The Gunnison Arts Center and CB State of Mind are teaming up for a new aspen tree-themed art show and silent auction this fall. The Grove Exhibit opens Sept. 4 during First Friday Art Walk and runs through Sept. 25 in the Arts Center’s Nancy Tredway Gallery.
Proceeds will benefit CB State of Mind, a Crested Butte-based nonprofit that provides free and reduced-cost mental health counseling across the Gunnison Valley. It’s a first-year event for both organizations.
“Aspen trees may look like individual trees, but they’re actually connected by a shared root system,” said Alysa VandenHeuvel, executive director of the Gunnison Arts Center. "I think that’s a great reflection of the Gunnison Valley. We’re all connected, and when we support one another, we’re all stronger.”
The idea for the art auction grew out of Community Connections, a free monthly art program the two groups already run together. “As we talked, we started asking ourselves, ‘What else could we do together?’” VandenHeuvel said.
“We have been providing several events every month for three or four years now, mostly offering yoga, sound baths and workshops,” said Meghan Dougherty, executive director of CB State of Mind. “Diversifying what was being offered and expanding into the world of art felt like an obvious next step for reaching people who feel disconnected from their community.”
Dougherty said that disconnection is measurable. “There is a significant percentage of our community that feels isolated and lonely, and these events are a strategy to address that,” she said.
According to a 2024 Community Engagement and Behavioral Health Survey cited on CB State of Mind’s website, one-third of Gunnison County residents report feeling isolated and lonely, and 56% experienced three or more poor mental health days in the past month. The county’s suicide rate is more than three times the state average, according to the same source: 69.35 deaths per 100,000 residents compared with Colorado’s overall rate of 21.93.
Money raised will go toward CB State of Mind’s Therapy Scholarship Program, which provides free counseling sessions to uninsured and underinsured residents of Gunnison County. Dougherty said the need has grown quickly: the organization issued 120 therapy scholarships in the first six months of 2026, compared with 144 for all of 2025. The nonprofit’s broader goal this year is to raise an additional $60,000 to keep up with demand.
“We are Better Together,” Dougherty said of the partnership behind the show.
Hap Channell, president of the Arts Center’s board, said the show fits the organization’s mission. “We are a community arts center, and we strive to build community through participation in the arts,” he said. The Arts Center drew more than 15,000 participants to its programs last year, Channell said, through ongoing partnerships with the Gunnison Watershed School District, Six Points, Gunnison Valley Health and Western Colorado University.
VandenHeuvel said she hopes the show does more than raise money. “I hope people come to the exhibit because they want to enjoy great local art, but I also hope they leave thinking about the people around them a little differently,” she said. “If it encourages someone to check in on a friend, support a local nonprofit, or simply feel a little more connected to this community, then I think we’ve accomplished something meaningful.”
The Grove Exhibit shares opening night with another new show. Cy Baird Gallery, the Arts Center’s main gallery, debuts “Affinity, Attention, Affection,” a series by scientific illustrator Catie Michel exploring visual similarities between unrelated species. Michel gives an artist talk at 6 p.m.
Artists are invited to submit aspen tree-themed work in any medium; 11 pieces had come in as of press time, with a submission deadline of Aug. 24 through the call-for-submissions form found on either group's website and social media outlets.
The silent auction opens at the reception and runs through Sept. 25 during the Arts Center’s regular open hours, with bidding done in person in the gallery. CB State of Mind staff will notify winners directly once the show closes and coordinate pickup afterward.
The opening reception for both runs 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 4 at the Gunnison Arts Center, 102 S. Main St. Further details on the evening were still being finalized as of press time. Artists have until Aug. 24 to submit work for the show; more information is available at gunnisonartscenter.org and cbstateofmind.org.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the Colorado Mental Health Line is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988.
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