Labor Source 30 for 30 - The Dairy Center for the Arts

Labor Source, the supported employment division of Imagine!’s CORE/Labor Source department, is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year.

To honor this important milestone, each week I am publicly thanking and recognizing Labor Source’s many local business partners.

Supported employment offers people who have a disability the opportunity to develop vital job skills and become active participants in their communities. The benefits extend far beyond helping individuals served by Imagine!, however. Businesses using our services are able to reduce recruitment and training expenses as they benefit from a diversified employee pool. Partnering with CORE/Labor Source is a “win-win” situation that is beneficial all around.

We are very grateful to our business partners who have demonstrated their commitment to Imagine!’s mission by employing CORE/Labor Source participants.

Today’s Labor Source 30 for 30 partner highlight: The Dairy Center for the Arts.

The Dairy Center for the Arts was founded in 1992 to provide cooperative workspaces for local artists and venues for live performance in Boulder County. Originally owned by the Watts-Hardy Dairy, the building’s transformation from a former milk-processing facility to a thriving multi-disciplinary arts hub for Boulder and beyond is a nationally recognized example of constructive urban development and renewal.

The Dairy’s founders envisioned a community arts center where artists of all genres would create and inspire each other and the greater community. Today, this dream of shared art making is a thriving reality. The Dairy’s 42,000 square foot facility houses disciplines ranging from visual arts, theater, and film to dance and music.

A professional environment complete with art galleries, performance venues, teaching studios, offices, rehearsal spaces, dance studios, and a 60-seat art-house cinema, it is Boulder's largest multi-disciplinary arts center. The Dairy's audience spans all ages, backgrounds and ability levels, from young student to seasoned performer and from first-time to seasoned theatergoers. Their audience is inclusive of all ages and backgrounds as well as adults and children of various cultures and levels of ability; and their facility is accessible to persons with physical mobility challenges.

Thank you, Dairy Center for the Arts, for your commitment to your community and for providing employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.