The arts shine year round in the Pikes Peak region, but they take on a particularly golden gleam come October.

That’s due to Arts Month, an annual tradition here and across the U.S. that celebrates the arts and invites the community to attend and support arts and culture events and groups throughout El Paso and Teller counties. The celebration was founded in 1993 by Americans for the Arts, a national nonprofit that works to promote arts and culture. The Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region established the first local Arts Month in 2014.

This year’s 12th annual fete offers more than 200 events at more than 100 venues. Go online to artsoctober.com to find a full list of Arts Month events and more.

“We want to shine a spotlight on the arts,” said COPPeR Executive Director Angela Seals. “We should appreciate it and value what it brings and support it economically.”

The Arts & Economic Prosperity 6, an economic and social impact study done every five years by Americans for the Arts, found the nonprofit arts and culture sector in the Pikes Peak region generated more than $184 million in economic activity in 2022. The spending supported almost 2,900 jobs, generated almost $90 million in household income for local residents, and provided more than $29 million in tax revenues to local, state and federal governments.

“It’s been easy in arts advocacy to fall back on an economic number. What is valuable is that we increasingly talk about the social impact of the arts as part of mental health and wellness, community cohesion and intergenerational relationships,” Seals said. “These are also things that are critical that come from the arts, as well as economic impact, tourism impact and educational richness.”

In the midst of Arts Month, COPPeR also is moving to a new location. After 19 years in its downtown spot in the Plaza of the Rockies, the nonprofit will relocate to 287 E. Fountain Blvd., south of downtown. The three full-time and two part-time staff members will go from a 940-square-foot space to 2,200 square feet, which includes a community room.

A celebration and ribbon-cutting is Oct. 15.

“I compare us to a plant that’s root bound in its pot,” Seals said, “and didn’t have the space to be nimble to add new services or host the community in the way we’ve become passionate about.”

New this year for Arts Month is The Passport, a downloadable list of more than 50 local creative spots, such as venues, galleries and public art locations, where people can check in, participate in arts and culture-focused activities, collect digital stamps and earn prizes.

COPPeR collaborated with Visit Colorado Springs to list partners affiliated with the visitor center, including American Numismatic Association, Auric Gallery, Bear Creek Nature Center, Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, Cripple Creek Heritage Center, ICONS, La Burla Bee, National Museum of WWII Aviation and Rocky Mountain Motorcycle Museum.

The Passport can also be found online at artsoctober.com.

It’s important people remember that their participation in the arts matters, Seals says, and if we want to continue having more than 500 arts groups in the region the public needs to support them.

“That’s a bit of gravity but it’s true,” she said. “We vote with our feet and dollars. A lot of our arts community is very independent and not being bankrolled by any federal agency. These are small businesses and individual nonprofits creating jobs and impact and goodness, so let’s keep them open and growing and thriving by showing up in Arts Month and all year long.”