Blog
The Impact of Art on Community: Breckenridge’s Cultural Contributions
Explore how the arts enrich and contribute to the community spirit in Breckenridge, fostering creativity and connectivity.
The video above is a visual testament to our influence across Summit County. In 2024, the far-reaching effects of our programming touched almost 36,000 lives—half of those people reside right here in Summit County—through close to 1,000 classes, workshops and open studios; more than 170 Riverwalk Center events and two annual festivals. Keep reading to learn more about Breck Create’s impact on culture and community in Breckenridge.
Our Mission
Breck Create endeavors to connect, inspire and uplift the Breckenridge community through a diverse range of artistic initiatives. Within the Town of Breckenridge, we aim to build a dynamic, year-round creative community. By producing and providing programs such as performances, classes, community events, festivals and exhibitions, we not only deliver wonder-inducing creative experiences, we also aspire to enact positive change through art and culture. The effects of our work ripple through the community at large as we serve residents, visitors, artists, creatives and cultural enthusiasts alike.
Our core attractions are the Riverwalk Center–a 750-seat, heated, indoor performance venue–and a lively Arts District campus of renovated historic structures that now function as studio spaces for art classes and workshops. These structures also include affordable rentals for local artists and visiting artist-in-residence participants. The Breckenridge Arts District is a certified district within the Colorado Creative Industries Creative District program. Additionally, we maintain the Town’s public art collection, which currently includes 33 pieces.
What We Do
The way we see it, art is not a luxury, but instead a vital part of life. We wish for art to be accessible to people of all ages, all nationalities and all abilities. The artistic experiences we offer can be classified into the following categories:
Intimate Art
Intimate art classes and opportunities within our Fine Art + Studio Craft Curriculum provide community members the chance for creative expression, education and skill building alongside teaching artists and professionals of the highest quality in small studio settings and private homes. By employing and empowering local creatives, we support the thriving arts scene. Creative class offerings and opportunities change seasonally. Online registration is available through our event calendar. Register now to discover the joys of acrylic painting, creating electronic music and more.
Social Art
Through community-centered events such as our AirStage Summer Aprés series, free art exhibitions and artist receptions at Old Masonic Hall and Precious Plastic collection events, we hope to stimulate meaningful social engagement and invite interaction between people of all ages, cultures and creeds. This programming seeks to inspire harmony through consciousness-raising entertainment and increasing awareness around issues important to Breckenridge, including environmental stewardship and social equity.
Big Art
Our signature experiences—large-scale visual and performance art to emphasize cultural, natural and historical narratives of Breckenridge—aim to leverage the Town’s unique partners and assets to foster pride of place and set Breckenridge apart from other mountain destinations. Currently on display at Old Masonic Hall through March 16th is the immersive, site-specific installation Our river flowing from our eyes: Camille Hoffman and Gyun Hur, which invites visitors to meditate on grief as well as the complicated history of the land. This past summer’s Trail Mix series at Breckenridge International Festival of Arts (BIFA) included on-trail installations by artists Megan Geckler and Gerald Clarke, blending art with nature.
Our Impact
Breck Create’s initiatives made a substantial impact on Breckenridge in 2024, including:
Engaging 36,000 people through more than 200 free events and 20 AirStage activations
Hosting 179 Riverwalk Center events, including 38 Breck Create events, 30 community events and nine rentals; eighty percent of Breck Create’s production team’s time and effort support community users
Diverting 1,976 lbs of plastic from the landfill through 39 collection events and 5 programs inspired by environmentalism
Conducting 986 classes, workshops and open studios, including 2 health and wellness-focused events, engaging 850 Acoustic Flow Yoga participants and 90 free guided mindfulness hike attendees
Generating a total annual economic impact of $4 million, according to the Americans for the Arts Economic Prosperity Calculator
Employing 57 local musicians and 30 local artists, contributing to the cultural and economic vitality of Breckenridge
Providing 191 calendar days and dedicating 10 hours per week to hosting visiting and local artists-in-residence
Youth Education + After-School Care
Annually, Breck Create serves more than 2,000 local youth, helping parents work a full day by filling the gaps with wrap-around care options. Through a series of summer camps, our after-school art club, field trips and in-school workshops, we address our workforce’s need for affordable childcare options. In 2024, we provided 135 days of summer-camp and afterschool programming as well as 54 days of school-based programming. We imbue this programming with arts-based social and emotional learning. Visit our event calendar to learn more about our youth, tween and teen programs.
Mental Health + Wellness
Art becomes a conduit for mental well-being with meditative classes and workshops. Breck Create hosted almost 1,000 classes and workshops in 2024, including a complete ceramics curriculum as well as classes in the following mediums: drawing, painting, glassblowing and metalsmithing. Winter classes are online now and open for registration.
In collaboration with Building Hope, events like Acoustic Flow yoga and Guided Mindfulness Hikes during BIFA combine gentle activity, music, wellness and inspiring art installations in order to ease stress, anxiety and depression. These community-minded events also offer opportunities for social connection. Mark your calendar—BIFA 2025 will be held August 15 – 24.
Our Día de Muertos festival in the fall featured a candlelight vigil with a procession through downtown Breckenridge. Aztec dance collective Grupo Huitzilopochtli lead dozens of community members through town, ending with a ceremonial performance designed to honor loved ones who have passed away. Dates and programming for the 2025 festival will be announced later this year.
Sustainability + Plastic Pollution Reduction
Breck Create champions environmental health with initiatives like the Precious Plastic program, which diverted approximately 2,000 pounds of plastic waste from Summit County’s landfill in 2024, more than 700 pounds of which was converted into art and other items. The re-maker’s space in the Fuqua Livery Stable, the program’s home on the Arts District Campus, provides a place for locals and businesses to repurpose plastic items, transforming them into art and other usable creations. In 2025, we are thrilled to continue to host collection events and offer classes and workshops aimed at repurposing plastic waste.
Connection + Community
Connection and community are at the heart of Breck Create’s mission. In 2024, we offered dozens of free, family-friendly opportunities for people to gather. Most recently, the Campus Crawl event invited the community to explore the Arts District with free classes and workshops, live music and refreshments. In December, the Handmade Holiday artist market drew locals and visitors alike to the Arts District Campus during the Lighting of Breckenridge. This past summer featured the AirStage Aprés series, where the AirStage, our mobile stage inside an Airstream trailer, became a regular attraction on the Ridge Street Art Square on the Arts District Campus. In the summer, July Fourth includes a full day of art-infused festivities.
Fall featured the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, including a group exhibition by Latino artists, bilingual creative workshops, elementary-school assemblies and the 10th annual Día de Muertos festival, a lively celebration in Mexican culture that honors loved ones who have passed. To develop programming for the month, Breck Create partnered with Hispanic organizations on the front range and also worked directly with the Hispanic-Heritage Month Committee, composed of local community members.
Art + Activism
Breck Create continuously strives to be at the forefront of contemporary art. Throughout the year, Breck Create programs the exhibition space at Old Masonic Hall with up-and-coming artists who offer thought-provoking perspectives on environmentalism, visibility, equality and more. In 2024, 100 percent of the exhibitions featured artists who identified as female, LGBTQ+ and/or people of color. As an organization, we aim to support local artists by offering studio space through our Open Door Program. We host artists-in-residence as well, to bring regional, national and international artists of all disciplines to Breckenridge. Our current artists-in-residence are Ingrid “Kiki” Díaz-Davis and Kia Neill, both of whom are multi-disciplinary artists. Meet these artists and observe their work during studio hours.
Music + Entertainment
Breck Create programs the Riverwalk Center, a heated, indoor performance venue that features a diverse range of ticketed live events including concerts, lectures and performances showcasing local, national and international talent. In 2024, Breck Create produced more than 170 events at the venue. The 2025 season features a range of acts including G. Love & Special Sauce and BoDeans, and all shows are on sale now.
Additionally, Breck Create partners with resident companies that produce their own events. The National Repertory Orchestra calls the Riverwalk Center home. The Breckenridge Backstage Theater Company produces theatrical performances and Breck Film programs the Eclipse Theater.
Become a Member
Our commitment to artistic expression transcends creativity, leaving an indelible mark on Breckenridge’s cultural landscape. Revenue generated from ticket sales and registration fees only go so far. Your generosity helps us apply the power of the arts to create solutions to our community’s critical issues including wrap-around care for youth, plastic-pollution landfill diversion and programs to provide mental health and wellness. Discover the power of membership at Breck Create.
Membership starts at just $50 annually. Member benefits include:
Early ticket buying and priority seating for Breck Create Presents concerts and performances + BIFA
25 percent discount on classes, open studios and workshops (restrictions may apply)
Service fee waived for all classes, open studios and workshops
This year, we reached new heights in creativity, built stronger community connections, and made a meaningful impact through our programs and events. Join this transformative journey by becoming a member and contributing to the flourishing community spirit that art has cultivated in Breckenridge. We can’t wait to show you what we have in store for you in 2025.