Art builds community. It brings people together to discover and celebrate. It fosters a space for connection and understanding. It helps to overcome differences and share experiences, and it creates vibrant neighborhoods. That’s why the arts at Gold Hill Mesa have always been a priority.
“Music and art engage the community,” says Stephanie Edwards, Executive Vice President and CMO of Gold Hill Mesa. “I think it’s the heartbeat of this whole community. It’s what activates our Community Center and really brings things to life.”
As a Traditional Neighborhood Development, Gold Hill Mesa is committed to bringing vibrant culture back to its once industrially blighted location between downtown and the foothills of Pikes Peak. Along with its distinctive village-style design and walkable neighborhood layout, Gold Hill Mesa has always maintained a creative design aesthetic with a broad mix of architectural styles and colorful palettes. “Having a place that’s pleasing to the eye as well as very functional to bring community together is the very fabric of the neighborhood’s design,” Edwards says. “So it just makes sense that we’ve always had this dedication to the arts.”
The neighborhood’s outdoor concerts and visual art exhibitions are also a catalyst to gather people and build community, for both neighbors within Gold Hill Mesa and those beyond its official borders.
“My favorite part of our Music on the Mesa concerts is seeing the blend of Gold Hill Mesa residents and people from outside the neighborhood,” Edwards says. “Bringing people in, gathering around music and using our Community Center and Central Park as gathering spaces — that’s the whole vision.”
That vision keeps Gold Hill Mesa thriving with an artistic vitality. Here’s how you can experience the arts at Gold Hill Mesa this fall.
Music on the Mesa
Bring your lawn chairs or throw down a blanket on the lawn in Central Park. This series of free outdoor concerts always draws a crowd in summer and early fall. The scene is carefree and fun with kids and dogs playing on the lawn, and dancers of all ages enjoying their groove. Some people bring picnics in wagons. Others enjoy the tasty ease of food trucks. And there’s usually a homemade slip and slide filling the hillside with laughter.
These Music on the Mesa concerts are still upcoming in September.
Saturday, Sept. 17, 4-7 p.m. — Mile High Band from Fort Carson
These active-duty soldier musicians from the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division play rock, pop, country, jazz and even a little disco.
Saturday, Sept. 29, 4-7 p.m. — The Reminders
The local duo of Big Samir and Aja Black are a creative force and always a crowd favorite with their soulful sounds and insightful, rhythmic lyrics.
Art on the Mesa
Following the Waldo Canyon Fire in 2012, Gold Hill Mesa partnered with the Fine Arts Center to turn its Community Center into a gallery for a photography exhibit honoring the losses from the fire. The concept stuck, and now the Cottonwood Center for the Arts curates quarterly exhibits by local artists.
An opening event in the Community Center celebrates each new exhibit, usually with live music and an introduction by the artist. “It’s a different theme and different art every time, and we’ve had some fantastic exhibits there,” Edwards says. “Several residents and builders have purchased art or exhibited in their model homes. So that kind of synergy is just another way we’re bringing the arts to life.”
Watch for a new exhibit and opening this October.
Blues on the Mesa
When the Pikes Peak Blues Community needed a new home for its annual festival coming out of the pandemic, they came to Gold Hill Mesa. The result was Blues on the Mesa, a one-day music fest celebrating one of America’s original music forms.
National and regional blues artists wail at the outdoor concerts on the lawn. Local food trucks, breweries, distillers, artisans and more add to the festive ambiance and rollicking good time.
This year’s second annual festival takes place Saturday, Oct. 1, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., with a VIP party moving indoors at 6-8 p.m. This year’s lineup features:
King Solomon Hicks
Bob Margolin with Delta Sonics
Hazel Miller & The Collective
Lionel Young Band
Mojomama
The event is ticketed, and you can find all the details at bluesonthemesa.org.
“We’re thrilled that we’ve been able to give a home to the blues community and start look at looking at music festivals,” Edwards says. “It’s been a wonderful addition.”
It’s all part of hosting the arts to build community in Gold Hill Mesa and beyond.
Learn more about new homes, arts and community events at Gold Hill Mesa at goldhillmesa.com.
