RedLine is a proud partner and administrator of the 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.
We’re excited continue this series with the 2025 Arts in Society Grantee: "Focus on the Creek" project with Concrete Couch!
Learn more about Concrete Couch and how they help bring people together in Colorado Springs to learn new skills, make art, improve shared spaces, and connect!
Tell us about your organization
At Concrete Couch, we believe in the power of hands-on learning, creativity, and community.
Since 2004, we’ve been bringing people together in Colorado Springs to learn new skills, make art, improve our shared spaces, and connect with one another in meaningful ways.
Our home base, Concrete Coyote, is a 7-acre community park and education center located between the Mill Street, Meadows Park, and Hillside neighborhoods; areas that have historically had fewer resources and opportunities.
We’ve worked with folks in these neighborhoods for years, teaming up with schools, organizations, and neighbors to co-create spaces that reflect the community.
But our reach goes beyond just the surrounding neighborhoods. Concrete Coyote is a place where people from across the Pikes Peak region come together.
Our programs bring in youth and families from all backgrounds, including students from Title 1 and alternative schools, adjudicated youth, people with disabilities, outdoor recreationalists, military families, older adults, and everyone in between.
At our core, Concrete Couch is about connection between people, skills, nature, and positive experiences.
Tell us about your first project that will utilize your Arts in Society Grant:
Our Arts in Society grant project, Focus on the Creek, is all about bringing attention to the stretch of Lower Shooks Run Creek that runs through Concrete Coyote. We’re working with local artists, youth, families, and community partners to clean up the area, make it more welcoming and accessible, and turn it into a vibrant space filled with art, nature, and connection.
One big highlight is the transformation of the old stone bridge tunnel with a “patchwork” mural. 20 panels created by different artists of all ages, each telling a story about local history, ecology, and identity.
Alongside that, we’re partnering with groups like Medicine Wheel Trail Advocates, Fountain Creek Watershed District, and Rocky Mountain Field Institute to lead hands-on creek restoration and clean-up days with youth and volunteers.
Monthly installments of our well-loved Citizen Science classes as well—as our weekly programs, the Environmental Restoration Program and Voluntopia—give participants a chance to test water quality, plant native species, build trail signs, and be part of the ongoing maintenance, rehabilitation and understanding of our section of Shooks Run Creek.
We’re also hosting a nature and art themed summer camp for 35 local kids, providing a fun and meaningful way to connect with the creek.
Focus on the Creek isn’t just about beautifying a space, it’s about bringing people together, building a deeper connection to the land, and putting a spotlight on a vital uncompleted section of the city’s Legacy Loop trail.
Our partners—including Draper Commons, Food to Power, Inside Out Youth Services, John Adams Elementary, Community Prep School, and many others—are helping make this project as community-connected and impactful as possible.
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?
Concrete Coyote Community Park just keeps getting better with time. We’re continuing to grow the space with new shade trees, community-made sculptures, outdoor classrooms, and walking and biking trails. But the real magic is in the people; more neighbors joining in, more unforgettable events, and more connections forming every day.
Concrete Coyote is a little bit of everything. It’s an outdoor venue for music and performances, a hands-on education center, a clay, wood, and welding studio, a job training site, a nature playground, and a public art park all rolled into one.
With support from the Arts in Society Colorado arts grant, we’re turning our focus to one of the most important parts of the site: Shooks Run Creek. By cleaning up the creek, helping establish the trail, and creating space for art and wonder, we’re opening the door for even more people to experience and enjoy this special place.
What was your experience like when applying for an Arts in Society grant? What tips would you share with artists looking to apply?
As an organization, we have applied to the Arts in Society grant many times! This year we changed our approach - focusing our project parameters to be smaller and more clear, which made all the difference.
We would recommend to keep doing the good work, keep applying, and if you’re doing it all, narrow your application down to be a little more bite-sized.
Arts in Society 2024 Grantee Highlight: Tri Town Arts
Learn more about Tri Towns Arts and how they bring art experiences to youth on the plains to deepen connections within rural communities.
Administered by RedLine, Arts in Society (AiS) is a grant program supporting cross-sector work through the arts across Colorado.
