Ah Haa School for the Arts

The Ah Haa School was founded in 1990 by Colorado native, Daniel Tucker. In the middle of a successful career in artist book publishing and higher education, Daniel felt the need to give back and build a center where students could explore and discover the joy of creative expression, learning to see things in a new light and have “ah haa" experiences. The Ah Haa School opened its doors in June 1991, starting small with one staff member and eight visiting artists. Twenty-five years later, Ah Haa has grown to be the region's foremost art and education center, as both a community and destination school offering diverse creative arts programs for children and adults in a variety of media. With six full-time and two part-time staff, over 50 part time artists/teachers, and operations in two historic buildings in downtown Telluride, the Ah Haa School is a significant contributor to the economic and cultural diversity of the region.

Each year, Ah Haa offers: Over 20 visiting artists for adults and youth; over 200 classes and workshops for youth and adults taught by regional artists/teachers; the American Academy of Bookbinding, an international bookbinding school with students from all over the world; the newly launched Telluride Painting School with nationally recognized artists/teachers; 10-plus exhibitions in two gallery spaces that provide exposure to both community members and visiting artists; studio spaces for ceramicists and painters; artist lectures; summer internships for college students; gathering spaces for regional organizations and non-profits; financial aid to all who ask; the collaborative Telluride Literary Arts Festival, now in its third year; numerous creative special events including BRAvo, an event to raise money for breast cancer awareness through a fashion show of fabulously decorated bras (modeled by local firemen); and more.

Ah Haa strives for excellence in every program. Our Curriculum Director and Adult Program Manager oversee the faculty and do extensive research—surveying past employers and students—to find the most qualified and experienced teachers. Ah Haa utilizes a core group of regional, professional artists and both the Executive Director and Curriculum Director meet regularly with artists/instructors to develop and brainstorm curriculum ideas and discuss community needs. The ED and Curriculum Director also research other arts organizations and schools, finding new programs and creative trends, and meet quarterly with key instructors and artists to review and develop new program ideas. We will not hire artists who are not excellent teachers and communicators. Teachers are paid planning time if developing a new class for our youth program, and all instructors are paid for their teaching time.

The American Academy of Bookbinding offers the highest level of design fine binding in North America. Our artistic directors, Donald Glaister (fine binding) and Peter Geraty (integrated program) are internationally recognized and awarded, with work in private, national and international collections including the Library of Congress, the National Gallery of Art, Victoria and Albert Museum (London), British Library (London), and the National Library of the Netherlands, the Hague. As artistic directors for the American Academy of Bookbinding, Glaister and Geraty plan the curriculum, select visiting instructors and oversee the Diploma Program for AAB.

Robert Weatherford, a highly regarded artist with an MFA in Painting, is the artistic director of the Telluride Painting School (TPS) and serves on the Ah Haa's board of directors. As head of TPS, Robert hires faculty and develops curriculum, an uncompensated position. In addition to teaching for TPS as a paid faculty member, Robert volunteers his time on the school's building committee and auction committees. TPS faculty is comprised of nationally exhibiting artists and university professors. Other Ah Haa faculty members are professional artists who work full time as artists and teachers.

AAB Awards: In the past several years, AAB faculty, students and graduates have won numerous awards in book competitions for their design bindings. For example, in spring 2015, five students and instructors received awards in the highly competitive French Bookbinding Competition, “13th Biennale Mondiale de la Reliure d'Art." AAB place 2nd in the Group School Category, the only institution from the U.S. to be awarded.

In an effort to include the lower income population in our community, we have a strong tuition assistance program. We distribute tuition assistance information through fliers and through One to One, our local mentoring organization. We translate our kids' course information and tuition assistance applications into Spanish. We also work directly with an outreach coordinator through the public school, who helps distribute information and match kids with our programs. Over all, we make every effort to inform our community about our tuition assistance program and more and more families are taking advantage of this opportunity.

By reaching residents and visitors alike, Ah Haa provides unique cultural experiences that complement and enhance other opportunities in the area. We are achieving our goal of inspiring “ah haa" moments within individuals, and having an impact on both children and adults. We receive significant funding from both the Town of Telluride and our local community foundation, the Telluride Foundation. We are one of the top organizations to receive funding, based on positive community impact, successful management and organization integrity.

One the biggest challenges facing Ah Haa in the next three to five years relates to facilities. As we strive to offer programs of excellence, we also want our facilities to match our ambitious goals. Our historic building is both a challenge and an opportunity; the Depot needs interior modifications that would increase its useable space and maximize its potential. We would like to grow our Telluride Painting School, and to be successful we need an additional 2000 square feet dedicated to this program for studios, a library and a meeting room. At the moment we are evaluating the Depot and the cost of renovation, as well as looking for additional space elsewhere in town.