CBCA Announces 2022 Business for the Arts Awards Honorees

Annual Art-Filled Awards Luncheon Back in Person

Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) has announced 12 honorees for its 2022 Business for the Arts Awards, the only statewide event honoring companies and individuals for their outstanding partnerships and engagement with the arts.  CBCA received a record number of nominations and the 2022 honorees were selected by an independent panel of judges. The annual awards event, CBCA’s largest fundraiser and celebration, will be back in person in 2022 with a hybrid option.

All of the honorees will be celebrated at the Business for the Arts Awards luncheon, presented by EY and PNC Bank, on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, in the Seawell Grand Ballroom at the Denver Performing Arts Complex.  In addition to Livestream tickets, 700 corporate, cultural, and civic leaders are anticipated to attend this inspiring, arts-infused event.

“The 2022 Business for the Arts Awards honorees illustrate the mutual benefits when arts and business collaborate,” says Christin Crampton Day, CBCA executive director. “These honorees demonstrate the multiplying power of partnerships to help us build resiliency and foster a better future for all.”

2022 Arts & Business Partnership Award Honorees

The Arts & Business Partnership Award honorees are exemplary organizations that have gone above and beyond to support the arts and creative industries.

• Artwork Archive, based in Denver with a global reach, goes beyond their core art inventory software platform to advance creative careers, including a robust blog and business accelerator grants and training.
• The Colorado Chautauqua, a Boulder icon, partnered with Cal-Wood Education Center for Art in the Park, raising awareness for wildfire protection and recovery through creative benches built by local artists from fire-damaged trees.
• Conscious Alliance, of Broomfield, is a network of creatives working to end hunger through food drives and artistic posters at music concerts that fuel meals across Colorado and the U.S.
• FCI Constructors, of Grand Junction, leverages their skills and resources to install downtown Grand Junction’s annual Art on the Corner sculptures, in addition to renovating the Avalon Theatre and philanthropically supporting the arts in Grand Valley.
• Holiday Twin Drive-In, in Fort Collins, partnered with Fort Collins Musicians Association in 2020 to provide a safe place for live music during the pandemic with a weekly concert series supporting dozens of bands and hundreds of musicians.
• Meow Wolf Denver’s new Convergence Station has been investing in Denver’s diverse creative community with a focus on social impact, accessibility, and the needs of the Sun Valley neighborhood where they’re located.
• PNC Bank has proven to be a champion of arts and culture partnerships through impactful sponsorships, significant grantmaking, and employee leadership opportunities since entering the Colorado market in 2018.
• Urban Peak’s downtown Denver youth shelter created a new music studio, spearheaded by a University of Colorado Denver songwriting professor, in order to provide youth experiencing homelessness with a cathartic and expressive outlet.

EY Next Wave Leadership Award

The EY Next Wave Leadership Award honors rising professionals who are leading the future of our cultural community.

• Tara Rynders, Registered Nurse, Artistic Director, and Founder of You & Me and The Clinic, is harnessing the power of dance to combat compassion fatigue and build resiliency for healthcare workers through immersive performances and art-based workshops.

PNC Bank Cultural Leadership Award

The PNC Bank Cultural Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding graduate of CBCA’s Leadership Arts program who has made an impact on arts and culture in Colorado.

• Roopesh Aggarwal, Senior Director – Business Innovation at Xcel Energy, joined the Board of Central City Opera after graduating from Leadership Arts in 2016 and has provided extraordinary leadership, guidance, and vision as Board President and now Co-Chairman during a transformative time for the organization.

Volunteer Attorney Impact Award

The Volunteer Attorney Impact Award recognizes an outstanding attorney who has provided pro bono legal services to Colorado creatives and advanced CBCA’s Colorado Attorneys for the Arts (CAFTA) program.

• Dave Rein, Attorney at Erickson Kernell IP, is an advocate for the arts through his pro bono legal service and education with CAFTA, as well as volunteer roles with 40 West Arts, Jefferson County Cultural Council, and Mi Casa Resource Center.

John Madden, Jr. Leadership Award

Named for CBCA’s founding chairman, the John Madden, Jr. Leadership Award recognizes a lifetime of extraordinary leadership and a legacy of support for the arts.

• Richard Carter, of Basalt, is a renowned artist and activist, and has been spearheading creative development in the Roaring Fork Valley since the 1970s, including founding the Aspen Art Museum and supporting Anderson Ranch Art Center, Art Base, and the new The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW) in Basalt.

The 2022 Arts & Business Partnership Award honorees, EY Next Wave Leadership Award, PNC Bank Cultural Leadership Award, and John Madden, Jr. Leadership Award were selected by an independent panel of judges.

• Lance Burch, Senior Financial Consultant-Vice President, Charles Schwab
• Kathy Kranz, Chief Financial Officer, Pinnacol Assurance
• Claudia Moran, Executive Director, Museo de las Americas
• Christine Quintana, Partner – Assurance Services, EY
• Armando Silva, Artist / Creative Consultant
• Kendall Smith, Director of Programming, The Arts Center at Willits (TACAW)
• Tara Thomas, Director, Bemis School of Art at Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College

The Volunteer Attorney Impact Award was selected by the CAFTA Advisory Committee.

CBCA thanks our generous sponsors who make this award celebration possible. The Business for the Arts Awards are presented by EY and PNC Bank. Generous support is also provided by HealthOne, Bellco Credit Union, East West Partners, Moye White, and Xcel Energy. In-kind and media partners are CBS4, ColoradoBiz, Moxtopia, and The Publishing House.

Tables and tickets are on sale now at cbca.org/event/2022-business-for-the-arts-awards for the Business for the Arts Awards luncheon on March 15, 2022, at the Seawell Ballroom. Premier tables have additional benefits. Livestream tickets are also available.

Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) advances Colorado’s creative economy by connecting business and the arts through arts engagement, advocacy, training, research, and volunteerism. CBCA is a 501c3 nonprofit membership organization of leading Colorado companies that recognize the link between cultural vitality and economic success.  Learn more at www.cbca.org.