A lot of people have been asking about ZU Arts Initiative and how it relates to ZU Gallery. Here’s the story of how we got here.
The thread connecting a hyperlocal news site, an art gallery, and a nonprofit
The Thread
“Back to the Zu,” I’d say every time I hit the Montezuma County sign coming back from a trip to Farmington or Durango. I jokingly referred to Montezuma County as the Zu, not realizing I’d bring back this quip in ways I never imagined.
You Belong in the ZU.
That idea has stayed constant even as everything else changed. The Daily ZU was a hyperlocal news site. ZU Gallery is an art gallery, wine bar, photography studio, and live music venue. ZU Arts Initiative is a nonprofit. But they’re all born from the same belief: we need spaces where everyone belongs, where local creatives are valued, and where rural communities get to claim vibrant cultural lives.
The answers just keep evolving.
Chapter One: The Daily ZU
In late 2019, my friend and I talked about wanting more positive news to be shared in our community, and she challenged me to start a hyperlocal newspaper. I tweeted about the challenge in November, as if adding it to a vision board.
In early January 2020, I texted my friend that I’d purchased the website domain thedailyzu.com, and she cheered (and laughed) at my progress. But every time I stumbled into a load of Facebook comments that divided neighbors, friends and even families, I had more reminders why I should start this. I was determined to find a way to share the beautiful side of Montezuma County and show how wonderfully different, yet closely alike, we all are. I wanted to build something that would celebrate our successes, no matter how small, and be proud to show off to any tourist, visitor or local.
People focus on the negative about this place. I don’t think they realize that by creating more good you overcome the bad. Montezuma County is a place that still has potential.
I’m a marketer and event producer by trade so I have photography, graphic design and web development in my toolbox. The Daily ZU was going to be my ultimate marketing masterpiece.
Then in late January 2020, I had a stroke. Several months later, as I recovered, building thedailyzu.com became the catalyst for bringing my focus and creativity back.
The site went live at the end of July 2020. The first article posted on August 6th at 5:57pm.
And then the website crashed completely.
But I didn’t let that discourage me. In five months, WE (our wonderful community) created a hub of stories of life in our little piece of the world. I couldn’t have done it without you sharing your beautiful, flaw-filled, funny, fabulous pieces of your lives while living in or just visiting Montezuma County, Colorado.
The Daily ZU proved people are hungry to see the beautiful side of their community. They want to celebrate successes, no matter how small. They want to feel proud of where they live.
Chapter Two: ZU Gallery
I was still working nonprofit event and fundraising management when The Daily ZU launched. ZU Gallery opened in September 2021 as an art gallery, workshop space, and photography studio for Wild Blue Bug Photography. That’s what I thought the community needed.
Then I started paying attention to what people actually responded to. What they kept showing up for. What they asked for more of.
The space evolved. We added a wine bar because people wanted to linger and talk, not just look at art and leave. Live music happened because musicians needed stages and audiences needed gathering spaces. The workshop area became flexible, transforming for whatever people needed that night.
What emerged wasn’t what I planned. It was better. A space that could be many things depending on the night—art gallery, wine bar, concert venue, classroom, meeting space, celebration space.
By 2022, I knew I needed to focus. I put The Daily ZU to bed and left my nonprofit job to work on the gallery full time.
Scotty and my mom Chris helped me realize this crazy dream every step of the way. Without them, none of this exists.
We’ve hosted over 700 events. Community art shows, non-profit fundraisers, live music, workshops, private events from baby showers to board meetings.
From day one, we operated on an unconventional model: 95% of our events free to the public while we pay every artist who performs or teaches. Access to the arts shouldn’t depend on ability to pay. Artists deserve dignified compensation for their work. Those weren’t negotiable.
The community showed up. Packed houses. Sold out workshops. They found their people.
We’re over four years old now, working to become a mainstay in our community. It’s a struggle financially in a rural community, but it’s been worth it to watch this grow and feel like I’m making a difference in the lives of artists, musicians, and community members.
Here’s what we also proved: you can’t sustain free, high-quality cultural programming on wine sales alone.
Chapter Three: ZU Arts Initiative
Every successful event sharpened the contradiction. We were doing exactly what the community needed, but the business model couldn’t support it. I faced a choice: scale back the free programming that made us essential, or find a new structure.
That’s why we’re launching ZU Arts Initiative as a nonprofit.
ZU Gallery isn’t going anywhere. It continues as the for-profit business it’s always been. But ZU Arts Initiative creates a vehicle for the community-building work that’s always been at the heart of everything.
As a nonprofit, we can seek grant funding. Build an endowment that lasts beyond my capacity. Develop programs like our Musicians Mutual Aid Fund. Expand access to arts education across Montezuma County while maintaining our commitment to radical inclusivity and fair artist compensation.
We’re not abandoning what worked. We’re building the infrastructure to make it sustainable.
The Same Question, Different Answers
A hyperlocal news site that crashed on its first day. An art gallery that evolved by listening to the community. A nonprofit being built from scratch.
Three different structures. Three different challenges. One belief:
You Belong in the ZU.
The Daily ZU said: we need to share the beautiful side of our community and show how wonderfully different, yet closely alike, we all are.
ZU Gallery said: we need a physical space where that community can gather and find each other. And we need to let that space evolve based on what people actually need, not just what we think they want.
ZU Arts Initiative says: we need to build the foundation so this work continues for decades.
It started with a vision board tweet in November 2019. It survived a stroke, a pandemic, a website crash, and the financial realities of running a small business in a small town.
It became a promise to our community.
I know where ZU Arts Initiative is headed. I didn’t know The Daily ZU would crash on its first day, or that ZU Gallery would evolve into a wine bar and music venue. But I learned to trust that if we build what the community needs and stay true to our values, people will show up.
That promise is just getting started.
