER — Today, the Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced 25 new recipients of the Folk and Traditional Arts Project Grants. These grants support efforts by artists and arts organizations to preserve, celebrate and document local artistic traditions and the heritage of Colorado's unique communities. The recipients announced today are located across the state in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Denver, Jefferson, La Plata, Larimer, Mesa, Montezuma, Phillips, Pueblo, and Saguache counties. A full list of recipients and project descriptions is below.

"Art tells our story as a state and brings people together and local artists capture the spirit of Colorado better than anyone. Investing in our local artists bolsters our economies, fosters creativity and inspires more artists to pursue their passion and share what makes Colorado unique. I am excited to see the inspiring art created by artists and organizations supported by these funds," said Governor Polis.

"We are thrilled to celebrate the culture and heritage of communities across our state and help ensure these traditions continue to thrive. The 25 new grant recipients announced today are helping preserve the distinct character of our communities and supporting the vital role that arts and culture play in driving economic vitality," said OEDIT Director, Eve Lieberman.

Funds will support the creation, presentation, or teaching of folk and traditional arts, and/or the documentation of folk or traditional arts and cultural heritage through community archiving, oral histories, photojournalism, video or other creative works.

In addition to the grants announced today, CCI is commemorating America 250 - Colorado 150 with an exhibition focused on Colorado's cultural heritage, featuring work from previous Folk and Traditional Arts Project Grant recipients. The exhibit, titled "Colorado: Past, Present, Future," will be on public display through Feb. 28, 2027 at the Colorado State Capitol.

"Folk and traditional arts are intertwined with the history and cultural identity of our communities. We are incredibly grateful to the artists and organizations sharing their talents and upholding Colorado's unique traditions and histories. As we reflect on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the 150th anniversary of Colorado's statehood, these projects will help safeguard our communities' histories and foster a creative economy that ensures arts access for all," said CCI Director, Josh Blanchard.

A total of $75,000 is being awarded to 25 artists and arts organizations across the state. Each recipient will receive $3,000.

2026 Folk and Traditional Arts Project Grants Recipients

• Colorado Youth Mariachi Program - Adams County: Sixteen weeks of mariachi instruction for youth ages 7 to 25, culminating in a showcase concert called "La Herencia del Mariachi" in Denver.
• Colorado Asian Pacific United (CAPU) - Arapahoe County: "Inherited Stories, Contemporary Voices" is a community-led initiative that preserves and activates Colorado's Hmong cultural heritage through storytelling and traditional art. CAPU collected oral histories and translated them into paj ntaub and contemporary artworks, creating a living archive of migration, resilience, and identity. Through this funding, the project expands into a multi-site exhibition at the City of Westminster Library and the City of Broomfield Library.
• Samba Colorado - Boulder County: This Annual All-State Competition celebrates Samba and Afro-Brazilian cultural heritage, including traditional carnival dance forms, percussion music, and community celebration practices rooted in African diaspora heritage.
• Nepali Jatra - Boulder County: The "Festival of Dog" is a vibrant celebration of the Nepali folk arts of Kukur Tihar and Deusi Bhailo. The project serves the Colorado-Nepali diaspora while inviting the general public to experience Nepali heritage through sensory and performance-based arts.
• Align With Purpose - Denver County: A week-long, community-centered banjo building intensive accompanied by public storytelling and music gatherings that center the histories and living traditions of Black folk music.
• Askkanwii Foundation - Denver County: The "Colorado Cameroonians In Miniature" documentary speaks about Cameroon cultures, traditions, and heritage expressed through vibrant traditional attire, music, and dance. The Cameroonian community in Colorado reflects the rich cultural diversity of Cameroon, often called "Africa in miniature" for its wide range of ethnic groups, languages, and traditions.
• Centro Cultural Mexicano, Mexican Cultural Center - Denver County: "Latin Beats: Sonidos de las Américas" is a live performance that brings together traditional Latin American music and dance with a full symphony orchestra to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Mexico and the broader Americas. Presented in partnership with the Colorado Symphony, the project features community-based artists including mariachi musicians, ballet folklórico dancers, and youth performers, creating an intergenerational and multidisciplinary experience.
• Colorado African Innovation and Cultural Center (CAICC) - Denver County: CAICC's Creative and Performing Arts Program provides arts instruction and mentorship to youth in Denver focused on traditional African drumming, cultural dance, oral storytelling, textile and fashion arts and spoken word as community-based cultural expression.
• Colorado Dragon Boat - Denver County: The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is the largest Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) celebration in the Rocky Mountain Region and the largest dragon boat festival in the United States. The event includes immersive, live, performances and demonstrations.
• Colorado Street Art Company - Denver County: The 2026 Hip-Hop Summit will present hip-hop as a living cultural tradition by centering DJing, MCing, breaking, and graffiti as practices rooted in historically marginalized communities and carried forward through mentorship, style lineage, and shared knowledge.
• Flamenco Denver - Denver County: The "RAICES Festival" is a multifaceted celebration of Flamenco to engage the Denver community through both education and performance. The festival features three immersive Flamenco workshops tailored for local participants and creative collaboration between local dancers and guest artists, culminating in a premier RAICES performance at the Newman Center for the Performing Arts.
• Jazzy Hair Creations - Denver County: This project centers Black hair artistry rooted in African diasporic tradition. Through braiding, sculptural styling, and symbolic design passed down through generations, the artist will create hairstyles that reflect everyday experiences and transform them into visual storytelling captured through photography.
• Colorado Institute of Flamenco - Jefferson County: The Colorado Institute of Flamenco will expand its educational outreach through the launch of a specialized flamenco dance program for children ages 6 to 11, called Zapitas (little shoes).
• Fiesta Colorado Dance Company - Jefferson County: "La Muñeca (The Doll)" is a short documentary chronicling Jeanette Trujillo-Lucero's life and decades-long mission to revive and preserve Spanish and Mexican folk dancing.
• iAM Music - La Plata County: This project focuses on traditional Zimbabwean marimba music and instruction. It will be delivered through a two-part experience that combines in-school learning with a community-based workshop and performance. Programming will feature two internationally recognized Zimbabwean artists, Blessing Chimanga and Rati Mayenzanise.
• Lionheart Motion Works - Larimer County: Focusing on Denver's Little Saigon Business District along Denver's Federal Boulevard, this documentary short film by Lionheart Motion Works explores how Vietnamese and Southeast Asian refugees worked to preserve collective memory and identity. It captures how families and the community pass down food-making practices, commemorative cultural celebrations, and nostalgia.
• Heart and Sol - Larimer County: Heart and Sol will host the sixth annual Asian Pacific Islander and Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month Celebration on May 22, 2027 in Loveland. The event will feature music and dance performances representing a range of APIDA traditions, including music, dance, storytelling with cultural food vendors, artisan and community service booths.
• Native American Cultural Programs - Mesa County: This project will bring Native American dancers, singers, and vendors together for a traditional Market Days in Grand Junction.  The event will feature traditional dance, song and handcrafted goods.
• Trail Lamp Youth Services - Mesa County: "El Faro: Dreams for Tomorrow" is a youth-led folk arts project centered on alebrije sculpture and culturally rooted storytelling traditions from Mexican and Latino heritage. The project takes place in Mesa County, where Latino communities are an essential part of the region's cultural fabric.
• Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance - Montezuma County: The Four Corners Indigenous Art Market is an annual event held at Canyons of the Ancients National Monument that brings together 15–20 Indigenous artists and culture bearers to share, demonstrate, and sell their work. The project serves residents and visitors in the rural communities of Montezuma and Dolores Counties, as well as Tribal communities with ancestral and ongoing cultural ties to the region.
• ZU Arts Initiative - Montezuma County: The Living Traditions Documentation Project captures the stories and artistry of Southwest Colorado's artists who have shaped the region's cultural identity for decades. This oral history documentation project compliments ZU Arts Initiative's "One More Show" initiative, which will provide funding to the featured artists, all of whom are age 70+ with 15 years of musical contribution, or any age with 30+ years of musical contribution to the community.
• Phillips County Family Education Services, Inc. (PCFES) - Phillips County: PCFES provides English language instruction, citizenship preparation and family programs in the small agricultural community of Holyoke. Through this grant, PCFES will present a community Día de los Muertos celebration featuring a dinner, family activities, a colorful parade of traditional costumes and a performance from the local Paquimé Folkloric Dance Group.
• Colorado Arts and Artist Associates - Pueblo County: "Mirror Image" is a performance that brings together spoken word, jazz, blues, and gospel traditions to tell the layered story of Black life in Southern Colorado. The project reflects the cultural heritage of Pueblo through music, storytelling, and personal narrative passed down across generations. Performed by Kennedy Pugh, a lifelong resident of Pueblo, alongside guest artists.
• Heart & Lungs Ranch - Saguache County: The community of Center's 2026 Día de los Muertos celebration will feature the creation of community ofrendas (altars), art exhibitions, performances by local folklorico dancers and musicians, and life size catrinas to be designed and created by local artists and youth.
• NOON Organization - Saguache County: NOON Organization's San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project (SLVCEP), in partnership with the Alamosa Senior Center, will present a free colcha embroidery workshop in Alamosa, open to all ages. Colcha embroidery is a textile artform that came to the San Luis Valley from Northern New Mexico in the 19th Century.

About Colorado Creative Industries

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Colorado Creative Industries is a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. Established to capitalize on the immense potential for our creative sector to enhance economic growth in Colorado, the mission of Colorado Creative Industries is to promote, support and expand the creative industries to drive Colorado's economy, grow jobs and enhance our quality of life. For more information, visit oedit.colorado.gov/colorado-creative-industries.

About Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade

The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) works to empower all to thrive in Colorado's economy. Under the leadership of the Governor and in collaboration with economic development partners across the state, we foster a thriving business environment through funding and financial programs, training, consulting and informational resources across industries and regions. We promote economic growth and long-term job creation by recruiting, retaining, and expanding Colorado businesses and providing programs that support entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes at every stage of growth. Our goal is to protect what makes our state a great place to live, work, start a business, raise a family, visit and retire—and make it accessible to everyone. Learn more about OEDIT.

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