Beginning

"I, who had been silent for over 50 years, began to see how important voice is."

16 years ago, our Founder and Board President, Barbara Reese, was introduced to poetry and it changed her life. She set out to create an organization that would allow others in her community to explore their voices through not just poetry, but also dance, theatre, music, painting, drawing... all of the arts.

As a result, VOICES was founded in 2016 with a deep commitment to creating a community of open hearts. Over the past 8 years, VOICES has established itself as an organization that fiercely advocates for the wellbeing of youth, older adults, women, and immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities. We understand that art is where we can transcend boundaries of cultures, races, traditions, and socioeconomic differences. We believe in our collective power to hold and to expand, to heal and to grow, to be vulnerable and to be strong. Through the projects In School, In Community, and On Stage, we strive to weave together the richness of stories from all walks of life and all corners of the community into our shared cultural tapestry.

Mission

We amplify voices in our community through the arts. 

VOICES is a nonprofit organization in Roaring Fork Valley with the mission of amplifying voices in our community through the arts. We understand that art is where we can transcend boundaries of cultures, races, traditions, and social-economic differences. Through the VOICES’ programs InSchool, InCommunity, and OnStage, participants are empowered to be their authentic selves, feeling heard, and feeling seen.

Who We Serve

VOICES is based in Carbondale, in Garfield County, Colorado. Since its inception in 2016, VOICES has served communities throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. We exist to give a platform of expression for those coming from socially or historically marginalized demographics, including individuals coming from immigrant families, working-class families, aging populations, youth, women, and LGBTQ+ communities. In Carbondale, the Hispanic population is 26%, with 54% of students enrolled in the Roaring Fork Valley School District of Latin descent, and 24% of students economically disadvantaged. Our in school programs offer this demographic equal opportunity to high quality arts education instruction and individual attention.

Our in-school programming addresses primarily the disparity of services offered to students from immigrant backgrounds. Our on-stage programming celebrates the unique and authentic individual stories from our communities through devised theater processes. Our in-community programming highlights storytellers from all walks of life and all corners of the community. All of VOICES’ programs respond to the needs of the community by offering equitable access to art, self expression, and identity exploration. 

In 2023, VOICES served 115 youth between the ages of 10-18 through the InSchool Residencies. VOICES OnStage programs Sage VOICES Project and Nuestras VOCES (Teatro en Español), as well as the InCommunity programs VOICES Radio Hour and VOICES Summertime Stories and Music served a total 102 participants between the ages of 11 to 98 and welcomed 2,763 audience members. Since our inception in 2016, a total of 1350 participants and 10,588 audience members have experienced and witnessed the powerful and transformative work of VOICES’ projects. 

Our Values

INCLUSIVENESS AND ACCESSIBILITY | VOICES redefines the capacity of art in terms of education, self-expression, mental health, and social integration of all races, ages, faiths, sexes, genders, and cultures. All VOICES programs respond to the needs of the community by offering equitable access to art. We believe arts and education changes the personal and academic trajectories of youth as well as foster inclusivity, celebrate diversity, and embrace all layers of humanity. Through the programs InSchool, OnStage, and InCommunity, VOICES builds a strong presence in shaping, nurturing, and transforming the lives of people. We are in a strong position to continue to provide our offerings with the inclusivity our mission exemplifies. We continue to build our board roster strategically with those we serve in mind.

SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGH THE ARTS | VOICES supports Health Equity by redefining the capacity of art in terms of education, self-expression, mental health, and social integration of all races, ages, faiths, sexes, genders, and cultures. It has been well documented that the arts (performance, visual, musical, dance) have positive effects on mental wellness in all ages. A 2022 article in the a National Library of Medicine database explains “Engagement with the arts as a coping mechanism under difficult circumstances was highlighted, particularly in terms of expressing emotions and feelings which are complex and cannot be easily verbalized.” (NLM, 2022) VOICES’ programs aim to address mental wellbeing through the arts offered in a variety of forms and disciplines. The programs impact students from immigrant families, members of the LGBTQ+ community, women, aging populations, and youth, offering the opportunity to find their authentic voice and bring their unique stories to the forefront. 

We believe arts education changes the personal and academic trajectories of students, fostering inclusivity, celebrating diversity, and embracing all layers of humanity. Youth programming includes the perennial Hero’s Journaling Project, Drumming Workshop, Devised Theater, Story Circles, Songwriting and Poetry writing, among others. 

Social Justice is the thread going through all of our programming which is designed to hold space for voices not yet heard, not yet expressed, not yet discovered. VOICES provides a necessary and unique service which integrates our communities’ myriad cultures through deep listening and open hearts. 

CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS | VOICES offerings are fundamentally culturally responsive and our programming seeks to celebrate and integrate the cultural diversity of our collective heritages. We have four anchor programs; Women’s VOICES Project focuses on HerStories from different social and cultural backgrounds; Sage VOICES Project is a powerful fusion of creativity between sage storytellers, ages 76-98 and youth performers between the ages of 11-14; Queer VOICES Project dives in deep with often poignant and challenging personal stories of identity exploration; Nuestras VOCES is an original Spanish-language theater project highlighting stories of immigrant families, students, local artists, and residents from local Mobile Home parks. Through these projects, audience members and the participants discover layers of humanity within themselves