RedLine’s Mission
RedLine’s mission is to foster education and engagement between artists and communities to create positive social change.
RedLine’s mission is deeply committed to social justice, focusing on cultural responsiveness, social responsibility, and collective leadership to promote positive social change.
Inclusion for RedLine means that programming, artists, and leadership reflect Denver’s diverse population and include key community members, leaders, and local residents.
As a result, RedLine operates using a Methodology of Community Responsiveness that transforms ideas born from the community into implemented programs with the voice, experience, and leadership of constituents and participants inherently built into the process.
Through outreach meetings with key community members and leaders, brown bag community lunches, and co-creating programs through partnerships with local organizations, RedLine creates pathways for members of nearby communities to be integrated into all facets of RedLine’s programming, including the planning process.
RedLine’s Values
Our values are to be community responsive, artist-focused, have bold vision, be approachable, and have deep connections with the Denver arts community. Learn more about what these values mean to us and tangible examples of how we put these values to practice below!
Community Responsiveness
We begin any collaborative project with conscious listening to understand and creatively respond to relevant social issues impacting our local communities. In this way, we can ensure that we center the voices of artists of all ages and honor the history and cultures of this specific place.
Example: Youth Art Mentoring — Youth Art Mentoring was created in response to the need for support of our neighborhood schools who were struggling because of the School Choice System.
Artist-Focused
We seek to understand the needs and experiences of Colorado artists through holistically supporting their ideas and practices. Our focus is on historically underrepresented artists of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.
Example: Reach Program — In response to the lack of support for artists who have experienced extreme financial hardship, are unhoused, or are in recovery, Reach was created as an artist-led studio art program that offers an inclusive space for artists to build their creative practice together and take the next steps in their lives.
Bold Vision
We are committed to playing a key supportive role within a dynamic art-centered ecosystem that promotes positive social change within and across different communities. At the heart of our approach is deep and authentic relationship-building that disrupts white supremacist culture.
Example: Satellite Studios — To increase the inventory of affordable studio space and live/work space to keep artists living and working in Colorado, RedLine has been working with developers, city planners, and private property owners to negotiate live and work spaces for Colorado artists.
Approachability
We believe in an ethos that values all people and their individual lived experiences. We strive to break down real and perceived barriers that make it difficult to fully engage with the creative process or the world of art by creating an inclusive, welcoming, accessible and equitable experience for everyone.
We are hyper-local in our neighborhood of Five Points in Denver, Colorado, and we engage with a multitude of residents by providing space and creative opportunities for them to connect.
Example: Art of Access — RedLine is a founding member of Art of Access, an alliance of eight Denver-area individuals and organizations who work to advance and connect accessible and inclusive practices across Denver’s cultural organizations.
Deep Connections
We value the longevity of our relationships within our communities. Our programs are community-responsive and designed to be holistic, long-term solutions to pressing social issues.
Example: Creative Place-Keeping Projects — RedLine co-creates Creative Place-Keeping Projects to bring awareness, advocacy, and action to local issues brought to us by Denver community members.
