NEWS Monday, February 09, 2026
What’s Working: How Denver's Art Gym went from private passion project to artist co-op
It required more than creative thinking. Plus: State Demographer explains Colorado’s population growth, DougCo lands aerospace star tracker, AT&T’s internet purchase, paid-health care internships and more!
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Lucas Luna comes from a long line of artists, so naturally he wanted to be an engineer. Like many kids, he fought his father about career choice before heading off to college.
"He got super-duper angry that I wanted to be an engineer. We got in a big fight," Luna said. "He’s really smug that I became a professional illustrator."
All the precision, patience and attention to detail — in Luna’s words, a general neuroticism — that would have made him an effective engineer are now channeled into the fine etchings of his intaglio prints, a process where designs are cut into metal plates. Those plates are then dipped in acid and filled with ink, then pressed into a dampened sheet of paper. It’s the way old maps were made, and is still a step in printing money.
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Lucas Luna at the Art Gym press where he learned how to make intaglio prints in 2022. Luna is board chair of the member-owned cooperative that took over ownership of the Art Gym in February 2026. (Parker Yamasaki, The Colorado Sun)
Luna taught himself the process in 2022, after landing a contract printing historical maps. With no prior experience, he ended up at the Art Gym in Denver, a massive makerspace housed in the old Safeway building on Leyden St. near E. Colfax with all the presses, acid baths and expert guidance he needed.
The Art Gym’s model is similar to a regular gym — members pay a monthly fee to come in and use the equipment. Last week, a group of member artists took over ownership from its founders, Vickie and Brian Stevinson.
The Stevinsons opened the place in 2015 to provide artists with space and expensive equipment, and to recreate the camaraderie that Vickie felt studying printmaking at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Last summer, the couple announced their intent to retire, and asked members to come up with some ideas to keep the place running even as they stepped back.
Six artists formed a steering committee and started researching what it would take to convert a privately-owned passion project into a member-owned co-op.
The short answer? Not much.
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Calculating a co-op conversion
Over the course of five months, the steering committee weighed different leadership models. There are four major disciplines at the Art Gym: printmaking; metal smithing; what they call "2D and 3D" art, like drawing, painting and sculpture; and performance. Should each discipline form its own co-op? Should it all be under one umbrella? (They settled on a hybrid model: an umbrella co-op with each discipline represented on the board.)
The committee researched property and equipment costs, maintenance, tech needs like software and subscriptions, and insurance.
"This is a strange place to insure," Luna said. "There is no real playbook for a membership-owned, artist cooperative with acid rooms and machinery."
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Finally, they converted the business into a Limited Cooperative Association, or LCA, with a co-op style governance that allows outside investors — even those who don’t patronize the business — to vote as members. But that's for the future. Right now, they just need enough members to make rent.
Should they ever turn a profit, staffing would be a priority, said Gabby Melli, Art Gym's secretary and a multidisciplinary artist.
All that equipment presents a liability issue, and the building must be staffed by two people trained to keep an eye on things at all times. Every member is required to volunteer a set number of hours.
A standard membership costs $135 per month and requires a commitment of 12 hours per month as a monitor. Members can still work on their art during their staff hours, Luna said, but they need to also maintain a general "situational awareness." Again: acid baths and heavy machinery.
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Members can pay more to reduce the hourly requirements, and can whittle the monthly fee down by volunteering more hours.
Right now, the co-op has 50 committed members — the minimum to keep the doors open. Their goal is to bump up membership by five people by the end of the month, Melli said. If they can hit 70, then the financial and time requirements shrink for everyone.
Before the conversion, the business had paid staff, so artists could come and go as they pleased.
But now, there’s more of a "collective responsibility" to come in and keep the place open, Luna said. That serves a subtler mission in the new co-op model, which is to create a space where artists and community members will just hang out.
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"I think a big stressor for people our age is: everywhere you go, if every second of your time isn’t monetized then you’re not ‘worth it,’" Luna said. "We want people to feel like they can just come here and futz about, and make good or bad art. Because that’s our process."
Their first day as an official artist-run member co-op was Tuesday. There was no grand reopening, no big announcement, no party. Just a few artists painting, pressing and tinkering — futzing around — in the massive, airy space.
"I think there are just some people waiting to see if it works. It’s a little bit like, ‘Are you doing it? If you’re doing it, I’ll do it,’" Melli said. "We’re kind of pressure testing if we can do this in a new way."
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Thank goodness for Colorado babies
In last week’s story about the state’s population surpassing the 6-million mark for the first time, our questions to the State Demography Office at the Department of Local Affairs went unanswered. But this week, State Demographer Kate Watkins responded.
For those catching up, Colorado’s population grew 0.4% in the year ending July 1, 2025, from a year earlier. That’s one of the slowest growth rates ever. The simple reason was that more people moved away than moved here, a similar trend seen nationally and credited to a change in immigration policy and federal enforcement. But thanks to a higher birth rate, Colorado added a net number of new residents.
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More births than deaths helped Colorado’s population grow in 2025.
But Colorado’s sluggish growth was slower than the U.S. for the first time since 1990. What gives?
For one, new data, Watkins said. The Census Bureau included data from new international sources that helped "better capture emigration to the U.S.," she said in an email, and "Colorado experienced a 0.92% increase relative to the previously published 2024 estimates." (More details on the new data here.)
That helped the demography team better understand migratory patterns, especially international folks who were part of "humanitarian migration." Many left because Colorado was not their final destination.
The net migration of international and out-of-state newcomers fell 94% last year from 2024, largely due to the loss of "domestic" folks, or residents who moved to another state. But contributing to the big drop was 2024’s net-migration growth of 1.3%. In other words, 2025 followed a very big year. Added to all this is the fact that Coloradans are still growing older, which means fewer folks of child-bearing age.
"We’re coming off of that unusual one-time boost that disproportionately impacted Colorado," Watkins said. "It’s more representative if we look at a broader window of time, say growth since April 1, 2020, Colorado outpaced the nation at growth 4.1% compared to 3.1% for the U.S. as a whole."
Her office "is not currently projecting zero or negative net migration," she said. "It's important to note that this is not a trend specific to Colorado but across most U.S. States."
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Sun economy stories you may have missed
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Eldora Mountain Resort owner Powdr installed the Doppelmayr high-speed six-pack Alpenglow chairlift in 2017. (Andy Colwell, Special to The Colorado Sun)
➔ Resort industry insiders who organized to help Nederland buy Eldora are no longer part of the plan. The Nederland Board of Trustees in the past month approved a $120 million purchase of Eldora ski area as well as the issuance of as much as $225 million in revenue bonds. >>Read story
➔ Colorado’s air pollution permit backlog grows despite tens of millions of dollars in state investment. Expanded staff finish more applications each year, but ongoing EPA violations keep ballooning the workload. >>Read story
➔ Xcel cleared to build huge new series of solar, wind, battery projects. But Colorado’s PUC is wary about costs. Colorado’s largest power provider is rushing to start before federal tax credits expire that could shave up to 50% from building expenses. >>Read story
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Gas pumps at the Buc-ee's in Johnstown on March 14, 2024. (Olivia Sun, The Colorado Sun via Report for America)
➔ Buc-ee’s withdraws application to build 2nd Colorado location. The Texas chain withdrew its application to build a supersized travel center in Palmer Lake north of Colorado Springs. The proposal threw the town and neighbors into a bitter battle. >>Read story
➔ Bode Miller relaunches Peak Ski Co. after spectacular collapse left investors and employees empty-handed. Athletes and creditors remain wary while awaiting signs that the revival will settle debts. >>Read story
➔ If voters let the Colorado legislature tap into TABOR surplus, tax credits may become much more complicated. And every dollar of the surplus used for a tax credit over the next decade or more would be a dollar that could have otherwise been used for the general fund.>>Read story
Take the poll
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Is it still tough out there for small business owners, employees and customers? Take this week’s reader poll and please share your story.
Easy-peasy, click here>>cosun.co/WWsmb202026
Other working bits
➔French aerospace firm lands in Douglas County. After considering Alabama, California and Texas, French aerospace equipment manufacturer Sodern picked unincorporated Douglas County for its U.S. headquarters.
Sodern America will assemble and test its Auriga star trackers, an alternative to GPS systems because it uses stars for positioning instead of satellites. The Douglas County location is still being finalized but is a 14,000-square-foot facility that will include a clean room, testing and demonstration area.
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Sodern America, a subsidiary of the French aerospace equipment maker of star trackers, plans to open its U.S. headquarters in unincorporated Douglas County this summer. (Provided by Sodern)
A team that included members of Denver South, the economic development organization representing areas from Greenwood Village to south of Lone Tree, met with Sodern officials at the Paris Air Show last year. That helped clinch the deal, said Christine Shapard, senior director of economic development at Denver South.
"The show provided an opportunity to highlight Colorado’s aerospace strengths and long-term growth opportunities in Denver South, and to meet in person to align on next steps and evaluate a path forward," Shapard said in an email.
New Sodern America CEO Tiphaine Louradour, previously with United Launch Alliance in Centennial, has also lived in Colorado for more than 25 years. Sodern expects to add at least 20 jobs at an average annual wage of $156,215. If it meets that hiring goal in eight years, it’ll be eligible for $110,094 in state tax credits, as approved last July by the Colorado Economic Development Commission (Project Sam).
Expected new jobs include engineers, production and business development roles. Sodern employs 470 globally, though none in Colorado — yet.
- Zero Homes is also expanding in Colorado. The company, which aims to help residents switch to electric utilities, committed to staying in Metro Denver after looking at Austin, Texas. Zero’s plan is to add 53 new jobs beyond the 23 employees it currently has in the state. The state Economic Development Commission also approved some job-growth tax credits (Project Caraway ) that would amount to $745,374 in tax credits if the company adds 53 jobs with an annual average pay of $140,377.
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AT&T's acquisition of Lumen's Quantum Fiber and other CenturyLink broadband adds another eight states to the AT&T fiber portfolio. (AT&T handout)
➔ AT&T completes deal to take over CenturyLink broadband in Front Range. The $5.75 billion purchase of Lumen’s Quantum Fiber and CenturyLink’s consumer broadband service was completed Monday, AT&T said in a news release. It was announced last May and gives AT&T entry into Colorado’s fiber broadband market for the first time.
But existing customers — notably in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs, Fort Collins and Greeley — won’t notice a change just yet, spokesperson Suzanne Trantow said. The company is expanding its AT&T Fiber service so the service will be an option "later this year." For now, any "Price for Life" customers get to keep the service plan.
➔ Colorado’s quantum efforts attract international interest. Taiwan became the latest international realm to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Colorado to support quantum computing and emerging technologies. That means the two are simpatico on boosting trade and providing opportunities to local businesses. Similar agreements supporting investment and cooperation on quantum tech have been made with the United Kingdom, Finland and New Zealand. Last week, a delegation from Japan stopped by to check out the local quantum community. Colorado became a designated U.S. Tech Hub for quantum computing in 2023.
➔ Denver Restaurant Week menus are out. The 10-day food fest known as Denver Restaurant Week runs March 6-15 this year. At least 271 restaurants in the metro area are participating. Many posted their menus online this week with prices set at $25, $35, $45 and $55. Two years ago, the 263 participating restaurants served 144,650 meals that generated $10.5 million in revenue for local restaurants.
- Pueblo Restaurant Month lasts all February. There are 36 restaurants this year. The annual event, organized by the local tourism bureau, tosses in a challenge for diners: Fill out a bingo card by patronizing as many restaurants as possible during the month for a chance at $500 plus a gift card from every participating restaurant. >>Details
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➔ Paid health care internships coming to Colorado. GreenLight Fund Denver spent the past year searching for a nonprofit to help close the gap in the state’s health care professional shortage. Last month, the Boston-based GreenLight, which calls itself a "venture philanthropy fund," awarded $600,000 to Health Career Connection in Oakland, California, to expand its health care-focused internship program to Denver. HCC’s program offers paid internships to students who need experience. So far, 71% of the interns ended up with jobs or extended internships at the companies they worked for. The deadline for Denver’s summer program is Monday. >>Apply
➔ Up to $100,000 available to organizations to add apprenticeships. The state’s focus on apprenticeships as a way for businesses to train their future workforce has money behind it. Called the Youth Engagement Grants as part of Apprenticeship Colorado, the $12.5 million funding comes from the U.S. Department of Labor. Organizations can learn more about joining the state’s registered apprenticeship program and see if they qualify for funding. A webinar is scheduled for Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. Register here. >>Details
Got some economic news or business bits Coloradans should know? Tell us: cosun.co/heyww
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