2016 Colorado Springs/Manitou, CO

DOWNLOAD 2016 Conference Flyer HERE (PDF)

Join us as we explore connections and community!

NETS help us catch good things, and let other things pass through. They also are, literally, a weaving of different strands. A net needs to be sized correctly…too small, and you cannot catch a lot, and too big and it is unwieldy to use.   Like nets, networks catch good things, and help to weave communities together.  

Conference: Every 2 years CBA people gather somewhere in the USA, for  3 days of full-on engagement, presentations, and hands-on projects. Conference goers gather and share skills, strengthen old connections, make new connections, and increase their ability to “catch good things”.  It is a venue to enjoy old friends, make new BFFs, and get energized about what we do in the world. Participants will meet at various locations around Colorado Springs, with the center of operations at the Penrose Library in downtown Colorado Springs.

The Bootcamp: Initiated in 2014, the Bootcamp kicks off 5 days in advance of the conference, and is designed for emerging community-built professionals, and offers tons of growth, 13 hour days, and FUNFUNFUN. Bootcampers will cook together, learn together, and rub elbows with experienced practitioners of the community-built world. Bootcampers will help facilitate many aspects of the conference, and will gain many new skills. The Bootcamp will be centered at the Manitou Art Center in downtown Manitou Springs.

(see below for full schedule , testamonials, and registration info)

2016 Conference

Confirmed Presenters: Mark Lakeman (City Repair Project Portland, OR), Donna Billick & Diana Ullman (UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program Davis, CA), Tom Arie Donch (Interplay Design Vallejo, CA), Sam Kornhauser (Schoolworks, NYC), Steve Wood (Concrete Couch Colorado Springs, CO), Amanda Larson (Davis, CA), Jun-Li Wang (Springboard for the Arts Minneapolis, MN), Steve Rasmussen Cancian (Union Del Vecinos Los Angeles, CA), Art Goodtimes (Poet and San Miguel County Commissioner, CO) Jeff Mather (Public Artist Atlanta , GA)

There will be two hands on projects during “Nets & Networks”. The first project is the Penrose Library Mosaic Mural located in downtown Colorado Springs on Cascade Ave. The 2nd project is the Pueblo Ave Urban Design Project located across the Concrete Couch offices also in downtown Colorado Springs.

The Bootcamp staff members are engaged people from many different fields, who all revel in engaging the community in what they do. The seven staff members include: Jun-Li Wang, Steve Rasmussen-Cancian, Amanda Larson, Art Goodtimes, Donna Billick, Mark Lakeman, and Steve Wood.

Fees for the Bootcamp are $500, inclusive of housing, meals, CBA membership and conference fees.

We encourage prospective Bootcampers to seek out an organization or granting agency from your local community to help subside these fees: you will return energized and ready to make a difference in your community! Additionally some scholarship money is available through CBA.

Participants must talk with a CBA organizer prior to registration, to ensure that the program is a good fit.

Call or text Steve at 719-373-7694 or e-mail steve@concretecouch.org to set up an interview.

Bootcampers will live cooperatively, assist with food preparation and be ready to perform whatever jobs need to be done. They will attend and facilitate the regular conference, including hosting the kick-off evening, assisting presenters, orienting others to project locations and operations, and facilitate an end-of-conference evaluation process.

Each day starts at 8am and continues until 9pm.

Bootcampers are expected to show up, work hard, and bring their “A” game to the table.

Bootcampers will learn various construction skills, how to develop and make presentations, group facilitation skills, engage in various learning modalities, (including role-plays and discussion groups), evaluation strategies, fundraising skills, asset mapping and general community building practices.

We want your Bootcamp experience to be exemplary, and we will work with you before the conference to plan for any component of the experience, including framing goals and expectations, funding, and travel.

Testimonials:

“The CBA Bootcamp was an incredible experience! Such a positive atmosphere with outstanding instructors and a fantastic group of individuals coming together to build community through creative projects. The instructors gave us great insights and strategies from their work, and we learned new techniques in the hands-on workshops. So many new experiences that sparked inspiration and which led to a collaboration with another bootcamper (We created a community mosaic in Germany) and there are more projects to come”. – Bianca Nandzik, 2014 Bootcamper

“I attended the 2014 CBA Bootcamp and Conference in Davis, CA. During that week, I learned the skills necessary to run and execute a community build by working alongside 25 young professionals from all over the country making 4 art benches, a street intersection mural and a 100 ft long bike tunnel mural. We all mentored under well established and respected community builders, who led both the projects and lectures on various aspects of community builds. That week inspired and excited me to pursue my own projects and continues to this day.”
– Jerry Lapham, 2014 Bootcamper

Local Partners: University of Colorado Colorado Springs Gallery of Contemporary Art (Daisy McConnell), Downtown Partnership (Susan Edmondson, Lara Guarantano), Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region (Andy Vick), Colorado Springs Fine Art Center (Erin Hannan), Pike Peak Community College Art Department (Laura Ben-Amots) Sustainability (Konrad Schlarbaum), Colorado College Collaborative for Community Engagement (Dave Harker, Shanna Farmer) Innovation Institute (Patrick Bultema, Michael Hannigan), Pikes Pak Permaculture Manitou Springs (Becky Elder, Chris Dwyer), City of Manitou Springs Planning Department (Wade Burkholder), Urban Intervention Colorado Springs (John Olson, Brian Elyo), Community Prep School (Marty Schneider, Principal), Will Rodgers Elementary School (Terry Martinez, Principal), Manitou Art Center (Natalie Johnson, Director)