ART – Crested Butte’s Art Scene – CB Center for the Arts
Crested Butte’s Center for the Arts Aims to ‘Keep it Weird’
By Shauna Farnell
Crested Butte’s quirkiness sets it apart from other mountain towns and maintaining or, rather, celebrating that character is a crucial goal of CB’s art and culture offerings.
“Our programming is a lot more expansive than it used to be, but what’s great is the vibe has stayed the same. It’s still quirky. That gets lost in other areas. We embrace that personality,” says Center for the Arts Program Director and Crested Butte native Natalie Pfister Riha.
The CFTA, totally rebuilt in 2019, is the epicenter of Crested Butte’s art scene. It hosts the Crested Butte Food and Wine Festival, a series of film festivals, a nonstop stream of gallery exhibits by local and visiting artists, ticketed concerts, operas, ballet, and theater performances. It’s also a gathering place for local creatives.
“We are not just a gallery, not just a concert venue, we are all the things,” Riha says. “We see ourselves as a community hub.”
Every other holiday season, the Center rotates from more traditional fare to events with an “alternative” take on the holidays. This happens to be an alternative year.
A Few of the Many Things on their Calendar:
Jan. 17-18: Kitchen Dwellers
Feb. 4: Opera Colorado: The Pirates of Penzance
Feb. 6: Send It: a ROMP x Center Ski Art Exhibition
Feb 25: The Brothers Comatose
March 7: Glitchy Business
March 13: Survival Fest
Every Month:
CFTA hosts a Cookbook Club with a rotating theme, in which all attendees (the first 24 to sign up) bring a themed dish and everyone sits down potluck-style while the Center’s staff “pours the wine and does the dishes.” The Dec. 11 theme is Ski Snacks, Jan. 15’s theme is Weekday Vegetarians and Feb. 19’s is The American South. Visit crestedbuttearts.org for details.
Also, Artists of Crested Butte – 11 galleries in Crested Butte, including the CFTA – host special exhibits during the free ArtWalks from 5 to 8 p.m., Dec. 29, Feb. 13 and March 20.
A Bevy of Fun and Engaging Events Awaits for you at Crested Butte’s Center for the Arts, www.crestedbuttearts.org
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