This week's in-depth coverage of the Colorado culture scene from CPR's arts bureau:
- In 2009, a bizarre news story from Fort Collins captivated then-11-year-old Billy Recce so much, it inspired him to write a musical. “Balloon Boy: The Musical” debuted this week at Monarch High School. In anticipation of its world premiere, cast members visited the CPR Performance Studio to share two numbers from the show.
- Award-winning Colorado authors Lisa Jones, Peter Heller and Helen Thorpe discuss books that turned them off at first read, but later won them over in this week’s Book Club.
- The eighth annual Denver Arts Week, a nine-day celebration of the Rocky Mountain region’s arts and culture, runs Nov. 7 to 16. CPR arts reporter Stephanie Wolf maps out this year’s discounts, free events and a new finale with a heavy focus on fashion.
- On Tuesday, voters in the city of Boulder approved a short-term .3 percent sales and use tax benefiting culture and public safety projects. CPR arts reporter Corey H. Jones examines how the passing of Ballot Measure 2A will impact Boulder’s cultural institutions.
- A dinosaur head that appeared on a controversial piece of public art in Durango and then disappeared Monday is now in police custody. Sherri Dugdale, assistant to Durango’s city manager, tells CPR News that these types of “creative enhancements” to public art happen often.
- Last year, cultural activity in the Denver Metro area generated $1.85 billion, according to a study from the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA). CPR arts editor Chloe Veltman reports on how the study’s findings show a dramatic spike in cultural tourism over the last few years.
Arts happenings around Colorado this weekend:
- CPR’s Arts Bureau spotlights this weekend’s Colorado cultural events, including Denver’s annual weeklong celebration of its arts and culture and a robot-centric art exhibition in Aurora.
Coverage from CPR's arts bureau is now also available as a weekly podcast via iTunes and the NPR podcast directory.
We also have a question for readers and listeners: How open are you to taking a risk on a new or unfamiliar cultural experience? CPR’s Arts Bureau wants to hear from you. Please take our short Audience “Risk Tolerance” Survey and share it with others.
