Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission

🎉 Congratulations to the Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission Business Award winner and nominees!

This year, we’re celebrating three Wheat Ridge businesses that help make our community a more creative, connected, and culturally vibrant place - and recognizing them with beautiful, locally crafted trophies by Wheat Ridge artist Dan McEwan!

🏆 Winner: Little Brazil
Through months of outside construction and even a fire inside their restaurant, Little Brazil has remained a welcoming presence in Wheat Ridge. They continue to share Brazilian food, culture, music, and traditions with our community, creating a place where neighbors can gather and experience something new together. Their resilience and commitment to our community embody the spirit of this award.

✨ Nominee: Ritualcravt® denver + online 🧿
Where art and magic collide, RitualCravt brings a unique perspective to Wheat Ridge’s cultural landscape. Through classes, community events, local artists, and programs like ARISE, they create opportunities for people to connect, learn, and explore different traditions and creative practices.

✨Nominee: Singularity Tattoo Studio
Under Ian’s leadership, Singularity Tattoo has grown into a hub for Wheat Ridge’s creative community. Through First Friday events and artist meetups, they provide a space for local creatives to gather, share ideas, and support one another - helping strengthen the grassroots arts community in Wheat Ridge.

We’re grateful to Little Brazil, RitualCravt, and Singularity Tattoo for all they contribute to our city!
📸 Pictured:
• Little Brazil with Commissioner Kathy Plummer
• RitualCravt with Commissioner Chair Celia Daly
• Singularity Tattoo with Commissioner Chair Celia Daly and Commissioner Toni Medina

✨ Grant Awardee Spotlight! ✨

We’re so excited to celebrate Anteak Booteek, a recipient of a Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission grant!

At Anteak Booteek, creativity was everywhere as participants brought old clothing back to life with vintage buttons, patches, silk, embroidery, and plenty of imagination. 🧵✨

With delicious treats from Wolf + Wildflower and party favors from the Cultural Commission, it was an afternoon full of creativity, connection, and community.

We love seeing Cultural Commission grant funding support opportunities that bring people together and inspire art in Wheat Ridge. 💛

✨STUDIO SPOTLIGHT✨

Each month, the Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission features a local artist in the Wheat Ridge Parks & Recreation display case.

Eyecatchers—one of a kind, one at a time.

Karen Wray photographs nature in her own backyard and beyond, capturing dragonflies, butterflies, birds, turtles, frogs, and more. Her camera is a way for her to intimately commune with nature, and she especially enjoys close-ups.

Karen lives and works from her home in Wheat Ridge. The natural world feeds her soul, and she loves being outside enjoying all the great open spaces nearby.

She has lots of cards and mounted photos from the past 10 years. Making art has inspired her for her entire life, and she looks forward to sharing her work.

See Karen’s art in the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center lobby display case. Stay tuned for future artists!

It was great to see friends and celebrate the 57th annual Carnation Festival this weekend at the Mayor’s Reception on The Green. See you all from the top of the Ferris wheel!!

🐰📖 Grantee Spotlight: Reading with the Rabbits

One of the programs we’re proud to support through our Community Grant Program is Atomic Theatre’s Reading with the Rabbits — and it’s been a fantastic year so far!

With help from a Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission grant, Atomic Theatre has used Reading with the Rabbits story hours to create real performance opportunities for teen actors while bringing the magic of storytelling to our community. The results speak for themselves: 40+ audience members on average each month, plus new partnerships with the Wheat Ridge History and Sweet Ridge Studios

This is exactly the kind of community impact our grant program is designed to spark 🎉

Here’s what’s next for Reading with the Rabbits:

✨ Story Hours return in September! Free story hours and teen workshops happen the second Saturday of September, October, and November. Bring a colored coloring sheet to the September story hour for a prize (link in bio).

🎄 Catch them at the Tree Lighting Festival in December.

🎭 Teens looking for a creative outlet? Atomic Theatre also hosts FREE Atomic Teen Meetups the first Saturday of each month — an open space for teens to collaborate on acting, music, comedy, sketch writing, and more.

Check out Reading with the Rabbits this fall and see your Community Grant Program at work! 🐇✨

Enjoying a beautiful evening at concert on the green! Listening to West of Fennario, giving out chalk, and connecting with community! 🎶🎨✨

🌈 Tomorrow is the deadline! 🌈
Do you have a unique idea for an art or cultural activity that will inspire your community? Apply for the Cultural Commission’s Community Grant and you could receive up to $500 to fund your project!
📅 May 24 - June 28, 2026; apply here: https://forms.gle/AGRkwhq1e8dSYw5c7
Let’s make art more accessible, creative, and enriching for everyone. Apply today!

🏆Call for Artists!

This is what recognition looks like in Wheat Ridge. These stunning sculptures were created by a local artist for our 2025 Business Partner Awards — and we’re looking for an artist to design the 2026 versions. 

✨ This is a paid commission opportunity open to sculptors, metalworkers, mixed media artists, welders, and more. 

🎨 Three pieces total: 1 winner, 2 finalists. All pieces must be delivered by September 15 — awards are presented September 24. 

Get more info and apply at the link in bio! Deadline: July 7 🗓️

✨STUDIO SPOTLIGHT✨

Each month, the Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission features a local artist in the Wheat Ridge Parks & Recreation display case.

A thriving and inclusive pottery community offering classes, memberships, and a passion for clay.

Glazed is committed to its mission of creating community through clay. Started in Garnet’s garage in 2021 the studio has been growing and changing ever since. At Glazed they work to keep ceramics accessible, inclusive, and fun. Please join their clay revolution as they reimagine how clay can help our community and you become happier, healthier, and more connected.

Please enjoy and look up the many wonderful instructors at Glazed who are featured here.

More Info:
Instagram: Glazed Ceramics Studio
Website: GlazedCeramicsStudio.com

See Glazed art in the Wheat Ridge Recreation Center lobby display case. Stay tuned for future artists!

Are you ready to make a difference through art? We’re offering grant funding for art and cultural enrichment activities in your community. Whether it's an art workshop, installation, or performance, we want to help you succeed.
🗓️ Application period: May 24 - June 28, 2026; apply here:

WHEAT RIDGE CULTURAL COMMISSION 2026 Grant Funding Application (June - September 2026) Have questions? Join the How to Apply Seminar on May 31 at 7pm. RSVP here. The Wheat Ridge Cultural Commission is committed to supporting community-initiated events, activities, projects and other enrichment opportunities that promote the arts and culture that enhance the lives of Wheat Ridge reside...