Sangre de Cristo Arts & Conference Center Arts Center Partners with D60 for Free Family Access

Arts Center partners with D60 for free family access

(Pueblo, Colo. – Oct. 10, 2023) 

A partnership with Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center will allow all Pueblo District 60 students and their families the opportunity to obtain family memberships to the Arts Center and its Buell Children’s Museum, free of charge. 

Through this partnership, the Arts Center aims to provide students and their families with the resources to experience its museums and gallery spaces without financial constraints. By utilizing their free family memberships, families will have access to free admission to the museums, the museums’ hands-on activities, discounts on classes and programs, discounts in the gift shops and more. (For instance, children can make arts and crafts in the Buell’s Artrageous Studio.)

District 60 families can now redeem their household’s family membership, and memberships, which will be valid through Dec. 31, 2024. To claim free membership cards, D60 families can stop by either of the museums’ front desks to complete their registration redemption forms and be immediately issued their cards on-site.  

Andy Sanchez, CEO of the Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center, said the program will open doors to students and their families to experience all the offerings of the Arts Center with its mission of creating artistic, cultural and educational experiences for everyone. 

“We are excited and proud to say that this valued partnership with D60 is tremendous and a collaborative step for us in continuing to create more accessibility to the Arts Center.” 

Sanchez praised D60’s willingness to recognize the Arts Center’s art galleries, School of Dance, performing arts, and Buell Children’s Museum as a multi-disciplinary center for the arts to bolster education, in this 15-month-long effort. Sanchez said the Arts Center is working to include more STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) activities as it works to expand its offerings for youth. 

Superintendent Charlotte Macaluso praised the generosity of the Arts Center, noting that the free admission offer will expose more pupils and their families to the arts.

"We in District 60 know the importance of arts and culture in a young person's development and we are very grateful that the Arts Center is opening its doors to not only our young people, but their family members as well."

The Arts Center has other programs to provide easier access to those facing financial constraints. These programs include an ongoing free “Introduction to Dance” program for kids, ages 8 to 10, a Museums for All program that offers free or reduced admission to those receiving food assistance, and a Friday Arts Academy, which offers full and partial scholarships for students, kindergarten through 12^th grade. 

The Buell Children’s Museum is currently holding a three-part fall exhibit that includes "Dia de los Angelitos", which provides visitors with the opportunity to honor the memory of loved ones while learning about the importance of Monarch butterflies, "From Field to Farm" offers an in-depth look into where our food comes from, and visitors can take photos with "Pete the Cat" who is the star of "Pete the Cat Comes to Pueblo!"

The Arts Center’s Buell Children's Museum and Helen Thatcher White galleries are open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. At the Helen Thatcher White galleries, visitors can enjoy several exhibits including "Fernando Padilla Jr: Touching Earth – Reaching Heaven" which runs through Nov. 25. "Tradiciones Sagradas: Santos & Retablos Collection" which runs through Jan. 14, "Molas Animals & Applique" which runs through Jan. 20, "Into the Wild: Creature Quilts" which runs through Jan. 14, and "Tell me a Story: A Cuban Pop International Contemporary Exhibit,” which runs through Jan. 13.