I moved back to the Boulder area about a year ago, after being away for eight years. As a resident of the City of Lafayette and Boulder County, I have been impressed and overwhelmed by the opportunities to progress my art career. I have found avenues to be part of a studio tour (EBCA), help found a new artist-owned cooperative (pARTiculars), participate in fundraising for a non-profit through my art (Art for a Cause) and gain PR coverage of my activities as an artist (Southwest Magazine, Sept 2008 issue).

Given all of this exciting activity, I was pleasantly surprised to see two recent articles in the Boulder Daily Camera covering a national report by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) which named Boulder/Longmont area the #6 Artsy city in the U.S.. You can read the complete article titled, "It's Official: Boulder's Arty" here.

In response to the NEA article, Malia Thompson with the Boulder County Arts Alliance followed up with an editorial about how economically valuable artist are to our community. Not only does art enrich our spirits and expand our minds, but it is also a healthy economic engine. Art events (gallery shows, plays, concerts, galas, etc.) not only benefit the artists involved, but also the community entities (restaurants, hotels, retail businesses, and more) which support guests visiting the shows. Thank you Malia for sharing this insight. I hope it helps us develop a more complete understanding of the important role that the arts play in our society. Read the full editorial titled, "Art Community Needs Local Support" here.

Since moving back to Boulder County, nearly a year ago, I have been looking into the different art groups around. Bellow is a list of some of the groups in Boulder County that I have come across.

I recently joined the East Boulder County Artists (EBCA), a group of 30+ artists from Lafayette, Erie, Louisville, Superior and Longmont. I am trilled to have the opportunity to connect with other local artists. This weekend I will participate in the Holiday Art Show with the group, and come May I'm hoping my basement studio here at the house will be ready for the EBCA studio tour!

Boulder County Arts Alliance is a huge organization with lots of great exhibition and funding opportunities for artists. I just joined that group as well.

• East Boulder County Artists http://www.ebcacolorado.org/
• Boulder County Arts Alliance http://www.bouldercountyarts.org/
• Louisville Art Association http://www.louisvilleart.org/
• Old Firehouse Art Center (Longmont) http://www.firehouseart.org/
• Open Studios (Boulder) http://www.openstudios.org/
• Colorado Academy of Art (Boulder) http://www.coloradoacademyofart.com/

Classical art school with quality community classes and drop-in life drawing sessions.