Seed Studio received LTAC funding for space rentals, materials, programming, artist stipends, and student scholarships for a myriad of community programs focused on education, exhibition, and events. This included after-school programming, the Artist’s Pathway for Teens, and the Durango Docents, which aimed to bring high-quality art education directly to schools and community spaces, increasing access to creative experiences.
Since 2012, Seed Studio has been a cornerstone of Durango’s creative economy, engaging over 1,000 participants in workshops, camps, and public art projects that enhance the town’s cultural vibrancy. This programming fostered Seed Studio’s mission of planting seeds of mindfulness, creativity, and self-expression through art for our community. Thanks to families embracing the programs that foster artistic expression and partnerships with other non-profits whose aligned missions, Seed continues to sustain a thriving arts community that attracts and is accessible to residents and visitors.
Seed Studio is dedicated to breaking down barriers to art education, particularly for underserved youth and families. By bringing school programs directly to 9R campuses, Seed eliminates transportation challenges faced by many students, including those from low-income or single-parent households. Additionally, their scholarship program, which has supported over 150 families to date, will expand to reach an additional 50 students this fall, ensuring no one is excluded due to financial hardship.
Artist’s pathway for teens
After school programs
Seed Studio launched its after-school programs on 9R campuses in August 2025, running two 8–10-week sessions for the fall. Each session served up to 50 students, with teaching artists visiting local schools, bringing the materials and instruction for creative projects modeled after Seed Studio's curriculum. These sessions also featured collaborative art installations, enhancing school environments with student-created pieces.
The Artist’s Pathway for Teens, a program for high schoolers considering a career in art, provided young artists a platform to showcase work in a professional gallery, with proceeds benefiting both the artists and a local cause. The program ran from March to June of 2025 and supported the community's teens from Animas High, Durango High, and online high schools. High school students applied to participate, which influenced the curriculum in terms of what they wanted to get out of the program. They met local artists and gallery manager Bekah Kolbe, who invited students to ask questions, solicit feedback on their art, and investigate what a career in art may look like. These interactions, promoting the event, creating a notable addition to their portfolio, tapping into the business aspects, and spending a summer among their peers, allowed them to investigate the potential of pursuing art as a career after graduation. The free community show was a wonderful success, with 10% of the art sales from the gallery show going to Annie's Orphans, and the exhibit opening had around 75+ attendees.
The durango docents
The Durango Docents are a new arm of Seed, although they have been in Durango for decades. The Docents ensured that students had the materials and curriculum they needed to explore different artistic styles and techniques. The Docent Program will operate throughout the school year, presenting art education and hands-on projects free of charge to K-12 public, charter, and other community enrichment organizations. In 2023, 941 students benefited from their visits to eight campuses from Mancos to Durango. Seed recognizes and appreciates the amazing work they do volunteering to bring art education into our schools and community centers. 482 students benefited from the Docents' 2024 presentations.
about seed studio
