Wildhorse Cinema & Arts will host the Art + Business Summit on Thursday to bridge the gap between business and the arts while creating new ways to solve community challenges through collaboration.

Organizers say the summit’s mission is simple but ambitious: to foster beneficial relationships between businesses and the arts while strengthening the Yampa Valley economy and creative community.

“The arts are more than cultural enrichment. They are powerful tools for innovation, strategic thinking and economic development,” said Dagny McKinley, the summit’s organizer and founder of Undiscovered Earth. “This isn’t a conference about theory. It’s about bringing top minds in our community together to come up with creative solutions in real time.”

Thursday’s summit will feature keynote speakers including state Rep. Brianna Titone, who has championed community funding for arts organizations; Christin Crampton Day, executive director of the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts; and Peggy Axtell, care navigator for the Prescription for the Arts program.

McKinley said the idea for the summit grew out of conversations within the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts, where she serves on the advocacy committee. Those discussions centered on how economic uncertainty has led many businesses to reduce sponsorships, donations and other forms of financial support for local arts groups.

“We were brainstorming ways to bring the business and arts sectors together in a way that is financially beneficial for both,” McKinley said. “The question became, ‘How do we build partnerships where artists and businesses learn from each other to solve problems facing our communities?'”

She noted that different organizations often work in silos. The summit will focus on breaking those barriers by inviting professionals from marketing, finance, advocacy and other industries to join artists and arts leaders in a collaborative problem-solving session.

“What if an artist walked into Edward Jones and watched how they operate, then suggested new ways to connect with clients?” McKinley said. “Or if a business leader shared marketing expertise with an arts organization? The more minds from different backgrounds you bring together, the more interesting the solutions become.”

In addition to presentations and discussions, attendees will explore examples of successful partnerships across the state where the arts have already supported business innovation. McKinley pointed to campaigns such as Steamboat Ski & Resort Corp.’s “Steamboat Way,” which blended cowboy poetry with ski imagery in an effort to create a distinctive and authentic brand identity for the city.

“Those types of collaborations show what can happen when creative thinking and business goals align,” she said. “We want people to come away understanding that creativity can help solve complex issues, from workforce development to community identity.”

Crampton Day said collaboration between the creative and business sectors is essential for community vitality and statewide growth.

“The arts are essential to stimulating economic growth. People want to live, work, play and visit communities that offer diverse creative outlets and cultural vitality,” she said. “These are challenging and uncertain times for many artists and creative nonprofits, so it is more important than ever for Steamboat Springs to support its creative economy.”

She also noted that the CBCA has opened nominations for its 2026 Business for the Arts Awards, the state’s largest annual gathering of arts, business and civic leaders. 

“We encourage the Steamboat Springs community to nominate outstanding partnerships and individuals for this event,” she said.

Axtell echoed that sentiment and added that creative and business partnerships have benefits beyond economics.

“Collaboration between the arts and business will connect more people in our community, improve overall mental health and teach us how to work together to enhance our way of life in the Yampa Valley,” Axtell said. “Uniting our community through the power of the arts will make Steamboat more resilient and better prepared to approach both our current challenges and the unknown challenges that lie ahead.”

The summit, an initiative of Wildhorse Cinema & Arts, will include keynote sessions, small-group workshops and a bonus film screening of “Time & Other Materials,” which is a documentary about artists making a difference in their communities.

McKinley said one of her primary goals is that participants leave with new ways of thinking about collaboration and the potential to replicate those ideas across Northwest Colorado, including in Craig and other smaller communities throughout the Yampa Valley.

“Effective cross-collaboration means everyone walks away understanding that when arts and business organizations work together, we all succeed,” she said. “The more we connect creativity with strategy, the stronger our communities become.”

She added that by building long-term networks through events similar to Thursday’s summit, the region can retain artists who might otherwise leave because of high living costs or limited opportunities. 

“When artists can partner with local businesses, they find ways to stay and thrive here,” McKinley said. “That keeps creative energy and talent in the Yampa Valley, which benefits everyone.”

For more information on the Art + Business Summit, or to purchase tickets, visit EventBrite.com/e/art-business-summit-2025-tickets-1722410499169?aff=oddtdtcreator.