Whether it be nestled in the Rockies or atop Pikes Peak, the views in Colorado are breathtaking. Once seen, the history becomes even richer, with the reel in the mind of frills and saloons, mine workers and steam locomotives. Thankfully, much of Colorado's magnificent past and present is preserved by dreamers who can make it a reality for the rest of us. Through film, music, theater, literature, crafts, and visual arts, Colorado comes alive wherever one may live.
Performing Arts
Colorado's performing arts are truly unparalleled. Traveling performers, including theater troupes, dancers, and musicians, come to Colorado to showcase their art in majestic venues. From outdoor theaters with the Rockies as backdrop, to opera houses built a century ago, performers can turn their location into another setting to showcase their creative performances. Denver is a major city for all performing arts because of its central location, and its amazing Center for the Performing Arts, which houses many different halls for productions. Colorado Ballet performs in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, one of the complexes in the enormous Center.
Elegant opera houses and downtown Denver are not the only places to see fabulous performances. Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs offer a down-to-earth, child-friendly atmosphere for dinner theaters. Fort Collins, in the Front Range region, is its own hub for performing arts. The Ft. Collins Children's Theatre is a great place to take the little ones!
Other great ventures for families are the state's music festivals. Mostly held in the summer, these festivals cater to the scenery lovers and are outdoors much of the time. The Music in the Mountains in Durango, and Alpenglow in Crested Butte are both outdoor concerts that are family oriented.
Fabulous Film and Literature
Colorado's landscape is so diverse that it is a cinematic dream come true for film makers. Made up of mountains and canyons, pastures and ranges, the state is a smörgåsbord of terrain. Film festivals in Colorado are world-renowned. Aspen, Vail, and Telluride not only offer world-class skiing, but blockbuster viewing as well. These huge hubs for tourists host a multitude of viewings during annual film fests. If tranquil and charming is more your style, small towns such as Golden, Broomfield, and Loveland also have film festivals annually.
While movies like Cliffhanger and City Slickers give a panoramic view, there are peripheral visions, too, in rural areas. Catch and Release, filmed in Boulder, has the Rockies as a backdrop as the actors walk through the tree-lined streets of downtown. Guests of the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park have an awe-inspiring view of the same range, surrounded on all sides while in the hotel. Stephen King was so inspired while a guest at the hotel that he used the venue for this second novel, The Shining. Though not a comedy by any means, the novel was then turned into a mini-series, filmed in part at the location of his creativity.
Crafts and Visual Arts
Along with its beautiful natural backdrop for filming, the state has many historical sites to view as well. The archaeological site of Mesa Verde National Park protects ancestral Pueblo dwellings, and the Canyon Pintado National Historic District does the same for the petroglyphs left there by Ute and Fremont Native Americans. Though these are sites are not housed in museums, visitors can still learn about the culture and colorful past of other peoples.
The colors of Colorado come alive through the arts and crafts of many Native Americans who not only reside in the state, but have ancestral roots there as well. The Jicarilla Apache, Kiowa Apache, and Arapaho formerly warred in Colorado throughout history, and much art comes from their descendants. Other natives of Colorado are the Navajo, Ute, and Pueblo Indian tribes. It is through the last two communities and the Ute tribes that hand-made crafts are so unique and indigenous to the state.
Not only is there a plethora of Native American hand-made crafts, such as weaving, bead work, jewelry, wood carvings, pottery, and basketry; there are also many noteworthy trading posts to house these outstanding crafts. The trading post at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs is the oldest in the state, and Eagle Plume's in Allenspark is also historic.
Accompanying the remarkable hand-made crafts there are exceptional artists and artwork in the state. Denver is full of museums and galleries that house art by local, regional, national, and international artists. Some museums in the Denver area are: The Denver Art Museum, the Metropolitan State College of Denver/Center for the Visual Arts, Museo de las Americas, and Museum of Contemporary Art. Along with museums of art from around the world, the state has a few museums dedicated to specific artists. The A.R. Mitchell Museum is in Trinidad and the Fred Harman Western Art Museum is in Pagosa Springs.
America the Beautiful
Katherine Lee Bates, a professor who traveled to Colorado to lecture for a summer course at the state's college, found the views very inspiring. While on an expedition up Pikes Peak in the summer of 1893 she was so overcome with the beautiful scenery, she wrote a poem. This poem is now called "American the Beautiful".
Teddy Roosevelt was once asked to convey Colorado's image and he said, "The scenery bankrupts the English language." Though the scenery may be bankrupting, the culture and arts of the state of Colorado are very rich indeed.
Dance has played an important role in the culture of Colorado.
