Niwot's new space for the arts

The building that formerly housed Niwot Rental and Feed is seeing new life...and bringing new life to the local arts scene.

Open Studios, a visual arts non-profit organization based in Boulder, in conjunction with the Niwot Cultural Arts Association (NCAA), will be hosting a holiday market in the building at 291 2nd Avenue. The market will feature 20 different artists and will be open Thursday through Sunday, 12 to 6:00 p.m., beginning Nov. 18th and running through the end of December.

NCAA board member and local artist Lisa Rivard is helping to coordinate the project with Open Studios Executive Director Mary Horrocks. Rivard said that while the artists are still being lined up, the group will likely include a broad spectrum of arts including pottery, flat art, jewelry and Christmas-themed gifts.

The Hispanic women's art collective, Mama Leones, will be prominently featured at the market. As part of the arrangement to use the building, the artists and other volunteers will clean and paint the interior space.

Rivard stated that the current owners of the space, John and Xan Fischer, have been very accommodating about using the space for the arts. "They have opened the building up to artists, pop-ups, musicians, ....really anything is possible and, so far, anything has been welcome," she said.

The space even hosted a haunted house for the Great Pumpkin Party which was organized by the Niwot High School Key Club. Rivard said that to help make the building more welcoming, "John (Fischer) commissioned Niwot artist Denise Chamberlain to paint the whimsical graphic on the exterior of the building."

Rivard says that it's a big benefit to Niwot to be able to bring this market to town. "Friends of the market artists who come to Niwot to visit won't necessarily just buy from their friends – they can do that anytime. These are people who will come to town and eat and spend money elsewhere too. It's a great way to showcase everything Niwot has to offer." Rivard added that the kind of art featured at the temporary market will be "different and eclectic...and will bring a lot of art inspiration to Niwot for the holidays."