We started the season with a simple message of encouragement, “Find Your Center.” Judging by attendance, feedback, involvement and participation, many of you did just that! As our 2016/17 performing arts season draws to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what an amazing year it’s been. For those of you who joined us for one of our exciting performances or stopped in to view one of our many art exhibitions, we thank you for being a part of another fantastic year here at the Lincoln Center. If you missed joining us this season, we have so much to fill you in on. This year we’ve been busy cultivating world-class cultural experiences for our community with efforts like helping to expand arts education, supporting local artists, sparking community conversations around the transformative power of art, helping underserved folks in our community and so much more.
Arts Education:
The Lincoln Center takes its commitment to arts education very seriously, and it was a banner year for us. With the Lincoln Center Support League, students were able to enjoy educational shows like Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo where they got up close and personal with the past, and Illstyle and Peace Productions got kids excited about math through hip-hop dance.
We also hosted master classes with the artists from our Classical Convergence series, including the world’s preeminent flautist, Sir James Galway, and the critically acclaimed violinist, Paul Huang. Performers from our Dance Series such as MOMIX also gave local dancers insight into their company’s unique dance stylings.
Supporting Local Arts:
We think that our local artists are just as important as the amazing shows we bring in. At the end of our season, we curated our annual studio tour, inviting the public into artists’ studios to view their work and their process. We also displayed a collection of those works in our gallery.
Just as we did last season with Spokesbuzz, we have made a commitment to the local arts scene and brought in artists like the T-Band, the Charles Dickens Carolers, and Sometimes Five to perform during happy hours and other events.
Coat Drive:
RENT is a show about invisible communities that are struggling as the cost of living goes up and up, something a lot of people in Fort Collins can relate to. We used the visibility of the show to shine a light on the fact that 40% of homeless youth identify as LGBTQ, and to collect donations for them to endure the cold Colorado winter.
With the help of the community and NoCoPride, the Lincoln Center was able to garner over 300 donations to Homeless Gear, and the timing could not have been better! All the coats collected were put to immediate use as an intense cold snap hit that day.
Transforming Hate:
Our series Speaking Volumes: Transforming Hate showcased the transformational power of art through a dynamic exhibition. Thirty-nine artists from around the country transformed thousands of anti-Semitic and racist books into visually powerful, thought-provoking and ultimately deeply moving art.
Between the two venues, we offered 16 community programs, which included film screenings, guest speakers, panel discussions, musical performances, gallery talks, a staged reading of the Laramie Project, children’s storytimes and book discussions. There were at least 5,487 in attendance at both venues in the galleries and the community programs. In addition, 444 middle school, high school and community college students came to experience this amazing exhibit.
Blog:
To ensure you are up to date with everything going on at the Lincoln Center, and to engage the community better, we created a blog filled with interesting stories about the shows that come here, exclusive interviews, features on arts in public places and so much more.
Cosplay Party:
To make sure experiences with the Lincoln Center are something you never want to forget, we were proud to partner with the 501st, Fort Collins Comic Con, and the Mandalorians to create a cosplay party that patrons of all ages loved.
Full-capacity Crowds:
With shows like Whose Live Anyway?, Colbie Caillat, Art Garfunkel: In Close-up, Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Russian National Ballet, An Evening with Clint Black, and Margaret Cho, our performances are more vibrant than ever, and attracting new ticketholders from every corner of the community thanks to our discounted Big Deal ticket selections.
Wedding Show:
Our annual wedding show was our most successful yet! We are committed to being one of the best events venues in Northern Colorado, and we were able to showcase that for hundreds of brides-and-grooms-to-be.
Dementia-Friendly
The Lincoln Center prioritizes serving the community and its needs by becoming the first business in Northern Colorado to receive the designation of dementia-friendly. We’ve partnered with the Fort Collins Symphony’s B Sharp program and have renewed our commitment to making all of our patrons feel welcome and comfortable.
Thank you!
The Lincoln Center has been proud to present a variety of pre-show discussions and other local programming in addition to our 2016/2017 season, and we can’t wait to show you what heights we are reaching for in our next line-up!