Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts

Ignacio, CO

Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts is a community arts organization serving the Indigenous and rural communities of Colorado's San Juan Basin region. Located in Ignacio, Colorado, on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, the center provides visual arts programming, workshops, performances, and cultural celebrations rooted in Native American traditions and contemporary creative practice. Dancing Spirit is a vital gathering place and cultural resource for tribal members, local families, and regional visitors, fostering intergenerational connections through the arts. Dancing Spirit’s projects reflect the organization's commitment to environmental stewardship as an expression of the Indigenous values of reciprocity and care for the natural world that are central to its cultural programming.

A 2023 FCI Implementation Grant funded the purchase and installation of 100 solar panels on the roof of Dancing Spirit’s new 4,000-square-foot community arts center. The new building was designed for maximum capture of solar rays and installation of the panels is expected to provide 100 percent reduction in overall estimated electrical energy costs and 100 percent reduction in GHG emissions related to 65,815 kWh of annual electric power production.

This year, an FCI Catalyst Grant will support the installation of automated blinds throughout the arts center, expected to reduce heating and cooling energy use by up to 25 percent while protecting photosensitive artworks from damaging UV exposure.