A new arts and music venue is coming to life in the Aurora Cultural Arts District. The space will contain a bar, a stage, artist studio spaces, and a podcasting and recording studio. It will host music and art shows, as well as yoga, movement, and meditation classes and other community events. But before it can flourish as a gathering place, its creator says the project needs community investors to bring the project to life.
Manos Sagrados is the newest venture of Alicia "Bruce" Trujillo and it aims to be a community hub for Chicano, Latin and Native communities as well as a safe space for Black, queer, female and disabled creators. It's Trujillo's first time tackling a project like this, after her many years as a leader in Colorado's music scene.
Trujillo has served as program or music director for Indie 102.3, Swallow Hill Music, and KGNU radio, and is a current commissioner for the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs as well as an active board member for the Biennial of the Americas.
Manos Sagrados, an origin story
"Earlier this year, I was thinking about different ways that I could show up in community," Trujillo said.
In February, she went on a Biennial of the Americas trip to Mexico City for Mexico City Art Week. She was deeply inspired by the art that she saw, and the group of Denver creatives that she was traveling with. Hearing about the challenges they faced and the things they hoped to accomplish made her think, "I just want to be able to create something that is able to house all of that and be a safe space for our community."
A few months later, she found herself discussing a potential project at the People's Building, an Aurora performance venue and event space. There, she wondered aloud, "Oh, maybe someday, I kind of want to start my own venue." To which Aaron Vega, the curator for the People's Building, pointed out, that the building next door was up for rent.
"Since then," Trujillo says, "everything has really been falling into place."
Here and now
"Our name, Manos Sagrados," Trujillo explains, "means 'sacred hands.' For those who speak Spanish, though, they know that our name is not grammatically correct - we should be 'Manos Sagaradas,' as 'manos' is a female word." But, "As we are a queer-owned business, I wanted to do some wordplay with the expectations surrounding who we are, the communities we serve, and how we show up."
To help her execute her mission, Trujillo has been putting together a "wonderful team of people who really know what they're doing." This includes co-owner David Medina, Venue Operations Director Amy Howard, Production Director Benito Flores, Programming Director Jenee Donelson, and Studio Manager Diego Florez-Arroyo.
Manos Sagrados hopes to open by the end of 2023. Right now, the team is preparing by building a bar, painting, and building a ramp that will make the space ADA accessible.
Aurora's up-and-coming arts district
"We are very excited to work in Aurora, specifically, for a few reasons," Trujillo says. "There are over 160 different languages spoken within the square mile that we are serving. So, being able to be a part of that and program based on community needs is huge."
Plus, there aren't any live music venues along that stretch of Colfax, according to Trujillo. "And we can't wait to be that outlet for the arts district there."
Manos Sagrados will be located near the Aurora Fox Arts Center, Lady Justice Brewing Company, and Banh & Butter Bakery Cafe, at 9975 E. Colfax Avenue.
Here's how you can help to establish Aurora's new arts and music venue
Manos Sagrados has been approved for a small business loan of up to $100,000. But instead of borrowing the money from a bank, Trujillo is doing things differently. She's using Honeycomb Credit and recruiting community investors - who will be paid back over the course of 36 months, with 12.5 percent interest - instead. "It isn't a donation," Trujillo clarifies, "It's kind of like crowdfunding, but you invest and we pay you back, instead of a bank." Similar to crowdfunding, Trujillo and her team have a limited amount of time to raise the money. They hope to meet their $100,000 goal by Nov. 28. Honeycomb Credit has set the project's minimum at $50,000, meaning they need to raise at least $50,000 to receive any money, and they will be loaned however much they are able to raise between $50,000 and $100,000. But Trujillo is cautiously optimistic. "I have such a supportive community in Denver and into Aurora," she says. Plus, "there are just so many artists and people who want to see something like this happen."
If you are one of those people, you can see a full breakdown of project expenses, as well as further information about the space and the Honeycomb Credit fundraising campaign fundraising campaign here.
Editor's note: Bruce Trujillo is a former employee of Colorado Public Radio.
