When one compares Durango today to the Durango of three years ago, one thing that stands out today is the abundance of sculptures and murals around town now versus then, Tommy Crosby, city economic opportunity manager, said.
That’s thanks to Durango’s Creative Economy Commission, which on Sept. 10 was officially dissolved. The Commission’s departure did not come out of the blue – it was planned to be dissolved last year and its last meeting was in June – and its work will continue in a partnership between the Durango Creative District and the city.
Crosby said the commission approved 109 artistic projects and distributed just over $1.5 million in funding to artists and creatives. It didn’t just fund art. It also funded operational needs at creative organizations, such as scholarship programs at Stillwater Music and new roofs at the Durango Arts Center.
He said the Commission also designated Durango as a creative district, and the Durango Creative District is a bona fide 501(c) (3) that will take over as the lead organization for arts and culture organizations in Durango.
“(The Commission) increased the city of Durango's per capita arts and culture spending in three years from $3 to $37 and I think that's going to leave a really great mark,” he said.
Crosby said the Commission planted the seeds for Durango’s lodgers tax arts and culture program and it will continue to grow and blossom under the district’s guidance.
He said the commission’s success is a testament to its volunteer commissioners’ hard work.
“You have artists who are being paid a fair and hopefully livable wage for the work that they're doing. They're able to invest in the actual infrastructure of their creative businesses. They're able to take the steps from the home studio to moving,” he said of the lodgers tax grant program. “… And I don't think that would have been fully possible without the time and dedication of the Creative Economy commissioners.”
With the commission going away and the district taking its place, Crosby said the city’s public art collection will be retained and maintained by the city.
The city will create a lodgers tax arts and culture work group to manage public art, with funding to be approved by Durango City Council. He said the work group will also advise what applicants for grant funding will be recommended to City Council for final approval.
The working group will keep the biannual funding schedule it has currently, with one round of funding in February and another in late June, he said. It will also potentially help the district with its budget.
Oversight of the Durango Creates! Grant program, which offers grants up to $5,000 for materials, supplies and artist fees, among other things, falls to the district, although the city will continue funding it, he said.
“They have taken a big program off the plate of our economic opportunity division. They’ve done a great job stewarding this program in 2024,” Crosby said.
And, the city and district will work together to update the city’s public art master plan.
Councilors congratulated Crosby and the commissioners for a successful run since the commission was created in 2019.
cburney@durangoherald.com
