Community Roots Arts Festival (CRAFt)

We have friends in Colorado who are looking to change the status quo.

In Boulder County, where the population is 90% white, Black, Indigenous, and people of color may find it difficult to be in community and be themselves.

The struggle of assimilation, microaggressions, and needing to be yourself lead many marginalized community members to leave in search of a place where they won’t be the “only ones.”

As one way to foster a more inclusive community in Boulder, Vani and Melissa are going to highlight the diverse and multifaceted identities of their Black, Indigenous, and brown local artists. Vani is an engineering graduate student at CU Boulder, who loves “developing events where Black and brown folx can unapologetically show themselves because it helps people like me switch out of that defense mechanism and into a place of acceptance.” Melissa, a Web Developer, uses her tech skills to create accessible web experiences and raise awareness around inclusive design.

Vani and Melissa will organize and present the Community Roots Arts Festival aka CRAFt, on August 1. The festival will showcase local artists of color and celebrate their authentic expressions of art. “We want to show that a lot of us are thriving, despite the barriers we meet in many aspects of our lives,” Vani says.

The CRAFt festival includes artists, food trucks, bands, spoken word poets, dancers, musicians, and other performers…

Our Awesome Without Borders grant will help with the expenses of renting tents and tables for the artists, plus mounts to hang artwork, along with promotional materials, signs, and flyers.