Arts For All

Empowering Community Through Creativity

Arts for All: Creativity Without Barriers


Arts for All brings high-quality arts education to youth in our community, regardless of background or budget. Born from the need to fill gaps left by underfunded school programs, this collaboration between The Learning Council and local nonprofits partners with schools and organizations across the Western Slope to offer music, visual arts, dance, and theater with a globally informed, culturally rich perspective.

Arts for All logo in purple, black, and gold with stylized compass and text

What Makes Arts for All Different

Authentic Cultural Representation

Workshops are led by local artists and cultural practitioners from the communities where these art forms originate, ensuring authentic, respectful teaching that honors diverse traditions.

Truly Accessible

All programs operate on our gift model, so financial barriers never keep anyone from participating. Classes welcome people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

Community-Driven

We co-create events with local schools, community centers, and minority-led organizations, celebrating the full spectrum of cultural identities that make our region vibrant.

Impact of Arts for All

Reaching Hundreds of Young Artists

Each year, Arts for All engages over 500 children through multicultural art zones, employing many teaching artists and youth artists who share their skills and cultures with the next generation.


Creating Together

With support from Elevate's Foundation for the Future Grant and in partnership with Embodying Rhythm, we brought music, visual arts, and dance together for our first community album, recorded by over 100 Delta County youth and a testament to the power of creative collaboration.


From Students to Professional Artists

Through the Art in Society Grant, Arts for All and Elsewhere Studios connected youth from Delta, Cedaredge, Hotchkiss, and Paonia with professional muralists. Students learned advanced techniques while creating stunning public murals in Olathe and Paonia. The Olathe mural culminated in a community painting day where residents added their handprints to the border—transforming the artwork into a living symbol of unity that belongs to everyone.

Community Impact: A Legacy of Arts Access

  • From Crisis to Creative Solution

    When the 2016 recession forced Paonia Elementary to cut daily art classes, The Learning Council, Mountain Harvest Creative, and Blue Sage Center for the Arts refused to accept that loss. They joined forces to create Arts for All, ensuring every child has access to high-quality arts education.

  • Nearly a Decade of Reach

    Since 2016, Arts for All has served hundreds of local students through after-school and summer programs in movement, orchestra, circus arts, visual arts, chorus, filmmaking, drama, and mural art. Each year, we engage over 500 children through multicultural art zones, employing teaching artists and youth artists who share their skills and cultures with the next generation.

  • World-Class Artists in Our Classrooms

    Through our partnership with World Music in Paradise, we bring internationally acclaimed performers directly to students during the school day, from Muzekiwa playing African mbira, to the 40-piece Gamelan Balinese Orchestra, to Kardemimmit's Finnish kantele ensemble. Over 4,000 student experiences and counting. We also host master classes where Valley Youth Orchestra students play alongside professional musicians, learning directly from world-class artists.

  • Young Producers in Harmony

    With support from the Elevate Foundation for the Future Grant, Arts for All created Young Producers in Harmony, a program where students explore the complete music production process, from sound engineering and recording to designing cover art and liner notes, resulting in a professional album the students perform and produce themselves. This project brought music, visual arts, and dance together, recorded by over 100 Delta County youth in partnership with Embodying Rhythm.

  • From Students to Professional Artists

    Through the Art in Society Grant, Arts for All and Elsewhere Studios connected youth from Delta, Cedaredge, Hotchkiss, and Paonia with professional muralists. Students learned advanced techniques while creating public murals in Olathe and Paonia. The Olathe mural culminated in a community painting day where residents added their handprints to the border transforming the artwork into a living symbol of unity that belongs to everyone.

Arts For All Staff

Smiling person wearing an orange hard hat, safety glasses, and yellow protective gear outdoors.

Sara Tonin Rodriguez

(she/her/hers), Arts For All Team Leader

Sara Rodriguez is a visual artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Colorado Mesa University, where she focused on community-based arts, sculpture, and metal casting, and minored in Psychology. She also holds an Associate of Arts in Psychology from Colorado Mountain College, along with extensive coursework in Anthropology and Archaeology. Guided by the belief that art has the power to heal, Sara is committed to expanding access to arts education and creative opportunity.