Addressing the Mental Health and Substance Use Crisis Through the Arts
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance’s Legacy of Healing and Empowerment
V-Cap celebrates providing financing for the Cleo Parker Robinson Center for the Healing Arts, a 26,000-square-foot space that unites mental health services with the transformative power of the arts. This innovative facility symbolizes CPRD’s continued leadership as a cultural anchor in Denver’s Black community, inspiring healing, resilience, and connection. Born out of the civil rights movement, CPRD has spent more than fifty years leveraging the arts to empower individuals and address systemic inequities. Today, its newest Arts-in-Wellbeing program pillar and this state-of-the-art expansion amplify CPRD’s impact, addressing Colorado’s mental health and substance use crisis with culturally relevant care and advocacy.
“CPRD emerged from Cleo Parker Robinson’s vision of using dance to restore dignity, identity, and joy within Black communities.”
From the Civil Rights Movement to Arts-in-Wellbeing
Founded in 1970, CPRD emerged from Cleo Parker Robinson’s vision of using dance to restore dignity, identity, and joy within Black communities. It was a response to generations of cultural erasure and trauma, offering a space for healing and empowerment. Over the decades, CPRD’s mission has evolved to address modern challenges, all while staying rooted in its foundational values of social justice and community connection.
The Arts-in-Wellbeing pillar builds on this legacy, weaving together arts-based therapies and mental health resources. Developed in collaboration with the Arts Alliance for Health Equity, this initiative addresses systemic inequities in access to care while celebrating the resilience of the communities CPRD serves.
Mental Health is Wealth Internship Program
One of Arts-in-Wellbeing standout initiatives is the Mental Health is Wealth Internship Program, launched in partnership with the Farley Health Policy Center. This trauma-informed program equips youth aged 14-25 with mental health literacy and workforce readiness, emphasizing early intervention and resilience-building. The first cohort of interns completed over 80 hours of workplace learning with partners across the Denver metro area, preparing them to navigate mental health challenges while developing professional skills.
This initiative also coordinates with Denver’s My Spark Program, a pilot effort that provides up to 4,000 middle school students with $1,000 to participate in an after-school program of their choice. CPRD’s collaboration with the My Spark Program ensures that these students have access to enriching arts-based programming that supports their mental well-being.
Project Self-Discovery: A Legacy of Innovation
CPRD’s integration of the arts and mental health began with Project Self-Discovery in the early 1990s. Developed in collaboration with Professor Harvey Milkman, this program offered an alternative to substance use and incarceration for at-risk youth through movement, music, and visual arts. Since its inception, the program has expanded internationally under the title Natural High, reaching communities in Iceland, Colombia, and beyond, with measurable outcomes depicted in the graph below.
Photo source: Cleo Parker Robinson Center for the Healing Arts
The most recent collaboration between Professor Milkman and CPRD took place in Bogota, Colombia, in 2019, where the CPRD Ensemble worked with schools and women’s prisons, bringing movement-based healing practices to those in need.
The Cleo Parker Robinson Center for the Healing Arts
Scheduled to open in 2025, the Cleo Parker Robinson Center for the Healing Arts will be a 26,000-square-foot facility designed to combine performance spaces with co-located mental health services. The center will offer counseling, an alternative mental health emergency response program, and other community resources, providing a comprehensive approach to wellness.
The building, which features sustainable elements like solar panels and electrochromic glass, integrates Cleo Parker Robinson’s choreography into its architectural design. This innovative space is not only a testament to CPRD’s artistic legacy but also a reflection of its commitment to community health and resilience.
Photo source: Fentress Architects
Expanding Health Equity Through Partnerships
CPRD’s partnerships extend to institutions like the Colorado Health Foundation and the Farley Health Policy Center, further enhancing its capacity to address health equity. These collaborations bring together experts in public health and the arts to create programs that are culturally relevant and deeply impactful.
Through the Arts Alliance for Health Equity, CPRD works to influence policy and expand access to mental health resources. These partnerships ensure that initiatives like the Mental Health is Wealth internship and My Spark Program are sustainable and accessible to the communities CPRD serves.
Looking Ahead
CPRD’s partnerships extend to institutions like the Colorado Health Foundation and the Farley Health Policy Center, further enhancing its capacity to address health equity. These collaborations bring together experts in public health and the arts to create programs that are culturally relevant and deeply impactful.
Through the Arts Alliance for Health Equity, CPRD works to influence policy and expand access to mental health resources. These partnerships ensure that initiatives like the Mental Health is Wealth internship and My Spark Program are sustainable and accessible to the communities CPRD serves.