Adrian Tijerina

My name is Adrian Tijerina. I am a Music Education Major and Chicana/o Studies Minor at Metropolitan State College of Denver. My date of graduation will be spring of 2013. I am from San Diego, California and moved here to attend school here at Metro.
        The non-profit organization I work with is the Colorado Folk Arts Council (CFAC), which is one of the oldest multicultural organizations in the state of Colorado. The CFAC was founded in 1968 by a group of individuals who represented organized groups that were culturally active in different elements of Folk Arts (i.e. music, dance, crafts, storytelling, etc.). Their first community activities took place on May 18th, 1969 when the CFAC helped to organize ethnic group participation for the opening of the new convention center in Denver. The first CFAC festival took place on stage at the Central City Opera House on July 25th, 1971. The first annual International Heritage Festival was presented at the University of Denver arena in 1976 to commemorate the Colorado Centennial celebrations.
        The Colorado Folk Arts Council works with many schools, businesses and government programs to present ethnic folk arts in the community. Their street address is 2890 Newland Street in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. The CFAC president Ron Gehauf’s phone number is 303.232.5542. The CFAC website is http://www.colofolkarts.org. The CFAC became an official non-profit organization on July 28th of 1969. Their mission statement is: To encourage the preservation of ethnic cultural arts, history and traditions through educational workshops, youth team building, public performances, and community projects. This is a very noble mission seeing as how important it is to preserve cultural identities in today’s society.
        As a music education major, I am excited to be working with the Colorado Folk Arts Council to help as much as possible in making Hispanic community impact well known. I currently am working on the 2010-2011 Colorado Folk Arts Program Guide. This catalogue is a compiling of ethnic artists from all around the state of Colorado. The task has truly become a labor of love for me, there are many things to accomplish but I am excited with what this catalogue will offer when it is complete. I also am helping with Journey Through Our Heritage’s 2010-2011 Aurora Fox concert series which includes helping to organize performance dates and the artists who will be performing through Metro State’s Journey Through Our Heritage program and the Colorado Folk Arts Council. In the planning of the concert series, I also have met with Grand Design a non-profit organization in Aurora, Colorado to collaborate on a performance that specifically showcases the African American artists and storytellers in the community. I am very excited to be part of this non-profit organization. I believe whole-heartedly in its mission, purpose, and impact in the communities throughout Colorado.