Athena Project

Background Statement

Since 2012, we’ve amplified women’s artistic contributions through programming, intentional partnerships, and advocacy to build community.

Athena Project is Colorado's nonprofit that amplifies the voices of all women and underrepresented genders through the arts by providing them with paid work opportunities, ensuring audiences get to see and hear their artistic work. We advance equity in the arts, one paid artist at a time. Since 2012, we’ve amplified women’s artistic contributions through programming, intentional partnerships, and advocacy to build community.

Supporters like you have made it possible for us to serve 3,063 women artists, develop 132 new plays, produce 14 visual art shows, participate in 161 community collaborations, curate 474 performances, educate 311 summer camp students and reach 401,623 audience members.

Our founding was due to the lack of women playwrights' stories represented on stage. In 2009, only 17% of plays produced on Broadway, off-Broadway, and in regional theatres were written by women (Opening the Curtain on Playwright Gender by Emily G. Sands). This was appalling and we decided to do something about it.

Current programs are:

Curating Art for Impact, a collaboration with or on behalf of community partners, providing unique experiential art such as pop-up performances which elevates and amplifies their missions and pays artists an equitable wage. With #ArtFindsUs, we filled the pandemic-fueled arts void by curating mobile art projects to safely engage Denver residents from a distance. In 2021, the program evolved into artBURSTS which continues breaking down transportation and access barriers, pays and uplifts women artists, and shares the joy a burst of art can bring.

Read & Rant: Virtual - a book club that serves the needs of playwrights from the earliest stages of new play development, providing them with readers and dramaturgical support while providing community members with opportunities to support new work and our newest version, Read & Rant: Local - workshop offerings on how to build a character or analyze a script taking place at a community partner location.

Creative Arts Workshops, dynamic sessions in a variety of artistic disciplines to encourage girls and nonbinary youth as well as women 55+ to tap into their creativity, gain confidence and find their artistic voice. Offerings include Rebel Arts which centers women ages 55+, providing professional guidance & instruction in various artistic disciplines, including visual art, storytelling & movement; G.R.R.L.S Create (Grow, Rise, Rebel, Lead, Shine) centers theatre, creative writing, fashion, poetry, and comedic disciplines, giving middle school girls and nonbinary youth a chance to nurture empathy for themselves and others while gaining mental health and mindfulness tools for resilience; and Artfully Minded workshops, unleashing creativity for youth 12-18 yrs to practice empathy for self and others through creative learning. Workshops are free or low cost and offered in the following performing art forms: spoken word, poetry, music, playwriting, acting/monologues, stand-up, and dance.

Comics Sound Off is a monthly community group of comedians, led by Janae Burris, that meets virtually to learn from each other, receive training to grow and celebrate our voices in comedy. We’re creating a space where women, girls, and underrepresented genders can connect and feel truly supported.

Moms Who Rock is a first-of-its-kind open mic afternoon built for musician moms to perform a short set in a public space while we provide childcare, plus drinks, nibbles, and laughs. We recently hosted an event with 6 musicians plus 8 comedians who performed in the interim between sets.

We also host year-round social media campaigns to create awareness around topics impacting us all while uplifting the work of artists. We spark creative community conversations within the following digital campaigns: #ArtHeals, #ArtsPayEquity, #ReproductiveJustice, and #WomenCrushWednesday.

Past Community Partners across Denver Metro include: SCFD, Bonfils Stanton Foundation, The Women's Foundation of Colorado, TEDXMile High, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, MSU's Center for Visual Arts, Aurora Fox Arts Center, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Samba Colorado, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Colorado Ballet, Arts Students League of Denver, DU's Trauma Disaster & Recovery Clinic (TDRC), Focus Points Family Resource Center, Women's Bean Project 40 West Arts District, History Colorado, Print Pointe, Center for Colorado Women's History, American Heart Association, Walker Fine Arts Gallery, Union Hall, Westwood Community Partners, Lifespan Local, City of Northglenn, Anythink Libraries, and Cherry Creek North. And counting!

Whether serving youth, curating community performances, partnering with playwrights, or dancing in the streets, our programs are united by our mission. Athena Project exists as a platform to amplify women and underrepresented genders in the arts and shine a spotlight on the artistic contributions from women of color. Our work requires us to listen humbly, dig in and get uncomfortable, speak out against injustice, and own our mistakes, always working towards understanding and empathy, and valuing the voices of women and underrepresented genders at all stages in their artistic development.

*Athena Project recognizes that gender and identity are part of a spectrum and can be complex topics. We welcome dialogue and questions. We also wish to create a safer space for the expression and growth of all women, nonbinary, trans, intersex, genderfluid people, and people who are also members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

Athena Project is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Our organization was founded to address systemic inequities long existing in the arts world. With humility, intention, and action we work to uplift and nurture women artists and create opportunities for them to showcase their work in our community. We are committed to action on behalf of our communities of color and will create space for all artists to empathize with each other, build relationships and share resources. We are also committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all artists, community partners, volunteers, independent contractors, audiences and vendors.