Firehouse Art Center

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Firehouse Art Center Non-profit art center connecting community to art & culture through exhibits, education, and events. Since 1986 The Arts Studio, Inc.
(1)

of Longmont, Colorado has served the community by promoting art education for adults and children, by creating opportunities for exhibition, and co-founding ArtWalk Longmont. In 1987, the Arts Studio,Inc. and the Longmont Council for the Arts collaborated on the renovation of the old firehouse, a historic landmark in downtown Longmont. This provided a facility for art education and classes, which was our main focus for the next ten years. In 1999, the Arts Studio, Inc. unveiled a renovated interior of the Old Firehouse Art Center creating a permanent art gallery and improving the member’s gallery and classroom. Since that time, the Arts Studio, Inc. has increased the quality and frequency of programs and endeavor to provide exhibitions that engage and energize the community. During the past five years the Arts Studio’s programming has expanded in response to the increased demands of the area’s growing population. Our commitment to raising the standard of artistic quality has been recognized in reviews and feature stories by the newspaper, magazine, online and television media. Also noteworthy is our receipt of the 2001 and 2003 Arts Nova Awards from the Community Foundation Serving Boulder County, recognizing entrepreneurism and innovation in a non-profit organization. The Firehouse Art Center curates twelve unique exhibitions a year mixing solo and group shows. In keeping with our mission, our exhibitions are a diverse blend of traditional and contemporary styles that intersperse the work of local, regional and national artists.

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". These works are collaborations between artists and immi...
10/23/2026

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". These works are collaborations between artists and immigrant storytellers during our Dia de Mu***os Exhibition. Day of the Dead is a beloved celebration here in Longmont, but right now the communities from which this celebration originates are being actively harmed by past and current immigration policies. We wanted to highlight the immigrant experience from many points of view and we hope that you will spend time exploring the pieces and how they make you feel and think.
Galleries are open 12pm-5pm Wednesday through Sunday. Please come visit!

Karrie Steely and Reyes Jorge Ramirez
Ni de Aquí ni de Allá

This project has been a wonderful collaborative process. We chatted about Rey’s life and story during our first video meeting, and it didn’t take long to find a theme to base our project on. He and his family love playing board games, and we decided to use that as a medium to create the narrative of his journey.

They were active volunteers at the Firehouse Art Center for Día de los Mu***os celebrations for many years. The irony isn’t lost on me that this art piece represents him now. It was important to me to create an interactive piece to bring his story to life to represent his presence (and absence).

Each member of the family has an alebrije, the little colorful spirit animals that are ubiquitous in Mexican folk art. The game tokens are images of their alebrijes, and each represents a family member. We invite you to step inside his journey for a few moments. Choose an alebrije, roll the dice, and follow his path.

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". At the heart of any Día de los Mu***os observance is t...
10/21/2026

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". At the heart of any Día de los Mu***os observance is the ofrenda. Ofrendas, or altars, serve as an offering, a gift, and an invitation. It’s a sacred space meant to honor one’s ancestors and to welcome them back for one night.

Day of the Dead altars serve as focal points for remembrance and celebration, allowing families to welcome the spirits of their loved ones back to the world of the living.

Galleries are open 12pm-5pm Wednesday through Sunday. Please come visit!

Dorothy Elizabeth Podel
September 9, 1959 - June 21, 2026
Dorothy Elizabeth Podel, aka “Dotty,” was born and raised in Merrick on Long Island, New York. The youngest of seven children, she participated in Girl Scouts, horseback riding and ballet, and honed her skills in gardening while working at a nursery. While
studying for her Associates Degree from Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, New York, she was actively involved in environmental and social causes.

In her early twenties she and her husband Steven Podel visited Boulder from their home in Brooklyn, and eventually moved to Longmont with their two young children, Jessica and Dylan. Dotty worked for Boulder County as the Personnel and Payroll Coordinator for the Department of Community Services. She was an exceptional and conscientious employee since 2015, responding with good cheer, patience, and practical solutions to support the workers.

Dotty loved life, her family, her friends, and the natural world around her. She had many interests, including hiking, kayaking, craft making, dancing at music concerts, and volunteering for community causes. She was a beloved member of the local djembe drumming community, and performed for many years with them, as part of DjO (djembe orchestra).

Dotty will be forever missed by her family, friends, and community.

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". These works are collaborations between artists and immi...
10/21/2026

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". These works are collaborations between artists and immigrant storytellers during our Dia de Mu***os Exhibition. Day of the Dead is a beloved celebration here in Longmont, but right now the communities from which this celebration originates are being actively harmed by past and current immigration policies. We wanted to highlight the immigrant experience from many points of view and we hope that you will spend time exploring the pieces and how they make you feel and think.

Galleries are open 12pm-5pm Wednesday through Sunday. Please come visit!

Ivan Kende
The Bridge at Andau

Our family escaped from Communist ruled Hungary to Austria, across this bridge
along with hundreds of others during that night. The bridge was blown up by
government troops just a couple hours before we got to it. We heard the explosion and machine gun fire but we didn’t know what it was about and we all hit the dirt like dominoes. It was a crystal clear, starlit night in late November, 1956. It was so
freezing cold that a couple of guys including my older brother were able to put some of the broken planks into an arrangement that we were able to cross to the other side of the little river, the free world.

*This painting has been in progress since my brother asked me to commemorate
that fateful day. It is only about 70% finished at this moment.

This week at the gallery!!! And out and about town 🥳Tickets still available for Gaia Fiya on Thursday and Dia de Mu***os...
10/19/2026

This week at the gallery!!! And out and about town 🥳

Tickets still available for Gaia Fiya on Thursday and Dia de Mu***os festival is this Saturday!!!

MAIN GALLERY:
REMEMBERING IS RESISTANCE &
CATRINAS ON PARADE

MON (10/19)- Galleries CLOSED
6pm-8pm Life Drawing
TUE (10/20)- Galleries CLOSED
1pm-3pm- Watercolor
WED (10/21)- Galleries OPEN 12pm-5pm
5:30pm-8:30pm- Drop and Swap
6pm-8pm- Play with Clay
THUR (10/22)- Galleries OPEN 12pm-5pm
3:45 – 5:15pm- After School Craft Club
7pm-8:30pm- Gaia Fiya Performance
FRI (10/23)- Galleries OPEN 12pm-5pm
3:30pm-5:30pm- Afterschool Origami
SAT (10/24)- Galleries Open 12pm-5pm
Farmers Market Craft booth- 8am-1pm**
11am-3pm- Dia de Mu***os Fiesta
2pm-Gigantes Procession
Viva la V***a- 12pm-1pm
SUN (10/25)-Galleries OPEN 12pm-5pm
*preregistration online required
** off site- see the calendar!

This week at the gallery!!! And out and about town 🥳Tickets still available for Gaia Fiya on Thursday and Dia de Mu***o...
10/19/2026

This week at the gallery!!! And out and about town 🥳

Tickets still available for Gaia Fiya on Thursday and Dia de Mu***os festival is this Saturday!!!

MAIN GALLERY:
REMEMBERING IS RESISTANCE &
CATRINAS ON PARADE

MON (10/19)- Galleries CLOSED
6pm-8pm Life Drawing
TUE (10/20)- Galleries CLOSED
1pm-3pm- Watercolor
WED (10/21)- Galleries OPEN 12pm-5pm
5:30pm-8:30pm- Drop and Swap
6pm-8pm- Play with Clay
THUR (10/22)- Galleries OPEN 12pm-5pm
3:45 – 5:15pm- After School Craft Club
7pm-8:30pm- Gaia Fiya Performance
FRI (10/23)- Galleries OPEN 12pm-5pm
3:30pm-5:30pm- Afterschool Origami
SAT (10/24)- Galleries Open 12pm-5pm
Farmers Market Craft booth- 8am-1pm**
11am-3pm- Dia de Mu***os Fiesta
2pm-Gigantes Procession
Viva la V***a- 12pm-1pm
SUN (10/25)-Galleries OPEN 12pm-5pm
*preregistration online required
** off site- see the calendar!

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". These works are collaborations between artists and imm...
10/19/2026

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". These works are collaborations between artists and immigrant storytellers during our Dia de Mu***os Exhibition. Day of the Dead is a beloved celebration here in Longmont, but right now the communities from which this celebration originates are being actively harmed by past and current immigration policies. We wanted to highlight the immigrant experience from many points of view and we hope that you will spend time exploring the pieces and how they make you feel and think.

Galleries are open 12pm-5pm Wednesday through Sunday. Please come visit!

Manang and Paulina Ruiz Lang
THE UNFINISHED GEOGRAPHY OF US

Even having complied with all the requirements to apply for US residency, Paulina and her family are still waiting for her application to be approved. This fact made me realize that our immigration system and policies are not only inefficient, they are also unequally applied.

According to a report published by The Center for Migration Studies, the United States has a pattern of swinging between openness to immigration when cheap labor is needed for economic growth and limiting immigration when US nativist fears become rampant.

These inconsistent policies and the subsequent changes Affect the families who want to build their lives here. Maintaining a sense of self becomes increasingly difficult when your connections are constantly being dissolved without your consent or control.

My own parents came to America in a time when Americans were more open to immigrants. And I am grateful that I have grown up here as US citizen. But I am all too aware that my status as a US citizen could one day be arbitrarily changed too.

This piece reminds us to remember how America has treated immigrants even while benefiting from them. It is a call to protect our immigrants, no matter their status, because we are all immigrants.

Reference:
How Did We Get Here? A Brief History of U.S. Immigration Policy and the Roots of Trump-Era Nativism
By Kailey Mrosak, published May 28, 2026 by the Center for Migration Studies.
https://cmsny.org/publications/immigration-history-nativism/

Last call for applications- deadline is Monday, October 19!HANGTIME: FIREHOUSE ANNUAL ARTIST MEMBERS OPEN WALL EXHIBITAp...
10/16/2026

Last call for applications- deadline is Monday, October 19!

HANGTIME: FIREHOUSE ANNUAL ARTIST MEMBERS OPEN WALL EXHIBIT
Apply in bio links or here- https://firehouseart.org/artists/opportunities/

All Firehouse Art Center Artist Members with 10+ volunteer hours and active memberships can apply for Hangtime, a Main Gallery Exhibit held in November. All members, whether painters, potters, photographers, or sculptors, are invited to share, hang and display their work. Created as a community building, collaborative exhibit, members are invited to line up to hang up on Wednesday and Thursday evening from 5pm-7pm on November 4th and 5th. At the close of the exhibits, the artists will return and deinstall their work, including time to patch the walls and help paint on November 30th.

Hang Time opens on November 6th at 6pm.
All materials must be submitted online here by Monday, 10/19/2026.

Volunteer hours must be schedule before application is approved, hours can occur anytime before 2/15/2027.

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". These works are collaborations between artists and imm...
10/16/2026

We invite you to the gallery to see "Remembering is Resistance". These works are collaborations between artists and immigrant storytellers during our Dia de Mu***os Exhibition. Day of the Dead is a beloved celebration here in Longmont, but right now the communities from which this celebration originates are being actively harmed by past and current immigration policies. We wanted to highlight the immigrant experience from many points of view and we hope that you will spend time exploring the pieces and how they make you feel and think.

Artist: Joyanna Rose Gittings
Storyteller: Anonymous
Florecer, Escondido/(Bloom, Hidden)

"I have worked for almost three decades, in multiple ways, within the immigrant community. I am a descendant of immigrants. I am in awe of the hope and humor and love and humility I continually see displayed by folks who live with no rights, no expectation of justice, and daily fear of being separated from those dearest to them.

I am incensed by the injustice of taxation without representation of immigrants.
I am horrified at the inhumane immigration laws we currently have in this country.
I am sure that most Americans don’t realize that undocumented workers pay billions in taxes every year, and that our economy still depends on a base of low income workers who have no rights or representation in government.

With this piece, I wanted to capture the most tender, heartfelt sentiment in vivid colors, then frustrate the viewer’s ability to clearly see it, as the ideal of a free United States and all it’s opportunites for a better life is no longer clearly visible to our immigrants."- Joyanna Rose Gittings

Address

667 4th Avenue
Longmont, CO
80501

Opening Hours

Wednesday 12pm - 5pm
Thursday 12pm - 5pm
Friday 12pm - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+13036512787

Website

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