Artists with Impact
Nikiko Masumoto cultivates connections between the art of food and farming and stories of place
Nikiko Masumoto is a farmer, and also an artist. Contrary what people might assume about these two different aspects of her life, they are not at odds with each other. In fact, each one informs the…
Eye in the Sky: Evan Anderman captures images of the Colorado plains from above
Most local lens-folk point their cameras west to the Rockies. Evan Anderman likes to cast his gaze east -- and down. "I was born and raised in Denver and spent a lot of time out [on the plains]…
Adam Lerner is mixing tastes at MCA Denver
Fact: MCA Denver Director Adam Lerner grew up in Queens, New York, in a family of Jewish immigrants who square danced competitively. As the youngest dancer at the AL'e'MO Squares square dance club,…
An artistic X-ray: Adam Stone and Screw Tooth
Screw Tooth Artistic Director Adam Stone will take the stage solo for his new original comedy, 2GD2B4G-10, a dramatic departure from the 17-member cast featured in his production company's first…
The weird world of Andrew Novick: Blood, pancakes and punk rock
"If I'm not back in a few hours," I said to my husband on an otherwise ordinary Saturday, "let the police know I was having coffee with the man who makes art out of human blood." My fears were put to…
Meet Brian Corrigan, Denver's "Oh Heck Yeah" phenom
It was during an unlikely -- and very cool -- marriage of something Pong and Space Invaders-like in downtown Denver last year when Brian Corrigan had himself an "aha!" moment. It was Create Denver…
Buntport Theatre Company is the kookiest and most inventive theater troupe in Denver
Wildly original. Brilliant. Intellectual nitrous oxide. Crazed creativity. Riotously funny. These phrases are just a small sampling of the breathy reviews of Denver's own Buntport Theater Company's…
Cleo Parker Robinson: Denver's modern dance pioneer
Cleo Parker Robinson grew up in Five Points, where her company resides today, and has been immersed in the mystique of the arts since birth -- her mother played with the San Diego Symphony and she…
Fox Art School raising bar for arts education in Denver
Fifteen to 20 kids assembled in an art gallery. All of them somewhere in the age range of 4 to 12. And a $10,000 painting hanging on the wall right over there. Not behind a pane of glass, or even…
If you heart local, you will love I Heart Denver
The idea of selling merchandise that celebrates a place is not new -- especially along Denver's 16th Street Mall. But Samuel Schimek has come up with a new and hip model for locally made goods that…
Denver's itchy-O Marching Band: Chaos of the best variety
Imagine this: It's late on a weekend night and Denverites are out and about. Maybe they're hanging out at the latest hipster bar along South Broadway or enjoying an adult beverage at a popular…
Guerilla Gardening with Jolt, Denver Street Artist Deluxe
This is a story about a graffiti artist. A graffiti artist who, by his own admission, has found various additional outlets for his talent. He's done commercial work, he's been commissioned to create…
Ladies Fancywork Society of Denver is painting the town in thread
In early April, Denverites were devastated when the iconic Big Blue Bear leaning against the Colorado Convention Center was seen sporting an unwelcome splatter of green paint down its back after an…
Life Hacks with Mar Williams
Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves, but Marlana Williams -- Mar, for short -- prefers to wear her hacks on her sleeves. Her tattoo sleeves, that is. The most surprising thing about…
The Nix Bros. are weaving web of laughter in Denver
By their own admission, and even though they're three years apart in age, brothers Evan and Adam Nix -- the imaginative forces behind Nix Bros. Films -- became movie nerds at roughly the same time.…
John Haywood re-paints the narrative of what it means to be Appalachian and to be an artist
John Haywood grew up in the Appalachian region of southeastern Kentucky with dreams of becoming a rock star. But mountain folk don't become rock stars. Mountain folk don't even go to college.…
Clement Brown, Jr. celebrates Fashion, Arts, Music & Entertainment in an underserved area of Detroit
The west side neighborhood around the intersection of Joy Rd. and Meyers in Detroit can be a tough place, but theFAME Shop, located at 10608 Joy Road, is a brightening presence. FAME…
It takes a ballet company: Thomas Armour Youth Ballet teaches life skills along with dance
The Thomas Armour Youth Ballet (TAYB) was established over 60 years ago in 1951 by renowned classical ballet dancer, Thomas Armour. Originally called the Miami Ballet, the for-profit school and…
Joan Vorderbruggen is the one-woman powerhouse behind Minneapolis's Made Here
There's really no better word that can be used to accurately describe Joan Vorderbruggen than "dynamic." Vorderbruggen has a dynamic personality that she is able to use to lead dynamic public art…
PAR Projects is building a home for arts education and programming in Cincinnati's Northside
Things don't always work out the way you plan, but they do tend to work out the way they're supposed to. Jonathan Sears is the co-founder of Professional Artistic Research (PAR) Projects, though he…
GroundWorks builds movement from the ground up
GroundWorks Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company founded in 1998 by Artistic Director David Shimotakahara. The company primarily splits its performance time between Akron and Cleveland with…
Afa Dworkin seeks to transform lives through the power of diversity in the arts
In 1996, when the Sphinx Organization was first founded, only three percent of orchestras around the nation represented those of Latino and colored descent. That number…
Anna Clark sees the future of a Literary Detroit
Last year, Anna Clark received an email from Anne Trubek, an author from Cleveland whom she had interviewed in 2010 for a blog feature. Since then, Trubek had gone on to…
Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert are the power duo behind Power House Productions
The first time most people heard the words "Power" and "House" attached to the names Mitch Cope and Gina Reichert was in fall of September 2008, when the artist/architect married…
Satori Shakoor and the power of telling true stories
Stories heal. They provoke. They reassure. When told in the intimate setting of The Secret Society of Twisted Storytellers at the Charles H. Wright Museum of…
St. Paul City Artist Amanda Lovelee inspires joyful connections
Amanda Lovelee’s life and work have taken her all over the world. A native of upstate New York, she graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, has traveled extensively…
Artist/educator Asia Ward: Creating the unexpected through a singular blend of art and science
Bre McGee
Science, magic, memory and art: These are among the tools artist and…
Hunter Franks leads simple steps of creativity to inspire big change in Akron
This story was originally published on Knight Blog here. Artist Hunter Franks uses people as his medium to break down barriers and make neighborhoods more neighborly. It’s simple, really. He invites…
Bunker Projects is an experimental gallery and live/work space for artists to engage the community
Artists Jessie Rommelt, Abagail Beddall, and Cecilia Ebitz all graduated from Penn State University in 2011. The three friends decided to head over to Pittsburgh afterwards, the closest city with an…
April Denée is the mother of BUSK!
"Busking" refers to artists performing in public places for tips. Unfortunately, "busking" all too often gets mistaken for begging, and buskers are treated by the police and public alike as…