Take classes and release your inner artist!
Do you want to expand your artistic knowledge through lessons, classes or cross-discipline training? These lists will help you begin to navigate the vast number of artists, schools, instructors and resources for arts learning in Fort Collins. The Creative District is just north of Colorado State University's University Center for the Arts, which provides many opportunities for learning the arts including their innovative LEAP Institute for the Arts. Within our boundaries are many class resources including: The Music District, Wolverine Letterpress & Publick House, VanCo Art School, and the Poudre River Public Library District If you are looking for business related courses and workshops the Downtown FoCo Creative District helps provide connection year round through work with the Larimer Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for creative and other business consulting and after hours workshops; The Digital Workshop Center, and help produce a week long entrepreneurial event called Techstars Startup Week Fort Collins/ARTup Week each spring.
“Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures.”
Schools, Institutions, Studios & Classes
(Not a comprehensive list. These are some of the many resources within or near the Creative District)
Art, Painting & Pottery:
- Ideas Happen Here
- Juiced on Imagination
- The Pottery Studio - City of Fort Collins
- Pinot’s Palette
- Smokestack Pottery
- VanCo School of Art
Dance Lessons:
Fiber Arts:
Music & Sound Production:
Theatre/Acting Lessons:
- Bas Bleu Theatre Company
- Debut Theatre Company
- Fort Collins Children's Theatre Company
- La-De-Da Theatre Company
Multiple Discipline Colleges, Institutions & Programs:
- Colorado State University (Architecture, Art, Dance, Landscape, Music, Theatre & much more!)
- The Fort Collins Recreator (Art, Dance, Music, Pottery, Theatre & much more!)
- Front Range Community College - Larimer County (Architecture, Art, Dance, Music, Theatre & much more!)
- University Center for the Arts - CSU
Other schools located outside the Downtown Fort Collins area:

Painting classes in Old Town Square. Photo by: Peggy Lyle