DENVER — With the arrival of the pandemic, 2020 was one of the most difficult years for many people when it comes to finances. Many could not be as generous in donating to causes they cared about.
Tuesday is Colorado Gives Day, and nonprofit Museo de las Americas is hoping to raise funds to help cover things like fees for school trips to the museum and art programs for the public.
Some of the programs the museum offers include pop-up exhibitions, lectures that come with exhibits, panels and hands-on workshops.
"All of those are art programs, and those cost around $500, so a donation can help us bring a whole program to the public," museum spokesperson Cristina del Hoyo said.
The museum also offers tours and workshops for the kids, summer camps and leadership labs.
Del Hoyo said a lot of school groups come to Museo de las Americas for tours, and the kids are curious and excited to see so much culture.
"To see something that represents Latin American art and is celebrated and it's in museum walls, I think that's very special for the kiddos," she said.
Their goal is to raise $12,500. That funding will also allow them to continue to bring art exhibitions that feature Latinx and Chicanx art and culture to the Mile High City.
Colorado Gives Day is Museo's biggest fundraising campaign of the year, according to a press release.
Museo has served the Denver community for 29 years through award-winning exhibitions, education programming, and special events. It is located in the heart of the Art District at 861 Santa Fe Drive in Denver.
The museum presents three to five exhibitions in the main gallery each year which highlight the unique cultures and experiences of Latin Americans all around the globe. One of their current exhibits, "Smoking Mirrors," examines gentrification, identity and resistance. It runs until Feb. 26.
"It's such a powerful exhibit that talks about resilience," del Hoyo said. "We've had so much interest with so many people coming through Museo to see that exhibit, and we've got amazing feedback."
Donations ranging from $25 to $500 can cover the following things:
- $25 covers a tour guide fee for a school tour
- $75 covers one school tour
- $125 covers one school workshop
- $250 provides a scholarship for one summer camp student
- $500 covers one art program for the public
Colorado Gives Day is powered by ColoradoGives.org – a year-round website featuring more than 3,000 nonprofits. The program encourages people to "give where you live" and allows people to choose nonprofits that appeal to their passions.
This year, Colorado Gives Day has a $1.6-million incentive fund provided by the Community First Foundation, FirstBank and other community members.
The fund is proportionally allocated to each nonprofit that receives donations. So if one nonprofit receives one-tenth of the total giving on Colorado Gives Day, it would get one-tenth of the incentive fund, meaning every nonprofit that receives a gift on Colorado Gives Day gets an added boost.
