Art District’s Kiah Butcher has Started by Listening
Colorado native Kiah Butcher is thrilled to be taking her passions into her “hometown,” just a bike ride away, as the new programs manager for the River North Art District.
The 36-year-old Butcher has a lot to show for herself since studying film at the University of Colorado Denver. She joins the district after seven years at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, where she organized exhibitions and cultivated community engagement.
Alye Sharp, executive director of programs and partnerships for the district, commented in a press release that Butcher’s experience in the Colorado arts community will prove a valuable addition as the organization dials in its strategic plan, which includes more local engagement and curating flagship exhibitions.
What does Butcher have in mind for this position, just a little over a month in?
“An area is only as strong as its community,” she said. “These first weeks I have prioritized walking the neighborhood and talking face to face with business owners and residents to develop those important relationships you need to create relevant programming. Social media and email only get you so far.”
Butcher added that she sees herself as a civil servant and believes that her new role providing accessibility to the arts begins by listening with intention and openness.
“I want to enhance the unity between the businesses, residents and the art,” she said, citing the summer art markets in the RiNo Art Park as a great example of inclusiveness and affordability.
“RiNo demonstrates creativity in so many ways, not only through art, but through the food, music, unique businesses and even the people,” Butcher said.
Butcher, a video artist and filmmaker, has exhibited work at Lane Meyer Projects, Bell Projects, the Dairy Arts Center and BRDG Project. When asked how being an artist herself informs this position, Butcher shared that she has experienced the struggles of working in a genre that is less definable in typical art circles.
“My particular form of filmmaking has been considered rare. There is not one definition to what I do,” she said. Butcher described her works as “theater film,” straddling the boundary between film and fine art.
“Film festivals didn’t know how to categorize me, and that minimized my exhibition opportunities,” she added.
Butcher said she keeps that challenging experience in mind as she develops programming to embrace art and artists that are harder to define, and programs to make the district a place for everyone.
Living nearby, Butcher is aware of how much the area has changed in recent years.
“We can encourage mindfulness and diversity of programming while taking into consideration the area’s history and looking forward at the same time,” she said. “I hope to develop a strong, sustainable program honoring both the historic and the new.”
While growth has helped to expand the arts in RiNo, the pace has been rapid. RiNo Art District has become a destination for many out-of-towners, yet development has displaced some original residents.
“By developing partnerships with all of these entities, residents, businesses and artists,” she said, “we will continue to solidify a strong program.”
Butcher pointed to No Vacancy as an example of the type of programming she hopes to provide. According to the project’s Instagram account, No Vacancy – in its third year – offers artist residencies that utilize empty warehouses slated for demolition. The program supports artists by providing them with funding and temporary physical space where they can create and show their work.
“The murals in RiNo are not only a great source of engagement and discussion, but also provide established jumping off points for even more and different types of public art,” Butcher said. “The murals can be a catalyst for new related projects, encouraging that ‘foot traffic’ that is desired from the district’s strategic plan.”
Learn more at rinoartdistrict.org.
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