The Durango Arts Center is proud to announce the inaugural Kirk James Music Celebration, a program to benefit KSUT Public Radio and Stillwater Music youth scholarships. The celebration will take place on Sunday, August 16, 2026, from 2:00-7:00pm, at Ska Brewing in Durango, Colorado. Multiple bands, a silent auction, and food/fun are on the docket, so please join us to celebrate!
Kirk James was a local blues legend and graphic artist whose creativity and generosity touched countless lives across the Four Corners region. Kirk was especially supportive of music education for kids, having taught summer blues camps at Stillwater Music, and was also an avid supporter of public radio. This celebration, coming one year after Kirk’s untimely passing, will help kids access quality music education through Stillwater Music’s youth scholarships and will help enable KSUT Public Radio to continue to offer a wide variety of on-air programming.
We have amazing musical guests lined up for the Celebration, including Bad Habit, The Great Divide, High Altitude Blues, and the incomparable Levi Platero.
Headline musician for the event, Levi Platero is from the Navajo Nation. Levi states, “I’m a Navajo bluesman who grew up in a Gospel circuit. I have this huge cultural background I’m very proud of, but at the end of the day, I’m also a blues guy.”
Kirk James, who passed away suddenly on August 17, 2025, lived and worked in Durango since 1985. Throughout his life, Kirk focused on the creative arts as his trade, from making ski run signage at Purgatory Resort in the early days, to creating company logos, satirical cartoons, event posters, becoming a Rat FinkTM licensed artist, to the art of custom pinstriping, using the moniker of “Bluzman Pinstriping”. In concert with visual arts, Kirk’s passion for music led him to be a truly talented performer in venues ranging from backyard BBQs to grand concert halls.
The Durango Arts Center
The Durango Arts Center (DAC) has graciously taken on the role of Fiscal Sponsor for this event in support of music arts in our community. This secures the non-profit 501(c)(3) status of the event from start to finish and ensures that sponsorships receive tax-deductible donation credit. Each year, DAC is proud to serve as a professionally managed facility for the benefit of local businesses, individuals and community organizations and their performances, film screenings, concerts, fundraisers, workshops, classes, art parties, and special events. As the hub of artistic gathering in the comunity, DAC wishes to further engage in music-related events, programs and educational opportunities.
KSUT Public Radio
The Southern Ute Tribe was one of the earliest pioneers of Native American radio. When KSUT signed on for the first time on June 14, 1976, it was one of only eight tribal stations in the country. Four Corners Public Radio serves 14 communities in the Four Corners, including Durango, Silverton, Cortez, Mancos, and Pagosa Springs, Colorado; Aztec, Bloomfield and Farmington, New Mexico; and parts of northeast Arizona and southeast Utah. The station airs news, eclectic music, entertainment, storytelling, and documentary programming, and is an affiliate of NPR, the BBC, American Public Media, and Public Radio International.
Stillwater Music
Stillwater Music is Durango’s primary music education hub that was founded in 2005 in a rented office space with 12 kids, some instruments, and a vision. Today, with a team of over 30 professional music instructors and staff, Stillwater serves 1,500+ students of all ages each week through classes, private lessons, and partner contracts. Stillwater Music’s youth scholarship program is a vital part of its mission to build community through music education, performance, and play. By removing financial barriers, Stillwater helps level the playing field for families who want their children to access the many benefits of music education without financial strain.