Press Release
The city of Aspen announces 2025 Cultural Vibrancy Fellowship cohorts
Twelve adult artists and seven youth artists are selected to participate
Aspen, CO – The city of Aspen is excited to announce the selection of 12 adult artists and seven youth artists for the 2025 Cultural Vibrancy Fellowship. This program is designed to celebrate and empower local talent, offering funding and opportunities for growth, collaboration, and creative expression.
The artists were notified of their selection earlier this month and will begin the fellowship in February. The selected fellows, representing a diverse range of artistic disciplines, will each receive financial support based on their individual needs:
- Youth artists will receive up to $750.
- Adult artists will receive up to $4,000.
“The Cultural Vibrancy Fellowship is a key arts and culture initiative of the city of Aspen, supporting the creative endeavors of our community’s exceptional artists,” said Mike Harrington, executive director of the Wheeler Opera House. “Emerging from a highly competitive applicant pool with inspiring projects across numerous disciplines, we look forward to seeing how the artists develop their individual projects while fostering new relationships and potential collaborations within the fellowship cohort.”
Adult artists will begin their sessions on Feb. 11, 2025, with facilitation by Renee Prince, a theater maker, story-sharing facilitator, and social worker. Prince believes that the creative process helps individuals expand their connections with themselves and others.
Youth artists will begin their fellowship on Feb. 18, 2025, participating in sessions led by Cassidy Willey, a multilingual and multidisciplinary theater artist and educator based in the Roaring Fork Valley. Willey, a founding member of Consensual Improv and former director of community programming for VOICES, is passionate about using creative processes to foster connection, healing, and personal growth.
Both cohorts will participate in five convenings from February through May, with the final session being a celebratory event at the Wheeler Opera House.
“The convenings are a cornerstone of the fellowship, providing local artists with the opportunity to build meaningful and supportive relationships that bolster community mental health,” said Sarah Roy, executive director of the Red Brick Center for the Arts. “These gatherings also offer a valuable platform for artists to expand their professional networks, fostering growth both personally and professionally, which in turns positively impacts the cultural vibrancy of Aspen.”
For more information on the 2025 Cultural Vibrancy Fellowship, visit aspen.gov.
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For more information, please contact:
Sarah Roy, Red Brick Center for the Arts Executive Director
Phone: 970-366-2579
Email: sarah.roy@aspen.gov
Jenna Ioffredo, Communications Manager
Phone: 970-987-2722
Email: jenna.ioffredo@aspen.gov