TACAW Gala Raises Record Funds in Basalt

The air in Basalt held that specific, heavy warmth that only comes in late June, the kind that sticks your shirt to your back before the sun even fully dips below the peaks. Inside the Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW), however, the temperature was controlled, but the energy was anything but climate-controlled. It was electric.

On June 25, the venue didn’t just host a gala; it hosted a record-breaking celebration that proved the Roaring Fork Valley’s commitment to the arts isn’t just a slogan on a brochure. The fourth annual TACAW gala pulled in its highest funds to date, a financial milestone that Ryan Honey, the organization’s executive director, clearly views as a stabilizing force for a community that often worries about how to keep its cultural heartbeat strong.

The evening didn’t start with a check being cut. It started with laughter. Tig Notaro, the comedian with the deadpan delivery that can cut through a room like a knife, took the stage. She didn’t just emcee the dinner program; she owned it. Her routine, particularly the bit about “No Moleste” performed years ago at The Wheeler, drew a specific kind of attention from locals who remembered that original set. If you’re not familiar with it, you can look it up on YouTube. But sitting in the tent, hearing that same wit land in real-time, was a reminder of why this building exists. It’s not just for the elite. It’s for the people who show up.

And they showed up in force.

Following Notaro’s set, the stage shifted. The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance troupe delivered a striking duet that seemed to vibrate in the floorboards. Then came Tristan Trincado, a young singer/songwriter who shared his original tracks with a vulnerability that felt rare for a fundraising event. But the moment that truly captured the room’s attention belonged to local favorite Beth Malone. Accompanied by David Dyer on piano, she performed an original song from a musical — a piece performed publicly for the very first time. It wasn’t just a performance; it was a premiere. It was the kind of risk that defines what TACAW does: giving artists the space to be new, to be raw, to be here.

Once the formalities wrapped, the tent gave way to the building itself. The doors swung wide open, a physical metaphor for the accessibility the organization strives for. The band Monophonics took the stage, and the room transformed from a formal dinner into a dance party. Guests munched on pigs-in-a-blanket and mushroom dumplings — comfort food elevated for a gala crowd, while sipping drinks and navigating a dessert table that seemed to go on forever.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because of the Gala Host Committee, a list of names that reads like a who’s who of local support. Sam Augustine. Kelly and Emily Boggs. Bob and Lori Brandon. Jami DeBold. Laura Donnelley. Fidel Duke. Don and Marcia Flaks. Amy Harmon. Courtney and Spike Lipkin. Michael Lipkin and Jody Guralnick. Jeff Orsulak and Rachel Shechtman. Elaine Pagels and Alan Trist. Lyn Segal and Alex Sarratt. Daniel Shaw and Isa Catto. The Shirk Family Foundation. Kirstie Steiner and John Groccia. Melissa Temple and Liz Moss. Alexandra and Donn Willins and Cheryl Wyly.

They didn’t just write checks. They built the infrastructure for this night. And that matters because in a valley where tourism fluctuates and seasons change, having a reliable, robust arts organization isn’t a luxury. It’s the glue.

The record-breaking funds raised this year aren’t just a number on a ledger. They are a promise kept. They ensure that next year, when the sun hits the Roaring Fork Valley at that same angle, the lights will be on, the doors will be open, and there will be a reason to stay a little later than you planned. The band was still playing. The dumplings were gone. And the future of the arts in Basalt looked, for one night, incredibly bright.