Scheduling
First Fridays
Our in-house Disruptor Gallery is a DIY venue that provides space for under-represented artists. We aim to provide a platform for the voices of artists of all types. Join us for opening receptions between 5 and 9pm on the first Friday of every month.
Ongoing Workshops
Shutter and Strum offers workshops (both prepaid and with scholarships for youth in need) in various visual arts and music subjects. These include:
Studio Portrait Photography
Film and Darkroom Photography
Art Gallery Curation and Management
Songwriting
Music For Healing and Self-Expression
Studio Recording
“Unshuttered” Youth Photography Project (May-July 2024)
Through free photography workshops, therapy from trauma specialists, and a public art exhibition with various opportunities for community dialogue, Shutter and Strum's "Unshuttered" project will empower young survivors of intergenerational trauma to become agents of change in Colorado Springs. This project is being generously funded by the Arts in Society grant program, administered by RedLine Contemporary Art Center.
New Colorado Springs community arts center focuses on at-risk, underserved youth
“Before Shutter and Strum, Tryon opened Garfield Art Gallery in 2022 in the basement of Community Prep School. The intention was the same — to run a gallery and help at-risk and underserved students at the school through programming. He relocated the equipment from the school to the new arts center and held the last Garfield art exhibit in September.
Tryon and Bacavis offer before- and after-school workshops and experiential learning opportunities in film and darkroom photography, gallery curation and management, songwriting, music performance and more. Schools and other organizations, such as Inside Out Youth Services, which provides support to LGBTQIA2+ youth, have partnered with the arts center. But programming also is available for kids who want to explore the arts on their own. Workshops and classes are offered on a sliding-scale basis or are free through scholarships for those with financial need.
The center will be funded through a GoFundMe, grants, donations, corporate sponsorship and fees from programs and classes.”
Our before-school and after-school programs offer a wide range of artistic pathways, from film and darkroom photography to songwriting and music production.
At Shutter and Strum, we believe that every person deserves the opportunity to explore their creativity, express themselves, and heal through the power of the arts. That's why we have numerous workshops and experiential learning opportunities focused on film/darkroom photography, art gallery curation and management, songwriting, music performance, and music blended with core subjects.
Our before-school and after-school workshops allow a space for youth to practice mindfulness and explore their passions, ultimately inspiring them to pursue their interests in the arts. We've seen firsthand how these experiences can transform lives and we want to continue to make them accessible to as many students as possible.
Our goal is to provide free access to these programs, with a special emphasis on serving at-risk/underserved youth in the Colorado Springs area. We want to offer artistic pathways for all these individuals— providing authentic relationships and mentoring through shared artistic passions, enabling students to overcome various difficulties and generational trauma through personal recovery. We offer safe and non-judgmental spaces that emphasize the visual and music arts as mediums for mindfulness, healing, and empowerment.
“We teach music pathways, art pathways, visual art pathways, how to run businesses and how to communicate with people and artists in the community and do it in a positive manner that’s going to help the students, the community and us grow and flourish.”
— Brian Tryon, Nov. 24, 2023, Interviewed by Nick Raven