2019 Grantmakers in the Arts Conference

There was a lot of polite talk among the assembled arts funding professionals about how to build equity into giving. But the artists you invited to join you at this conference, they cut to the chase.

The Denver-based, spoken-word artist Molina Speaks, laid out so clearly just what the responsibility is for funders as he delivered a bit of his “live scribe poetry” to the crowd assembled in the Sheraton Hotel meeting room.

I’m an outsider. A journalist. A critic-at-large. A Denverite. Over the course of the 2019 GIA conference, I’ll post a few observations. Here is the first one:

1. You show up.

I go to a lot of conferences. Not as a participant but as an observer and this is what I see: Reluctance. Folks are more interested in where they’re going for dinner than in the program; they straggle into sessions late, take a coffee break every 20 minutes.

Bree “Coco” Davies is a multimedia journalist, urban planning professional, arts community advocate and organizer born and raised in Denver. Rooted in the world of do-It-Yourself arts and music, Davies co-founded Titwrench experimental music festival, created and produced Fem Fest for MCA Denver, has consulted on Youth On Record’s feminist-centric programming and is host and producer of the music and comedy-focused weekly show, Sounds on 29th on CPT12 Colorado Public Television. At the center of this work is a passionate advocacy for all ages, accessible, inclusive, non-commercial and autonomous DIY art spaces and music venues in Denver.

Ray Mark Rinaldi is a critic-at-large based in Denver, Colorado, where, as both a writer and editor, he moderates a public discussion about American art in the West and how it influences — and is influenced by — development, politics, geography and rapid social and demographic change. He writes about art holistically, connecting the dots between the visual arts, performance, music, architecture and literature, to present an inclusive picture of 21st century culture.

For the last 12 years, he has contributed to the Denver Post, where he serves as the primary voice on the visual arts. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, Hyperallergic, Dwell magazine, Inside Arts, Opera America, Chamber Music and other publications.