First Friday Art Walk has always blurred the line between art and everyday life in Fort Collins.
Last year, a handful of local artists decided to blur another line: the one between artist and audience.
They invited the community to pick up a brush. Those marks, ideas, and conversations from dozens of community members became part of three large collaborative paintings created not only by local artists, but by the broader community itself.
Months later, those shared canvases have evolved into a collaborative art project, called “The Tapestry Project,” led by local artist and musician, Sheri Lauren:
"I originally created the first Tapestry painting around a theme that was deeply personal to me,” Lauren said. “But over time it became something much bigger. Through First Friday Art Walks and Open Studios, community members added their own words, drawings, and reflections about the people and experiences that make up the tapestry of their lives. That's why I believe supporting artists matters. Art has a unique ability to bring people together, and when communities invest in artists, artists give that connection back."
The experience also raised bigger questions:
The Tapestry Project is one small experiment in answering those questions.
Presented by NOCO Creative Network, and fundraising for the Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County, The event brings together local artists, live music, community organizations, therapy animals, and creative experiences in a shared public space focused on connection, creativity, and collective wellbeing.
Most importantly, Tapestry is not a ticketed event.
It's free, open to the public, and designed as a welcoming place to meet artists, discover local creative work, support suicide prevention efforts, and spend time with neighbors.
Participating artists retain 100% of their sales because we believe supporting artists means creating opportunities for them to thrive—not asking them to subsidize the systems intended to support them. At the same time, donations collected through the event will help support the Alliance for Suicide Prevention of Larimer County and the critical work they do throughout our community.
Tapestry will feature a giveaway of the three collaborative paintings that inspired the event, each created through months of community participation during First Friday Art Walks. Attendees will also have the opportunity to outright purchase a one-of-a-kind handmade tapestry created by artist Henry Haynes:
"I hope to spread an appreciation for life and an understanding for those who are struggling to make this life one they want to live. Over the next several months, I will be turning that goal into something physical in the form of an upcycled textile wall hanging.
Giving new life to beaten down and thrown out textiles is much like what we sometimes have to do for ourselves to make it through the dark days. This world takes a toll, but so much beauty and excitement can also be found here.”
For NOCO Creative Network, Tapestry is also a pilot.
We're listening, learning, and exploring what it might look like to build stronger creative infrastructure across Northern Colorado—whether that's artist meetups, shared spaces, teaching opportunities, collaborative programming, or simply creating more places for artists to find one another.
Because when artists are connected, communities are stronger too.
Tapestry: Community Art, Music & Collective Wellbeing
Free and open to the public.