On June 4 in Trinidad, Gov. Jared Polis recognized KSUT Four Corners Public Radio Executive Director Tami Graham with a Governor’s Creative Leadership Award, honoring individuals who use the arts to create meaningful change in their communities.
Over a 42-year career, Graham, a longtime Mancos resident, has helped shape Southwest Colorado’s cultural landscape, championing public media, local storytelling and community spaces for artists. Among her many contributions, she helped transform the historic Mancos Times-Tribune building from a shuttered eyesore into a thriving center for artists and community life. She was also among the founders of the Mancos Creative District, an organization that continues to strengthen the town’s cultural and economic vitality.
Canadian painter Ken Danby once observed, “In scarcity, art is a necessity.”
Few communities understand that better than Mancos.
Founded in 2015, the Mancos Creative District has become a model for how arts, culture and entrepreneurship can strengthen community identity and support rural economic development. Its guiding philosophy is simple: creativity is good business, creativity is connection and creativity is community identity.
That vision will be on display Saturday, June 20, at BurroFest, one of Southwest Colorado’s most original celebrations. More burros than ever will join artists, musicians, makers, food vendors and families for a uniquely Mancos event blending creativity, history and rural heritage.
The festival also highlights the partnerships that make communities stronger. The Montezuma Heritage Museum, Mancos Conservation District and Mesa Verde Association will join others in sharing the stories, history and landscapes that define Montezuma County.
New features include the Beverage Pasture, offering wine, beer, cider, lawn games and a paint-and-sip experience. The festival will also debut the Book Burro, a traveling library created by Durango-based Maria’s Literary Foundation with the help of students, artists and community volunteers.
From historic preservation and public art to festivals and community gathering spaces, these efforts do more than entertain. They create connections, attract visitors and strengthen the fabric of community life.
As the old proverb reminds us, a society grows great when its citizens plant trees in whose shade they will never sit. Through the arts, Mancos continues cultivating a community that is creative, connected and distinctly its own.
