Last fall, our Colorado board member Nicole Reese attended a workshop in Greeley, CO to learn about Bohemian Foundation’s new Muse grant program. Taking diligent notes about the application criteria and process, she called me right after the session finished.
“We’ve got to apply for this. It’s a perfect fit, we’ve always wanted to do a project in Fort Collins, and I’ve worked with so many of the public lands in this area. I know we can make this work.” Her enthusiasm was contagious as she described the opportunity, rarely pausing to take a breath. We immediately set to work on the application.
Muse is a responsive, competitive grant program offered by Bohemian Foundation’s Music Programs. Bohemian Foundation is based in Fort Collins, CO as a private family foundation that supports local, national and global efforts to build strong communities. Muse supports music-related organizations and activities in Northern Colorado in order to strengthen community through music.
In our Muse application, we proposed a new Songscape based within the grant’s scope of work of Weld and Larimer Counties. Here, the public land options are pretty incredible- National Forests, National Grasslands, and State Parks as well as county and city open spaces. We will be partnering with one of these public lands in Northern Colorado to host a locally based band for a Songscape. They’ll spend a week outdoors, learning about the ecology and history, all while soaking up sunshine and enjoying the landscape. From the band’s experiences, they’ll draw inspiration to write a new song. We will shoot a music video and release the video and song at a live concert. We’re also planning to partner with local businesses and organizations- recording studios, Biodiesel for Bands, the Music District, and Cloverlick Banjos to name a few.
Soapstone Prairie
This Songscape will help raise awareness and appreciation for not only a beautiful public land area, but also for the music industry in Northern Colorado. We create new audiences for public lands and bands through the Songscape program, and we’re incredibly excited to do so in this region. I (Betsy, co-founder) attended Colorado State University in Fort Collins and fell in love with the mountains and plains there. Giving back to a landscape and community that means so much to Nicole and me will be a real privilege.
This Songscape is made possible due to a generous grant from Bohemian Foundation’s Muse program. We are very grateful! Join our Newsletter to stay up-to-date as this Songscape develops. We're also looking for sponsors to help us reach our last bit of funding still needed.