Dairy Arts Center Updated Its Production Program
The Boulder-based facility adjusted the application process for its popular Co-Production Program.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Dance
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The Dairy Arts Center has updated its application process for the Co-Production Program, which supports emerging performing arts voices. The program provides artists with rent-free venue space to help reduce barriers to professional performance.
Why it matters
By providing rent-free access to its 42,000-square-foot facility, the Dairy Arts Center aims to broaden representation in the performing arts. The update streamlines how artists gain access to these professional performance spaces in Boulder.
The Dairy Arts Center operates a 42,000-square-foot facility that includes a 60-seat art-house cinema. Applications for the program are reviewed by a committee of staff and community members twice annually.
The players
Dairy Arts Center
This is a Boulder-based multidisciplinary arts organization that provides space and resources for performing and visual artists.
The details
Selected artists in the Co-Production Program now work directly with staff to coordinate dates and technical needs, though the program no longer provides a production stipend. The center facilitates this access for both emerging and underrepresented performers to showcase their work in a professional setting.
Timeline
The Dairy Arts Center was founded in 1992.
The Co-Production Program launched in 2024.
Updates to the program were announced on September 14, 2026.
Applications undergo annual review periods every December and June.
Industry Dynamics
The Dairy Arts Center’s initiative follows a pattern set by the National Endowment for the Arts' Arts Engagement in American Communities grant program. By providing physical infrastructure rather than direct stipends, the center aligns with broader trends of reducing overhead barriers for independent artists.
Local performers and dance groups in Boulder can now apply for rent-free venue space through the updated program cycles. Artists interested in utilizing the center must align their production planning with the December or June review deadlines.
The takeaway
Artists seeking professional performance space should prepare project proposals well in advance of the biannual review periods. This model highlights the importance of institutional partnerships in sustaining local artistic output without traditional funding stipends.
Further reading
Learn more about the local performing arts landscape in the Dance section.
More information
View the Program application and details on the official website.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Yellow Scene Magazine.
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