Colorado is the creative capital of the Rocky Mountain region. Creative industries help drive the state’s economy, grow jobs, and enhance quality of life, and they include a variety of sectors ranging from film and media, design, and heritage tourism to literary and publishing, performing arts, and visual arts and crafts. Twelve Colorado communities across the state are designated as Creative Districts, which generated more than $893 million in revenue in 2014.
The design sector has a strong presence in Colorado, with particular strength in environmental design, architects, design firms, and interior designers. Colorado ranked second in the nation for the number of licensed architects per capita and has the fifth-highest employment concentration of interior designers. While the majority of design firms are small, there are a number of firms engaged in large national and international projects, including Fentress Architects, OZ Architecture, and RNL.
Colorado is home to a significant art scene and major cultural attractions. The Denver Art Museum is one of the largest art museums between Chicago and the West Coast, while the Aspen Art Museum is a globally preeminent non-collecting institution that focuses on the newest, most important evolutions in international contemporary art. The Smithsonian Institution has created an extensive Paleo-Indian exhibit at the Wray Museum in northeast Colorado, and is one of the only permanent Smithsonian exhibits outside of Washington, D.C.
The Denver Center Theatre Company is Colorado’s largest resident professional theatre company and the Creede Repertory Theatre is one of the “10 best places to see the lights off Broadway.” The Colorado Ballet provides outstanding classical performances and the Vail International Dance Festival is one of the world’s most beloved summer dance events.
Numerous historic sites and museums are the backbone of the state’s heritage tourism. Colorado is home to more than 100 museums and 25 national historic landmarks that explore the state’s spectacular heritage. Heritage tourism generates an estimated $244 million in visitor spending in Colorado and visiting historic sites was the third-most popular activity for Colorado vacationers in 2014.
Colorado’s reputation as a place for creative content is growing. Since 2011, Colorado’s motion picture and video industry employment increased 10.4 percent and the number of related businesses (476) is the highest on record since 2001. This growth is partially attributed to the 20-percent cash rebate incentive program that Colorado offers for eligible production costs. Since the incentive began in May 2012, a total of $12.7 million was awarded to productions to incentivize a total of $85.6 million in production spending. The program has attracted several feature films including “The Hateful Eight,” “Fast & Furious 7,” and “Heaven Sent.”
Colorado’s more than 300 music venues represent all genres, including the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the Fox Theatre in Boulder, the Dillon Amphitheatre, and the Pepsi Center. The state is home to some of the best outdoor music venues in the U.S., and the Colorado Music Hall of Fame opened at The Trading Post at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2015. The central City Opera House is the nation’s fifth-oldest opera company, and the state is home to the Colorado Symphony and the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. Notable music festivals across the state include the Aspen Music Festival & School, the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and the Crested Butte Music Festival.
