RedLine is a proud partner and administrator of the annual Arts in Society grant. This collaborative program provides grants to both individuals and organizations that use art as a vehicle to promote social justice and community welfare.
We love highlighting our Arts in Society (AiS) grant recipients and all the unique and impactful projects made possible by their grant. And we’re excited continue this series with the 2025 Arts in Society Grantee project: La Sandia Project!
Learn more about this project and how their grant helps them continue to honor the agricultural heritage of Rocky Ford and the Lower Arkansas Valley!
Tell us about your organization
Image courtesy of the artist
La Sandia Project is a community collaborative between Small Town Project and The Art Project in the Lower Arkansas Valley. This collaboration grew from the planting of a seed of a vision of a story of a community where stories have gone untold, and the walls are ready to tell those stories.
Small Town Project is a community-led organization addressing food insecurity and promoting investment in our youth and our community.
The Art Project is an arts organization led by artists to help artists develop their artistic superpowers and use their abilities for the good of humanity.
Tell us about your first project that will utilize your Arts in Society Grant
The La Sandia Project is an art project that honors the agricultural heritage of Rocky Ford and the Lower Arkansas Valley, while highlighting the often-overlooked and underappreciated contributions of farmworkers and their families in building these communities.
We are doing this through a series of eight murals and the creation of three sculptures. The murals will tell the stories of farmworkers and their commitment to improving the lives of their families and communities, as seen through their hard work and resilience.
The ideas for the murals came directly from the community through two visioning and design workshops, where community members shared their ideas about what our agricultural heritage means to them.
One mural honors 12 Mexican-American farmworkers who died in a 1957 train-truck collision, when a Santa Fe freight train struck a truck carrying them from Rocky Ford to a beet field. The accident, which occurred at a private crossing, resulted in the deaths of the truck's driver and eleven other workers, including men, women, and children.
The families of those who died have attempted to have them memorialized for over 60 years, and now their story will be told.
We will also be creating the world's largest Watermelon Seed. We originally planned to create the world's largest Watermelon sculpture, but budget limitations made us reimagine the project and really understand its meaning.
That led to the idea of starting from the beginning…a seed that will soon grow into a spectacularly magnificent symbol of Rocky Ford and our region.
To celebrate the kickoff of the project, we hosted the La Sandia Project event on Saturday, July 26th. We closed down Main Street in downtown Rocky Ford and hosted a vendor market with over 55 craft and food vendors, a car show, an awesome kid zone, a block-long art wall, live mural painting by Codice and Birdseed Anthony, and live performances by several local musicians and special guest 2MX2!
As the individual murals and sculptures are completed, we will be hosting “ribbon-cutting” events at each location to celebrate the progress and keep our community engaged!
What’s next in the pipeline for your organization? What other projects are you dreaming up for next year, and how will your Arts in Society grant help to support these efforts?
The buzz is real. Across Rocky Ford and the region, property owners and local governments are raising their hands to offer walls for more art.
Next up, we’re growing the mural network with a new wave of pieces that center farmworker stories, local histories, and the joyful spirit of la sandía.
We will pair each install with hands-on workshops, youth learning, and bilingual storytelling so neighbors can see themselves in the work and help shape it.
We’re also launching “La Sandia Project: El Próximo”. We could not build the world’s largest watermelon sculpture this year, so we are planning a multi-month design to fabrication process to create and unveil it right here in Rocky Ford. Muscatine, Iowa, holds the current record with a 40-foot by 16-foot steel and fiberglass sculpture.
Our goal is to craft a landmark that is both a stunning work of public art and a cultural symbol of the strength and dignity of the people whose hands feed our communities. The sculpture will anchor a harvest season celebration and invite visitors to experience the murals, music, food, and stories that make this place special.
Beyond that, we are dreaming up a youth apprenticeship for mural painting and fabrication, and an artist exchange that connects creators across the Arkansas Valley. We’ll also roll out a public art map, guided walks, and accessible programming in Spanish and English so more people can join in and feel welcome.
“We want Rocky Ford to become THE place in Southeast Colorado to experience the power of art!”
The Arts in Society grant has been our launchpad. It supports early-stage design and community listening, artist and youth stipends, site selection, structural engineering, and permitting pre-work for the sculpture, and the planning needed to keep projects on time and accessible.
It helps us host workshops, document impact, and build the admin backbone that keeps collaborations with property owners and local governments moving smoothly.
Just as important, it gives us leverage for matching funds so we can scale fabrication, installation, and long-term maintenance and keep the momentum going into next year.
What was your experience like when applying for an Art in Society Grant? What tips would you share with artists looking to apply?
Applying felt super streamlined with no hoops and no filler questions. Arts in Society uses a two-step flow that really worked for us. Stage 1 is all about the idea, your creative vision, why it matters now, and who it is for. If they invite you to Stage 2, that is when you share the nuts and bolts, like timeline, partners, access plan, and a full budget. It felt respectful of our bandwidth.
We could lead with the heart of La Sandia Project, then only dive into spreadsheets and fine print once we knew the vision aligned. No sinking hours into a full build if it’s not a fit.
Our tips for applying for an Arts in Society grant:
For Stage 1, keep it human and clear. Say what you want to make, who will be involved, and what shift you hope people feel.
Use strong recent samples, and name partners or communities already on board.
If you’re invited to Stage 2, turn that story into a map with what happens when, who gets paid to do what, how you will make it accessible, how you will know it worked, and a realistic budget that includes in-kind support and fair artist pay.
Start a rough budget template early so you are not scrambling, ask staff questions, and have a friend read for clarity.
Finally, ditch the jargon, and let your vision and voice lead!
Administered by RedLine, Arts in Society (AiS) is a grant program supporting cross-sector work through the arts across Colorado.
