The Manitou Springs Arts Council and Manitou Springs Creative District are now the CReative AlliaNcE Manitou Springs or CRANE, for short. The Manitou Springs Arts Council was a volunteer board of artists and arts supporters who advocated for and oversaw public art in Manitou Springs, Colorado. That function now sits with CRANE as part of its mission to lift artistic and economic vitality in Manitou Springs.
The Council’s mission was to Preserve, Promote & Pursue. That commitment to working collaboratively with stakeholders, artists, business leaders, dedicated professionals, and the wider community of Manitou Springs is what drove “Art on the Avenue” and this collaboration and commitment to artistic excellence continues as the signature program in this effort.
CRANE now facilitates acquisition and installation of artwork on or near Manitou Avenue, the main thoroughfare in Manitou Springs. The Art on the Avenue program serves as a permanent rotating outdoor gallery with digital support that promotes individual sculpture artists and provides opportunities for them to display, interpret and sell their work.
Credits: “Dancer” sculpture by Michael Patrick Garman; Photo by Adam Williams / Humanitou