By Janet Sellers
Our Art Hop in Monument and the cultural Chautauqua in Palmer Lake this summer welcomed happy visitors from nearby and across the globe. These have become favorite local summer festivals, introducing local art and artists to an ever-widening public. Art welcomes all ages and people. It’s a cultural driving force for community and a magnet for interaction and creating relationships. It’s fun to see, fun to make, and a great pleasure to own.
Per Americans for the Arts: “Communities in which residents socialize with and trust each other have higher livability scores than communities with lower social trust, and the arts are a driver in building that trust. In addition, cultural participation leads to wider community participation and to increased volunteerism and increased tolerance—all of which are key to civic engagement. It also increases involvement in local issues and projects that promote community health.”
Live, creative experiences promote well-being. We have a need for creative times and connections. Daily, we are overwhelmed with deep fake AI, but genuine interaction is refreshing. We all use the search engines routinely and try to escape the advertising robo-calls. Still, I wondered if bots pose creative ideas. I put a question to the online robot about art events and it wrote, “Art events often serve as vibrant hubs for social interaction and community-building. Art has a unique way of breaking down barriers and creating shared experiences that help build a sense of community.” Not bad, but very bland, proving my point on vitality. I wondered if the bots could write poetry or songs and got hilarious rhymes: “In oil and acrylic, secrets softly seep, From shadows deep to light that dares to leap, In corners of the world, they hang, colors dance on canvas, hues and shades twang. …” Indeed, nothing compares to original poesy in the arts by creative people made for others to buy, enjoy, and cherish.
Our local community events will continue the rest of the year, but the last Art Hop is Friday, Sept. 27. Bring your friends and your enthusiasm and buy some real art from real artists for yourself, your workplace, or the upcoming gift season, too. Let the significance of originality and creative thinking inform your choices, and let the joy of looking be a continuing pleasure for years to come. Art is one of the things we have that can increase in value, always in heartfelt and personal memories, and sometimes as investments.
Janet Sellers is an artist, writer and speaker, with talks on art making, collecting, and creative strategies for artists, exhibits, and funding. Contact her for more: JanetSellers@ocn.me.
Jefferson Studios founder Daryl Muncey greeted art lovers at the August Art Hop. (32 sec)
August’s featured Art Hop artist, Tom Ulmer, displayed his nature photographs at Bella Art and Frame (28 sec)
Faery Grove offered face painting, hair tinsel and other activities during the August Art Hop. (41 sec)
Other Art Matters articles
- Art Matters – Is our education keeping up with visual literacy? (2/4/2026)
- Art Matters – How Gen Z influences our cultural and financial future (12/31/2025)
- Art Matters – Art curation: We all do it, even with holiday trees and gift wrapping (12/4/2025)
- Art Matters – Art shapes our world—and shifts our gaze (10/30/2025)
- Art Matters – October is Arts Month: Artober with Monumental Impact (10/1/2025)
- Art Matters – What is art good for? (9/3/2025)
- Art Matters – We Can’t Unchop a Tree (7/31/2025)
- Art Matters – The many benefits of outdoor art and arts events (7/3/2025)
- Art Matters – On being a sketchy person in the art and cultural sector (6/7/2025)
- Art Matters – May Art Hop and art on the street (5/3/2025)