Telluride Arts big 40th Birthday Bash
Two-day celebration begins September 9 with old-timey telethon
The history of the Telluride Council for the Arts & Humanities, aka Telluride Arts, is the history of our town from the tie-dyed days hippies and falling down shacks, the 1970s, to robust resort packed with ski bums, entrepreneurs and retired CEOS, living in hot-and-cold running condos and restored Victorians. What everyone has had in common over the years is reverence for the Telluride landscape and abiding support for the region's cultural economy, initially nurtured by Telluride Arts.
In 1971, the ski area had just opened and the town's brand new Arts Council began looking for state grants and running benefits. Those early years were focused on incubating a dynamic arts activity by fostering grass roots initiatives and presenting and producing a robust array of cultural events and activities. Many of those programs hatched under Telluride Arts have flourished and helped define the region, among them: Telluride Film Festival, Telluride Chamber Music Festival, Telluride Bluegrass, all three having just celebrated 38 years in business. The Telluride Jazz Celebration, Telluride Writer's Guild and the Telluride Artists' Bazaar also received a leg up from the organization.