RedLine is a proud partner and administrator of the Arts in Society grant. This collaborative program provides grants to both individuals and organizations that use art as a vehicle to promote social justice and community welfare. 

We love highlighting our Arts in Society (AiS) grant recipients and all the unique and impactful projects made possible by their grant. And we’re excited continue this series with the 2024 AiS Grantee: Shutter and Strum!

Learn more about Shutter and Strum’s Arts in Society project, “Unshuttered,” and how this organization provides stability, engagement, and creative outlets to those in need in Colorado Springs.

Tell us about your organization

Shutter and Strum is a community arts center located in Colorado Springs' Knob Hill neighborhood, a historically working-class area known for its vibrant outsider art scene.

Knob Hill—and Colorado Springs in general—is home to many youth and families facing challenges such as poverty and mental health issues. Our co-owners/instructors, Brian Tryon and Chris Bacavis, spent more than a decade working with at-risk youth before opening Shutter and Strum as a space in May 2023.

Our goal is to partner with schools and other organizations around the city to continually provide stability, engagement, and creative outlets to those in need.

Our programming includes ongoing group and one-on-one workshops in photography, visual arts, and music to foster mindfulness, healing, and personal growth in youth participants. Our aim is to empower these individuals and inspire them to pursue their passions.

We provide tailored in-school workshops, enriching field trips to our fully-equipped facility (with a portrait studio, darkroom film development space, music studio, and art gallery), and unique project-based learning opportunities, all designed to meet the diverse needs and interests of local youth.

Tell us about your first project that will utilize your Arts in Society Grant

"Unshuttered" was a youth-led summer 2024 project by Shutter and Strum that sought to empower young survivors of generational trauma. By offering free photography workshops, mentorship, therapeutic support, and a public art exhibition, we blended artistic expression with expert guidance.

The goal is to foster a community of empowered individuals who could break cycles of marginalization in Colorado Springs and build supportive networks.

In the months leading up to the “Unshuttered” project, we focused on forming strong partnerships with local schools, arts organizations, and youth organizations. We actively sought the input of young people in shaping the project to ensure it would resonate with their needs and interests.

We also wanted to ensure that a diverse and representative group of youth participants, particularly from underserved and BIPOC communities, were recruited and selected to take part in the project.

Over a two-month period, the heart of Shutter and Strum came alive by combining in-depth photography workshops with mentorship opportunities and mindfulness practice. Brian Tryon, our co-owner and visual art instructor, guided 8 youth participants in mastering basic and intermediate-level photography techniques, encouraging them to weave their personal stories of intergenerational trauma into powerful visual narratives. Simultaneously, Jadi Fergen, a licensed mental health professional, provided therapeutic support during the project.

The project culminated in a month-long public exhibition held at Shutter and Strum’s own Disruptor Gallery, including a main show that opened during the city’s First Friday Art Walk in September 2024. These events showcased the participants' moving photographic work, sparking community dialogue about the profound impact of intergenerational trauma on young people.

By fostering understanding and promoting healing, Shutter and Strum inspired resilience and hope within the community.

What’s next in the pipeline for your organization? What other projects are you dreaming up for next year, and how will your Arts in Society grant help to support these efforts?

Building on the success of "Unshuttered," we plan to further our mission of empowering marginalized youth in the coming year through a series of interconnected projects.

One potential initiative is the creation of an mentorship program directly related to this project, pairing participants from "Unshuttered" with other aspiring young artists. This would provide continuity and support, allowing the initial project's impact to ripple outward.

We also plan to expand the focus beyond photography to include our other featured art forms such as mural art and music, giving a wider range of young people the opportunity to express their experiences and heal through creativity.

The funding that we received through our Arts in Society grant will continue to be instrumental in sustaining and scaling these efforts. We plan to use these funds and future grants to continue supporting trauma-informed instruction, to pay for our leased building, to cover materials and related costs for workshops, and to facilitate public art exhibitions for other student-led projects.

What was your experience like when applying for an Arts in Society Grant? What tips would you share with artists looking to apply?

Our biggest challenge in applying for an Arts in Society grant, as with many grants, was squeezing our project concept into the tight character and word limits. We had to be concise without losing the depth and impact of our project.

Our biggest takeaway: always share drafts with community leaders and nonprofit experts. During our grant writing process, these individuals’ feedback was invaluable for refining our language and clarifying the project's potential. Rewriting and refining our submission was a several-month-long process, but it absolutely made our submission stronger and eventually contributed to our success in having the project chosen.