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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact, RiNo Art District: Danielle Riha
[email protected] | 720-593-6821

Contact, RiNo Business Improvement District: Terry Madeksza
[email protected] | 720-204-8871

RiNo Art District Announces Next Chapter for RiNo ArtPark Gallery and Studio Program

DENVER — RiNo Art District (RAD) today announced the next chapter of its commitment to artist support at the RiNo ArtPark, building on a program that has provided $533k+ in artist grants since 2024.

RiNo Art District will continue offering subsidized artist studios at the RiNo ArtPark, where current studio artists pay only the cost of utilities — making it one of the most fully-funded artist residency models in the Denver metro area and a direct expression of RiNo Art District’s mission to keep working artists rooted in one of Colorado’s oldest certified Creative Districts. RiNo Art District also supports additional subsidized studio opportunities across the broader district, thanks to generous grant funding in 2026 from the RiNo Business Improvement District.

The RiNo ArtPark Gallery and Studios will enter a new chapter as a curatorial incubator, offering stipends and public-facing exhibition opportunities to emerging and talented curators, artists, and curatorial groups. Programming will feature local, national, and international artists; a call for applications for the incubator program is planned for 2027.

The incubator’s inaugural exhibition, Welcome Back, opens August 7, 5–9 PM, with a First Friday Festival and reception at 1900 35th St, Denver, CO 80216. Guest-curated by Jill Hadley Hooper, co-founder of RiNo Art District, and Jonas Sanchez, a Denver-based emerging curator, the exhibition brings together nearly 50 local artists to exhibit works across multiple RiNo ArtPark exhibition and event spaces, bridging artists who founded the certified Creative District with a younger generation carrying forward the district’s renowned DIY spirit. Additional guest curators for 2026 will be announced soon, reflecting RiNo Art District’s ongoing commitment to inclusive, representative programming.

RiNo Art District will also open a new Creative District Welcome Center the same evening, which will serve as a central hub for information about the district’s news and announcements, creative programming, social events, and more. In order to warmly greet the 12.4 million+ annual district residents and visitors, the Creative District Welcome Center will be staffed regularly during the week (Tues-Sat, 11 AM–3 PM), as well as during special events in the Art Park, including RAD’s monthly First Friday Festivals and Art RiNo in October. 

“Since joining this nonprofit arts organization last fall, it was clear that the RiNo ArtPark is one of our most powerful expressions of what this creative district stands for. Twenty years ago, RiNo’s founding artists built a platform for each other out of sheer creative will, and it’s the same DIY spirit that the Underground Music Showcase (UMS) embodies by handing emerging musicians a literal stage and microphone. Our curatorial incubator takes that same approach: giving the next generation of curators and artists a gallery, a platform, and real amplification,” said Daisy Fodness-McGowan, Executive Director of RiNo Art District.

“RiNo’s creative community is one of the district’s greatest strengths,” said Terry Madeksza, Executive Director of RiNo Business Improvement District. “By creating opportunities for artists to live, work, and exhibit in the district, this program supports local talent while bringing activity and visibility to surrounding businesses. We’re excited to support initiatives that strengthen the district’s creative identity and highlight the connection between artists, businesses, and a thriving local economy.”

This next chapter reflects RiNo Art District’s broader, ongoing commitment to keeping artists at the center of the district’s future.

About RiNo Art District
RiNo Art District (RAD) is a Denver-based 501c3 nonprofit arts organization and one of Colorado’s first certified Creative Districts, dedicated to supporting artists, creative businesses, and community across the historic neighborhoods of Five Points, Cole, Globeville, and Elyria-Swansea. Founded in 2005 as a nonprofit arts organization, RAD stewards the district’s cultural identity through public art, galleries, events, and creative placemaking — working to ensure that diverse creative voices remain central to RiNo’s future.

About RiNo Business Improvement District
The RiNo Business Improvement District is a special district serving the River North Art District neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The BID supports area businesses, property owners, and community through investment in infrastructure, economic development, and programming that strengthens the RiNo corridor.

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