The 40 West Arts District has been among the leaders of the West Colfax renaissance, and the organization's efforts are bearing a variety of fruits.
One of them is the new ART @ 6 gallery and studio, created by Vikki and Brian King as a place to work on and display their fine art, jewelry and d cor.
"We looked at other arts districts all over Colorado, but the overhead costs were just too high," Brian said, who moved to the area from Albuquerque, New Mexico. "We had lost hope, but on the way out of town we decided to stop by 40 West, and that changed everything."
Bill Marino, chair of the district, has been one of 40 West's greatest champions. In this case he provided all the information needed for the Kings to fall in love with the area.
"There is no pretense, and it was so welcoming here," Brian said. "At many of the other districts we looked at, there was friendliness but no openness, and that's a big difference."
The Kings set up ART @ 6 in the new 40 West Studios building, located at 1615 Reed St. The studio have long been a goal of Marino and the district. After being open for just three months, it's already full.
"There are 16 spaces in the building --; a building that we as a district lease to these artists," Marino explained. "The studios have a great vibe, and there's a wonderful group of creatives there."
The spaces are used by renters as both gallery and studio areas.
The ART @ 6 space was full during its opening event on Jan. 29 with art lovers and supporters of the district.
"The comradeship among all of us artists here is my favorite part of being here," Vikki said at the opening. "The support we get from other artists is so important."
The district has been making a big impact on West Colfax as a whole, according to Robert Smith, Lakewood's economic development manager.
"There are lots of folks and organizations working to make Lakewood and Colfax in particular a great place to be," he said. "There's a real correlation between arts and economic development. These industries bring money and energy with them."
Both Marino and Smith pointed to data released by the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) biennial Economic Activity Study of Metro Denver Culture from 2014 that says arts related business is on the rise.
According to the study, the combination of operating expenses, audience spending and capital expenditures totaled $1.85 billion in 2013 up 5.1 percent from 2011, and new money injected to the economy came to $520.8 million. That number is down only down 1.2 percent from 2011, when the state was still deep in the throes of an economic downturn. It also said the number of out-of-state tourists participating in local arts and culture events increased by 17 percent from 2011.
"This shows a pretty clear correlation between culture and the economy," Marino said. "There's no question we've had an impact bringing so many creative businesses to the area."
40 West is taking advantage of the momentum of its 2014 Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) Creative District designation to increase brand awareness. The group is working on more place-making projects to make the area a recognizable destination.
"The best thing about 40 West is the community that has been built here, and how everything is integrated together," Brian said. "The definition of 40 West is community."
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/40-West-draws-creativity,206652
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