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Space and time for the work of change
Some of the most vital work happening right now is being carried out by collectives, emerging organizations, and groups of collaborators approaching urgent problems with creativity and care. People working on issues of food security, public health, housing, justice, economic resilience. This work is relational, imaginative, and often exhausting. It requires not just strategy but renewal.
The Groundwork Residency brings one such group to Shadowcliff each year for a week of focused time apart. Residents have space to rest, reflect, and deepen the relationships that sustain their work. At the end of their stay, they are invited to share what they're doing with Grand County residents through a free public event. The residency is designed to be as restorative for the group as it is generative for the community that receives them.
Christinia Eala, Queen, LaQuetta Walker, and Princess Mack facilitate a conversation on Fostering Community Resilience at Shadowcliff. Photo by Lillian Abraham.
Getting the lay of the land: Deandre Johnson Jr., Desmond Woods, Christinia Eala, Sue Rempel, Queen, Daja Woods, and Dave Claggett near Riverbend Cabin at Shadowcliff. Photo by Alexander Thompson.
The Groundwork Residency is an invitational program. We look for groups whose work is creative, collaborative, and oriented toward collective wellbeing, and whose presence in Grand Lake might spark genuine exchange with local residents and partners.
If you represent a collective, emerging organization, or group of collaborators interested in learning more, we'd love to hear from you. Write to Alexander at [email protected].
In June 2025, Queen, Founder and CEO of Queen's Legacy Foundation, convened a group of activists, advocates, and organizers from Fort Collins and Denver at Shadowcliff to rest, reflect, and strengthen the community ties that sustain their work for justice and change. At the end of their residency, they hosted a free public event exploring how creative, community-driven responses to food and housing insecurity, public health, and economic challenges can build deeper resilience in Grand County. The conversation drew residents, partners, and neighbors into conversation and exchange with the group's community organizing model.
Their residency also opened new relationships with community partners including the Grand County Rural Health Network, Mountain Family Center, Grand Beginnings, the Grand County Library District, and GCRHN's Community IMPACT Team.
The Groundwork Residency is sustained by people who believe that groups doing hard, creative, community-centered work deserve a place to gather strength. Your support helps make that possible, and helps ensure that when these groups come to Grand Lake, their presence becomes a gift to the whole community.
