Civic Engagement in the Arts

From founding the world's first Civic Health Club, to advancing Colorado’s creative economy, and furthering equity in public media - these leaders in the Arts have strong track records of transformative action. Evan Weissman, Meredith Badler, and Rossana Longo-Better will share a conversation on how to apply the principles of civic engagement, through a very creative lens, to address some of the most pressing local and regional  issues of our time.

This Boulder Arts Week come on out and connect with artists and patrons, learn some new skills and feel empowered to affect real change. We’ll see you at Mi Chantli!

To learn more about this topic prior to the event, the resources linked below share current research on the relationship between the arts and civic engagement.

• Americans for the Arts “What is Civic Engagement?”
• Boulder Arts Commission “Community Cultural Plan: Advance Civic Dialogue, Awareness, and Participation”
• National Endowment for the Arts “The Arts and Civic Engagement: Involved in Arts, Involved in Life”
• National Civic League “Civic Engagement and Inclusion Through Art”

When: Monday, April 08 (5:00 PM - 7:30 PM)

*Doors at 5, show at 5:30.

Where: Mi Chantli - Art and Movement Sanctuary (1750 30th St, Boulder)

$5 suggested donation. Pre-registrations encouraged.

Light refreshments will be provided. This event is sponsored by the Boulder Arts Commission!

Meredith Badler has been at Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA) since July 2013 and enjoys making a positive impact in Colorado through creativity and community partnerships every single day. As the Deputy Director, Meredith oversees all of CBCA’s programs and events, including the signature Leadership Arts program, annual statewide Business for the Arts Awards and biennial Economic Activity Study of Metro Denver Culture. During her tenure at CBCA, Meredith launched Colorado Attorneys for the Arts, Arts & Industry Forums, Advancing Creatives and the Advancing Creatives Intensive. Meredith also stewards CBCA’s grassroots and direct advocacy for the arts and creative industries on behalf of Colorado at the state and federal level. She is regularly asked to present on why art is smart for business, advocacy for the arts, and the value of our creative economy.

Prior to CBCA, Meredith worked as a strategy consultant for the nonprofit and public sector at Corona Insights, facilitating board retreats and supporting strategic planning processes. She worked in patron services for Curious Theatre Company for several years and volunteered at Levitt Pavilion Denver. She received a B.A. with honors in Comparative Literature and French Studies from Smith College. She was part of the Colorado Creative Industries Change Leader Institute in fall 2017. Today, Meredith serves on the Board of Directors for Art Students League of Denver and the Advisory Board for the Golda Meir House Museum on Auraria Campus. She is also Co-Chair of the Capacity Building Committee for the national Creative States Coalition. Meredith serves as President of the Smith College Alumnae Club of Colorado. She has a background in theatre and still performs short and long-form improv comedy.

Evan Weissman is the founding executive director of Warm Cookies of the Revolution, a Civic Health Club that blends innovative arts and culture with crucial civic issues. Prior to founding Warm Cookies of the Revolution, he spent 12 years as a company member of the collaborative Buntport Theater Company, who the Denver Post called “Monty Python’s anarchist grandchildren”, winning over 100 awards as playwright, director, designer, and actor. Warm Cookies of the Revolution have created over 250 unique arts-based civic programs, including the nationally recognized multi-year Participatory Budgeting project called “THIS MACHINE HAS A SOUL”. Evan was recently selected as a 2019 Roddenberry Fellow for innovative activism as well as a 2019 Livingston Fellow from Bonfils-Stanton Foundation. He was awarded the 2019 Colorado Governor’s Award for Creative Leadership and the 2018 Parr Widener Civic Leadership Award from the Denver Foundation. Evan was also named one of “15 Disrupters Changing Denver” by 5280 magazine. Evan was Denver Commissioner for Cultural Affairs in 2017 and Creative in Residence at the Denver Art Museum in 2015. Most recently, Evan was appointed as a US Ambassador for the Royal Society for Arts, based in London. Evan teaches courses on the foundations of nonviolence at Colorado College. He was a Kellogg Foundation Leadership for Community Change Fellow with Mi Casa Resource Center for Women, as well as board member of Rose Community Foundation’s Roots and Branches Foundation for emerging Jewish leaders. Evan was the founding organizer of Colorado Bend The Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Social and Economic Justice. In 2002, he was a Jane Addams-Andrew Carnegie Graduate Fellow for Leadership and Philanthropic Studies at Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy. He graduated with Honors from Colorado College with a BA in Political Science. Evan lives in Denver with his wife Kristin and their kids Ezra Huck and Tavi Scout.

Rossana Longo-Better is a bilingual journalist and communicator with a passionate focus on social justice, equity, and community engagement. She is currently the bilingual newsletter editor for Commerce City at the Colorado Community Media that aims to bridge the language gap, empower diverse voices and create a shared narrative. 

Rossana Longo-Better worked from March 2023 until October 2023 as the community engagement coordinator for the Colorado News Collaborative, a local media resource hub and ideas lab that strengthens high-quality local journalism. During this time, Rossana was instrumental in designing and implementing a pilot program, to support young journalists during their summer internships in local newsrooms. Since 2022, Rossana has contributed to monthly reports as the climate change correspondent for Radio Bilingue.

Rossana worked as the bilingual equity reporter for KGNU Community Radio from 2018 - 2023, where she hosted a show for Spanish-speaker audiences, Pasa La Voz. At KGNU, Rossana also led the production of the investigative Trends Podcast as a complement to the Trends Magazine. The podcast covered issues affecting marginalized populations, such as low-income housing, disabilities, elder isolation, lack of diversity, the gender pay gap, and soil restoration. Today, Rossana continues to volunteer with KGNU through the Storytellers of Color, and the Connections Call-in Show.

As a multiethnic immigrant woman from Ecuador with dual citizenship, Rossana provides information with - and for - underrepresented populations in her community and promotes equity in media. Rossana graduated in 2018 with a Master's in Media and Public Engagement from the CU Boulder College of Media, Communication, and Information. She was featured in 2022 as part of the 10 Journalist Heroes of Colorado. If you would like to connect with Rossana, you can contact her via email at rossanabetter@gmail.com or by phone at 720-838-9087.