Note: This article is part of a monthly column written by Jonathan Toman that explores cultural organizations in the Pikes Peak region and the personalities that power them. Jonathan serves as the Peak Radar Manager for the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region. PeakRadar.com connects you to over 4,500 local events and 400 creative groups — all in one beautiful website for the Pikes Peak region. Jonathan can be reached at jonathan@culturaloffice.org.

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Arts Month 2019 is here! Each October, the Pikes Peak region celebrates Arts Month as a way to elevate the visibility and importance of arts & culture in our community.

During Arts Month, you’re encouraged to have at least one new cultural experience with family or friends. Below, we highlight a few events in October that are fun, easy ways to get involved in #ArtsOctober.

Find more Arts Month details, including resources, event info, and more at PeakRadar.com/ArtsMonth!

Artini
Friday, September 27 | 5:30-8:30 p.m.
The Mining Exchange and Gold Room | Downtown Colorado Springs
Free | 21+

Get ready for one of the best parties of the year — Artini, the official kickoff for Arts Month! Hosted annually by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, the Artini is a free community celebration with live entertainment on multiple stages, lots of mixing and mingling, and the opportunity to sample signature martinis created by some of the area’s top mixologists. Art + Martini = Artini!

Bliss Iron Pour
Saturday, September 28 | 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Bliss Studio and Gallery | Monument
$25

Over the past months, Bliss Studio & Gallery has presented welding and iron pour workshops to introduce new local audiences to ironworking, and spark conversations about empathy. Participants have, and will continue until the day of, to collectively create a public art sculpture, led by Jodie Bliss and her team, culminating at the second annual Bliss Studio Iron Pour.

Pikes Peak Litter Letter Project Dedication
Tuesday, October 1 | 4 p.m.
Just off Cimarron, south of America the Beautiful Park | Downtown Colorado Springs
Free

In celebration of Arts Month, the Pikes Peak Outdoor Recreation Alliance, Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District, and Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region have joined forces to orchestrate the 2nd annual Pikes Peak Litter Letter Project—resulting in a unique piece of public art that is constructed with trash collected during Creek Week.

First Friday Shuttle Bus
Friday, October 4 | 4:30 to 9 p.m.
Downtown Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, and Manitou Springs
Free

The free First Friday Shuttle Bus allows riders to visit Art Walk events throughout the Pikes Peak region, including Downtown Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs. This is the final run of the shuttle bus in 2019 — it will return in April 2020.

ArtPOP
October 4-29
Various Times & Locations in the Pikes Peak region
Free

ArtPOP is a series of 20 artist-driven pop-up performances, exhibitions and creative experiences in various locations across the region in celebration of Arts Month during the month of October. ArtPOP is curated each year by the Pikes Peak Arts Council, and funded by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region and the Gazette Charities.

Pikes Peak Zine Fest
Saturday, October 5 | 1-5 p.m.
Knights of Columbus Hall | Downtown Colorado Springs
Free

Pikes Peak Zine Fest is Colorado Springs’ new DIY publishing event! This is a free event for attendees. Anyone interested in zines, DIY publishing, art, poetry, illustration, photography and many other art forms are welcome at this event!

Business & Arts Lunch
Thursday, October 10 | 11:30 a.m.
Antlers Hotel | Downtown Colorado Springs
$60 per person; $600 corporate table includes eight seats plus two artist seats

The annual Business & Arts Lunch is always one of the most colorful professional events of the year. Presented by the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC, the annual Business & Arts Lunch features eclectic live performances on multiple stages, local art for sale, delicious food and drink, and multiple awards for leadership at the intersections of business and creativity.

Arcadia
October 10-27 | Various Times
Ent Center for the Arts | UCCS Campus
$39.50

Only the brilliant Tom Stoppard could combine love, landscape, and the Second Law of Thermodynamics with such sparkling results. Moving between an uprooted garden in 1809 England and two scholars solving a mystery in the present day, Arcadia blurs the lines between past and present, order and chaos.

The Great American Trailer Park Musical
October 11 – November 3 | Various Times
The Butte Theater | Cripple Creek
$21

There’s a new tenant at Armadillo Acres — and she’s wreaking havoc all over Florida’s most exclusive trailer park. When Pippi, an attractive dancer on the run, comes between the Dr. Phil–loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth collector husband — the storms begin to brew. A country rock musical!

Broadmoor Art Academy Birthday Celebration
Saturday, October 12 | Starting at 10 a.m.
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
Free

Join us as we celebrate the Broadmoor Art Academy’s official birthday and the opening of the FAC Legacy Series Exhibition: The Broadmoor Art Academy and Its Legacy, 1919-1970, featuring hundreds of works from collections across the nation.

Face Vocal Band
October 12 | 7:30 p.m.
Stargazers Theatre & Event Center | Colorado Springs
$20-$25

Face is an internationally acclaimed all-vocal rock band from Boulder, Colorado who have been captivating audiences for over a decade with their infectious energy punctuated by an endearing love of performance.

Urban COS: Arts & Culture in #UrbanCOS
October 14 | 6 p.m.
UCCS Downtown | Downtown Colorado Springs
Free, Pre-Registration Requested

Join us for a panel discussion about benefits of local creative districts and creative ecosystems, the economic value of arts and culture, and the function of public art. This session will conclude with a short public art walking tour.

Poetry 719 Festival
October 16-20 | Various Times
Various Locations
Cost depends on event

The Poetry719 Festival was started in 2018 as a way to recognize poetry and artists in the community. A multi-day event across Colorado Springs that showcases the amazing talent this city has to offer, it is a jam-packed week of various poetry-related events. Last year held 11 events across four days and had over 650 attendees. This year will have 17 events across five days!

World Singing Day Colorado Springs
October 19 | 2 p.m.
Acacia Park | Downtown Colorado Springs
Free

World Singing Day brings people together in their communities all around the world through the simple act of singing together. World Singing Day is a global singalong, held annually on the third Saturday in October. The event celebrates our common humanity, using the power of singing to connect communities and promote well-being. Through its focus on positive human interactions, World Singing Day aims to combat isolation and transcend local and global conflicts. This is the second year Colorado Springs will host a public singalong. We invite people of all ages and backgrounds — from shower singers to celebrities — to sing with their friends, family and neighbors in Acacia Park.

Fannie Mae Duncan Sculpture Dedication
October 26 | 10 a.m.
Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts | Downtown Colorado Springs
Free

Celebrate the dedication of a new public sculpture in honor of Colorado Springs legend, Fannie Mae Duncan. Fannie Mae was the owner and driving force behind the Cotton Club, an integrated jazz nightclub that thrived in downtown Colorado Springs during the 1950s and 1960s, until it was closed to make way for urban renewal. Fannie Mae and her Club were known for their inclusive and inviting motto “Everybody Welcome!”

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Originally written by Jonathan Toman of the Cultural Office and published in the Colorado Springs Independent Abstractions section on September 23, 2019.