Artifice: Recent Episodes
Artifice Podcast by Emily Merrell
Great art almost feels like magic—it opens our minds to brand new ideas, and teaches us to see ourselves and our world more clearly. Of course, behind all great art, there are artists. And that’s where the real magic happens…
As we go beneath the art itself to explore how different artists do what they do, we see glimpses of the sorts of creativity, resilience, and bravery that lead to the art that moves our world. And maybe we can learn to borrow some of that magic for our very own thinking.
Join professional musician Emily Merrell for conversations with artists of all kinds. Together, we examine the mysteries of our own experiences, our muses and fears, our gifts and foibles, our beliefs about the origins of creativity, and the secret magic we’ve discovered in our unique creative processes.
Mediums include: studio art, graphic design, dance, cooking, illustration, creative writing, storytelling, comedy, music composition, music performance, film making, acting, production, fashion design, photography, and more.
Visit https://emilymerrellmusic.com/artifice-podcast/ for more information.
- Theme Song "As You Are" by Emily Merrell @emilymerrellmusic
- Illustration and Graphic Design by Sarah Keele @sarahkeeleart
- Photography by Jen Palmer @jenpalmerphoto
- HMU by Shawna Turner @shawnaturnerdesigns
Texas-based rock singer-songwriter Mark Winters creates acoustic-driven songs that balance melody, groove, and quiet attention. His work blends poetic reflection with a background in aerospace engineering, shaping music that values both emotional clarity and thoughtful structure.Winters first picked up a guitar to play a song for his wife, discovering a deep connection between songwriting and presence. Since then, his music has grown into a body of work that draws from blues-influenced phrasing, acoustic rock sensibilities, science and a lifelong love of poetry - especially haikus, inspired by his grandmother, who encouraged him to express himself through words.His debut album, Slipstream (2019), introduced listeners to his lyrical storytelling and science-inflected metaphors, earning widespread praise and surpassing one million streams worldwide. He expanded that vision on Boundary Layer (2022), an album exploring momentum, growth, and the spaces where change happens. With a nod to Albert Einstein and his science roots, Winters released E=MC2 (2024) embracing science and poetry through tracks like Speed of Light and a radio friendly version of Boundary Layer. Winters released Acoustic Me (2025), a stripped-down record centered on voice and intimacy, followed by the poetic and nature inspired single “Man in the Sky.”A seasoned touring artist, Winters performs primarily as a solo act, using guitar, piano, and subtle looping to create listening-forward shows that reward attention and restraint. In 2025, he launched the Good Vibes Highway Tour, bringing these intimate performances to rooms across the U.S. and Canada - places where songs can breathe and connection can form naturally.Mark Winters’ “Boundary Layer” will put you in the high frequency energy state to feel ultra confident to release your old boundaries. - Americana HighwaysWinters writes songs that are catchy and engaging that will brighten your day and lift your mood.” – Indie Band Guru“Mark Winters is a mad rocket-scientist who finds his charm through the magic of poetry and music” – Testing Melodies “And when Winters sings? Man, he pours his heart and soul into it. You can practically feel the passion in every note. His voice climbs, and it’s like he’s sending out this wave of hope and positivity.” - Music ArenaghWebsite: www.markwintersmusic.comSpotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/0dfXqjPrnIgC5fM9HtITAT?si=5OIoeTEQQJeAzq1lrfYqoQ
Deanna Kei is a NYC based fashion and beauty illustrator, specializing in live event art and detailed fashion branding, blending luxury fashion with New York street style. After a decade as a womenswear designer, she transitioned into illustration, and now works with brands such as Gucci, Dior, Burberry, Givenchy, and more. Her commissioned illustrations have been gifted to celebrities including Gigi Hadid and Blake Lively.Deanna collaborates with luxury fashion and beauty brands to create elevated, storytelling-driven illustrations and imagery that inspire customer engagement while honoring each brand’s identity. She is also known for her live guest sketching at NY Fashion Week events, brand activations, luxury retail experiences, galas, corporate events, private parties, and weddings. Her live sketches celebrate guests’ unique personal style, capturing the details that make each look memorable.Since her first live sketching event in 2018, Deanna has illustrated thousands of guests. Her work is deeply influenced by her background in fashion design and her upbringing in New York City. She is a Fashion Institute of Technology alumna with over a decade of experience across women’s contemporary sportswear, outerwear, athleisure and performance, juniors, childrenswear, and menswear design categories, as well as professional styling roles.Deanna’s illustrations have been featured across television commercials, magazines, newspapers, digital platforms, market week promotions, press trip packages, and live fashion week events. Her extensive knowledge of garment construction, fabric, silhouette, and fit informs every project, allowing her to approach illustration, design, and styling with precision and intention.Through her art, Deanna aims to encourage confidence, individuality, and positivity—celebrating personal style as a powerful form of nonverbal communication, always with a distinct New York edge.For more information or to discuss a new project contact Deannakei@gmail.com!
Perla Sanchez is a Dominican American artist and illustrator whose work explores identity, self-trust, growth, and reflection. Through expressive figures, bold color, and botanical elements, she creates intimate scenes that celebrate strength, becoming, and the beauty of quiet moments. Her immersive work invites viewers to pause, reconnect with themselves, and find inner peace and joy.Website: https://www.perlyblooms.comShop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/perlybloomsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/perlyblooms
Singer-songwriter Elthia creates indie pop music that leaves her listeners marveling at her wordplay and vibing to her ethereal, dreamy style. Combining real stories with fantastical elements, Elthia writes character pieces and ghost stories that she sets to music in each of her songs. In her own words, “I want my songs to feel like paintings that you sit in front of and stare at for a long time, getting completely entranced by them. I want you to listen to my music and continue to get lost in that world.” She enhances her artistic image by creating wearable art pieces, using dripping candles, demitasse spoons, and skeletal claws, all featured in her music videos.Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3o650cPIv3LQmts2yph8F1?si=fmmmtU-DQ7KxCV_eV6XjcQYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/elthia
Alex JosephsonOAA, M.Arch (University of Waterloo), B.A.S (University of Waterloo)PresidentBorn in Toronto, Canada. Alex Josephson studied architecture at the University of Waterloo and in Rome. He co-founded PARTISANS in 2012 after dropping out of the Architectural Association School of Architecture (AA). Alex is the only Canadian to have received the New York Prize Fellowship at the Van Alen Institute, he was named 2015 Best Emerging Designer by Canada’s Design Exchange. He currently lectures at the University of Toronto’s Daniels Faculty of Architecture. Alex is a registered architect in Ontario.https://partisans.com/https://www.instagram.com/alexanderjosephson/
M University-Commerce) where he studied with Phillip Clements (conducting), Luis Sanchez (piano), and Mike Morrow (horn).In addition to his conducting, researching, and teaching, he actively performs both on the French horn and at the keyboard. He has produced, performed, and conducted on records for the Naxos, Summit, and Parma record labels, and he has performed in and conducted ensembles in concert halls, stages, forests, and patios across the United States and Asia. An avid supporter of new music, he has been part of numerous commissioning projects for solo horn, chamber ensembles, and wind ensembles. He is a second-place winner in The American Prize for conducting and in 2025-27 he holds the Harry Begian Conductor Scholar Award at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. He is an active member in the College Band Directors National Association, Utah Music Educators Association, Utah Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, American Musicological Society, and National Association for Music Education, and is an honorary member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Music Fraternity.
Makoto Chi is a visual artist, born and raised in Canada, and currently living in Western Massachusetts. His artistic backgrounds are in tattooing, drawing and painting, occasionally eddying into sculpture and installation. These practices cross-pollinate and share thematic through lines: Queer eros, ritual, diasporic desire for belonging, dualisms, and revisiting and refracting personal memories. Research into the visual cultures, mythologies and spiritualities of his Japanese and Ashkenazi Jewish heritages are important touchstones, where the fractured narratives of fleeing homelands, internments, of receiving and enacting grave violence are given space to speak and merge together. For Makoto, Chi, eroticism within anthropomorphic bodies is a means of queer refraction and reimagining of these histories and myths; they re-knit severed relationships to his heritages while opening space for new meaning and surprises. Makoto Chi Graduated from Emily Carr University in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in illustration. He currently lives in Western Massachusetts at Lupinewood Collective, an intentional living space and community project. Important links:https://www.patreon.com/makotochihttps://store.lupinewood.com/ and https://www.lupinewood.com/evergreen/https://www.instagram.com/makoto.chi/https://www.makoto-chi.com/
My work is fueled by the complex dissonance of a modern human experience—dominant over and separate from the natural world. A dance between grief and hope, my art evokes visual representations of ambiguous loss of natural entities and celebrations of persistent patterns, teachers, medicine and kin. Trees are my primary source of inspiration.My mediums range across fiber arts disciplines and include felting, weaving, paper and book making, and basketry. Process is essential to comprehension of my felted work as it represents a personal expression of ritual, and the fusing of individuals into collective; an echoing of earthly interconnectedness, mycelial networks and coalescence. Bent knees allow flat palms to meet earth, expressing acts of care, reverence and patience–a physical prayer of grief, gratitude, and remembrance. This ritual of wet felting and its physically demanding process help me to expel grief, loss, frustration and anger. In turn, because of the labor intensive process, I must give myself fully to the piece knowing I will sacrifice my body’s abilities in the days following. I view this dynamic as an exploration of “how much do we live in reciprocity with our earth?”. While traveling, basketry has been my most consistent medium choice as it allows me the flexibility of a gradual less demanding process. My work aims to evoke an environmentally conscientious community through a declaration that we are a global community, equally responsible for the protection of Earth. Materials sourced from nature engage environmental agents as collaborators, not merely subject matter.I have been traveling/volunteering fulltime since the summer of 2024. After the completion of my degree, I craved education from life beyond the realm of academia and the insular scope of American understanding. I have since been to 11 countries. This experience has helped me flourish in problem solving, communication, forgiveness, my understanding of international relations, the connectedness of our human experiences despite nationality or social position, that positive land relationships exist everywhere, and the importance of my relationship with myself, my artwork and my spirituality.Links:Contentsofcricket.com@contentsofcricket ig
Newton, Derwent, Upper Deck, and more.The studio’s work reaches over half a million followers and millions of viewers worldwide, with projects recognized by organizations including Effie Worldwide, SCAD, and more.KatyLipscomb.com • @katy_lipscomb
Father, husband, traditional bow hunter, and multidisciplinary movement coachThrough a synthesis of many schools of practice and emphasizing the natural environment, my aim is to empower you to take responsibility for your health through effective and accessible education. Armed with the understanding that nature heals, my aim is to inspire you to get back to your natural habitat and Re-Village.https://www.instagram.com/move_like_human/
Olga Rybalko is a Ukrainian-Canadian painter based in Vancouver, BC, working primarily in oils. Her work focuses on landscapes and still life paintings, with an emphasis on observation, light, and quiet storytelling.Born in Sevastopol, Ukraine, and immigrating to Canada at the age of 13, Olga has spent much of her life moving between environments. That experience continues to influence how she approaches painting, paying close attention to atmosphere, subtle shifts in light, and the small details that give a place or scene its sense of presence.Olga often works directly from life, painting outdoors or from careful studio observation. Her process is intuitive but rooted in traditional techniques, allowing each painting to develop through looking, adjusting, and responding over time. While her practice began with landscape and cityscape painting, it has expanded to include more narrative-driven work, including still life paintings that hint at stories without spelling them out.Through her paintings, Olga aims to capture not just how a place looks, but how it feels to be there, and the moments that stay with you after you’ve left. Her work is held in private collections across Canada and internationally.Website: https://www.olgarybalko.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olgarybalkoart/
Hannah Veiga is a pyrography (wood burning) artist from Southeastern Ontario, Canada. In her practice she creates intricate designs burned into salvaged live-edge wood that compliment the shape and natural beauty of the wood itself. She strives to create wood burnings that are a reflection of her love for the outdoors, offering sanctuary, moments of peace, and an invitation to stay curious for the everyday wonders of nature. Website: hannahveiga.comIG: https://www.instagram.com/hannahveigaYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@hannahveiga
Lily Morello is a Malaysian Chinese American food photographer and blogger based in San Francisco, California. She enjoys making carbs look pretty and exploring connection through food. By sharing about food made in her small home kitchen with photography work done entirely with her phone, her hope is to make beautiful food feel more accessible and to inspire others to create their own joy through cooking and eating at home. Her hobbies include gardening (to grow flowers for her food styling pursuits), travel (to expand her experiences with foods around the world), and cuddling with her dog.Instagram: @lilybubbletea
and content creator based in Atlanta, Georgia. She specializes in creative DIY home projects, sewing, painting, and homemaking.
Growing up in Southern California, Casey Parlette developed a deepconnection to wildlife while exploring the region’s hills and ocean.Inspired by these experiences, he began sculpting at a young age. Afterearning a degree in anthropology from UCLA, Casey worked as acommercial diver and later as a career ocean lifeguard in Laguna Beach.His adventures include operating underwater cameras for the televisionseries Inside Sportfishing, traveling to remote regions of the world, andspending eight months in the Peruvian Amazon, where he discovered apreviously unknown fish species now classified as Rivulus parlettei. Anaturalist at heart, Casey draws on his lived experiences to inspire hissculptures.Casey works with wood, metal, and stone to capture the movement andfeel of the natural world. He selects materials whose inherent patternsand textures echo his subject. curly redwood may suggest the stripes of atiger shark, while a manzanita burl can reveal the form of an octopus.Through blacksmithing and metal fabrication, he hammers life intosterile sheets and rods of metal while carved stone adds permanence andcolor. By combining these materials, Casey creates one-of-a-kindsculptures that reflect the beauty, complexity, and vitality of nature.website: www.caseyparlette.comInstagram: @caseyparlettesculpturePodcast: Creative Pursuits with Casey ParletteEmail: casey@caseyparlette.com
My name is Connor Book, I’m 26 years old born and raised in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. I currently work as an Assistant Winemaker at Sue-Ann Staff Estate Winery in Jordan, Ontario. I went to Brock University for Oenology and Viticulture and have travelled around and worked harvests at wineries in Australia, British Columbia and Niagara. There are a lot of aspects I enjoy about winemaking but the whole process of watching the grapes grow and creating a very different and complex product in the end is something that never gets boring.
went viral, and he has since explored the sound making and producing of electronic music with robots and mechanics as well as releasing many influential and viral works. Geist's compositions are influenced by a broad range of musical styles, including various electronic music genres and classical music, creating a unique and experimental sound. Over the years, he has collaborated with a range of renowned artists, including Mouse On Mars, Tyondai Braxton, Robert Lippok, and Thieß Mynther. His work has been showcased at many international venues and events such as the Venice Biennale, South by Southwest (SXSW), the Philharmonie de Paris, and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. He has also presented his work in Japan, Australia, and South Korea. From 2017 - 2020 he held a master class at the NYU Berlin. His contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous awards, such as the ISEA Conference 2024, the Working Grant ZER01NE Seoul in 2023, German Pop Music Prize 2022, and the VIA VUT Award in 2019.Life and educationGeist has a classical music education on piano, clarinet and classic music, but turned to electronic, punk and noise music in his student years. After finishing his diploma in electrical engineering and starting his PhD in a research facility, he turned to work as a freelance artist full-time in 2012.WorksIn 2012 Geist build his first robotic music instrument the “MR-808”, designed after the classic electronic drum machine “TR-808”. The “MR-808” features 12 drum instruments which are beaten by small robots, such as a snare, toms or bass drum. The instrument is controlled with MIDI, and can be played by the audience. The work gained a lot of attention online and was displayed at many occasions. The installation won the Cynetart Prize 2014 and is part of the touring exhibition 'Electro' by the Philharmonie de Paris alongside works of Jeff Mills and Jean-Michel Jarre.Tripods One (2017)In 2017 Geist released the installation “Tripods One”, which is a small robotic music system featuring five robotic percussive robots. In an interview for the magazine Fast Company Geist states he wanted to create DIY futuristic instruments which have something new to them, and which don’t reference something that already exists. The installation won the Visual Music Award 2017 and was nominated for the design price of saxonia 2018.Album “Robotic Electronic Music” (2018)In 2018 Geist released his debut Album “Robotic Electronic Music” distributed by Kompakt Distribution and produced by Andi Thoma from the band Mouse On Mars. On the 8-Track Album, Geist used only physical instruments, and it was sold with the claim of being the first techno album entirely played by robots.CollaborationIn 2014, Geist started a collaboration with the electronic duo Mouse On Mars. They played together at international occasions, such as the Moog Festival or at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. In 2018, the Mouse on Mars Album Dimensional People was released, for which Geist built a custom made robotic music system. With this system it is possible to trigger various objects and percussion elements with MIDI.ExhibitionsSince 2016, Geist has exhibited several works at museums, for example at the AIx Music exhibition at the Ars Electronica Center or at the Science Museum Milano. In 2019, Geist was nominated for the VIA/VUT Award alongside Holly Herndon, who won the title. Since 2020, Geist runs a studio also doing corporate works in Dresden, Germany
Olga Saretsky is a visionary performance artist, designer, and choreographer based in Miami. She is the creative mind behind Kikimora Studio, a unique performance art company that brings divine wearable sculpture and living art to life. Olga’s creations, often described as “high fashion,” blend mystery with beauty, evoking a sense of the extraordinary. Kikimora Studio also houses Kikimora Fashion, a collection of vibrant, high-performance costumes for dancers, yogis, and performers. Born in Kazakhstan to a Russian family, Olga began her artistic journey at age 15, evolving into a costume designer and choreographer. After performing globally, she founded Kikimora Studio in the U.S., where she now teaches and produces her visionary wearable art, captivating audiences worldwide.Performance booking Art for events- www.kikimorastudio.com, Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/kikimorastudioart/Fashion brand, custom costumes - www.kikimorafashion.com , Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/kikimorafashion/
Inspired by natural forms, Stéphanie Kilgast’s artwork is an ode to nature and its current biodiversity. Plants, mushrooms, insects and other animals intertwine in a vibrant swirl of colors under her brush or sculpting tools.Since 2017, in her series ‘Discarded Objects,’ she sculpts colorful organic growths emerging from manufactured objects, celebrating the beauty of nature in a dialogue with humanity and questioning the lost balance between human activities and the natural world.Her work has a cheerful post apocalyptic feel to it, a reassuring reminder that nature has the capacity to grow back, if we only let it.Her work has been exhibited in North America, Asia, Australia and Europe.She is French and was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1985. She currently resides in Vannes, France.https://www.stephaniekilgast.com/biohttps://www.instagram.com/petitplat/
into a masterpiece through the transformative art of perfumery.With a palette boasting hundreds of ingredients, Elodie is captivated by the alchemical process of discovering the hidden charm of scents that may challenge conventional notions. She perceives scents not just as fragrances but as textures, shapes, and colors, infusing each creation with a multidimensional allure. Her mission is to craft fragrances that transcend the olfactory senses, eliciting emotions and transporting individuals to distant landscapes or cherished memories.Elodie Durande has been the nose behind Ffern since 2018. Together with Owen Mears, the founder of Ffern, and his sister Emily Cameron, the creative director, the team conceive and develop each seasonal scent. As Ffern’s in-house head nose, Elodie is fuelled by a passion for experimental and innovative natural perfumery.Beyond perfumery, Elodie's eclectic tastes manifest in an array of hobbies, from cooking and pottery to leather work and acroyoga. Her life rhythm is complemented by a love for music, series, films, and the serene embrace of paddleboarding.LINKS:https://ffern.co/https://quintessencefragrances.com/https://www.fragrantica.com/noses/Elodie_Durande.htmlhttps://www.instagram.com/elodie.durande/
M University-Commerce) where he studied with Phillip Clements (conducting), Luis Sanchez (piano), and Mike Morrow (horn).In addition to his conducting, researching, and teaching, he actively performs both on the French horn and at the keyboard. He has produced, performed, and conducted on records for the Naxos, Summit, and Parma record labels, and he has performed in and conducted ensembles in concert halls, stages, forests, and patios across the United States and Asia. An avid supporter of new music, he has been part of numerous commissioning projects for solo horn, chamber ensembles, and wind ensembles. He is a second-place winner in The American Prize for conducting and in 2025-27 he holds the Harry Begian Conductor Scholar Award at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. He is an active member in the College Band Directors National Association, Utah Music Educators Association, Utah Bandmasters Association, National Band Association, American Musicological Society, and National Association for Music Education, and is an honorary member of the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia National Music Fraternity.
David Singer is an internationally acclaimed clarinetist whose career has included twoperformances at the White House and more than 150 appearances in Carnegie Hall.Joseph Horowitz in The New York Times wrote about David Singer, “To describe hisplaying would be to enumerate a catalogue of virtues.”Mr. Singer’s recording of the Aaron Copland Clarinet Concerto was praised byLawrence A. Johnson from Gramophone Magazine in the UK as “one of the finestaccounts around,” and his performances have been featured on the BBC and on SiriusXM as a principal performer of the Grammy Award-winning Orpheus ChamberOrchestra, NYC.Professor Singer taught as a guest teacher at both the Yale and Princeton Schools ofMusic as well as at the Thornton School of Music at the University of SouthernCalifornia, and is Emeritus Professor of Clarinet/Coordinator of Chamber Music atMontclair State University, NJ. He continues to coach young musicians across SouthernCalifornia and performs with the Singer Chamber Players and the Channel IslandsChamber Orchestra.His debut memoir, From Cab Driver to Carnegie Hall, chronicles his remarkable journeyof overcoming obstacles and ultimately becoming successful in music and life.From Cab Driver to Carnegie Hall has just been chosen among many ten’s ofthousands of books to be part of the Los Angeles Public Library collection.“From Cab Driver to Carnegie Hall shows how effort and perseverance can turn dreamsinto reality.” “This book is a testament to inspiration and resilience.” Diana Lopez,Readers’ Favorite Five Star ReviewA Courageous Story of a Life in Music - This is an excellent view of an inspired life inthe turgid world of classical music in the late 1960’s – 2000’s. Reading of his strugglesand triumphs to reach the top of his field and survive is stirring. Baron, Five StarAmazon Review“An intimate, candid look at the highs and lows of one musician’s artistic pursuit.”Kirkus ReviewsLinksWebsite: https://singerclarinet.comhttps://singerclarinet.com/events-media/https://www.facebook.com/singerclarinet
Amy Reader is an Asheville-based fiber artist and educator. She works primarily with wool, yarn, felt, and thread. Her work explores tiny moments of joy found in the natural world, translated through her vivid sensory experience as an autistic artist. Amy has been a professional artist since 2018. She was named one of The Rising Tide’s 20 On The Rise in 2019. In 2023, her solo show Beneath the Surface was featured on the Hello, Rose City! Artist Corner on KGW in Portland, OR. Amy splits her time between creating her artwork, teaching workshops, and creating educational content for her Patreon.
Lady Dhyana Ziegler, DCJ, Ph.D., is currently President and CEO of Z/Creators, LLC and Professor Emerita of Florida A&M University, U.S.A. . She has worked in the field of higher education and technology for more than 35 years as a professor and administrator. Dr. Ziegler is the author of four books, more than 60 scholarly publications - including book chapters - and has produced more than 100 videos and othermultimedia works. She has presented at numerous national and international conferences. Besides her academic career, Dr. Ziegler is a multimedia writer, digital content producer, and songwriter (to name a few). She serves on several boards and other professional organizations.
Hailing from the vibrant city of Austin, Katrina Cain is a Texas-rooted artist with a voice shaped by the open road. Born in Dallas and raised across many statelines, she grew up without a hometown, and that search for belonging runs deep through her songwriting. Now finding herself at home in Austin, Katrina's sound captures the raw truth of Americana with the polished grit of modern country.Katrina first caught national attention on NBC’s The Voice with a standout rendition of “Rhiannon,” and her journey has only grown more compelling since. Her 2024 EP Gold introduced her as a fearless storyteller, inviting new audiences to share in the honesty- and often, humor- of life’s struggles. With the lead single’s music video, “New Mercedes,” amassing over two million views, Katrina proves she’s a rising star who’s here to stay. Her upcoming, full-length album, recorded in early 2025, features an impressive lineup of talent including Matt Hubbard (Willie Nelson), Philippe Bronchtein (Chase Rice), Doug Pettibone (Lucinda Williams), Andy Rogers (The Wilder Blue), with engineering by Chris Bell (The Eagles, Reba, Jim Lauderdale) With this new release, Katrina continues to venture into her own authentic sonic palette, embracing Texas-country textures and stories steeped in wanderlust.You can hear her music on all streaming platforms and follow her journey on Instagram and Facebook.
Marcia Peck is an award-winning writer and accomplished musician, celebrating over 50 years as a cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra. Inspired by the rhythms and sounds of music echoed in language, her debut novel, Water Music: A Cape Cod Story, combines all of her passions –music, writing, and Cape Cod. The book has received critical acclaim and has received many book awards, including Literary Titan Gold, National Indie Excellence Award, New England Book Festival Regional Lit Winner, and Feathered Quill Reviewers Choice Award Winner. Additionally, she was a finalist for American Writing Awards, Eric Hoffer Award Grand Prize, Firebird Book Awards, and Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Pacifica book Awards designated it as a “Notable Book” and her book was long-listed by both Historical Fiction Company Book-of-the-Year Award and Somerset Book Awards. Peck's writing has received awards from New Millenium Writings (First prize for "Memento Mori"), Tamarack Awards (honorable mention for "An Unexpected Cadence"), Lake Superior Writers' Conference (First Prize for "Pride and Humility"), Glimmer Train(finalist for Very Short Fiction Award for "The Flavor of Borscht"),Flash quake (nomination for Pushcart Prize for "Long Distance"), and MnArtists Mini Stories (Winner for "Little Vladimir's Father"). She is the grateful recipient of Artist Fellowships from the Minnesota State Arts Board, Loft-McKnight, and the Jerome Foundation as well as residencies at Hambidge Center in Georgia and Ragdale in Illinois. A cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra for her entire musical career, she is inspired by the rhythms and sounds of music echoed in language. Peck graduated from the legendary Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She studied with famed Italian cellist Antonio Janigro in Germany for two years. Her articles have appeared in Musical America, Strad Magazine, Strings Magazine, Senza Sordino, the magazine of the Minnesota Orchestra and the op-ed pages of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Her fiction has appeared in Chautauqua Journal, New Millenium Writings, Gemini Magazine, Glimmer Train, 26 Minnesota Writers (Nodine Press), Tribute to Orpheus 2(Kearney Books), and three volumes of Open to Interpretation: Fading Light(Taylor and O'Neill).Her work has been supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board, The Loft Literary Center, and the Jerome Foundation, Ragdale Foundation and Hambidge Center. Peck grew up in New Jersey and summered in Cape Cod. Her love for Cape Cod has been a strong and deep current throughout her life. She and her sisters still return to the house their father built in Orleans. She lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota with her husband and two very naughty dogs For more information, please see: www.marciapeck.com.
Kathryn Bertine is an author, athlete, activist and documentary filmmaker. As a professional cyclist, she raced five years on the World Tour pro circuit. Prior to racing, Bertine was a columnist and senior editor for ESPN. Her award-winning documentary film, HALF THE ROAD: The passion, pitfalls and power of women’s professional cycling debuted in 2014 and is still screened worldwide today and named one of the Best Cycling Films of All Time in 2020. As an advocate for equality in women’s sports, Bertine succeeded in petitioning the Tour de France for women’s inclusion, leading to the 2022 “Tour de France Femmes.” She now serves as CEO for Homestretch Foundation, a nonprofit which provides free housing to female professionalathletes struggling with the gender pay gap. Her latest book, STAND: A memoir on activism. A manual for progress was named a finalist for Best Memoir / Best Social Change in 2021. In 2022 Bertine was named University of Arizona Alumni of the Year for her work in Tour de France gender equity. Bertine holds a BA from Colgate University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. Follow on Twitter/FB @kathrynbertine @halftheroad @HomestretchFdnInsta: @kathryn_bertine & @homestretchfdn Website: www.kathrynbertine.com
Roxy is the creative mind behind Xanne Fran Studios, a sculpture and jewelry shop with a focus on magical figurative design. Inspired by the natural world and the world of her imagination, she brings to life dreamy jewelry designs in gold and silver, and fantasy sculptures in classic, timeless bronze. She got her start as a figurative artist, focusing on drawing and painting the human form, but immediately fell in love with the lost-wax casting process when it was introduced to her in college. Jewelry was never part of the plan, but sculpting at a very small scale came naturally to her, so when she tried casting silver on a whim, she fell in love with that too! xannefran.com@xannefran
Briar West, a visionary fluid artist raised in Southern California, infuses her work with the essence of the ocean. She embraces the elegance of imperfection and the beauty in chaos. Through her art, she captures the notion that we are all imperfectly perfect, and believes that’s a beautiful thing. Briar’s journey into art is as unconventional as her medium. With a background in medical research, her artistic path began as a blend of self-care and curiosity. Lacking traditional supplies, she started experimenting with inks, using materials she had on hand - alcohol, bleach, vodka, even antifreeze. This inventive spirit defines her work to this day, often sourcing supplies from Home Depot, liquor stores, and auto part stores. Briar is known for her dynamic process, sometimes using a leaf blower to swiftly guide alcohol and ink across large canvases, capturing a moment before it fades. Briar has been called an alchemist, taking common, everyday products and creating magic. Today she continues to use those same materials in her work, as that is what she knows and loves. Her unrelenting curiosity has led to the creation of increasingly larger and larger pieces. Her work can now be seen in lobbies, homes, and offices across the country.www.BriarWestStudio.comIG: @BriarWestStudio
Receiving B.S. and M.S. degrees from The Julliard School of Music, David Taylor started his playing career as a member of Leopold Stowkowski's American Symphony Orchestra, and with appearances with the New York Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez. Simultaneously, he was a member of the Thad Jones Mel Lewis jazz band, and recorded with groups ranging from Duke Ellington to The Rolling Stones. He has also recorded numerous solo CDs on the following labels: Koch, New World, ENJA, DMP, Tzadik, CIMP, PAU, and TLB.Mr. Taylor performs recitals and concerti around the world: from Lincoln Center in NY to the Musikverein in Vienna and Suntory Hall in Japan. In addition to his own compositions, he has been involved in well over a hundred commissioning projects for solo bass trombone collaborating with composers including Alan Hovhaness, Charles Wuorinen, George Perle, Frederic Rzewski, Lucia Dlugoszchewski, Eric Ewazen, Dave Liebman, and Daniel Schnyder. He has appeared and recorded chamber music with Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and Wynton Marsalis and performs with the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society, the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Orpheus, and the St. Luke’s Chamber Orchestra. Throughout his career, Taylor has appeared and recorded with major jazz and popular artists including Barbara Streisand, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, and Aretha Franklin. Mr. Taylor has won the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Most Valuable Player Award for five consecutive years, and has been awarded the NARAS Most Valuable Player Virtuoso Award, an honor accorded no other bass trombonist. He has also won The International Trombone Association’s Award “in recognition of his distinguished career and in acknowledgement of his impact on the world of trombone performance.He has been a member of the bands of Gil Evans, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis, Jaco Pastorius, Charles Mingus, JJ Johnson, Joe Henderson, George Russell, Michele Camilo, Bob Mintzer, Dave Matthews, Dave Grusin, Randy Brecker, and the Words Within Music Trio (Daniel Schnyder, David Taylor, Kenny Drew Jr., The Art of the Duo (with D Schnyder) and B3+. He has performed on numerous GRAMMY Award winning recordings. David Taylor is also on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College, and NYU. He plays Edwards bass trombones and Griego/Taylor mouthpieces exclusively.https://www.davetaylor.net/
Chad's artwork embodies beautiful woods from around the world. What began as retirement gifts for his fellow active duty servicemen has turned into amazing creations exhibiting the Pacific Northwest, wildlife, instruments, pop culture, ancient culture and mythology. Chad understands how to use the unique characteristics of the wood to enhance his work into a one of a kind piece of art. He won Best of Show and the People's Choice award at the PNW Art School juried art competition for his amazing octopus sculpture in 2024. He was recently accepted into the Anacortes Arts Festival and Kent Summer Art juried art competitions.https://www.instagram.com/chadpilk72/
My name is Hanna. I’m an artist, art therapist, and special education teacher. I’m Ukrainian and have been living in Estonia for three years now because of the war in Ukraine — it’s dangerous in my hometown, Kyiv.I draw inspiration from the majesty of nature and from people whose words align with their actions.My hobbies include collecting stones, playing the guitar, working with clay, and photography. I love gazing at the sky for a long time and feeling present in the moment.https://spacewoodengifts.etsy.comhttps://www.instagram.com/__weanduniverse/
Stu Beavers is a metal artist from Durham, NC. Stu’s mother was a welder, and though she tried to teach him, he always preferred painting and drawing. It wasn’t util he took a formal welding class at Durham Tech that those lessons with his mom clicked and he understood her love of metal—he’s been obsessed ever since. He is heavily inspired by wildlife, recreating the flora and fauna of his favorite tropical landscapes. As a handyman and hobbyist auto mechanic, his materials are always close by and he sees the potential in the everyday objects around him.Instagram @into_the_rust
Andrea Durfee is an artist and NYS licensed creative arts therapist based in Rochester, NY. Her paintings, sculpture and animation celebrates women, nature and sacred connection through vibrant landscapes and intimate portraits fusing the figure with flora and fauna. She is the creator of the oracle deck, Gaia: Lessons from the Earth and has a forthcoming book of poetry and goddesses being released February 2025. Her creations are an offering of space in which one can take a quiet walk, find light, and connect. website: www.andreadurfee.com and www.aracreativewellness.cominstagram: @andreadurfee and @ara.creativewellness
Katharine Hooper is a Sommelier and artistic multi-hyphenate living in New York City. Raised by a celebrated painter father and an executive-career mother, she developed an early affinity for the intersection of art, science, and mysticism. After happily stumbling into a career in wine, she became engrossed in examining the overlap between the philosophical and the sensory, reflecting her balanced approach and dedication to truth. Her artistic curiosities include filmmaking, literature, anthropology, formal logic, drawing (in conte and charcoal), and both creative and critical writing.
Olivia Book, is a professional ballet dancer in Ballet West’s second company in Salt Lake City, Utah. Olivia grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada and was born with a right arm limb deficiency. She has always been a natural performer and began ballet classes at a local dance studio at the young age of four, she later became a member of a competitive dance team from the age of nine until fifteen, competing in many different styles of dance.Olivia attended The Royal Danish Ballet summer school in 2018 and 2021. In 2019 at the age of 15, she attended the Youth American Grand Prix, placed in the top 12 in both the classical ballet and contemporary categories, and was awarded two of the most prestigious awards, Outstanding Performance and Special Commendation from the Jury at the Youth America Grand Prix and was also personally invited to the Ballet West summer intensive by Adam Sklute, BW Director. During that summer she was selected to join Ballet West Academy’s Professional Training Division at the young age of 16 and made the tough decision to move away from home to live in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2021, she was promoted to the Trainee program and most recently to the second company in 2023. While at the BW Academy, Olivia was awarded the Adam Sklute scholarship in 2020 and 2022, for her exceptional artistry and has appeared in the TV show, The Next Step, season 8. She is studying Plant Based nutrition and is working on writing her memoir, capturing her dance journey from the very beginning, co-authored with her Mom. In her first two professional seasons with Ballet West she has performed in Dracula, Stars & Stripes,The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, Jekyll & Hyde, Serenade and Cinderella.Olivia has been featured in Pointe magazine(2020), Front Row Magazine(2024) and interviewed by KSL news reporter Carole Mikita (2023) and Cassidy Wixom, for KSL online(2024).Olivia can be found at:Instagram: @olivia_book_Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@oliviabookBallet West website: https://www.balletwest.org/dancers/detail/olivia-book
Amber Dunford is a former mental health clinician turned interior designer and one of only a handful of “design psychologists” with expertise in the connection between space design and mental health. She spent years in private practice as a therapist before merging her passions for design and psychology by developing a college course on the relationship between the two. She believes there is a powerful, and often underrated, correlation between our mental wellbeing and the spaces we inhabit.Today, Amber is a co-founder and interior designer at B&A Creative, a Salt Lake City based design firm. She also offers design psychology sessions to anyone looking for ways to enhance their emotional wellbeing through design.https://www.amberdunforddesigns.com/
Robert Monroe graduated with a B.A. in Theater Arts from the State University of New York/Oswego. For twelve years, he worked as a New York casting director and talent executive. His credits include projects with the Walt Disney Company, the John Houseman Theater, the Annual MDA Telethon, and the now-defunct United Paramount Network. At the beginning of the millennium, he moved to Portland, Maine, to pursue a career as a photographer. His exhibitions include the Biennial at the Portland Museum of Art, Photographing Maine: Ten Years Later at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and Return to Peyton Place: Photographs by Robert Monroe at the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts. He is a founding member of the Bakery Photographic Collective.
Pat Partridge writes across genres. He is the author of the mystery Fragile Memories, the sequel Buried at Bears Ears, and the humorous road-trip novel Fast on Fifty. His book of political humor, now in its third edition, has sold over 70,000 copies. Partridge’s short stories span a wide range of styles, characters, ages, and themes. All were written in the past 3+ years. Two humorous ones—The Buddy Saga and The Porch Thief—and several ones with more serious themes—If You Could Forget One Thing, Visiting Helen, The New Dress, and The Break Out—have been published in Remington Review, The Haven, Ariel Chart, Fabula Argentea, and Litro, as well as anthologies. Over the past three years, Partridge has won eleven awards in the League of Utah Writers annual contests—seven awards for short fiction and four for novel first chapters, with four stories included in the League’s “Best Of” anthologies. In 2024 his short story The New Dress won the Emerald Award for best short work across all formats. Partridge still has trouble understanding why he writes, but he is pleased others enjoy his writing.
Callie Crofts is the founder, songwriter and front-human for SLC’s edgy electropop phenom Die Shiny. A small-town Idaho native, Crofts has spent the last decade making ripples in Utah’s underground music scene - becoming established in recent years as a local ex-mormon, queer and feminist icon. Known for unwavering authenticity and lyrical activism, the experienced artist boasts a diverse songwriting career - complete with top-ten billboard charting tracks, film festival wins, and a huge catalog spanning multiple genres.Links:https://dieshiny.comhttps://youtube.com/dieshinyhttps://instagram.com/dieshinyhttps://facebook.com/dieshinyStreaming:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/067vD9pRfJHbjnlwSSwexw?si=FX4vvPflSGioj55ennJOdgApple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/die-shiny/1476018766
Callie Crofts is the founder, songwriter and front-human for SLC’s edgy electropop phenom Die Shiny. A small-town Idaho native, Crofts has spent the last decade making ripples in Utah’s underground music scene - becoming established in recent years as a local ex-mormon, queer and feminist icon. Known for unwavering authenticity and lyrical activism, the experienced artist boasts a diverse songwriting career - complete with top-ten billboard charting tracks, film festival wins, and a huge catalog spanning multiple genres.Links:https://dieshiny.comhttps://youtube.com/dieshinyhttps://instagram.com/dieshinyhttps://facebook.com/dieshinyStreaming:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/067vD9pRfJHbjnlwSSwexw?si=FX4vvPflSGioj55ennJOdgApple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/die-shiny/1476018766
As a multi-generational artist, Sara was immersed in the culture of fine art since her birth in West Jordan, Utah. Sara is a dedicated and tireless mother to seven children, six boys and one girl. While studying for her MFA at the Academy of Art University Sara gave birth to four children. Sara’s approach to art is best described in her own words:STOP … and Smell the FlowersLiving life to the fullest is really about enjoying each moment and it is the simple things that make life wonderful.We live in such a fast-paced, technological world and our days are so filled with endless busy-ness, that it is hard to really stop what we are doing and have meaningful experiences.One thing that I have loved, is being able to take time out of my hectic life to create art. I have also found a great personal connection to the idea of stopping. We have to stop to see or smell a flower, to look at the clouds, to pray, and think about a higher power, to be in tune with the desires of our hearts and the inspiration we are receiving.My paintings represent beautiful, colorful moments. Through them I have been able to share my happiness and zest for life.~ ~ ~I realized that the way I painted was almost exactly the way I live life - especially my parenting style: Jump right in without much of a plan but great expectations, make it as colorful and as interesting as possible, make a few mistakes along the way, and end up with something that’s a little messy and rough, but full of color and character.Sara’s art is held by private collectors around the nation. Sara has grown roots in Kingman, Arizona, initiating several culturally progressive projects for the benefit of local families, including Kingman Center for the Arts and Beale Street Theater.Sara Peterson Gallery has been designated as a "Trusted Art Seller" with The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.https://www.sarapetersongallery.com/
William D. Higginson: A Canadian Surrealist VisionaryWilliam D. Higginson is a Canadian surrealist painter whose evocative works have captivated audiences worldwide. A professional artist since 2007, Higginson explores a vast array of mediums and genres, creating pieces that resonate on both emotional and intellectual levels. His art is held in private collections across the globe and has been featured in numerous prestigious solo exhibitions. Notable showcases include sellout shows at The Space An Art Gallery (2023 and 2017), The Chali Rosso Art Gallery (2019, alongside works by Salvador Dalí), and The Vancouver Club (2016).Higginson’s accolades highlight his exceptional talent: he claimed 1st place in the Surrealize International Art Competition (2022), two consecutive Golden Brush First Place awards (2011 and 2012), and an Award of Excellence from the Canadian Federation of Artists (2011). These accomplishments are a testament to his skill, vision, and dedication to his craft.His life story is as compelling as his art. Diagnosed with life-threatening liver failure and leukemia at age 11, Higginson spent three years confronting his mortality. During his hospital stay, a request for pencils and paper marked the beginning of a profound artistic journey. “Living with such conditions changes your perspective on life,” Higginson reflects. This early brush with mortality informs much of his work, often blending humor, surrealism, and deeply personal revelations.Beyond his individual achievements, Higginson has made a significant impact on the art community. As the owner of Impressions Live Art since 2007, he pioneered live painting performances, bringing art to audiences in dynamic and interactive ways. He co-founded Direct2Artist, a global initiative supporting thousands of artists in over 80 countries, and served as its Community Director (2013–2019). His roles as Membership Chair for the Federation of Canadian Artists (2013–2016) and Owner/Operator of Art Battle Vancouver (2013–2014) underscore his commitment to fostering artistic talent and community.Higginson’s artistic philosophy centers on emotional engagement and introspection. “My dreams and imagination conjure imagery that I forever strive to render as clear on canvas as in my mind,” he says. This relentless pursuit of creative excellence has made his work a source of inspiration for collectors, art enthusiasts, and aspiring artists alike.Whether mentoring young talents or refining his own craft, Higginson’s passion for art remains unyielding. His journey from hospital bed to international acclaim is a testament to the transformative power of creativity and perseverance.Discover more at: www.williamhigginson.comInstagram https://www.instagram.com/william.d.higginson/
The final little treat in this celebration week! It's a walk down the Artifice memory lane with "love notes" from a bunch of my fabulous guests, and some present-day reflection (plus a mild helping of tears) from me. <3This is the best Valentine's Day gift of my 36 years of life. My heart is fully bursting. Happy Valentine's Day to this heartful little project, to all 200 artists who've changed my life over these past 5 years, and to all of the listeners. I love ya!
Another little bonus track during our CELEBRATE 200 week! This time, it's one of my Deep Dive Essays (featuring wisdom from January's guests), read aloud. Listen friends, joy is a serious subject...
Bestie and chosen sister Olivia Custodio helps me CELEBRATE 200 in the second of three special episodes this week. After you finish this, check out Episode 15 to hear me interviewing Olivia (the first time we met)! Enjoy!
One-true-fan Jaron Davis helps me CELEBRATE 200 in the first of three special episodes coming this week. Enjoy!
Hello, I am Anna and I love PotteryI always loved being creative and enjoy trying out various styles and craft making, yet over the years I developed a special relationship to clay. My love of pottery emerged from producing sculptures and about four years ago I also started with ceramics. I just love working and experimenting with this material with seemingly endless applications. In short I don't mind to get my hands dirty sometimes!As a trained architect and architectural historian, I understand structure and materials influencing my creations and inspiring an exploration of new forms with a special fondness for decorations. Originally from Germany I grew up on a small island in the baltic sea close to Denmark but I always felt the call of the big city and so I moved to London in 2015. Even so, a love for the beauty of nature is deep within me, and can be seen within my practice.https://annalovespottery.com/@annalovespottery
Michael Staum was born in New Jersey in the early sixties. He has been a creator for most of his life. On Michael’s 5th birthday he received art supplies in abundance. Oils, canvases, watercolors and paper, different grades of graphite and pen & ink sets…everything an inquisitive creator needed to start a journey into the world of artistry. At the age of 19 Michael joined The United States Navy and was shipped out to the Pacific Northwest. The state of Washington blew his mind! The sheer beauty and the chill vibe kept him there.Not much goes hand in hand better than the Navy and Tattoos. Michael’s art turned to the tattoo industry. He tattooed his custom artwork for nearly 4 decades. A wonderful career of loyal customers, some famous, most not, filling his days and keeping him smiling. That life was abruptly cut short by the Covid pandemic and a neck surgery that left him with a severe loss of dexterity. Once a creator always a creator. Michael now works in creative one-off leather pieces, hand-sculpted leather décor, leather aprons, bags, and much more along with fine art acrylic on canvas in large format. He sells his wares at the word renowned Pike Place Market in Seattle. You can see him creating and shop his beautiful work at his Arts Studio No. 102 on the Marketfront at the top of Seattle’s Overlook Walk Park. Reach him at bandana@me.com
Zack Davisson is an award-winning translator, writer, and folklorist.He is the author of The Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai, Kaibyo The Supernatural Cats of Japan, Yurei the Japanese Ghost, The Art of Star Wars Visions, and Manga: A Visual Guide. He co-writes Ultimate X-Men with Peach Momoko for Marvel Comics. His works have been translated into multiple languages.Zack has translated globally renowned manga such as Go Nagai's Devilman and Cutie Honey, Leiji Matsumoto's Space Battleship Yamato and Captain Harlock, and Satoshi Kon's Opus. He translates Shigeru Mizuki's work such as Kitaro and Showa: A History of Japan, and currently translates Gou Tanabe's Lovecraft adaptations and Nadatani Wataru's Cat + Gamer.Zack lectured on manga, folklore, and translation at Duke University, Annapolis Naval Academy, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia, UCLA, and the University of Washington and contributed to exhibitions at the Museum of International Folkart, Wereldmuseum Rotterdan, Världskulturmuseerna Stockholm, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales.Zack lives in Seattle, WA with his wife Miyuki, dog Mochi, cat Shere Khan, and several ghosts.Bluesky:https://bsky.app/profile/zackdavisson.comWebsitewww.zackdavisson.com
Kate Schroeder is a ceramicist and full time professional artist residing in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Ceramics from the University of Central Missouri and a Masters of Fine Arts also emphasizing Sculpture and Ceramics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Kate has exhibited nationally and has work in collections around the globe. In fact, it can be found on all 7 continents!Before transitioning to a full-time artist, Kate also spent nearly a decade as an educator. She has worked for universities, art institutes, and community colleges. She also spent several years dedicated to the non-profit sector. During this time she managed EPIC Clay Studio, a 501-C3 ceramics studio and Accessible Arts, a Not-For-Profit arts organization, which specialized in teaching art to people with disabilities. She also lived in Tanzania for a summer, where she started a small ceramics program for Walk in Love International.
Working at the intersection of horticulture, art and architecture, David has applied his passion for plants to a growing list of innovative projects, building a broad variety of modern, human-centric spaces with abundant plant life at their heart.David is a pioneer in the field of vertical gardens. He holds a degree in Environmental Horticulture Sciences and Psychology from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo. He credits his time spent apprenticing at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London, with setting him on the path to living wall design. It was at Kew that he came to appreciate the beauty of epiphytic plants—those which have naturally evolved to grow vertically on trees. David sees his work as an integral part of a public shift in consciousness towards a renewed desire for closeness with nature and an appreciation of the restorative effect of plants, especially in urban environments. For David, designing living walls affords the chance not only to promote awareness of native and endangered plant species but also to have a direct impact on quality of life.You can link back to the habitat horticulture site: www.habitathorticulture.com
KARA BUSSEY, FOUNDER, INSTRUCTOR AND MAKER (CALGARY)Meet Kara, a stained glass artist from Calgary, Canada. She creates unique 3D glass floral sculptures using stained glass, copper wire, and found objects. Leveraging her over 15 years of experience in communications and public relations, Kara uses social media to bring modern stained glass to the masses, bringing the fun with entertaining stained glass process videos and supporting the next generation of budding artists with her in-person and online classes in stained glass. When she's not creating, Kara loves to travel, be outdoors, and spend time with her two daughters and cats. You can find Kara's work on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok @glimpseglass or glimpseglass.ca
Eriksen Dickens is an award winning filmmaker, actor, and business owner based in California. In 2016, Eriksen co-founded Platinum Peek Inc., with his brother, Soren, while in college. Platinum Peek is a video agency that specializes in creating story-driven video solutions for marketing, sales, and operations teams for clients around the country.In 2017, Eriksen directed his first documentary, His Legacy— a 2 hour film based on the life of his late father. Since then, Eriksen has directed numerous “legacy documentaries” for clients from all walks of life. These are films for accomplished people/businesses looking to preserve their story for future generations. His short documentary, Two Magic Drops, was featured in nine film festivals, winning best documentary at two.These legacy documentaries are formulated through a specific 7 step storytelling curriculum developed by the Dickens Brothers. Aside from filmmaking, Eriksen enjoys writing, having published his novel, The Orchard’s Offspring in 2018. He also has acted in numerous projects.Eriksen received his BA in Philosophy in 2017 and his MA in Clinical Psychology in 2021.Links: IG- @eriksenwdickens
I’m Abby, the owner and creator of WoodSolStone studio located in Cincinnati, Ohio. My passion for plants and all things green has always been a part of my dna, so the organic way that this art came to be only made sense for me. I’ve always been a creative person and love the process of moss art. I use every bit of nature I find to create a magical like-living art to infuse the wonderful beauty of the outside world to your special spaces.Woodsolstonestudio.comFollow me on Instagram at @woodsolstone_studio And Facebook at @woodsolstonestudio
Bailey Elizabeth Hinkley Grogan is a jazz vocalist, songwriter, sound healer, and performer based out of Denver, CO and Los Angeles, CA. Her bright, yet melancholy sound is a reflection of her deep study into the jazz idiom while simultaneously playing homage to her influences in Nancy Wilson, Chick Corea, Sheryl Crow, and Pat Metheny. Her improvisatory style is fearless and bold, while her songwriting and lyrical delivery reflects the raw, emotional heartache and undying beauty found in her life story. In 2024 she released her debut album, “Three Sides of a Story” which highlights her advanced vocal ability and musical range.https://baileyhg.com/https://baileyhinkleygrogan.bandcamp.com/https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Tv547QVGBtAB0gml9t30I?si=Ifd5idSOTvWnC_Y8XEuVzA
Janne is a floral photographer living in North Yorkshire in the UK. With a background in fashion and textile design she is drawn to the colourful world of flowers and creates still life imagery using natural light.Janneford.com
Amrita is an entrepreneur and the founder of @mykalekitchen. She set up My Kale Kitchen Creative as a boutique content creation company that provides cinematic and emotive videography to food and beverage brands and is currently expanding into lifestyle content and short-films as well. Amrita specializes in short-form cinematography and her true passion is in capturing those special moments behind the scenes that don’t usually make it on screen. Amrita is also a seasoned coach and provides cinematic videography and editing coaching classes and retreats to creatives and business owners.Links:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mykalekitchen/Website: https://www.mykalekitchen.com/
Dr. Matt R. Salmon, DO, MS is the Manager of Psychiatry at Whitman Walker Health in Washington, DC, specializing in child, adolescent, and adult psychiatry with a focus on LGBTQ+ youth who’ve faced chronic interpersonal trauma.Matt's unique perspective is shaped by personal experiences of growing up queer and autistic in a conservative Mormon household in Phoenix, Arizona, and the challenges of navigating a political landscape with a Republican Congressman father and undergoing sexual orientation conversion efforts, often referred to as “conversion therapy.”Outside professional life, Matt cherishes the support of a wonderful family and friends, and the companionship of Chad de Bellum, a very affectionate pug. Matt’s passion for symbolic tattoos reflects a deep commitment to the values of life and purpose.Matt R. Salmon, DO, MSAuthor of Pride & Prejudice: Healing Division in the Modern Familyhttps://linktree.com/lovemattrs
Brian Casey is a jazz bassist, educator and researcher based in Colorado. Brian serves as Associate Professor of Academic Jazz at the University of Northern Colorado and earned a DMA in Jazz Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder where he taught courses in Humanities, Jazz Studies, and American Music. Brian earned a MM in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas where he played with the Grammy-nominated One O’Clock Lab Band and served as a Teaching Fellow in Jazz Bass under the direction of Professor Lynn Seaton. Brian has performed and/or recorded with Pink Martini, Weber Iago, Henry Butler, and many others. Dr. Casey has presented original research in jazz-related fields at many national and international conferences including those of the College Music Society, the Jazz Education Network and the International Society of Bassists. He has written the entry for Miles Davis in the Oxford Online Bibliographies in Music, articles for Jazz Education in Research and Practice as well as Jazz and Culture, and a chapter on “Post War Traditions” in Jerry Tolson’s textbook African American Music: History and Heritage published by Great River Learning. Brian’s current research focuses on jazz as a cultural phenomenon in New Orleans.
From Mesa, AZ. Attended film school at Scottsdale Community College and studied History and Sociology of Western Religion at MCC/BYU (note: I did not graduate from any of those colleges lol). Currently located in south bay Los Angeles, CA. Working for a digital Healthcare company called Sharecare in Value-based Care Technology Integrations. http://theantianti.blogspot.com/
Lauren McDonald Zuniga has been writing since she first learned to read at age three. She graduated with a BA in Creative Writing from the University of North Texas in 2012. She worked as a freelance contributor to the local Utah newspaper The Davis County Clipper, as well freelancing as a writing counselor for beginning creative writers for nearly ten years. She had her first non-fiction short story “Goodbye, My Love - A Skyrim Story” published in K’in Literary Journal in May 2021." I can shorten this if you need me to!Links: X/Twitter: @WishIWould88Instagram: @laurenemcd88Threads: @wishiwouldBluesky: @lauren.zuniga.bsky.social
Throughout her life, Kimber has had two deep passions: water and art. It seemed obvious she would foray into the underwater portrait photography industry however, the road she took was a bit more scenic. As a teenager, Kimber worked as a lifeguard and eventually became Open Water SCUBA certified in a frigid Ohio quarry. In college, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology at Texas A&M University During her time at A&M, Kimber became an AAUS Scientific Diver, Full Cave Diver, and an Advanced Nitrox and Decompression Diver. Upon graduation, she moved to Florida to continue pursuing her passion for diving while helping her partner conduct research in Florida's submerged cave systems. Kimber ended up in North Florida shortly after where she attended the University of Florida to research microbial films in underwater caves, but ultimately ended up pursuing a degree in the medical field as a Registered Nurse.Photography entered Kimber's universe after her son was born, and became a passion fueled by the desire to visualize the images trapped in her mind. Her entry into underwater portraiture was solidified after a friend asked for maternity photos at a local Spring. Since that time, the water has been a staple in Kimber's work. As she continued to capture underwater images and grow in her craft, Kimber found the industry was lagging behind other photography specialties and there was a minimal amount of educational opportunities available for an aspiring underwater portrait photographer. As a former lifeguard and nurse, Kimber was shocked by the lack of emphasis on safety. In 2019 Kimber began piecing together an outline for an underwater portraiture workshop and held the first 3-day event at her studio for 10 photographers in 2020. The Water WorkshopTM is currently in it's 4th year. Additionally, Kimber mentors numerous experienced and aspiring underwater portrait photographers every year and in 2024 successfully hosted her first underwater portrait photography retreat at the cenotes of Riviera Maya in Mexico.Kimber's passion for underwater portraiture has rewarded her through numerous awards and features worldwide, as well as the opportunity to shoot underwater ad campaigns for several clients, brands, and non-profits. Kimber's underwater work has been featured by Meta, Elle, CNN, Insider, and several others.waterbearphotography.comwater-workshop.comkimbergreenwood.com
Double bass player Birgir Steinn Theodorsson graduated from FÍH's music school with distinction in 2015 and subsequently studied at the jazz department of the Berlin Academy of Arts and Hans Eisler in Berlin. Birgir Steinn has worked with numerous bands and musicians, both as double bass player, co-author and arranger. He has performed in many places in Europe and the USA, played at international jazz festivals as well as recorded on numerous records with various artists both in Iceland and in Berlin.Listening:- Köflótt https://open.spotify.com/album/2lYmMwFDzFKRItNyOOOima?si=Kg5m-NGyQtexdzyCa3KChQ- Japl https://open.spotify.com/album/6yOLDKkWlHL1EyJ7EZLmSL?si=3vRoCHxwTaeGDekAh868Dg- Aether https://open.spotify.com/album/3uegINfg4lnTWAO5ew3Znd?si=MG2n1A12S-2dU-Y7hXyBhw- Röggi https://open.spotify.com/album/2yzxP5XTg7wozihHaT7Acr?si=--q3YU7RTvuZqv4A82rJYA- Five Angles https://open.spotify.com/album/6nRYUssraAwixVfSPOOAF9?si=bwOtE8KfQIqEvFqDeQlMFQ
Raised in the San Francisco jazz scene, Hale Baskin has always brought her uninhibited and ready-to-rumble personality to her performances. By the time she was twenty, Hale had already been awarded three DownBeat Magazine Awards for Student Jazz performances, performed with notable musicians and ensembles like Arturo Sandoval, the Count Basie Orchestra and Jamie Davis, and the Mike Vax Big Band—not to mention led her own ensemble in multiple Western states. In 2010, Hale relocated to North Texas, where she began experimenting with the personalized sound that’s now her trademark: funky, sly, and polished without being sterile. Her current projects include the Southpaw Preachers, a creative soul-funk band that plays both original music and covers; and Jazz Addiction, a swing band whose repertoire, ranging from Motown to Bossa nova, breaks the category. Hale brings her humor, extensive professional background, and entrepreneurial spirit to each aspect of her business.For private events, she often acts as an informal Master of Ceremonies, coordinating the many moving parts of a stage performance before seamlessly delivering the next number. As a band leader, Hale focuses on cooperation and accountability so that each member has the space to play to their strengths—literally! The Southpaw Preachers and Jazz Addiction travel nationally for performances. Outside of these projects, Hale accepts freelance work in both live and studio contexts, and teaches voice lessons out of her studio in Denton, TX. As a female business owner, Hale is active in local politics, social justice, and environmentalism.https://www.halebaskin.comhttps://www.instagram.com/halebaskin/
Thomas Bartlett is a wire jewelry craftsman and artist out of Minneapolis Minnesota. His work utilizes weaving and coiling of wire to create detailed highly textural settings for natural stones and crystals. In addition to jewelry work Thomas has a BFA in 2d media and creates psychosexual surrealist illustrations and paintings. Instagram.com/_whiskey_kitten_Instagram.com/thomasbartlettart
Dave Chisholm is a graphic novelist and musician currently living in Rochester, NY where he received his doctorate in jazz trumpet from the Eastman School of Music in 2013. His expertise in music as well as his formal inventiveness within the comics medium has resulted in a string of critically-acclaimed music-centric graphic novels including Enter the Blue (2022, Z2 Comics), Chasin' the Bird: Charlie Parker in California (2020, Z2 Comics), and the groundbreaking graphic novel + original soundtrack Instrumental (2017, Z2 Comics). In his newest work, Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound, Chisholm portrays the life of Miles Davis, one of his oldest musical heroes, in a kaleidoscopic array of visual styles that represent Davis' famously varied oeuvre. Hailed by ComicsBeat as "one of the most exciting comic auteurs working in comics today," Chisholm also has a passion for education and teaches comics and music at the Hochstein School and the Rochester Institute of Technology. In his free time, Dave enjoys spending time with his family and his cats.http://www.davechisholmmusic.com
Hailing from Narembeen in the wheatbelt of Western Australia, Jordan is a metal artist specialising in one-of-a-kind animal sculptures. Using retired tools, machine parts and recycled farm scrap sourced throughout rural Western Australia, Jordan finds inspiration in the animal kingdom and brings his sculptures to life. Now in his tenth year as a full time sculptor, Jordan builds a variety of pieces, ranging from small garden sculptures such as Willy wagtails and dragonflies, to large show-stopping sculptures such as the Australovenator and the Camel. Many of his pieces sit proudly in private homes, however he also has some public pieces across the country to be viewed by tourists and locals alike.Website https://www.jordanspriggsculptures.com.auSocials (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) @jordanspriggsculptures
Jen Cunha is an attorney, animal cognition trainer, writer, and international speaker, focusing on animal literacy and communication. A "parrot mama" for over 16 years, Jen has been developing cognition training techniques for almost a decade. Her training manuals have been translated and distributed throughout Europe, and she’s been featured in Bird Talk magazine. Jen has twice written articles for the International Association of Applied Behavior Consultants Journal and is a frequent lecturer at science conventions and companion bird gatherings around the world. Jennifer collaborates on animal literacy and communication projects with university researchers, and her research has been published in peer-reviewed scientific proceedings. Her birds, Ellie and Isabelle, have passed university-designed blind tests on phonics and reading comprehension skills and are considered the very first animals who have learned how to read.https://parrotkindergarten.com/https://www.instagram.com/parrotkindergarten/
Casey Drake is a self-taught artist, author, illustrator, and mother currently based in Orlando, Florida. While always driven by a strong, intrinsic need to create, her artistic journey took an unexpected turn when her whimsical sidewalk chalk creations gained widespread recognition in 2020. Before this, Casey obtained a bachelor’s of science in Biology, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in South Africa, and taught in under-served schools in Arizona and Florida. However, this sudden and extreme attention to her art ignited a newfound passion within her for illustration, as well as the motivation to pursue an artistic career path. Her diverse background in biology, education, and humanitarian work has led to an unique artistic perspective and irreverence in her work. In 2021, Casey unveiled her debut children's picture book, 'Hi, My Name is Why!', a passion project that resulted in a fully funded Kickstarter campaign and physical book. Currently pursuing a graduate degree in Business of Art and Design at Maryland Institute College of Art, Casey's vision extends beyond her personal artistic endeavors. She envisions establishing a combination community art and maker space—a convergence of art, creation, and community—in her future home of Washington State. This space will fuse a coffee bar with a maker space to cultivate a haven for creativity and connection. As she navigates through grad school and cultivates her artistic identity, Casey Drake stands poised to leave an indelible mark.CaseyDrake.cominstagram.com/caseydrakemakes
From Anna's Obituary: Mary Annaleen Mooy, beloved sister, aunt, teacher, and devoted friend to many, age 65, peacefully passed away on January 15, 2024, due to complications of a brain tumor. I'm so grateful I have this conversation with Anna to remember and cherish, along with some truly impactful memories from my time as her student. It feels right to honor her by sharing this interview a second time. Rest in peace, beautiful Anna. Anna's Bio:Mezzo-soprano Anna Mooy received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in voice from BYU, Provo, and did doctoral study at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she studied with Glenda Maurice. She has received many honors, including Regional Finalist for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions on two occasions. She has also performed with many of the world’s finest choral organizations including the Dale Warland Singers, VocalEsssence and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; both as choral member and soloist. Performances with other organizations include the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Utah Symphony, among many others. She has also been a judge for the the Metropolitan Opera District auditions in Utah and North Dakota. Active as a recitalist, she has performed widely through the Midwestern United States, as well as the Rocky Mountain West and Hawaii. She has been on the voice faculties of St. Olaf College, Bemidji State University, Brigham Young University, Provo, and BYU Hawaii.
Pham was born in a Malaysian refugee camp in 1979. His parents are Vietnamese and fled the country during the Vietnam War. The family moved to the United States when he was five months old and has lived in the U.S. ever since. Pham was teased often as a young child, and has said that he began to "resent being Asian" because of this bullying. He often avoided traditional Asian food while growing up, opting for McDonald's hamburgers, because he thought "if I could eat American food, it would make me feel more American. Pham attended culinary school in San Francisco but began his career in software. His first chef job was at Casey's Irish Pub Downtown where he was hired in 2006 upon graduating from Le Cordon Bleu. After working in San Francisco, owner Blake Ballard convinced Chef Pham to join Spark Restaurant and Lounge in Provo, Utah. In 2009, Pham opened his own restaurant, Forage, in Utah with co-Chef Bowman Brown. In 2011 Pham received the Best New Chef Award from Food & Wine Magazine. In 2012, Pham was an Iron Chef America winner by beating Chef Bobby Flay. He also appeared on the second season of Extreme Chef. In 2018, he faced off against Chef Bobby Flay again on Beat Bobby Flay, securing a second victory against him.In 2016 Forage closed, with Pham and Brown parting ways. Pham's next project was the fast-casual fried chicken restaurant, Pretty Bird Hot Chicken. Starting in downtown Salt Lake City, the Pretty Bird brand has expanded to four locations as of the end of 2022. These include the original downtown location as well as Sugar House, Midvale, and Park City.https://www.instagram.com/chefvietpham/https://www.instagram.com/prettybirdchicken/
Evan Werner is an avid woodworker, chef, outdoorsman, and entrepreneur. Living in a rural community in Utah has allowed him to spend more time with his artistic passions. He runs South Slope Wood-fired Pizza with his wife Priscilla. When he’s not serving up delicious wood fired pizza he’s in the mountains fly fishing or searching for unique logs to harvest to create furniture and wood turned pieces. He enjoys sharing his passion with others. There is great reward in teaching someone to have greater success in the kitchen or in the field.https://www.facebook.com/southslopepizza2020/
Joey Anderson (he/they) is a movement-based artist and educator based in his hometown, Salt Lake City, Utah. He is currently a member of FLEET Co-Op, directed by Shelby Taylor, which just concluded its inaugural year. In collaboration with FLEET, Joey contributed in building and performing their immersive show, “Monomyth,” last Fall as well as their work shown at 801 Salon in May 2023. He also premiered his solo show, “Where Love Lived First,” at Burnswood Studio, which explored Dr. Kübler-Ross’ “Stages of Grief" and how they manifest in the body.Before his time with FLEET, Joey apprenticed with SALT Contemporary Dance for their 2021-2022 season. During this time, he had the pleasure of performing in SALT’s Fall and Spring shows as well as in outreach performances in the schools in Salt Lake County.As a freelance artist, Joey has performed both internationally and across the US. He has performed at Dock 11, The New Stage of the National Theatre in Prague, RAD Dance Festival, and Breaking Ground. Locally, Joey has performed in “reBloom” funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, multiple shows sponsored by Repertory Dance Theatre, 801 Salon (his own work), and the LDS Arts Festival.Joey graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) in 2021, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in dance. As a student, he was a member of their touring company, Contemporary Dance Theater (CDT), under the direction of Nathan Balser (2018-2019) and then Keely Song (2019-2021). Before CDT, he also was a member of their outreach company, Kinnect, under the direction of Marilyn Berrett and Heather Francis, which integrated movement to teach Utah’s K-6 core curriculum in schools. Joey’s education at BYU took him beyond its campus and in 2018, he performed at Dance and the Child International’s (daCi) conference in Adelaide, Australia with Kinnect. Then, in 2019, he toured with CDT in Germany and the Czech Republic. In addition to his degree, Joey has received technical training through b12, Impulstanz, FLOCK, and NVA & Guests.Between his education and career, Joey has had the honor of performing work by Martha Graham, Antonin Rioche, FLOCK, LAJAMARTIN, Jesse Obremski, Jenn Freeman, Olivier Wevers, Garrett Smith, Shane Urton, Francisco Gella, and Joni McDonald.https://www.jandersonoey.com/
Jennifer Madsen is a prized fixture on performing stages of the West. A lifelong singer and actress, her early career included being a cast member of Brigham Young University’s famed performing group the Young Ambassadors. That experience founded her love of the art and afforded her the chance to sing, dance, and act for audiences across the globe. Using her strong foundational understanding for the craft, Jennifer left BYU and began to formally instruct students in all areas of performing. Her students from these early days have gone on to lead successful careers as Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning artists. She has had several students on American Idol and its predecessor, Star Search. One such student even went on to become a Star Search season finale winner. Her celebrated instruction continues to this day, as a former voice and musical theatre instructor at Utah Valley University and currently as part of Snow College’s award-winning music department. Jennifer Madsen studied voice with Jeri Clinger and big band vocalist from Stan Kenton’s orchestra, William “Smiling Bill” Stoker. Her recent studies include spending several summers in New York City completing her professor’s certification in the Margolis Method for Acting. Her continued studies in this methodology infuse her vocal performance studio with techniques and tools for helping musicians and performers to connect viscerally with their music, lyrics and performance.Jennifer’s accomplishments run deep as a producer, director, studio session singer and choreographer. Some of her more recent productions include The Sound of Music (Musical Director/Choreographer) at Robert Redford’s renowned Sundance Summer Theater; Inside the Outside (Music Producer) with Grammy award winning saxophonist, Jeff Coffin of the Dave Mathews Band (partially recorded on her musical tour to Cuba,) Don’t Look Down (Music Producer); the award-winning independent film Masque (Music Production); and various projects with BYU Broadcasting (Music Producer). Jennifer’s recognition for such work includes multiple Downbeat Music Awards and several Utah Best of State awards for her work with Caleb Chapman’s Crescent Super Band. She recently participated in the Essentially Ellington competition at Jazz at the Lincoln Center where her long time student, Isabella Johnson, was awarded outstanding vocalists. Aside from her many lauded achievements, Jennifer has never lost sight of the passion rooted in all of her life’s work – performing what she loves for the people she loves. She’s had the privilege of doing so with the Spokane Jazz Orchestra, the Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra, Salt Lake Choral Artist, the Utah Valley Symphony, and on numerous albums including work with Kenneth Cope. Recently, Jennifer completed a lifelong goal of performing at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City where she sang at the famous Dizzy’s Jazz Club to the delight of fans, friends, and family. Jennifer is a sought after clinician and presents vocal and performance workshops all over the world.
Aaron Schumacher is a dynamic vocalist, music director, and entrepreneur based in Los Angeles. Known for his technical expertise and innovative approach, Aaron serves as the Soprano and Technical Director for m-pact, a globally celebrated vocal group renowned for their authentic and powerful vocal performances.As an entrepreneur, Aaron founded VocalMist, a company offering specialized vocal health tools used by top artists like Lizzo, The Jonas Brothers, H.E.R., and Pentatonix. He also owns ASM Productions, which provides premium audio and lighting services for live music events in Southern California.Aaron has a rich background as a commercial recording artist, contributing to high-profile projects like "The Voice," "Dune," and "Mulan." His versatility across genres such as pop, jazz, and rock makes him a sought-after performer and MC for events across the US.Since 2016, Aaron has also worked as the Music Director for Top Shelf Vocal, a diverse and award-winning adult vocal group in Los Angeles, where he brings together individuals from various career fields through their shared love for vocal music.With a degree in Vocal Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas, Aaron's journey from Ennis, Texas, to becoming a key figure in Los Angeles's music scene highlights his passion and dedication to the art of vocal music.aaronschumachermusic.commyvocalmist.comm-pact.comasmproductions.nettopshelfvocal.com
Britt Linde is a rock climber and physical therapist living in the magical Sonoran Desert of Tucson, Arizona. Her life circumstances led her to attend BYU for her undergrad degree in Exercise Science and serendipitously led her to experience rock climbing for the first time. There began her obsession with rock climbing and the life lessons it teaches, and she has continued to follow and fall in love with the process of climbing difficult routes on beautiful rock in remote places. Attending NAU in Flagstaff, Arizona her curiosity about the biomechanics of rock climbing began as she received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy. She has since spent 10 years treating and developing treatment protocols for rock climbing related injuries. She became a sought-after rock climbing specialist in Tucson after spending time coaching the Rocks & Ropes youth competitive climbing team. Recently, in keeping with the typical realizations of a life-long rock climber, she has decided to pivot and take a break from the never-ending road of chasing a specific career. She is now working in home health and adores her new geriatric caseload and the conversations she gets to have with people who have lived entire lives. She is now more focused than ever on letting go of the past and the future, living in the moment, and not worrying about what could happen. She is re-dedicated to climbing, and is now able to spend more time training for the aesthetic climbs of Mt Lemmon in her magical Tucson backyard. She lives with her partner, Bria, and 2 sons (dogs) Max and Diesel. She describes her little family as a little love puddle.
Grace was born and raised in Sandy, Utah where she grew up doing two things - playing soccer and making art. Today, she continues to do just that; she spends the majority of her time at Harmons Grocery painting and installing signs, at home painting original work or commissioned work for her art patrons, and of course, we mustn’t forget, playing soccer inmultiple adult leagues. She has certainly been blessed with life-long passion for what she does.Grace graduated Utah State University in 2015 with a BFA and an emphasis in Drawing and Painting. She has since studied under a professional mural artist and a professional faux-finishing painter. Grace spends her time going on outdoor adventures such as rock climbing, hiking, and camping, or traveling the world (taking her art supplies with her) with family orfriends.In 2018, Grace attended the University of Santa Monica where she studied Spiritual Psychology, a passion discovered in her early 20s along with cognitive therapy, trauma work, energy work, and somatic work. She now uses both her artwork and her passion for Spiritual Psychology and healing work as a Healing Coach. She spends a lot of her time trying to think ofways to help people tap back into their own innate creativity and to heal their deepest wounds.And playing soccer.
Alex Hyner is a writer, producer, and actor for film and television in Los Angeles. In his spare time, he has cultivated a passion for photography and digital art. You can find his work on Instagram @alexhyner and his website AlexHynerArt.com
My culinary passion started at a young age. Growing up, I would help my mother make wedding cakes in her spare time and make caramels, brownies, and more with my dad. I developed a love for pastries- the balancing of flavors, the chemistry behind it, the look, the flavor combinations, and of course the taste!I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since graduating high school, I attended The French Pastry School in Chicago Illinois, where I studied under world-renown french chefs. We learned all aspects of the pastry world: tarts, ice cream, sorbets, breakfast pastries, breads, petit fours, sugar and chocolate candies, chocolate & sugar sculpting, cakes, and more.My passion for veganism developed shortly after graduating my prestigious school. I started converting, switching recipes, and through (a lot) of trial and error, I was finished perfecting these traditional french pastries to become deliciously vegan without jeopardizing the taste and quality.Having a relationship with food is an important part in my development of recipes. I want each thing you taste to balance out the next and to compliment one another on your pallet perfectly.In 2011, I moved to Hawai'i, there I received a job at a high end cake shop as a wedding/specialty cake decorator. I was able to learn traditional and new methods of decorating and have now applied these as well to my products.https://www.passionflourslc.com/
Sarah Czaplewski was born in Omaha Nebraska, and grew up in Papillion, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. She started singing and taking voice lessons as a child (kind of had to since mom, grandma, uncle and aunt were all singers). During high school Sarah was in soccer (not really anything to write home about with the soccer skills, but decent to be on varsity), show choir, jazz choir, and musicals. She started singing with cover bands in Omaha around 18 and then, in college at Lincoln University. Go Skers'! She starred in music performance, but somehow ended up with a special education and early childhood degree. Sarah played with a few bands for several years while teaching kindergarten, bartending and singing at weddings, and all kinds of events. In 2014 Sarah moved to Denver Colorado to be a part of Diamond Empire Band. Sarah has played in hundreds of venues spanning across Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, Missouri and Texas. She currently resides in Omaha, Nebraska and travels regularly singing with Diamond Empire Band. She is a Manager /Producer for Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri Diamond Empire crews. Sarah is still in the service industry as well. :) She owns a food truck with her partner, Preston. You can find her booking bands, singing, or on that Food Truck, Nocturnal Eats!https://www.instagram.com/nocturnaleatsfoodtruck/https://www.instagram.com/sarahczap/
Ross Hagen is an Associate Professor of Music Studies at Utah Valley University, focusing on musicology and ethnomusicology. He has been at UVU since 2010 and received his Ph.D. and M.M. in Musicology at the University of Colorado at Boulder and his B.A. at Davidson College.Dr. Hagen’s research interests include underground music scenes, black metal music, medievalism, and avant-garde music. Recent publications include the edited volume Medievalism and Metal Music Studies: Throwing Down the Gauntlet (2019) and a book on Darkthrone's 1992 album A Blaze in the Northern Sky for Bloomsbury's 33.3 book series (2020). Hagen is also an Assistant Editor for the academic journal Metal Music Studies. Current research projects include a book on ritual music in modern heathen spiritualities along with book chapters involving weird fiction, John Cage, and black metal in the Mountain West.In addition to his academic work, Dr. Hagen has been active as a performer and composer since the late 1990s, specializing in extreme metal and various shades of abrasive electronic music. Currently he plays bass and “sings” in the SLC death metal trio Monstrology. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/darkthrones-a-blaze-in-the-northern-sky-9781501354328/https://monstrology.bandcamp.com/
Drew Nichols, at age 4, received a police escort home while selling handmade puppets door-to-door. He later studied music composition at Arizona State, toured with ALW’s The Wizard of Oz, and worked for Weisersound as a keyboard programming assistant for Broadway’s Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Blvd, Les Mis, Cats, Miss Saigon, School of Rock, and NBC’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live. Now, he's focused on integrating digital production/distribution and musical theatre development with the aim of democratizing, decentralizing, and expanding the industry. His show McCobb Mortality Services is streaming as an elaborate radio musical comedy on podcast platforms—visit McCobbMusical.com.
FinFolk Productions was founded by twin sisters Abby & Bryn Roberts in 2012 and specializes exclusively in realistic, fully swimmable mermaid tails and accessories. From the Lakes of Minnesota, to the beaches of Hawaii, and now to the mountains of North Carolina, the studio location has changed over the years and expanded to a small team of 8 but our commitment to quality, hand crafted art is unwavering. Finfolk Productions is well established within the mermaid performance community, and have provided countless tails for clients worldwide. Our tail making techniques are unique and exclusive to our company, and we can guarantee the highest quality tails on the market.https://www.finfolk.com/https://www.instagram.com/finfolkproductions/?hl=enhttps://www.tiktok.com/@finfolk_productionshttps://www.facebook.com/FinfolkProductions/
Mike Steinel is a jazz trumpeter, pianist, composer, arranger, and novelist. For forty years he taught jazz at the collegiate level, most notably at the University of North Texas (32 years). He has performed throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia; recorded with the Frank Mantooth Orchestra, the Mike Waldrop Band, the Chicago Jazz Quintet; and performed with Ella Fitzgerald, Clark Terry, Don Ellis, Bill Evans, Zoot Sims, Jerry Bergonzi, and others. His most recent releases are: “Song and Dance,” (Origin Records 2018) and “Saving Charlie Parker” (Rosewood Audio 2022). The latter is a companion piece with a novel of the same name.Links:https://www.mikesteinel.comhttp://www.savingcharlieparker.comYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH1eBkg9uqWP02WvQTJ5mPQ
Artist, photographer, dancer, performer. Married to a supportive husband and mother of 1. Somer started her profession as a photographer back in 2004. Shortly after, she fell in love with a new sport of pole. Her passion for dancing and performing has led her to open her own studio and just recently she got to perform at The Snoop Dogg concert at the Usana Amphitheater. Need creative photography or private pole lessons? Feel free to reach out.www.somerahonen.comwww.polerscove.com
Jordan Clark is a musician, songwriter, music engineer, and producer with extensive experience in writing, performing, and recording musical works. As a musician, he has performed with a number of musical groups, including Vanladylove (named "#1 Artist on the Verge" at the 2014 New Music Seminar), and has worked diligently as a solo artist. Jordan graduated from Utah Valley University and attended the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Gilbert, AZ. As an engineer, Jordan interned at Entourage Studios in North Hollywood, CA, worked for a short time at New Monkey Studio in Van Nuys, CA, and worked at Willamette Mountain Studio in American Fork, UT.Music producer, mastering engineer @rigbyroadstudios@thebandmowthSolo music @nonahnevermusicwww.rigbyroadstudios.com
The Fresh King Benjamin is a Utah-based comic who has headlined such prestigious events as The Sunstone Symposium and Wyoming Equality’s Annual Rendezvous. He grew up on a Mormon polygamist compound in Wyoming before escaping to the vast and wicked metropolis of Salt Lake City at the tender age of 20. Since then he’s been slowly figuring out how to prosper in the heathen lands while being wildly distracted by all the exposed elbows. Ben is a mildly popular TikToker @thefreshkingbenjamin, where he shares his unique perspective on the modern world.https://www.thefreshkingbenjamin.com/
Daria Fedorova / Dasha Plesen is a multidisciplinary artist and photographer, based in Moscow. She's developing a unique methodology which allows her to capture the Universal Microbiome, and metaphorically visualize the Nothing.
Experimenting with natural phenomena, decay processes and life and death cycles, she creates very extraterrestrial micro landscapes, full of colour and life.
instagram.com/dashaplesen Behance.net/daria_ova Dashaplesen.com
Langston Collin Wilkins, PhD is folklorist, ethnomusicologist, and writer based in Madison, WI. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Folklore and Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Wilkins is the author of Welcome to Houston: Hip Hop Heritage in Hustle Town, which was released through the University of Illinois Press in August of 2023. His research interests include African American folklife, African American music, urban folklore, car culture and public folklore. Dr. Wilkins is a native of Houston, Texas and received his PhD from Indiana University’s Department of Folklore & Ethnomusicology in 2016. He also holds a master’s degree in African American and African Diaspora Studies from Indiana University and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Wilkins’ work has also appeared in the Journal of Folklore Research, The Washington Post, Houston Chronicle, and several other publications. From 2019-2022, Dr. Wilkins served as the Director of the Center for Washington Cultural Traditions, a public program that seeks to document and preserve the traditional culture of Washington state. Prior to this, he served the state of Tennessee though positions at the Tennessee Arts Commission and Humanities Tennessee. Dr. Wilkins is currently an executive board member of the American Folklore Society.Langston Collin Wilkins’s Substack newsletter: https://langstonwilkins.substack.comPurchase Welcome 2 Houston: Hip Hop Heritage in Hustle Town: https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p087295IG: https://www.instagram.com/southsidesupervillain/Twitter: https://twitter.com/StreetFolkLCWThreads: @southsidesupervillain
Maxwell is a pianist and knit portrait artist from Arizona. Ever since he can remember, Maxwell Eddington has been creating. Although his passion for creating beauty has led him to dabble in aquascaping, interior design, digital art, singing and sewing, his life’s main artistic devotions remain knitting and playing the piano.
Maxwell learned to knit while living in eastern Europe, by studying a “Teach Yourself to Knit” book in Russian, and getting tips from helpful babushki. Because of this, his knitting style and technique are heavily influenced by traditional Russian, Baltic and Scandinavian knitting. During the 14 years he has been knitting, Maxwell has made countless sweaters, hats, scarves and mittens, but was always a bit underwhelmed by the lack of artistic expression inherent in knitting clothing. This led him to a new realm of knitting tapestry-style portraits using classical colorwork techniques. He hopes to show his first collection of knit portraiture later this year.
As a pianist, Maxwell has played for 26 years, and has performed across the country and in Europe. Originally trained in classical piano performance, he shifted his focus to sight reading and accompanying while in college. He has worked as a professional accompanist for singers, dancers and instrumentalists, and has made music alongside artists including Kristin Chenoweth, Billy Porter, Alex Boye, Brian Stokes Mitchel, Wrabel, Vincint, and Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons.
@maxwelleddington
Angie Halford Re is founder and owner of award-winning Unique Mosaics, LLC, a Global, and Nationally recognized custom mosaic tile artwork studio located in South Salt Lake, UT. Her 22 years of experience in tile and design makes her a thought leader, and top consultant in the U.S. with designers, tile contractors, builders, and architects in custom mosaic designs and installations for the most demanding, intricate projects across the country.
Her achievements and clients include:
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2021 two time CID award winner for special recognition- mosaics
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Coverings Global Tile & Stone Featured Exhibits
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NTCA national publication Tileletter “Women of Tile” Spotlight & numerous features
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National Art Galleries Exhibitions & Displays across the U.S.
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Commissioned work by numerous NTCA 5 Star Contractors, and NTCA members, and others on demanding special projects across the US
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Featured numerous times by Ardex Americas and artwork on permanent display at U.S. Headquarters
Angie has a strong formal education and training background with college coursework and training in Advertising and Graphic design, as well as Business Administration and Entrepreneurial Studies.
Angie has philanthropic efforts, and shows her passion with popular custom mosaic artwork classes, by teaching her students and creating custom curriculum at Western Art Glass, in South South Lake, Utah.
Angie is a new board member for Canvas 4 a Cause in Utah, and a new member of South Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Women in Business. She is also teaching night classes (mosaic art) at University of Utah.
Her expert knowledge of installation, where her company’s capacity to self perform custom mosaic installations, also makes her an excellent installation liaison. Her clientele trusts and respects their custom orders to ensure a long lasting, productive relationships with this installation consulting, paired with the highest quality mosaic products.
Angie’s knowledge of period specific tile, make her the go-to nationwide for historical restoration projects and renovations in many of the country’s historical districts and stringent architectural review committees.
Her continuous ability to procure, design, create, and build custom mosaic tile artwork, makes her the authority in our trade. Her quality and attention to detail remains unmatched, and her experience rivals the largest manufacturers, with a competitive advantage in the tile installer community with her in-depth technical expertise and decades of experience.
Dr. Ryan Nielsen is a trumpet artist truly at home in both classical music and jazz. A devoted teacher and clinician, he has been a consultant for professionals and students alike from Los Angeles to London to Turkey. His popular YouTube channel Ryan’s Trumpet has thousands of subscribers from around the globe. He has performed and recorded with the Kobie Watkins Grouptet, Ra Kalam Bob Moses, Delfeayo Marsalis, and the Summit Brass, to international acclaim. His forthcoming book, The Classroom Guide to Jazz Improvisation, written with co-author John McNeil (Professor Emeritus, New England Conservatory of Music), will be released by Oxford University Press in early 2024. Nielsen is a LOTUS Trumpet artist.
Hello! My name is McKenna and I live on a farm by the river. I have goats, pigs, a jersey cow, chickens, quail, rabbits, dogs, and lizards! I love all my animals and the opportunities they give my children to learn how to work hard and get dirty. I enjoy gardening and learning how to better homestead our land. I love making beautiful soaps with my goats wonderful milk and providing my products to anyone who is interested.
I made my first batch of goat milk soap the summer of 2016. I didn't know what a stick blender was so I tried to mix my first batch using a hand drill. Needless to say we made a late night run to the store to get a stick blender! I have had many failed batches over the years but through that I have learned so much.
I started selling my soaps in 2017 and have expanded a little to include solid shampoo and conditioner bars, solid lotion bars, body butter, bubble bath bombs, soy wax candles and more. I love making these products and sharing them with ya'll.
Thank you so much for any support you give my small business.
If you'd like to follow along my farm adventures and stay up to date on my next shop updates and more you can follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
@stoneriversoaps www.stoneriversoaps.com
Tito Livas is an actor, husband, father, and advocate for inclusion and representation on stage and screen. When he's not on set or on stage you can find him tending to his chickens, caring for his garden, or most likely, cleaning up after his two boys, both of whom are under six and full of more energy than any single human should have.
https://www.instagram.com/livastito/
Joan Steinmann earned a Bachelor of Music from The University of Utah in Vocal Performance. Since 2006 she has taught both Choir and German at Paradigm Charter High School in South Jordan. Under her direction, Paradigm High Choirs have won various musical awards and performed extensive through Utah. Recently Joan Steinmann's choirs were featured guests on several concerts of the world renowned Salt Lake Vocal Artists.Mrs. Steinmann's hobbies include reading, cycling, and hiking in Utah's beautiful mountains with her husband and little girl.Solve for X, an original musical created by Joan Riddle Steinmann.solveforxmusical.comSynopsis: Two sisters, one autistic, and one neurotypical, are navigating their freshman and senior years of high school. Elle Richards has been eagerly anticipating her senior year, but is wary that her little sister, West, will negatively affect her social standing. When the siblings were younger, Elle drew Treasure Map versions of the dentists’ office, grocery store, and friends’ backyards for her sister West. This helped West familiarize herself with new locations, and avoid sensory overload.In a twofold attempt to help West navigate high school, and keep her out of the way, Elle resurrects this childhood tradition. Elle creates a Treasure Map version of their high school: the cafeteria is Skull Rock, the gym becomes Pirates Cove, etc. West is skeptical of this new map, but in an attempt to remain close to Elle, she agrees to “play along.” After a series of misunderstandings and mishaps, both sisters gain skills that will help them better navigate unfamiliar territory.
David A. MartinezDave Martinez is an eclectic human.With influences and inspirations from Bob Dylan to Lon Chaney to the back of old TIME magazines found on some dusty shelf at the old antique store down the road, you never know what the man’s discovering.He loves going on tangents on just about anything; stares the uncomfortable bits of life in the face and muses over them, and listening to his kids talk about rocks, tissue boxes, or whatever is important at the moment.It should also be noted that Martinez is stark raving mad about his lady and soon-to-be wife, Eve. She’s the embodiment of beauty in body and soul.As for the official bits: Martinez holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Acting (The British Tradition) from Royal Birmingham Conservatory in the UK, and has been working as an actor for about a decade. He has learned from such institutions as Shakespeare’s Globe, The RSC, and more. Plus, he’s not too bad at improv.Martinez is also gaining notoriety for his music, which you can listen to here with this handy little link, as well as see what else the man is up to if you so choose:https://linktr.ee/davemartinezCare to know more about his origins and life? This episode may grant curious minds a few answers!Thanks for listening, and sending love to you wherever you are. You’ve got this. x
Charlotte Bell has been practicing yoga since 1982, and began teaching in 1986. Shehas established and taught regular classes along Utah’s Wasatch Front, and inCalifornia and Hawaii. She also teaches workshops, teacher trainings, and yoga forcancer patients and their families at Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. Shehas taught at national yoga conferences and international yoga teacher trainings and onwomen’s river trips on the Green and Colorado rivers.Certified by B.K.S. Iyengar in 1989, she enjoys learning from teachers of many differentyogic perspectives. Charlotte’s asana teaching has been most influenced by her twoguiding teachers, Donna Farhi and Judith Hanson Lasater. She received her 500-hourcertification from Yoga Alliance in 2000, and is currently registered at the organization'shighest level, E-RYT-500.Vipassana meditation practice has had the most profound influence on Charlotte's work.She began her practice in 1986, and has attended many 10-and 30-day meditationretreats since then. Her practice has been guided by her spiritual mentors, Pujari andAbhilasha Keays of the Last Resort in Cedar Breaks, Utah, since 1985. In recent years,she has made an annual trip to Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California,to sit an 18-day combined metta (kindness) and insight meditation retreat. Charlotteteaches mindfulness classes online, and at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and RedButte Garden.All these influences combine to form an evolving style of yoga that acknowledges thealignment principles of the Iyengar system while applying mindful attention to gaininsight into the truth of each individual's asana practice rather than striving forpreconceived goals. She encourages students to explore and trust their own experiencein their asana practice, and enjoys learning new perspectives from her students.In addition to teaching yoga and meditation, Charlotte writes feature stories for severalpublications, including Catalyst Magazine, Yoga U Online and the Hugger Mugger Yogablog. Her articles have appeared in Yoga Journal and Yoga International. She haswritten feature articles for the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s program since the early1990s, and has participated in research and writing for a book about the festival’shistory.In 2007 Rodmell Press (now a part of Shambhala Publications) published her first book,Mindful Yoga, Mindful Life: A Guide for Everyday Practice.The book blends theprinciples of mindfulness with the practice of Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga. Hersecond book, Yoga for Meditators, was published by Rodmell Press in 2012 and wasone of 10 books recommended in Yoga Journal magazine's “Yoga Books of 2012” list.Her most recent book, Hip-Healthy Asana: A Yoga Practitioner’s Guide to Protecting theHips and Avoiding SI Joint Pain, was published in 2018 by Shambhala Publications.Charlotte plays oboe and English horn in the Salt Lake Symphony; the woodwindquintet, Scherzando Winds; the chamber folk ensemble, blue haiku; and with bluehaiku, Kate MacLeod and Hal Cannon in the folk sextet, Red Rock Rondo. Red RockRondo’s 2009 DVD has won two Emmy awards and an award from the NationalEducational Television Association.
Jeff Britman has been working with aquariums since he was 8 or 9 years old, starting with a 10-gallon freshwater tank. He began working with his first saltwater tank (a 75-gallon mixed-reef tank) at age 14, with help from his father and older brother. Currently, he curates and maintains a 120-gallon mixed-reef tank, which he started late in 2017. Jeff and his husband Jarod have embarked on many artful projects on their property, including brewing kombucha (among other fermentation projects), gardening, keeping chickens and quail, and countless interior and exterior design projects. For more information on starting a tank of your own: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/120g-mixed-reef-build.329215/
Olga Assayah was born in Kiev Ukraine and moved to the United States at the age of 5. She always had a love and appreciation for art and its expression and learned to sew as a little girl. She graduated from SLCC fashion institute and decided to start Zaiya Collection to create beautiful designs that are innovative yet practical for everyday life. She lives in Salt Lake City with her husband and 2 daughters.Business Links: Instagram: @ZaiyaCollectionWebsite: www.ZaiyaCollection.comFacebook.com/ZaiyaCollection
Bryan Young (he/they) works across many different media. His work as a writer and producer has been called "filmmaking gold" by The New York Times. He's also published comic books with Slave Labor Graphics and Image Comics. He's been a regular contributor for the Huffington Post, StarWars.com, Star Wars Insider magazine, SYFY, /Film, and was the founder and editor in chief of the geek news and review site Big Shiny Robot! In 2014, he wrote the critically acclaimed history book, A Children’s Illustrated History of Presidential Assassination. He co-authored Robotech: The Macross Saga RPG has written two books in the BattleTech Universe: Honor's Gauntlet and A Question of Survival. His latest book, The Big Bang Theory Book of Lists is a #1 Bestseller on Amazon. He teaches writing for Writer’s Digest, Script Magazine, and at the University of Utah. Follow him on Twitter @swankmotron or visit http://www.swankmotron.com
Emily Young is an artist proficient in the medium of embracing the here and now. Her gifts span from guiding mothers through birthing realms to examining consciousness and healing through plant medicine. Twenty years ago the black and white may have talked about her going to court reporting school for all the wrong reasons or eating pancakes and playing the piano high in her Mormon church. Ten years ago she was a few months sober out of her second rehab starting at the non-profit she would be with for eight years before ayahuasca and the plague revolutionized her world.Today she lives in a blue house with an orange door in Denton, Texas. She pays the mortgage as a doula and educator. Currently her focuses are in the birth and postpartum arenas and she is excited to have expansion into other passions in the works. In early 2022 she started her own company - Dancing With Now - a name that perfectly reflects her approach to life and birth that allows her the freedom to follow her professional flow wherever it leads.https://www.instagram.com/dancingwithnow/
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the twelfth track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now!
I am an Artist based in Salt Lake City, Utah. I was born and raised in Texas and moved to Utah in 2014. I spent Two years (2015-2017) serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mongolia. My Passion has always lied within visual art. These days I’ve been painting film sets for an upcoming Apple TV show set to launch later in 2023.My personal work explores the relationship between memories throughout time and space and what we perceive as “reality.” I pull from a lifelong fascination with exploration characterized by dreamlike figures that intertwine current fashion and culture iconography. I aim to create combinations of imagery born from things recognized and things yet undiscovered.https://aeliaslorenzoart.com/https://www.instagram.com/aeliaslorenzoart/
Katharine Coles was born and raised in Salt Lake City. After four years at school in Seattle and two in Houston, and a year in Washington, D.C. as Writer-in-Residence at St. Albans School, she moved back to Salt Lake to pursue her PhD at the University of Utah. She taught for several years at Westminster College, then returned to the University of Utah, where she is now a Distinguished Professor in the English Department. Coles’ ten books include seven collections of poems, most recently Wayward (Red Hen Press, 2019). Her memoir, Look Both Ways, was released in 2018 by Turtle Point Press, which will also publish The Stranger I Become: essays in reckless poetics in 2021. 2018-19 Poet-in-Residence at the Natural History Museum of Utah and the Salt Lake City Public Library for the Poets House FIELD WORK program, she also served from 2006-2012 as the third Poet Laureate of Utah, and in 2009-10 as the inaugural director of the Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute at the Poetry Foundation. In 2010, she traveled to Antarctica to write poems under the auspices of the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. She has also received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the international Digging Into Data Challenge, and the Guggenheim Foundation. Her poems and essays have been translated into Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, and Dutch.
At the age of 19, the perfect acting job came along. It was a very strenuous audition process. After months of searching the producers of Trolls 2 could not pass up on Steve’s talents. No seriously, they could not pass him up. They tried....they really tried but well they needed someone with minimal acting abilities and who was under four feet tall.Steve was offered the non-credited position to play one of the movie’s vital roles of a Goblin....ummm the movie rocked so much that it wasn’t even about Trolls!The rest of Steve’s life was average at best...I mean he did some politics, he was a journalist. Basically, he always ended up eating his family’s highly sought after confections.In 2003 Steve became one of the founding owners of “Hatch Family Chocolates” located in Salt Lake City. In 2010 Steve and his business partner Katie were featured on TLC’s “The Little Chocolatiers”. Steve has also been fortunate enough to act as an extra on such films as “The Lone Ranger” with Johnny Depp and “A Million Ways to Die in the West” directed by Seth MacFarlane.You can listen to Steve on the podcast “Your Cre8tivity”, where he has been honored to serve as a co-host for the last several years. Mr. Hatch is currently working on his new venture a made for YouTube/Facebook talk show called, “Short & Sweet. Most nights Steve can be found eating chocolates and tormenting customers up in the Avenues at Hatch Family Chocolates.Steve feels like he has the greatest job in the world where he gets to sample top-notch desserts all day long. Steve will always share that he is most proud of all the community and amazing friends who have made his shop the success it is. Most nights Steve can be found eating chocolates and tormenting customers up in the Avenues at Hatch Family Chocolates.hatchfamilychocolates.comInstagram: hatchfamilychocFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/hatchfamilychocolates
Kathak is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in the of ancient northern India known as Kathakars or storytellers.The term Kathak is derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word Katha which means "story", and Kathakar which means "the one who tells a story". Wandering Kathakars communicated stories from the great epics and ancient mythology through dance, songs and music. Kathak dancers tell various stories through their hand movements and extensive footwork, their body movements and flexibility but most importantly through their facial expressions. Stylistically, the Kathak dance form emphasizes rhythmic foot movements, adorned with small bells (Ghungroo) and the movement harmonized to the musicSonali Loomba, the Artistic Director of Kaladharaa Dance established this dance company in 2017 in Utah and Washington D.C along with her sibling Nidhika Loomba, which focuses on imparting the nuances of this ancient form to others in the community as a way of passing it down to generations and aims at preserving this ancient dance style, which traces its roots back to 400 BCE. Sonali Loomba completed her post graduate in Human Resource Management from India and worked at a multinational company there for over 6 years before she decided to quite and completely dedicate her self to Kathak as full time performing artist. She started learning Kathak in 2006 under the guidance of Gurus (teachers) Hari and Chethana from Bangalore, India. She believes Indian Classical Dance is like an ocean which is limitless. The deeper you dive in the more beauty you see of the form. It can take up-to several years to call oneself a master of this art form. She visits India often to advance in her studies of Kathak under her Gurus. Sonali has performed at multiple leading festivals in the states as well as international, Such as TEDx Salt Lake City, North American Festival of Colors- (Utah & LasVegas USA), Living Traditions – (Utah, USA), Hampi Utsav – India , Nritya Utsav – Orissa, India, to name a few. Sonali is also the recipient of several state art grants which are a driving force in her mission to spread the knowledge of this art form , beyond. Sonali Loomba is currently serving as a board member of the Salt Lake Arts Council. Kaladharaa Dance has trained several dance enthusiast and continues to do so. The school host’s a bi-monthly open house event which is in invitation to all community members to come and experience this art form in a classroom environment. The school’s social media pages on facebook and instagram are constantly updated with upcoming events, we would encourage you all to follow our page to stay connected and hopefully learn this art form. ‘Facebook & Instagram : Kaladharaa Dancehttps://youtu.be/X5SnjGTG41whttps://youtu.be/QDuXEVrBC8chttps://youtu.be/e6wgWRD_c8U
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the eleventh track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now!
Corvus CazierI was born in Boise. The youngest of 4 kids. Raised there until i was 11 and we moved to Kaysville Utah. I have two older brothers and one sister who passed away in 2020. As a young child we were not allowed to watch much television but our parents gave us plenty of books. My brother Ryan and I challenged each other although we fought endlessly we loved making things with our hands from a very early age. When i was 8 and he was 10 we took apart our mothers vacuum cleaner and turned it into a hovercraft on the back patio. Insatiably curious, no lock was was a barrier to us. We could crack our fathers safe from 10 years old. We both tested off the charts yet flunked out of school. Unfortunately schools are not set up to teach gifted kids. Incredibly ADHD and prone to mischief I was a pain in the ass to my parents. But i learned from them that you can make anything if you're determined. When I was 15 my grandmother gave me a deer hide that was shit by her father when he was 80 years old. That was the first piece of leather I worked and became a lifelong obsession. Around the same time I'd found the goth scene and the beautiful people in black leather spoke to my soul. Career wise I joined the service after highschool and spent a couple of years as airborne infantry and a combat engineer. After I got out I couldn't decide what to do but eventually went to culinary arts school and catered movie sets for a few years followed by running restaurants. 14 years ago I switched to electrical and have done that ever since. However in my heart my greatest dream has always been to create with leather. At the beginning of 2021 I decided to make a real go at my leatherwork and have been pushing forward with it ever since.https://ravensleatherdesigns.com/https://www.instagram.com/ravens_designs_/
Kat is a self-taught florist who cherishes finding magic in the mundane. Her floral business, Ritual in Bloom, centers rituals and intentionality in floral design. Each offering is meant to encourage clients to create/reconnect with rituals and ancestral knowledge by deepening their relationships with flowers. By drawing on her heritage, Kat creates experiences that connect people to the subtle wisdom flowers share with us and their ability to teach us about trust, connection, and presence.@ritualinbloomwww.ritualinbloom.com
Robert Baldwin is Director of Orchestras and Professor of Conducting at the University of Utah, and Music Director and Conductor for the Salt Lake Symphony. He is also the founding conductor for Sinfonia Salt Lake, a professional chamber orchestra that made its critically acclaimed debut in 2016. In 2019, he was appointed to an adjunct position at the Wuhan University Center for the Arts in Wuhan, China. Dr. Baldwin has appeared across the North America, Europe and Asia as a conductor and performer on viola and viola d’amore. International conducting appearances include the Hunan Symphony and Wuhan University Orchestras in China, Busan Maru International Music Festival in South Korea, Eutin Festspiele in Germany, Kuopio Academy of Music in Finland, and the Hermitage Camerata in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and tours with the University of Utah Chamber Orchestra to London, Vienna, Graz and Salzburg. In demand as a guest conductor and clinician, he also has conducted performances with the Utah Arts Festival, Great Falls Symphony, Lafayette Symphony, Lexington Philharmonic, Lexington Singers, Flagstaff Festival of the Arts, Tri-Collegiate Opera, and numerous All-State and regional festival orchestras across the U.S.A. His performances and ensembles have received international attention and have been featured on New York’s WQXR Classical Radio, and nationally broadcast radio programs, including Performance Today, Highway 89 and Weekend Edition. Also an accomplished violist and viola d’amore player, he has had a variety of experiences, including guest appearances with the Amadeus Trio, and both the Saint Petersburg and Stanford String Quartets, as well as at the Sedona Chamber Music Festival, SMU Music Festival and Park City International Music Festival. He was violist of the Arizona-based Coconino Chamber Ensemble from 1989-1999, and was principal violist for the Flagstaff Symphony, Arkansas Symphony, and Arizona Opera. Solo and chamber appearances on viola and viola d’amore include recitals and concertos in the United States, Germany and Mexico. Alsways on the lookout for new experiences, he recently played a program or solo Bach and recited poetry inside the large cave for Timpanogos Cave National Monument’s Centennial Celebration. Previously, he has held faculty and conducting positions at the University of Kentucky, Lexington Philharmonic, New American Symphony, Flagstaff Symphony and Northern Arizona University. Dr. Baldwin studied conducting in the United States and in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds degrees in viola performance from the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Iowa, and a DMA in orchestral conducting from the University of Arizona. He makes his home in Salt Lake City, Utah where, in his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing, hiking, and spending time with his family. In addition to published writings on music, he is a published poet as well, his poems appearing in recent issues of Poetry Quarterly, Utah Life, Grey Sparrow Journal, and Haiku Journal. Thirty, his first chapbook of poetry, was published in 2022. Links: Blog: His award-winning blog on music and creativity, Before the Downbeat, can be viewed at: http://beforethedownbeat.wordpress.com/https://music.utah.edu/faculty/robert-baldwin.phphttp://www.saltlakesymphony.org/
Doug Wagner is a comic book writer best known for his dark comedy, horror work on Image Comics’ VINYL and PLASTIC. He’s also recently finished running three successful Kickstarter campaigns for THOMAS RIVER with Brian Stelfreeze, YUMI: SPY FATALE, BADDIE ROYALE with Hoyt Silva, and NARCO with Daniel Hillyard. Some of his other works include BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS, LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT, WORLD OF WARCRAFT: BLOODSWORN, and GUN CANDY. Over the past 15 years, Doug has written for such companies as The CW Network, CBS, NFL, TruTV, Summit Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, Legendary Pictures, DC Comics, Blizzard Entertainment, Image Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Top Cow Productions, and 12-Gauge Comics. He currently resides somewhere in the mountains of Utah where he conspires with his three rescue cats about felines ruling the world, reads tons of comics, and attempts to grow the oddest succulents he can find.Instagram: @Doug.Wagner13Website: www.shocknoggin.com
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the tenth track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now!
WE ARE BOUNDLESS!!!! In all sincerity, this is the vision I have of my fellow humans. Happy to be part of the global human fam with y'all. 🤗🐳🌺⛵️
born and raised in orange county, alifornia, cat palmer developed her insatiable romance with photography at 15 years old, against the backdrop of los angeles… a place teeming with racial divides, cultural diversity, and economic inequality. her world view further evolved as she immersed herself in the streets of mexico, developing a new obsession that would plague her art, forever… human empowerment.
from 1995-1999, cat made an academic go of her art and then, traversing the unexpected technological revolution, joined professional digital in 2005. (she has never forgotten where her heart lies, and fully intends to replace the “dark side” with the “dark room,” one day.) regardless of the medium, she has exhibited all over the salt lake valley and has won many awards. cat's most recent project "go home trump" went viral.
cat has devoted her craft to the expression of meaning through images, and has found a powerful voice in empowerment.
her empowerment themes have been: self-esteem, peace, self-reliance, i am human, there’s no place like home, peace to the middle east, age of aesthetics in defying societies definition of beauty, super hero women, 'i have a secret', keep the politicians out of our VAGINA, transgender visibility and a series with an orwellian theme.
cat is available for hire for portraits, family shoots, and corporate events. (She is resigning from doing weddings.)
LGBTQ+
http://catpalmerphoto.blogspot.com
www.catpalmer.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Palmer
https://www.instagram.com/catpalmerphotography/?hl=en
As a self-taught artist and descendant of Mexican migrant workers, Alba’s large scale paintings and drawings evoke an emotional response while still maintaining relevant commentary on contemporary politics and society. Alba is the recipient of the 2020 Utah Visual Arts Fellowship from the Utah Division or Arts and Museums and has exhibited work throughout the Pacific Northwest and Salt Lake City, where he currently resides with his family.
Insta @andrew.alba https://www.andrew-alba.com
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the ninth track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now!
The final piece in the Make It Hallowed portion of our journey is a surrender, just like its counterparts in the previous two chapters (Quicksand and Split). This time, we’re finally ready to surrender the last inkling that we can ever have any control over, or ability to predict how another person will behave. But rather than feeling suspicion and scarcity at this fact, we’re able to feel reverence at what trust actually means when removed from certainty. What’s more sacred than realizing that every individual is as complex and ever-evolving as yourself, that everyone is a main character in their own story, that you have no control whatsoever over anyone…and in that humble and weighted frame of mind, still deciding to attempt connection?
A Queen of many crowns or hats...Wynter first and foremost is a Mother to their handsome baby boy Amias!! She has been a Poet, and published author since the age of eight. Wynter made her debut in the 2018-19 Salt Lake City Slam Poetry Season and made the team in the same year to tour with them. She creates poems about justice, healing, love, self love, queerness, and the power to overcome.
Wynter is the 2021 Utah Arts Festival Indie Slam Champion, with a host of other awards over the years.
She has been featured on Write About Now Poetry.
Wynter is the cofounder of Utah Black Artists Collective (UBLAC.)
She has a chapbook called "A Glimpse Into Surviving Wynters Storm"
In February she released a collection of poetry titled "Black Rainbow Layers"
She is a featured artist in a poetry collection published in Las Vegas called "Beyond the Neon Lights Anthology"
Wynter is excited to announce she will be releasing another collection of poetry titled "H.O.M.E." in October 2022!
Website: www.wynterthepoet.com Insta:@wynter_storm1 Organization insta: @_ublac_ Fb business:@wynterpoetry
Get Wynter's Book! >>> https://www.blurb.com/b/11075656-black-rainbow-layers
Twelve years ago I graduated from the prestigious film program at Brigham Young University and began my career in filmmaking.
At different times over the years I’ve had unique love affairs with each aspect of the filmmaking process—I’ve been a DP, a producer, an editor—I’ve played various roles in ideating and executing fiction narratives; and I’ve traveled to many countries as a documentarian.
Although the skill sets and disciplines have varied, the common thread that binds them all together is passion—I just love film—that’s my foundation.
I’m grateful for my various roles in the industry, because they’ve given me the one thing that foundations should offer—a solid place to launch from.
Throughout my filmmaking journey I held a secret—although I was incredibly comfortable behind the camera (and was making a good career out of it)—where I really wanted to be was in front of the camera, metabolizing scripts, taking the words of another and bringing them to life in a way that impacts people the way I’ve been impacted by my acting heroes.
So from time to time I’d take the occasional role as a favor to a friend, or hell, sometimes because it just sounded fun. But in taking on these roles I could see the trajectory of my true passion in filmmaking—acting.
Acting is a challenge, as it should be—it’s a puzzle, and it’s a piece of the process that I love figuring out. Stepping in front of the camera more and more isn’t what I thought it would be—I don’t feel out of place here—this is where I want to be—comfortable in the uncomfortable.
I don’t see any reason to pretend that acting isn’t something that I’m pursuing with the whole of my efforts. If possible, I’m sitting in a certain sweet spot—both humbled by acting opportunities and extremely confident that I’m the right person for the job.
https://www.josh.actor/
DAD JOKES >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHnDlvFohpA
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the eighth track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now!
Bleed in Color is about so many things. It’s a grappling with one’s own moral compass—nurturing that little flicker of light after society/religion have done their best to snuff it out. It’s a grief for the time and energy we waste begging loved ones + the world to SEE ourselves with the love and acceptance we deserve (and for all of the beauty permanently lost in these battles). It’s an outpouring of joy at the beauty and wonder of our colorful human family. It’s a hope that someday we won’t have to bleed in order to be seen and valued. And, it’s a tribute to the creativity society’s “others” employ to teach the world how to see us, and to project our full vibrancy within world that works so hard to bury it.
Daxon Levine Dax Levine loves epic fantasy, but he didn’t expect to become a full-time professional Dungeon Master entertaining clients from all over the world. He started as a lowly theater kid and improv performer who leveled up by earning his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and his Master of Business Administration. In early 2020, he founded Dungeon Master Direct to professionally host online Dungeons & Dragons campaigns as a side hustle, but four months later he had to quit his day job to keep up with the accelerated demand for his brand of epic storytelling! He now manages an entire team of professional Dungeon Masters, teaches his skills online and at conferences, and writes novels on the side. He lives in Utah with an old border collie and his lovely wife. They are raising two children whom he hopes will also grow up to be professional nerds someday.
www.dungeonmasterdirect.com
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the seventh track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now!
Sweet Dream is track #7 (the halfway point) in my fantasy concept record The Hallowed Wide. I wanted this to feel like a turning point in the story. Like a weird epiphany. The dream is so colorful and breathtaking, and suddenly we realize the world is breathtaking, too. The simple fact that every person is a whole separate person is a totally bizarre and fairly magical reality we too easily forget.
Remembering how the stranger in the dream shatters into flowers…we can remember to see the brokenness of our fellow humans as its own kind of beauty—fractures of a wholly unique soul. I find that empathy gets a lot easier when I can manage to be genuinely curious about how completely individual each person is. And I can let it feel enchanting and sacred because it quite simply IS.
Shiloh Nyce is an Indigenous female screenwriter and actor from the Haisla Nation on the Northwest Coast of Canada. Her First Nations name is Mah-gwees, meaning "snag on the beach". The Pacific Ocean and forest were her childhood playgrounds which has had significant inspirational influence on her artistry. She attended MacEwan University in Edmonton, Canada, where she received her Theatre Performance Degree and then went on to receive her Bachelor’s Teaching Degree in Theater & Music from BYU-Idaho. Shiloh soon transitioned her stage practice to film with acting credits including Lakes 7 and the Golden Gun, The Life of Jesus Christ, and Maggie to name a few. In 2016 Shiloh founded the Salt Lake Actors Studio; a workshop that provided free performance education for the acting community.
Shiloh then took time off to re-establish her roots in Haisla Territory. During this experience she realized she could play a role in keeping her history and culture alive through story. Shortly after, she had two personal dreams given to her that eventually became the foundations for her short film scripts; Hear Him and One Who Knows. In late 2020, Shiloh was accepted to WIFTV’s Tricksters and Writers Program in Canada, a film writing scholarship for Indigenous women. She was instructed by Indigenous female filmmakers and under their tutelage wrote One Who Knows, which was then selected to be read live at the Vancouver International Women in Film Festival and is presently still receiving several festival selections and wins. Shiloh is currently working to direct One Who Knows and adapt it into a children’s book (to be published in 2022). She also has plans to write and direct her newest story, The Matriarch into a feature length film. Presently, she lives in Midvale, UT with her husband and 3-year-old daughter.
You can contact Shiloh for acting bookings through her Instagram account @shiloh_nyce
Michael Feldman, a medicinal chemist by training, after setting up and running the lab for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, came to Utah in 2000 to help set up drug testing for the 2002 SLC Olympic Winter Games and to become General Manager of Northwest Toxicology Laboratories.
After running and selling 2 biotech companies, in 2011, he and his family decided it was time to do something completely different.
Missing the food from New Jersey, he and his wife Janet planned, built Feldman’s Deli, Utah's only authentic Jewish Deli, featuring a variety of traditional sandwiches and European/Old World specialties, opened in 2012. He serves as Chief Everything Officer. The Deli has been recognized for its authenticity and quality by every Salt Lake City authority. It is Deli Done Right!
You can occasionally catch him playing his music at the Deli or other venues as part of the “Two Old Guys”.
https://www.feldmansdeli.com/home https://www.instagram.com/two_old_guys_music/ https://www.instagram.com/feldmansdeli/
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the sixth track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now!
Split is a song about an even deeper kind of surrender. At the beginning of the story, we surrendered a bit of comfort for the promise of a something greater…but here we reckon with the heavy grief of change and reinvention. This is the empty feeling you have when you’ve left behind the person you used to be, but you’re not yet sure exactly who you might become. You’re exhausted, and while you aren’t sure what is ahead, you’re only looking forward. You no longer have even the faintest desire to turn back. It wouldn’t be possible anyway.
Paul Cartwright Paul is a professional actor with more than twenty years of experience on stage, screen, and behind a microphone. He studied at the Royal Conservatoire in England to get his MFA in Acting—working with some of the best voice coaches of the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving to Los Angeles where he’s worked with Disney, Nintendo, Toyota, Visa, Pepsi, Lay’s, Fortnite and more. Paul is currently in Lehi with his wife and four children, and is a full-time actor and performer.
Twitter - @PaulTCartwright Instagram - @PaulTCartwright Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/paulcartwright.voiceover.9
Pedro Flores is an Actor, Playwright, and Director currently based out of Utah. He has been in works for several established Utah theatres including Good Company Theatre, Plan-B Theatre Company, and Salt Lake Acting Company. He is currently performing as Alli in 'Alli and #3' for Plan-B's Ninth Annual Free Elementary School Tour and will also be performing for their upcoming production of "Aftershock".
https://www.instagram.com/elpedroflores/
My name is Malory Christensen. I was born in Montana, but raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. I graduated from Westminster College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree: with an emphasis in Ceramics, and a Minor in Psychology.
Upon my completion at Westminster, I moved to Seattle, Washington to pursue a graduate degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, with a specialization in Art Therapy. Having earned my Master's Degree from Antioch University, I moved back home to Utah, and am working as an Art Therapist and Marriage and Family Therapist.
In my free time I love exploring different art mediums and challenging myself to try new things. Art has always been a way for me to relax and de-stress and is one of the best coping tools I have found. While they are complex, the tedious process in which I apply my patterns has always been therapeutic for me.
Website link: https://malorychristensen.wixsite.com/create Therapy link: https://unifiedfamilytherapy.com/
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the fifth track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now! A song for the fiercest kind of love...
Zaza Historia VanDyke is a poc, trans femme, parent, performer, song writer and artist from Ogden Utah. You can find zaza anywhere she can be loud and proud with an instrument in hand, either playing upright bass for “The BackYard Revival” or playing guitar and singing her own original music. She’s the girl at every campfire and party, singing and playing acoustic guitar, In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find Zaza without a guitar close by. Zaza’s greatest inspirations are the people surrounding her in life, who’ve pushed her and supported her music, and her love of the world and atmosphere around her.
@_zaza_vandyke
Zaza Historia VanDyke Tetonguitars.com/Zaza-Vandyke https://www.facebook.com/Zaza.Historia Zaza Historia VanDyke https://open.spotify.com/track/6cdxB06I8L9MAPXRxiZmRD?si=zLfL9fd6RISczuRgZ88FiA
It’s not a surprise that Julie Jacobsen became a fine artist. All of the women in her family have been artists in one way or another. Her paternal grandmother sold paintings in Laguna Beach. Her mother and sisters have all been fine art painters. “We call it the family disease and now my daughter has it too!” Grace just got her Masters in Fine Art. “We feel a constant pull to create in some way and sometimes it’s pretty annoying when you aren’t in the mood.”
Julie was an art major at the University of Utah but was extremely at odds with the department in the 1970’s. So she switched to Art History and gobbled that up. Life happened and when she was one year short of completing her degree, she had to drop out. She was very fortunate to have some excellent private teachers: Robert Rummel and Elaine Bradshaw.
“My painting career came to a halt at one point because I got very discouraged with marketing my art in Utah. I needed to go out of state but felt my family was too important.” So there was a lull for a while.
Julie has reinvented her art several times. She discovered mosaics made with broken china and glass. Then there was a flurry of work in the shape of hearts and names after famous literary heroines. “I had to throw almost all of the supplies away as I wasn’t painting any more. I didn’t want to lose my painting my painting talent!”
In 2016, Julie was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and couldn’t sit up to an easel to paint. So she started doing watercolors – a medium she didn’t like – as she could sit at a table. It started with Easter cards for her grandchildren. She has done about 150 cards at this point and has had a successful card business.
Family is most important to her. She has a wonderful husband, 5 talented kids, and 10 gorgeous grandchildren. “We love living in Murray! Murray City has been very good to me. I’ve had many employees that are my customers and top of the list is former Mayor Dan Snarr!”
You can check out more of Julie’s work at laughinghorseart.blogspot.com
Ted Slaymaker, tattoo artist and body modification specialist since 2008. Owner of Arcade Tattoo LLC. Available for private, and commercial illustrations and murals. @tedslaymaker on Instagram.
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the fourth track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now! A song for all your secret crushes...
Ryan Stewart’s passion is music. He has come a long way from the child who was expected to practice the piano before playing with friends, or the teenager who spent his lunch hour playing the piano on the stage at his local high school. Stewart has now fulfilled a fourth album release “Memories – Best of Solo Piano”, a celebration of 15 original solo piano works from his first three albums.
Raised in Salt Lake City, Stewart says his mother is his inspiration. A classically trained pianist herself, she wanted to share her love of music with her children. Sadly, she passed away from breast cancer when he was just 13. Stewart says this was a poignant moment in his life and he realized the gift she had given to him. He said, “As a teenager I missed her and I would sit at the piano and play and think about her.” His father encouraged him to continue to pursuing his talent.
After graduating from high school, Stewart was awarded a full-ride scholarship in music to the University of Utah. He perfected his piano skills as he studied, played and taught piano lessons. He especially enjoyed teaching students with an affinity for composition and song writing. Although Stewart eventually left the music department and pursued a career in computers, he never lost his desire to compose and play the instrument he loves. Today, he does music full time and his passion has become something his wife, Cindy, and their three children cherish when spending time together..
Ryan’s greatest ambition is to combine his love of music, computers, and traveling to create compositions for fans around the world. He has a gift for orchestrating just about anything, beginning with a concerto he wrote at the age of 17. He has composed and arranged music for film documentaries, Cellist Stephen S. Nelson (ThePianoGuys), Paul Cardall, Facebook, several dance studios, and several others.
http://ryanstewartmusic.com/
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the third track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now! The perfect addition to your Valentine's playlist...
Keely Song Glenn is an Assistant Professor of Dance at Brigham Young University and a Certified Laban Movement Analyst. She received her MFA in dance from The University of Iowa and was awarded the prestigious Dean’s Graduate Fellowship. Previously, she graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy and after high school received her B.A. in dance education from Brigham Young University.
While in Ohio, Ms. Glenn was the recipient of the Individual Arts Excellence Award in Choreography presented by the Ohio Arts Council and the Gravity’s Ripple III Choreographic Residency Award sponsored by the Dublin Arts Council and OhioDance. She was also the recipient of three Greater Columbus Arts Councils Artists Grants and a dance educator with Balletmet.
As a teacher, Keely enjoys working with diverse populations and has taught in inner city public schools, summer dance intensives across the nation, and universities.
As an independent movement designer she plays with the idea of the absurd and the familiar to create accessible works for the child and the adult. She is a technical fusionist blending urban arts, classical stylization, and athleticism into her choreography. Her passion for the arts and her family is currently leading her to explore new ways of using technology and the Internet to make, perform, and teach dance.
https://www.keelysong.com/
Chelsea Tinsler Jones is an avid percussionist, arts administrator, and educator based in Utah County. She has a unique skill set having studied solo, orchestral, and contemporary percussion in addition to musical styles from West Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil, and the Middle East. Chelsea is percussionist and Director of Operations for Khemia Ensemble, an internationally performing mixed-chamber ensemble dedicated to promoting contemporary classical music. Khemia actively commissions new works and mentors young performers and composers. Performance highlights include National Sawdust, the Mizzou International Composers Festival, Strange Beautiful Music X Festival, New Music Gathering, and the MoxSonic Experimental Sonic Arts Festival, among several university residences. As a soloist, Chelsea has performed with the University of Michigan Symphony Band, Greater Hartford Youth Wind Ensemble, and the Hartt Contemporary Players. She placed second in the 2016 Black Swamp Solo Percussion Competition. Chelsea’s performance of Andy Akiho’s Stop Speaking for solo snare drum accompanied by a stop-motion animated film by visual artist Alisa Yang won “Best Music Video” at the 2018 Ann Arbor Film Festival. Notable freelance appearances include the White Christmas National Tour (Paducah, KY), Ballet West Orchestra (Salt Lake City, UT), Section Percussionist with Paducah Symphony Orchestra (2017-20), steelworks steelband (2014-present), AEPEX Contemporary Performance (Detroit, MI), Rochester Symphony (MI), New Britain Symphony (CT), Nutmeg Symphony (CT), Adrian Symphony (MI), and the Artful Living Musical Theater Company (CT). A passionate educator, Chelsea is Instructor of Music at Utah Valley University. In 2021, Chelsea’s Level Up! 15 Sequential Duets for the Developing Snare Drummer was released by Tapspace. Previously, she has held positions as a Lecturer of Music at the University of Tennessee at Martin, Instrumental Music Teacher in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, and Director of the University of Michigan’s Impact Youth Percussion Ensemble. Chelsea has also served on the faculty of summer programs including Littlestone Summer Music Festival (TN), Music for the Sake of Music (WI), and the Hartt Community Division (CT), in addition to 12 years of private teaching. Chelsea received her MM in Percussion Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan and her BM in Percussion Performance and Music Education from the Hartt School, University of Hartford.
https://www.chelseatinslerjones.com/
Flavia Cerviño-Wood studied classical violin at the Conservatory of Music in Santiago and at the Universidad Católica de Chile. Early in her career she moved to Brazil to join the band Grupo Agua, which toured South America and performed and recorded with Milton Nascimento. Her first work in the United States was with the Brockport Symphony in New York before moving to San Francisco where she was active in the Latin music scene. She is a featured soloist with Sol y Luna along with Rebecca Mauleon and Michael Spiro. She is active in the improvised music scene, having performed with Cecil Taylor and his orchestra at the San Francisco Jazz Festival and a composition by John Cage with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. She currently performs with Red Rock Rondo (who won 2 Emmy awards in 2010), blue haiku, the The Emily Merrell Band, Diamond Empire Band, The Phillip Kuehn Orchestra, the Alan Michael band and the Salt Lake Symphony. Flavia holds a BA in Music from San Francisco State University and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Utah.
Sol y Luna https://open.spotify.com/album/6MWxZlPNP07kgRKgq41dX4
Te Azul at Cathedral of the Madeleine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtULfy5vRdk
heat beneath the sand blue haiku https://open.spotify.com/artist/4X4ROGwvfXFvA8j6ZpHO18
Zion Canyon Song Cycle Red Rock Rondo https://open.spotify.com/album/4LKexcpBE8Qr9bjKrKtIH0
A Secret Gift Red Rock Rondo https://open.spotify.com/album/0KhcnT2DkCB4Tl0Zzt1vqa
Trio Tri-National Marilyn Lerner, Flavia Cervino-Wood, Harold Carr https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/trio-tri-national-marilyn-lerner-flavia-cervino-wood-harold-carr
Nomad J.A. Deane https://open.spotify.com/album/7xX4OfuSfA3RgMgTbsMK3y
Strata Te Azul https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/strata
Moon River Geoffrey Miller, Flavia Cervino-Wood, Harold Carr https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/moon-river
Emily Merrel Group Live at the 2013 Utah Arts Festival https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/emily-merrell-group-live-at-the-2013-utah-arts-festival
Harold Carr and Flavia Cervino-Wood live at City Art January 15, 2014 https://haroldcarr.bandcamp.com/album/harold-carr-and-flavia-cervino-wood-live-at-city-art-january-15-2014
When you close your eyes and picture a blacksmith, you're probably already seeing Matt. He's a bear of a blacksmith who makes our biggest anvil look small.
Matt's a sharer. He takes the forge on the road for demonstrations at festivals, conferences, even corporate events. He usually has a handful of apprentices.
Matt apprenticed at a traditional blacksmith shop at This Is The Place Heritage Park when he was 17 years old, and he's been heavily involved in the steel industry ever since. He has been teaching classes at the University of Utah Continuing Education program for several years.
As a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Matt can often be seen towering over people on the battle field, wearing 80 pounds of armor and swinging a two-handed great sword. Matt is the master of the local SCA blacksmiths guild and quite a few re-enactors get their first experience with medieval blacksmithing from Matt.
Matt is happily married to his high school sweetheart and is the proud father of 4 children.
http://wasatchforge.com/
Savannah "Sailor Crafty" Nicholes
Savannah has always embraced her eccentric side in hopes that other eccentrics would have someone to feel comfortable around. A daydreamer, INFJ and "serial hobbyist", she is constantly switching mediums to help her bring intangible dreams into tangible reality.
Known as the Dinosaur Girl in elementary school, she could be found writing poetry, reading fantasy books, doodling dragons in her notes, collecting figures and pretending with her friends in the front yard. She learned to play music on an old trombone that her father had in a bumper sticker-encrusted case and still plays in the local city band. She also discovered that she loved Japanese animation and culture and that has been a large influence in her artistic endeavors. In college she was introduced by a friend to cosplay and conventions. Cosplay is one of her favorite forms of expression as it can touch on every medium, including acting, sewing, 3D printing, sculpting, electronics, painting, puppetry and everything in between. She has won several awards at local conventions and always has something new to debut to keep it fresh!
Savannah is a married, enthusiastic mom that feels she is just as much a kid as her two young boys. When they are both in school full time in the upcoming year, she plans on launching a clothing brand, Banoonios Studios, and Vanna V., an accessories brand where she can share some of her colorful visions with the world. Both brands are based on nicknames given to her by her pro musician, thrill-seeking father and go-getter, animal-loving mother. Savannah loves encouraging artists of all types and feels that an artist should always make art for themselves first and foremost.
IG: @sailorcrafty26
The compositions of ANDREW MAXFIELD—hailed as “rhythmically vital … superbly judged … [and] tender” by Fanfare Magazine—have been performed throughout the U.S. and Europe. A recent winner of the King’s Singer’s New Music Prize (Jury Special Commendation), Andrew has been a Composer Fellow of the National Collegiate Choral Organization and Composer-in-Residence for Southern Virginia University and Newburyport Choral Society. Recent commissions include choral works for the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, Hillsdale College, and Salem Hills High School; an orchestral adaptation of the Caldecott honor book, They All Saw A Cat, for the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts in New York City; and a concert-length score for SALT Contemporary Dance, showcased at Lincoln Center. His album, Celebrating Wendell Berry in Music, was released by Tantara Records and his “well-crafted, approachable” works (Dr. George Case, The Boston Cecilia) are published by Walton, Santa Barbara, and Yalecrest. Ensembles which have performed Andrew’s music recently include The Gesualdo Six, USC Thornton Chamber Singers, Emporia Symphony Orchestra, Carroll University Symphonic Band and Choir, Wingate University Singers, Utah Philharmonic, The Piedmont Singers, University of Pennsylvania Chamber Choir, and Choral Arts Initiative.
Andrew studied music at Brigham Young University, where he was valedictorian and where he occasionally teaches. He has pursued advanced studies in counterpoint and harmony at the EAMA–Nadia Boulanger Institute in Paris, France, graduate composition studies at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, and doctoral studies at the University of Bristol (UK). His primary teachers include Philip Lasser (Juilliard), John Pickard, Jonathan Bailey Holland, and Marti Epstein, and he has also studied with Aaron Jay Kernis and Steven Sametz through the ACDA Choral Composers Forum. He also holds an MBA in Arts Administration from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Andrew lives with his wife Liz Davis Maxfield—a cellist, expert in Irish traditional music, and rock climber—and their two handsome, high-octane boys (plus a hyper puppy) just downhill from Sundance in Provo, Utah.
https://andrewmaxfield.org/hello
As a child, Jake knew he was destined to become big. He was unaware of the path he was going to take until his Mom suggested hairdressing. Once he enrolled in hair school, he knew it was a perfect fit. Throughout his career, his passion for educating others has flourished. This passion took him everywhere – from classrooms to international hair shows to working with companies like Redken, Sexy Hair Concepts, Scruples, Milbon, and Revlon Style Masters.
Besides educating and working behind the chair, Jake creates artistic hair collections that have been published in multiple magazines including Behind the Chair Magazine, Modern Salon, American Salon, Estetica, Hot by Hair’s How, RE Magazine, Salon Magazine, and Beauty Underground. These collections have also earned him multiple nominations and awards, such as 2018 North American Hairstylist of the Year Nominee & 2016 NAHA Colorist Nominee, NAHA Avant Garde Winner in 2011 and 2014, and NAHA Avant Garde Nominee in 2006, 2012, 2013, and NAHA Fashion Forward Nominee in 2011 & 2013 AIPP Presse Coiffure Nominee & 2015 Best Commercial Hairstyling. Jake travels the world inspiring and educating students and audiences in the fashion and hair industry. In addition, Jake has learned the art of photography and now shoots and edits not only his own collections but other artists’ as well. He was co-owner at Lunatic Fringe Salon in Sugarhouse, Utah, which was his home from 2003-2018. Currently he resides at the South Temple Lunatic Fringe location.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/JakeThompsonCreative Instagram: @jakethompsonhair
Sheriden Hansen is an Assistant Professor of Horticulture for Utah State University Extension. She is located at the 100-acre USU Botanical Center in Kaysville, Utah where she tends to several gardens, runs the Davis County Master Gardener Program, and teaches many public classes. Sheriden’s interests lie in vegetable and fruit production, urban small-scale farming and cut flower production. Sheriden has been a recurring guest on KSL Studio 5 and the KSL Greenhouse Show where she shares information and knowledge about horticulture. Working as a horticulturist is Sheriden’s second career; she worked as an O.R. nurse for 15 years at the University of Utah Orthopaedic Center alongside some of the world’s best surgeons and nurses. She decided to follow her true passion and pursue a career in horticulture in 2009, when she started a small-scale farm in East Layton, Utah. Sheriden has been immersed in farming and horticulture ever since. In addition to her BS in nursing from the University of Utah (2002), she has a BS in Plant Science (Summa Cum Laude, 2015) and a MS in Plant Science (2017) from Utah State University. When not gardening, Sheriden can be found playing with her dogs Pippa and Otis, exploring mountains, running, biking, and skiing with her husband Wayne and two teenage boys.
Jeff McLean played Warner Huntington III in the 2008 national tour cast of Legally Blonde: the Musical. He was in Spamalot in Las Vegas before joining the Legally Blonde family. Jeff also toured around the world as a solo artist, and has performed since he was a child. His famous father, Michael McLean, included Jeff in countless productions, which gave him unmatched training and earned confidence.
"After performing all over the world and receiving the best training possible, I have become passionate about helping my students discover their voice and all its components. This discovery process gives my students permission to fall in love with the sound of their own voice. The journey of connecting with your emotions, understanding them, and allowing them to express vocally will be your key to creating the most beautiful and honest musicality.
Training and performing all over the world for the past 2 decades has been a shaping experience. I have gained keen awareness about what kind of training is the most beneficial to defining my students' vocal artistry and technique. I can help anyone who is willing, to fall in love with their own voice. As we unwrap it’s beauty, my students develop the confidence that is crucial to understanding and utilizing the components of their voice. This discovery process will allow exquisite and honest musicality to flourish."
https://www.mcleanvocalworks.com/
A breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the track #2 track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" out on all streaming platforms now! I can't wait to hear what you think about Bitter Roots.
Ryan Margetts is a Utah-based cinematographer, director, and writer.
Despite having a love and passion for filmmaking since childhood, when he would often write short stories and gather his friends to act in his short films and music videos, Ryan began his career in film later than expected.
Taking a leap and changing careers from the healthcare industry to filmmaking in 2019, Ryan knew he had found his calling in life. He started Tiger Trap Media, his freelance film production company, and began writing and producing original short films, music videos, and commercial content as a way of practicing and learning his craft. The first of which, "Seconds," went on to win multiple short film competitions and festivals. His original work since then has received recognition from international short film competitions, film festivals, and a growing online audience.
Ryan has worked as a PA, grip, gaffer, and second unit director for commercial campaigns and feature films, and will be the Director of Photography for a feature film later this year, a major step toward his goals of being a cinematographer for major motion pictures. Along with his freelance work, Ryan is a commercial videographer/photographer for Lifetime Products in Utah.
www.ryanmargetts.com
www.tigertrapmedia.com
Youtube: Tiger Trap Media
IG: @tigertrapmedia
Emily Strobell is a roller skating dog mom with rad baking and music skills who designs her own clothes and travels the world. She enjoys a life filled with creativity. From making her own clothes to learning woodworking, there is joy in the process. In the future she dreams of owning a historic farm with lots of animals and DIY projects.
@maxines_couture
Born bouncing face down on the front seat of a Gremlin on the way to the hospital in a picturesque town on Lake Ontario, Canada, Dawn spent her formative years learning the proper pronunciation of “house, about and mouse”. It was during these tender years she discovered that doggie head tilts are her kryptonite. She now resides in Salt Lake City, UT, where she is an award winning pet photographer who spends an unseemly amount of time spooning her border collie/husky mutt and talking in third person. Dawn has a penchant for cheap wine and deep fried foods. She is currently working on a formula to deep fry Merlot. At present, success has eluded her.
FuzzyLovePhoto.Com
Jessica Hancock graduated Magna Cum Laude with a double major and Bachelor of Science degree in Communication and Art from Westminster College of Salt Lake City in 1998. Interested in the concepts of design and spatial relationships, her fine art tends to explore the idea of abstraction as it relates to aesthetic uniformity. Jessica’s illustration style is unique and focused on the particular needs of her client and the project at hand. All of Jessica’s art is executed clearly, with strong line work and bold, pure color.
Most of Jessica’s illustration work is traditionally hand-drawn then converted into high-resolution digital files. All of Jessica’s fine art is traditionally hand-drawn and painted using ink and watercolor.
Jessica has been the focus of many solo exhibitions and included in over 70 art shows since 2013. She is the recipient of various honors and awards, including membership with the National Association of Women Artists, sponsorship by Faber-Castell USA, a Distinguished Artist Award from ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal, and the 2015-2016 Stutz Artist Association Studio Resident Award. She was also awarded one of 12 seats at the Butler University Religion, Spirituality, and the Arts Symposium in 2016. Jessica is twice published by Westminster John Knox Press. In 2019, and again in 2020, Pearl Drums licensed Jessica’s art to embellish their Masterworks Series drum kits. The Boy Scouts of America commissioned her work in 2013, and again in 2017, to support troops from the Crossroads of America Council attending the National Jamboree in West Virginia. Jessica’s work can be found in public and private collections and in international print circulations such as Artist Talk Magazine, Studio Visit Magazine, ArtAscent Art & Literature Journal, and Artblend Gallery’s “The Art Book 2019” and “The Art Book 2020“. She is a member of many prestigious art organizations including the National Association of Women Artists, and is professionally represented by the Directory of Illustration and the Artblend Gallery. She also shares her skill as a brand ambassador and social media influencer for Faber-Castell USA.
https://jhancockart.com/
Growing up in tiny Thatcher, Ariz., Innes was raised in the traditional musical environment of a small town. As a youth, he was classically trained on piano and sang in the Phoenix Boys Choir and local church musical groups. But…It wasn’t until he was introduced to R&B that Innes began a deep and personal involvement with music that would begin to change his life.
At 24 years old, he applied to the media music program at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, a city that has become a mecca of emerging talent, producing such artists as Imagine Dragons, Neon Trees and Lindsey Stirling.
During his time at BYU, Innes gained confidence as a performer while singing with the popular a cappella group Vocal Point.
Around the same time, Innes began writing his own songs, influenced by melodic, vocal-centric artists like Ray Charles, Amos Lee and Ray LaMontagne.
In 2010, Innes recorded a self-titled EP…and began performing solo shows, promoting his EP and gaining a loyal following with his original songs and captivating covers.
While gaining popularity in the local music scene, Innes landed a residency at The Montage in Park City, Utah. The new gig not only allowed him to quit his day job, but also to continue to polish his performing and songwriting skills.
In 2013, Innes took a break from his residency to try out for NBC’s The Voice. Singing John Mayer’s “Gravity”, Innes quickly received a four-chair turn and picked Usher as his coach. Mentored by Usher and fellow grammy-winner Pharrell Williams, Innes performed a rendition of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” in the battle rounds, solidifying his place as a crowd favorite.
Innes released his debut album THE INBETWEEN in April 2018, it’s one that he hopes can capture the ups and downs of life, giving voice to the listener’s own feelings of struggle and hope Early April of 2020 Ryan appeared on yet another NBC Music TV show, Songland.
Over the years, Innes has developed a distinct and dynamic artistic voice. One that can be heartbreakingly intimate at one moment and soaringly epic the next. The range of emotions Innes can articulate in a single song or across a setlist mirrors the emotional scope of the artist’s life, a contrasting mélange of turmoil, peace, grief and hope.
www.ryaninnes.com/
My name is Matt DesJardins and I am a Chef. My passion for the culinary arts started in my childhood growing up in Greensboro, North Carolina. Constantly being surrounded by home cooked food and amazing restaurants really opened my eyes to the majesty of the culinary arts.
My mother had a home food delivery service that was called ‘Fit-to-Eat’. She made healthy meals for her clients as a personal trainer. Helping her in the kitchen when I was young helped guide my way into providing an intimate cooking experience for others. From there I went into a private arts academy in high school.
Over 10 years I developed my skills and passion for the culinary arts by working in all types of restaurants with many different cuisines. I worked myself up from Chef de Partie watching and learning from my mentors to running kitchens as Sous Chef. After years of working in the restaurant industry I wanted to get back to my roots and my initial dream of being an in-home private chef.
I was told once by a chef of mine that cooking is the most intimate and connecting experience you can give to somebody you’ve never met. Since then I have been driven to put positive energy and love into everything I create. I don’t just provide delicious food of all cuisines, I bring a warm, welcoming, and fun persona to the table that keeps people bringing me back again, and again.
My goal as a chef and artist is to create an unforgettable experience that brings family and friends together for times of celebration. It always fills me with excitement to bring what I have to offer. See you for dinner!
Just a little behind-the-scenes breakdown of the writing, meaning, and hidden treasures in the title track of my new album "The Hallowed Wide" - out on all streaming platforms now!
Anna Mooy Bio.
Mezzo-soprano Anna Mooy received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in voice from BYU, Provo, and did doctoral study at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, where she studied with Glenda Maurice. She has received many honors, including Regional Finalist for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions on two occasions. She has also performed with many of the world’s finest choral organizations including the Dale Warland Singers, VocalEsssence and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir; both as choral member and soloist. Performances with other organizations include the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Utah Symphony, among many others. She has also been a judge for the the Metropolitan Opera District auditions in Utah and North Dakota. Active as a recitalist, she has performed widely through the Midwestern United States, as well as the Rocky Mountain West and Hawaii. She has been on the voice faculties of St. Olaf College, Bemidji State University, Brigham Young University, Provo, and BYU Hawaii.
Jaclyn Wright is a multi-disciplinary artist and educator from the Midwest. She received her BA from Southern Illinois University and her MFA from Indiana University. Her work combines traditional analog photographic techniques with contemporary digital methods, performance, and installation. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and published widely. Recent exhibitions of her work include: SF Camerawork (San Francisco), Sabine Street Studios (Houston), SFO Museum (San Francisco), and the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (Salt Lake City). Her work has been included in the collections at The Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, IL. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Photography at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, UT.
Landon Maughan grew up in Salt Lake City and has spent the last two decades as a professional musician and artist living in Boise Idaho. He currently utilizes each side of his brain solving problems as an IT professional half of the week and playing in bands and indulging in various creative endeavors the other half of the week.
He plays guitar, bass, and keyboards in multiple bands and studio projects, is currently working on his 7th solo album, co-hosts an acoustic open-mic night every week through the summmer, and also hosts his own weekly podcast Brain Radio Podcast.
Desarae Lee is a fine artist and illustrator from Salt Lake City, Utah. Her art has appeared in galleries and art shows across the US and she has won numerous awards for her work including Best of Show, Best Illustrator, and Featured Artist. She is a published author and illustrator and serves as a founding board member at Salt Lake City’s Downtown Artist Collective, where she can occasionally be found teaching drawing or printmaking.
Desarae’s technique revolves around using line to create value and texture. Working primarily with pen and ink, Desarae balances exact, meticulous line-work with natural, flowing compositions. Over time, her work has developed to include watercolor, tea staining, and printmaking. This shift results in more organic drawings that still maintain her original intricacy.
Influenced by personal trauma and struggles with depression and anxiety disorders, Desarae creates work that revolves around themes of finding humor in pain, beauty in the grotesque, and light in the darkness. As comfortable referencing geek culture as she is bearing the depths of her soul, Desarae’s work ranges in theme but is always, as she says, “an attempt to connect the hidden places in myself to the hidden places in the viewer, to somehow create a bridge of communication over the immense expanse of our differing perceptions, beliefs, and experiences.”
When she is not drawing or printing, Desarae can be found roaming the Rocky Mountains of Utah with her ever-patient partner Jared and her stubborn Schnauzer Boris.
http://desarae-lee.squarespace.com/
Becky Piatt Davidson is a former tenured Assistant Professor of English, a published author, a literary researcher, storyteller, and longtime meditation practitioner for whom meditation was a game-changer six years ago. She works at the intersection of story, music, and tech, creating hero’s journey meditation experiences for listeners who love her team’s combination of world-building and wisdom. Along with Caleb Loveless and Dane Holmes of Slowave Studios, Davidson is creating both a product and a practice aimed at helping Creatives embrace a new and novel form of meditation.
https://www.lotimus.com/home
Alan Michael Braufman (performing as Alan Braufman and Alan Michael); is an American jazz saxophonist, flutist and composer.
He graduated from Boston’s Berklee College of Music in 1973, then moved to NYC where he and several other musicians occupied a vacant building at 501 Canal Street in lower Manhattan. The building, where the total rent came to $140 for four floors, became a hub for musicians to practice and perform and its occupants played a seminal role in New York City's early-seventies loft jazz scene.
In 1975, Braufman's debut album Valley of Search was released on the India Navigation record label. The album was recorded live in the performance space at 501 Canal Street by Bob Cummins, the owner of India Navigation and was the label’s second release.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Braufman spent his time touring as a saxophonist with Carla Bley, The Psychedelic Furs and Philip Glass.In 1988, he released the album Lost In Asia on the Passport Jazz label. In 1995, he released the album As Daylight Fades.
On June 29, 2018, a remastered version of Valley of Search was reissued on vinyl and digital formats, and earned him long-overdue recognition—complete with a triumphant, sold-out 2018 homecoming show at Brooklyn experimental music venue National Sawdust along and rave reviews in the new York times, pitchfork, and rolling stone.
Alan released a brand new album The Fire Still Burns late in 2020. And he currently lives in Salt Lake City, UT where he performs regularly.
Drew Nichols is an artist who believes that challenge and delight lead us to joy. So far, that’s led him to write and play musical theatre. Going forward, he’s working on expanding systems and resources for narrative media, connecting creators more directly with collaborators and audiences.
https://www.drewcomposed.com/
Wesley Monahan eternalizes the timeless concept of being human through his quirky lyrics and thought-provoking themes driven by the ironic contrast between trauma and joy. His goal is to get audiences to ask themselves “What’s the point of growing up?” His current project, Suit Up, Solider, blends alternative rock and contemporary nostalgia through their recent debut album, “Curse The Day I Act My Age”.
“Death is an unintentional reoccurring theme throughout much of my work. I love hiding difficult topics in a peppy tune. Looking back I think it was a way for me to unearth my suppressed desire to be reborn into someone more authentically me.” In his spare time, Wesley is a performer, audio engineer, producer, and entrepreneur.
https://www.suitupsoldier.com/ https://www.facebook.com/suitupsoldier/ IG: @suitupsoldier_ @wesleymonahan
Caitie Mikhel believes that art is a method of expression, and also a method of understanding. It’s the documentation of how a person sees and interacts with the world.
After completing a double major in art and music at Westminster College in SLC, UT, Caitie earned her Master’s in Secondary Education at Grand Canyon University. As a teacher, Caitie primarily works with special education populations including Title 1, emotional disorders, and behavioral disorders. She spends the majority of her time working with students to help them build a relationship with their creativity. While technical skills are given plenty of focus, Caitie sees greater value in helping her students get to know themselves as they explore the creative spectrum in both visual and performing arts. She is a firm believer that art serves as a bridge between all facets of our personalities—allowing us bring our whole selves together—and loves teaching her students to embrace failure as part of the learning process.
Caitie is currently working on a meditative arts practice curriculum to combine therapeutic practices like Dialectical Behavioral Therapy with the visual and performing arts, and plans to pursue a PhD in this same vein.
In her own work, Caitie is quite painterly. She likes to see her brushstrokes, and the way the different colors interact with one another. She enjoys seeing evidence of a process—evidence of failure and problem solving--rather than focusing on a "perfect" final product. You can find her work on Instagram @mikhelcaitie
Mark Sheldon is a carpenter, artist, woodworker, and amature everything else who set up shop in Cache Valley, UT 26 years ago where he continues to frustrate clients with unrealistic project timelines yet manages to deliver project results that inspire tears of joy. When Mark is in-between projects, he finds, rescues, and restores vintage woodworking tools to pass on to the next generation.
https://www.amswoodworks.com/
A former Young Ambassador who does it all! Bailee has quickly become recognized as one of the top vocal instructors and one of the top headshot photographers in the area, especially when it comes to acting headshots. As a seasoned performer, she knows exactly how to capture the real you that directors want to see in a headshot. Bailee recently played Mae Tuck in Tuck Everlasting at the Hale Center Theatre in Sandy.
https://www.tayandbay.com/ https://www.instagram.com/tayandbay/
Holly Parson Nielsen’s art encompasses painting and drawing, mixing abstract elements with narrative impulses. Much of her work is created through the element of line, using mix mediums of charcoal, graphite, watercolor and or acrylic paint. As an illustrator, she has published with a variety of publications, including Covenant Communications, Hickman Music Editions, and the National Society for John Steinbeck. In 2018 she received the Moon Beam children's book Gold Medal Award.
Holly has taught as adjunct faculty at Utah Valley University and is currently an instructor of record at the University of Utah. Her work has been featured in group exhibitions at the East Idaho Museum of Art, the UVU Faculty Show at the Woodbury Gallery of Art, and the Heming Village Juried Exhibition. She presented a solo show at L.E. and Thelma E. Stephens Performing Arts Center in 2018, and is currently collaborating on a group exhibition titled A Sense of Place, sponsored by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts.
Holly is currently an MFA candidate at The University of Utah. Her thesis exhibition, Reclaiming Motherhood: I Will Not Vanish, will open May 24th at the Gittins Gallery at the University of Utah. The show focuses on resilience, reclaiming motherhood/personhood and dealing with past trauma. She uses acrylic paint and charcoal to create an atmosphere partially removed from reality through a fantastical lens, where images and motifs transition and shapeshift through a narrative journey of a central character.
You can visit her website and follow her on Instagram.
Website: artbyholly.com
Instagram: @illustrations.by.holly
Lindsey Leavitt is the author of over a dozen books for children, tweens, and teens, many of which have appeared on lists like YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults and Amazon's Best Books of the Year. Her next book, WILLIS WILBUR WOWS THE WORLD, about a nine year old life coach, comes out March 2022. She moved to Utah 5 years ago to blend a family and watch the snow fall from the safety of her home office.
http://www.lindseyleavitt.com Upcoming: WILLIS WILBUR WOWS THE WORLD, summer 2021 Recent: COMMANDER IN CHEESE, THE PAGES BETWEEN US, GOING VINTAGE twitter: @lindseyleavitt instagram: @lindseyleavitt
Christian McKay Heidicker reads and writes and drinks tea. He is the author of the Newbery Honor-recipient Scary Stories for Young Foxes, as well as Cure for the Common Universe and Attack of the 50 Foot Wallflower. With William Shivering, he wrote Thieves of Weirdwood and Ghosts of Weirdwood. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Julia Lowe (Jera) is a visual artist, UX/UI designer, singer, songwriter, and witch. As an artist, her style varies-- from playing with stripped down visual information that solely represents philosophical concepts and human moments, without color or focus on aesthetic, to highly detailed fanciful depictions, rich in color and visual interest. As a designer, her style is also rich in color and airy, with a focus on simple interfaces coupled with beautiful visuals. As a songwriter, her style is described as "Pop for nerds, witches, and weirdos."
You can find her on Instagram @thisis_jera
Dr. Reed Criddle is Director of Choral Activities at Utah Valley University, where he conducts the Chamber Choir and Men's Choir and teaches conducting and voice. Twice recipient of the UVU Faculty Senate Teaching Excellence Award, his compositions and arrangements are available through Earthsongs, Hal Leonard, and Santa Barbara Music Publishing. As a conductor and U.S. Fulbright Senior Scholar, he has directed ensembles, conducted research, and led workshops throughout Europe, Asia, Cuba, and the United States. He is editor of "Chanting the Medicine Buddha Sutra" (A-R Editions), an ethnography of Buddhist liturgy. His pioneering English translation of third-century philosopher Ruan Ji's "Essay on Music" is published by Asian Music.
Dr. Criddle has served as president of the Utah chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. UVU choirs under his direction have performed many times at the national conference of NCCO, the western division conference of ACDA, and state conferences of the ACDA and NAfME.
Recent invitations include guest conductor of the Utah Valley Symphony, Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra, Utah Lyric Opera, Sine Nomine (Cuba), FACE Choral Festival (Texas), Utah Men's High School Honor Choir, Utah Junior High Honor Choir; professor-in-residence at Musikhochschule in Weimar, Lubeck, and Hamburg (Germany), National Sun Yat-sen University (Taiwan), Taipei National University of the Arts, and Fudan University (Shanghai); and keynote speaker for the China Children's Center in Beijing and Shanghai Music Conductors Association Conference.
He is a graduate of Stanford University, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Michigan.
https://reedcriddle.webs.com/
WOAH! This is weird...a monologue. We're coming up on the second anniversary of the podcast, and I've got some things to say. Thanks for listening! ♥
Michelle Flowers is an avid trombonist who has performed nationally and internationally in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany with a wide variety of ensembles ranging from opera and musical theater orchestras to jazz ensembles to a circus band.
Dr. Flowers’ ground-breaking research on self-handicapping among the musician population has led her to be a stand-out in the field of music and medicine. She has presented her findings on several platforms, including the Performing Arts and Medicine Association International Symposium in Aspen, CO (2017), the International Brass Women’s Conference in Phoenix, AZ (2019), the International Trombone Festival in Muncie, IN (2019), and is a regular presenter at the Texas Music Educators’ Association in San Antonio, TX, the largest music education conference in the United States. In addition to her work on musicians’ mental health, she also is the author of a regular column discussing Golden Age film scores in Film Score Monthly Online Journal.
Michelle is currently the trombone professor at Texas Woman’s University where she has a flourishing studio. She founded and conducts the TWU Trombone Choir which recently was invited to perform at the TMEA convention. Flowers holds a Master’s and Doctorate of Musical Arts in Trombone Performance from the University of North Texas and received a Bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. In addition to music, she enjoys hiking in the mountains with her golden retrievers and binge-watching Doctor Who.
https://www.tromboneflowers.com/
David Baker is currently serving as Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator of Jazz & Commercial Music at Utah Valley University. He received his Doctor of Arts from the University of Northern Colorado in Jazz Studies emphasizing in performance and composition. He has been an active performer for over fifteen years with over two-hundred performance credits in 2019 including performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, Dazzle™ Jazz & Supper Club, and The Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He has shared the stage with Greg Gisbert, Dick Oatts, Carmen Bradford, the New York Voices, Frankie Avalon, Antonio Hart, Clay Jenkins, and Conrad Herwig. David was awarded the First Alternate position in the International Society of Bassists' 2019 Jazz Performance Competition and is the recipient of six DownBeat Student Music Awards.
As an active composer and arranger, David has had works premiered internationally by Chuck Dotas, Drew Zaremba, the United States Navy's Seventh Fleet Band, the UNC•Greeley Jazz Festival All-Stars, and Wendy Warner.
In the pop and commercial music scene, David has worked with Angela Parrish, Kansas, Bryce Merritt, Sam Costigan, and Derek Johnson. Similarly, David has been a singer/songwriter for over ten years. He combines these skills with music business, graphic design, and marketing under Moddl Records™, his independent record label.
David has given masterclasses and lectures across the United States including most recently at the 2019 International Society of Bassists Conference in Bloomington and the 2020 Jazz Educator's Network Conference in New Orleans. His recent research aims to redefine early jazz history and focuses on the consequential role of religion in the development of jazz.
https://davidianbaker.com/ https://www.instagram.com/david.baker.official/
Soprano Jennifer Youngs began her 2019-2020 season with an appearance as Armida in Handel’s Rinaldo with The American Baroque Opera Company. Jennifer made her main stage Dallas Opera debut as Olimpia in Argento’s The Aspern Papers and was seen in the role of Laurette in the Dallas Opera Outreach production of Bizet’s Dr. Miracle. Opera roles include Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Birdie in Regina, Vitellia in La clemenza di Tito, Casilda in The Gondoliers, and Clorinda in La Cenerentola. She has been a featured soloist for Mahler’s 4th Symphony, Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Creation, Bach’s Cantata #110, Brahms Requiem, Mozart’s Exsulate, jubilate, and Mozart Requiem. She has been a featured soloist with The Dallas Symphony, The Dallas Opera Orchestra, Abilene Philharmonic, Winston-Salam Symphony, Richardson Symphony, and University of North Texas Symphony orchestras. Jennifer is a champion for living composers and has been featured on recitals with composers Jake Heggie, Tom Cipullo, Dominick Argento, S. Andrew Lloyd, Paul David Thomas, Lisa Despain,, and Dave Brubeck. Jennifer also is a member of the GRAMMY-nominated ensemble, The South Dakota Chorale. Jennifer has been nominated for a Richard Tucker Foundation Career Grant in NYC. She is the winner of the Lois Alba Aria Competition, winner of the Kansas City District of the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions, winner of the concerto competition at The University of North Texas, and a semi-finalist in the Loren Zachary Vocal Competition. In the fall of 2020, Dr. Youngs joined the faculty of Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. Previously, Jennifer was an Assistant Professor and Coordinator of Vocal Studies at Texas Woman’s University, in Denton, Texas. She earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Performance and Pedagogy as well as a Master of Music degree in Performance and Opera from the University of North Texas and a Bachelor of Music degree in Performance from the Conservatory of Music at University of the Pacific.
“The standout in the Rinaldo cast was Jennifer Youngs, who vividly portrayed Armida’s vulnerability as well as ferocity. Her substantive soprano alternately raged, flickered and delicately touched in high notes.”
-The Dallas Morning News
Lindsay Hansen Park is an American Mormon feminist blogger, activist, podcaster, and the Executive Director for the Salt Lake City-based non-profit Sunstone Education Foundation. She is the host of the acclaimed Year of Polygamy podcast and the Sunstone Mormon History podcast.
https://www.yearofpolygamy.com/ https://sunstonemagazine.com/sunstone-history-podcast/
Rachel is a transplant from California. Makeup artist, hair stylist, painter, singer and songwriter. An exMormon and a witch, constantly learning and dedicated to the process of finding a meaningful life and living authentically.
Www.Rachelclarkhmua.com Www.Instagram.com/Radwombat Thebandmowth.com
Dan has been playing drums and making music for 20 years. He grew up playing and studying funk, jazz, hip hop and classic rock – and has played in bands of countless genres ranging from ska to country to metal.
He is also highly influenced by music in TV and film, and has scored a handful of independent films/shows.
Dan currently teaches drum students of all ages primarily online, but also in student homes and his studio. In addition to all things drumming in a modern context, he also incorporates Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) technology into his lessons, with an emphasis on music production, sampling, song arrangement, composition and more.
He currently plays with Stereo Match (music on all platforms) an indie alternative rock band, and is working on a solo instrumental album planned for release Spring of 2021.
Instagram: @drumdowsett Facebook: drumdowsett Site: dandowsett.squarespace.com Band IG: @stereomatch Band Site: stereomatchmusic.com
Mark Bigelow received degrees in Philosophy (1989) and Public Administration (1991) from Brigham Young University. Later in life, he began taking art classes at BYU to pursue a different path. He has been working in stained glass since 2002, when he initially made art as a hobby. In 2013, he created Mountain Light Glazier, LLC and primarily makes commissions for homes. Bigelow has been an Affiliate Member of the Stained Glass Association of America since 2017. In June 2018, the SGAA funded his attendance at “Designing with Freedom” a workshop in New York with Ellen Mandelbaum. He has exhibited his work locally with the Utah County Artist Guild, where his piece “Rainbow Fall” won second place in 2017.
mountainlightglazier.com
Eric Hopkins plays the dual role of percussionist and associate principal timpanist in the symphony. His passion lies in both roles equally. For Eric, percussion is about negotiating the wide array of acoustic possibility, overcoming and embracing the challenges of each unique instrument. On timpani, the large copper kettle drums, Eric strives to maximize the sound color palette to vivify the emotional content of the music.
https://utahsymphony.org/bio/eric-hopkins/
Acclaimed Sculptor and Painter presently residing in Saratoga Springs, Utah. Born in California, Bradshaw moved to Utah at age nineteen to attend BYU, where she completed a BFA and MFA in Art. Bradshaw teaches art at Utah Valley University. She is a mother of four children. From her domestic experience as mother and nurturer she finds artistic inspiration. She is a classical figurative artist. Themes of celebration and belief in humanity run through her work. Among her notable works are Martha Hughes Cannon, an eight-foot bronze displayed at the Utah State Capitol, Acanthus Child, a six-foot figure displayed at the University of Utah Medical Center, as well as several sculptures on display at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City.
https://lauraleebradshaw.com/ IG: @lauralee_artist
Originally from San Diego, Jessica Baynes holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Modern Dance from the University of Utah. Jessica has presented dance research at TEDxSaltLakeCity, United Nations Civil Society, and National Dance Education Organization.
She has taught on faculty at the University of Utah School of Dance and the Ballet West Academy.
She has also guest taught for institutions such as Brigham Young University, Weber State University, Dance for Parkinson’s Disease, and Movement Exchange.
Jessica has spent over a decade studying Irish dance and Flamenco. Baynes spent her teenage years touring through the southern California region with the Sabor Andaluz Dance Company and various Latin bands as a Flamenco dancer. Within one year of taking up modern dance and ballet, Jessica was accepted to San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts.
In 2017, Baynes founded an organization called Healing In Motion Dance, which offers rehabilitative ballet classes to patients with neurological conditions that impair motor-function such as Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.
Jessica further cultivated her interest in global dance diplomacy by serving as president of the Utah International Dance Exchange program and conducting research on the physical and mental health benefits of children in the U.S. foster care system with the international dance outreach organization Movement Exchange.
Jessica’s mission of promoting inclusivity in dance has brought her to teach at Center for Children Foster Home, San Diego Youth Services Summer Camp for recently adopted children, National Dance School of Panama, Malambo Orphanage, Aldea Orphanage, University of Utah Healthcare, and several of her local medical clinics and senior centers.
Baynes also holds an Authentic Pilates™ Teacher Certification from the United States Pilates Association and the New York Pilates Studio©. She is passionate about facilitating community and empathy through dance and performance and education.
jessicabaynes.com healinginmotion.wixsite.com/dance
Stephanie Mabey is an independent singer/songwriter based in UT. She has had music featured on HBO, MTV and by Blizzard Entertainment. Her songs have organically reached millions of views and streams, but she gets the most excited when she sees creators reimagining the songs in their own DIY projects. Stephanie’s mission in making music is to help others remember the ideas that light their hearts up because she knows that taking chances on them can help us create ourselves.
https://stephaniemabey.bandcamp.com/
Andrew Rice has always called the Rocky Mountain West region his home. Born in Aspen, CO, he received his BFA in printmaking from the University of Colorado in Boulder and his MFA in Salt Lake City, UT at the University of Utah, where he currently teaches printmaking.
Artist Statement:
Space is an elemental, yet often overlooked pillar of our existence. There is a duality to space. It has the ability to both liberate us, as well as enclose us. My own work investigates the psychological implications of the spaces that, on the one hand keep us alive, and on the other, prevent access from outside surroundings.
Stemming from the 19th century ideas behind the Sublime as an exploration into that which simultaneously excites and terrifies us, I continue to examine this tension between spaces dualities. East v West, Urban v Rural, Left v Right, etc… As technology outpaces humanity’s ability to comprehend it, these investigations become more and more acute.
I explore this conceptual and artistic nexus of space. I am interested in the contradiction between its limitations as well as its immensity, and that tension of the in-between. Within these spaces, I am drawn to their ability to be both a point of access as well as inaccessibility. Doorways and windows are our entryways in, but also how we keep things out. In my work, I face the viewer with the option of an entry or an exit. Are you invited in, or left out?
The pieces are built up with multiple layers of material, whether it be oil paint stick, screen print ink, or collaged elements. While you may not see the information underneath the outermost layer, the information underneath provides the platform for what will ultimately be visible. There is a history created in the pieces, just as there is a history in the spaces we call our own.
Born at the base of the beautiful Wasatch Mountains, Brian began exploring and sketching the world—as most children do—at a very early age. He continued to pursue not only his artistic path through traditional schooling, higher education, and endless hours of practice, but also his love of storytelling. Utilizing his natural illustrative and creative design sense, he began writing and illustrating his own books through his teens and on into adulthood.
Intrigued by the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, many of Hailes’ projects reflect elements of the fantastic, but he also appreciates the beauty and elegance in fine art masterpieces by the likes of Bouguereau, Waterhouse, Alma-Tadema, and many others. He also feels a certain draw to the styles and ideals of the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood of the mid-nineteenth century.
Hailes studied illustration and graphic design at Utah State University where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, as well as the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
Having received several awards for his art from across the country, including Winner of the L. Ron Hubbard Illustrators of the Future contest out of Hollywood, his artwork has also been featured in the 2017-2020 editions of Infected By Art.
While continually pursuing progress and improvement by way of technique and application in his own works, he also keeps busy with design and commission work for a diverse clientele, including book covers, magazine illustration, corporate design as well as private commissions.
Hailes currently lives in Salt Lake City with his wife and four boys, where he continues to write, paint and draw regularly.
His work can be see at the following links:
https://www.hailesart.com https://www.drawitwithme.com https://www.youtube.com/drawitwithme Instagram: @drawitwithmeofficial Facebook: drawitwithme ArtStation: bchailes
A native of Fresno, California, Walter Haman started playing the bass in his public school. At age 13 he began playing the cello and has since performed throughout North America and Europe. Mr. Haman has played with the Chicago Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, is a former member of the Honolulu Symphony, and has been a guest cellist for Pink Martini. In 2003 he joined the Utah Symphony and in 2008 was appointed Principal Cellist of the Grant Park Orchestra in Chicago, where he spends ten weeks each summer. Mr. Haman is also a member of the Montage Music Society in Santa Fe.
Mr. Haman participated in the Spoleto Festival (Italy) from 1998-2001 where he was principal cellist of the Festival Orchestra, member of the Spoleto Festival String Quartet, and appeared as soloist with the orchestra. He has also performed at the Crested Butte Music Festival, Bienalle of Venice, and received fellowships to the Aspen Music Festival and Tanglewood.
During an Artist Residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts he formed a collaboration with dancer/choreographer José Navas. As The Haman/Navas Project they spent the next two years performing throughout Europe, Canada, and the United States. In 2003 a documentary about the duo titled Perpetual Motion appeared on Bravo. In 2011 he again joined with Jose Navas for a collaboration on the music of J.S. Bach in Brugges, Belgium.
Mr. Haman is a graduate of the New England Conservatory and the San Francisco Conservatory where his main teachers were Laurence Lesser and Irene Sharp.
utahsymphony.org grantparkmusicfestival.com montagemusicsociety.com
J. Amber Egbert is a studio artist as well as an adjunct faculty member Brigham Young University. She received her BS from Utah State University (1998) and her MFA from Brigham Young University (2016). She is an artist that works primarily in clay. Her work often combines hand built, slip cast and wheel thrown components. When creating her work she seeks for quiet, rhythmic balance between contrasting or opposing elements. She sees these elements often present themselves in her observations and interpretations of motion versus stillness, literal versus symbolic, masculine versus feminine, decorative versus stark. Often these elements seem to conflict and to present difficulty when trying to exist side-by-side, yet often they do. She enjoys the interplay between tradition, decoration and sparse minimalism. You can find her work on Instagram at @jamberegbert, on the web at jamberart.com, and in person at 15th Street Gallery in Salt Lake City.
Dr. Kristen R. Bromley is a gifted and sought-after instructor, as well as a loved performer and composer. In addition to teaching guitar and jazz studies courses, and ensembles, at Brigham Young University, and directing the BYU Jazz Legacy Band, Dr. Bromley works as a professional arranging/composing, performing, and recording musician; and she is the owner and primary featured artist of Kristen R. Bromley Music, LLC.
Kristen has a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Education from Boston University, a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies, with an additional BA major in Family History and Genealogy, from Brigham Young University.
In January 2016, Dr. Bromley suffered a severe break to her left-arm humerus bone, which likewise involved the crushing of her left-arm radial nerve. The nerve was damaged to the point that she completely lost the use of many of the muscles in her left arm and hand. Despite a very grim prognosis, which suggested that in a best-case-scenario she would regain a very small percentage of the function of her left-arm and hand, Dr. Bromley experienced a miraculous recovery and works as a musician and guitarist today. In November of 2018, she recorded a debut album called Simply Miraculous, in celebration of her return to professional guitar playing.
Dr. Bromley is the author of several guitar method books; and is featured on various recordings. She has toured as a musician across parts of North America and Europe; and she has performed at several highly prestigious jazz festivals such as the Edinburgh International Jazz Festival in Scotland, the Birmingham International Jazz Festival in England, the Marlborough International Jazz Festival in England, the Loulé Jazz Festival in Portugal, the San Sebastian International Jazz Festival in Spain, and the Ezcaray Jazz Festival in Spain. Dr. Bromley has also performed and helped present clinics at a handful of International Association for Jazz Education conferences; and she was named the outstanding guitar soloist at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival in 2006 and 2007.
As a scholar, Dr. Bromley has focused much of her research on discovering ways to create more interactive and person-centered educational environments wherein individuals experience whole-person learning outcomes as they grow through cognitive, emotional, and experiential means, develop greater self-discipline, and become more fully-functioning persons. (For more information see Person-Centered Learning in a Collegiate Jazz Combo by Kristen R. Bromley).
Kristen loves life, is deeply religious, and truly believes in the awesome power music has to uplift and edify the soul. She has devoted her career to enriching, uplifting, edifying, and inspiring lives through the education, performance, scholarship, composition, recording, and publishing of music.
Rachel Hedman competed in storytelling as a sophomore high schooler in 1994. Everything went wrong with her first telling, and she considered quitting. By senior year, she received 5th in State (Wisconsin) for Storytelling. Rachel launched the BYU Storytelling Club as a freshman; it earned the Service Award. She became the first recipient of the J.J. Reneaux Mentorship grant from the National Storytelling Network, training with Don Doyle. For 15 years, Rachel mentored California high school tellers and received the Arne Nixon Storytelling Award from them. She has been Youth, Educators, and Storytellers Alliance Co-Chair, National Youth Storytelling Showcase Board Member, and Utah Storytelling Guild President. Rachel received the national ORACLE Award for service and leadership in the Western Region and the Karen J. Ashton Award for storytelling service specifically in Utah. For eight years, she served the WSU Storytelling Festival, became Storyteller Chair, and started the Annual Youth Teller Reunion. Meanwhile, she completed her Storytelling Masters from East Tennessee State University. The adoption folktales thesis was defended two days before adopting two boys with her husband, Casey. They have since adopted a girl. She kickstarted Story Crossroads, a Salt Lake county storytelling festival in 2016 and continues to expand it with the dream of an Olympic-level six-day event called World Story Crossroads no later than 2030. Currently, Story Crossroads holds year-round events--from live to virtual--in the form of performances, workshops, camps, and trainings for youth to adults.
www.storycrossroads.org
As a collaborative pianist, I’m stoked by opportunities to experiment, adapt, and communicate with all kinds of people, connecting musicians, performers, and audiences as they experience music together.
My musical training required countless hours spent studying scales and scores in isolated rooms where my only companions were pianos and metronomes. This solitary time was meant to prepare me for moments on stage, performing sonatas, etudes, and concertos in competitions that were intended to set me on a concert pianist’s career. Like many “serious” pianists, I found that I wasn’t well-suited to life as a professional soloist; I did, however, find great meaning in applying my skills as a solo pianist to collaborative music-making and teaching.
Working WITH all kinds of people sets me down paths a concert hall career couldn’t have. I’ve worked as a church music director, a dueling pianist, an audition accompanist, a Billy Joel impersonator, and a musician for weddings and funerals. I’ve played restaurants, coffee shops, bars, assisted living centers, hospitals, living rooms, live-feeds, and drag & burlesque shows. I love playing places where people are close, comfortable, and connected—places where community is created, even if (and sometimes, just because) it’s ephemeral.
I’m currently working for Ballet West, where I’m the company pianist. One of my duties includes playing for the Company’s daily technique and warm-up class, one of the loveliest things I think a person can experience. T.h.a.t is a space where everyone in the room is completely focused on a single creative task: a series of dance combinations given by the teacher at the front of the room. As the pianist, I often don’t know what tune I will be playing, what the meter and rhythmic drive and overall “mood” of the dance movements will be, or how I’m going to adapt and improvise on the tune I select. The dancers often don’t know the exact combination the teacher is going to give. We’re all listening intently to the teacher, memorizing what they’re giving us, and then doing it, unrehearsed, watching and listening to one another. AND WE’RE DOING IT ALL TOGETHER, IN REAL TIME. Talk about communal experience! It’s incredibly personal, incredibly collaborative, and deeply spiritual.
In re-examining my definition of professional success as a musician, I’ve learned to welcome experimentation, adaption, communication, and collaboration as the expansive tools that facilitate communion in performance instead of isolating performing artists, their colleagues, and their audiences. Success isn’t a solitary adaptation—it’s a communal achievement. That’s an idea I want to share.
I’m a Emmy® Award winning professional cinematographer with 20+ years in film and television. I’ve been the Director of Photography (DP) on four features and countless shorts over my career, earning over 100 awards. I have had a unique film education throughout my career, working as head of the camera department for the Sundance Filmmakers Program (a private film school, headed by Robert Redford). Over 16 years at the Sundance Labs, I have had the opportunity to work and study under some of the best and most accomplished DP’s in the film industry. My last year at Sundance, I ran the Labs as Labs production Manager. In the past two years, I have taken the second largest airgun e-commerce company in the United States and grown it’s social media followers to over five times its original size through video content I produced, filmed and edited. I spend most of my time between L.A. and Utah as I continue in my pursuit of the perfect shot.
Guy Seidel is a comedian/musician/business owner raised in a small town but now based in Salt Lake City who has traveled the country and more by himself as a comedian and as half of the musical-comedy duo “Marcus and Guy”.
Marcusandguy.com
Justin Shifflett is an award winning Chef in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the Atlantic Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu in 2006. From there he worked his way up the culinary ladder from intern to Executive Chef working at several restaurants in Salt Lake City. He currently works at Stoneground Kitchen, as the Executive Chef, where he serves up delicious Italian food.
Justin has always had a love for creating food to share with people. He feels that food is more than something you eat, it is a way to learn about the world around you and connect with people. For him cooking a meal for someone isn't merely about providing food to nourish the body, but about also creating an experience to be cherished for a lifetime.
When he is not working Justin loves to spend time with his family, fly fish, play golf and grill over an open flame. His love of making food is also an important part of how he spends time at home. He loves to cook for his family, and before he had kids his friends (just kidding we know it is really the job that makes having friends outside of work hard). He sees food as a way to pass down tradition and family history.
From the moment I got my first drumset, playing music is what I knew I wanted/needed to do with my life. I played as much as I could throughout school doing musicals, percussion classes, symphonic band, jazz band, etc. I played in several local bands of various genres, learning as much as I could. I turned down scholarship opportunities and was never interested in some mundane, complacent job. After high school, I found a new hunger and pushed myself harder on every level. I toured, did session studio/live work, filled in for music videos, was in a movie, did the soundtrack for the movie, and found every opportunity I could to make contacts and get myself out there.
I had made some great connections from those years, which lead into me having the opportunity to claim the throne in a Las Vegas-based rock band. Otherwise was a band that I had been a fan of for a few years and had watched them blow up with their most notable song, “Soldiers”, which had gotten them signed to a major label and known internationally. I was with Otherwise for 4 years starting in 2016, toured the country several times, played out of the country, performed along countless huge acts (many who I am a fan of) at major festivals, written and recorded 4 releases, and was a part of several video productions, being in them or producing them.
In the middle of 2018 when Otherwise was off tour and writing a new album, I decided to pick up photography which has been a wild ride all on its own. I’ve been playing drums for the last 18+ years, well over half my life. I never thought I could find another passion that I would connect with and love as much as music, but immediately upon taking my first picture with my Canon DSLR, I fell in love with capturing a moment. A moment that will never be the same. It was a blast to find those moments that I connected with and create a digital file that will live forever which captured that beauty. I’ve been humbled by the wonderful response to what I’ve been capturing and was greatly encouraged to sell my work. The idea of that scared me. I didn’t want to taint the magic and purity of what it means to me by adding in money to this new passion. After a bit of encouragement, and deciding that I would always do my best to keep a level head and not lose that magic, it could be worth diving into. It actually added more magic than I anticipated. I have been overwhelmed with the positive response of my captures being displayed in peoples’ homes. Which has led into doing many types of photo and video shoots to capture memories and moments with people and where they are at in their lives, memories and moments that will live on longer than we are around.
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel out of the country, work with tourism boards, galleries, produce a hardcover book partnered with a non-profit organization, worked with some great international bands/artists, world-recognized clothing companies, various real estate opportunities to capture photos and videos of some of Utah’s most beautiful mansions, etc!
I was born and raised in the great state of Utah, surrounded by natural gems like the Great Salt Lake and Zion National Park. I’ve spent my youth witnessing Utah grow and change, and I am an enthusiastic contributor to Salt Lake City’s blossoming art community as a Soloist at Ballet West. Over the past 10 years, I have obtained a Bachelor of Science in Human Development, a 200-hour Yoga Certification from Kripalu, and have studied with Scott Moore, Kim Dastrup, John Cottrell, Coby Kozlowski, Dana Regan, Jashoda Edmunds, Devarshi Steven Hartman and Anodea Judith. As a dancer and yoga instructor I aim to connect my body and consciousness to the point where I am always evolving, always surrendering to the present moment. I walk a path blazed by professional ballerinas before me, but I often stray to the road less traveled in search of balance. When ballerinas perform on stage we appear composed, elegant, and alert, but maintaining a healthy presence of mind is a daily commitment. I began dancing professionally in 2009 with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet touring their Nutcracker, later joined The Tulsa Ballet for three seasons, and have been a member of Ballet West from 2013-Present. I have worked with a vast range of choreographers including: Nicolo Fonte, Wayne McGregor, Jorma Elo, Christopher Bruce, Jodie Gates, Edwaard Liang, Ma Cong, Matthew Neenan, Val Caniparoli, and Natalie Weir. Performing in roles such as: Olga in John Cranko’s Onegin, The Young Girl in Kurt Jooss’s The Green Table, Court of Love in Nicolo Fonte’s Rite of Spring, Pas de Cinq lead in George Balanchine’s Chaconne, Sugar Plum in Ballet West's The Nutcracker, Overgrown Path Jiri Kylian, Pas de trois in Adam Sklute’s Swan Lake, and Kate from David Bintley’s Shakespeare Suite. I am currently providing Mentorship, Life Coaching, and Workshops for dancers who struggle with anxiety through the process of meditation, life skills, daily tools, and yoga. Wellness is a prominent word within my vocabulary whether it is physical or mental.
Chelsea-Keefer.com
@thechelseakeeferpodcast @keeferchels
My name is Marianne Seale. My love for flowers and design began as child. I grew up picking every bloom in my neighborhood to bring home to my mother.
I've been designing professionally for over 19 years. I've worked for several flower shops and wholesalers, finished my Interior Design degree from Utah State in 2006 and worked for both residential and commercial design firms.
When I'm not designing, I'm taking care of my three young children whom I love dearly. I also enjoy running, painting, dancing, traveling, hiking, waterskiing and sitting on a beautiful beach with the sand between my toes!
There's nothing better than seeing the look on a brides face after perfectly putting her dreams together for her big day. It's such a magical moment that drives me to keep doing what I love.
Paul Williams is always curious if he is an artist or a story teller. But one thing he knows for sure, he’s a wanderer. He’s mesmerized by culture, wildlife, and earth & feels connected to all three. Barbegazi Outdoors (Paul's personal creative outlet and Instagram account) started as an experiment, & in many ways that's what always will be. Pleasantly, it became much more than originally planned. Paul deeply enjoys the amazing artists and adventure seekers he has met while curating his account. He has only two regrets: he can’t have coffee with all his Instagram friends around the same table & he doesn’t have enough time to craft daily art for his Instagram friends.
In 2020 Paul launched Uinta Alycon, the rebrand of his formerly self-titled business.
https://www.uintaalcyon.com/
Brandan is an actor and writer based in Salt Lake City. After graduating from the University of Utah with a BFA in Film & Media Arts, he's found steady work on-stage, on-camera, and on-paper for the better part of the last five years. He has worked with Plan-B Theatre, Hale Center Theatre, and Vavani Productions, among others, and has a small part in a Lifetime Christmas movie... but the peak of his career was in 9th grade, when he played Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka Jr.
www.brandanngo.com
Brad Overton is a multi-media artist known mainly for still-life painting in the contemporary and contemporary western genres. His other mediums include Sculpture and jewelry design. Brad also composes songs, recording and performing in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Before becoming a full time painter in 2001, Brad worked in set design, furniture design and as a scenic sculptor. He has a B.F.A . from The University of Utah, emphasis painting and drawing.
Brad is represented by Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe New Mexico, Altamira Gallery, in Jackson, Wyoming and Scottsdale Arizona, and by Julie Nester Gallery, in Park City Utah.
His artworks can be seen in many private and corporate collections nationally and internationally.
http://www.bradfordoverton.com/
Sister Molly Mormon is a Salt Lake City, UT drag queen and has become a well known and admired in the SLC drag and art Community. In 2019 she was crowned Miss City Weekly. She is the head Bitch and performer with Those Bitches of Club Try-Angles who perform the last Wednesday of each month, she produces a drag show once a month at Prohibition called Sacrament and Sin, and performs all over SLC. She loves the art of drag and works to create original and moving performances that are more than just a performance, but are a production.
Raised in Utah and being raised in the Mormon/LDS/Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Molly was taught above all else to love one another and the values of family. These lessons still ring true in her mind each day, and although she no longer follows LDS teachings to this day, she is grateful to have taken something good from her past. As for her future, Molly strives to be a positive force for good in her community, a community that is her family.
IG: @sistermollymormon
Bio: Sincere honesty and rooted introspection is what drives EJ Michels to write from the heart.
Playing piano since he was 7 and later catching an interest in singing and songwriting during high school, music has always been his outlet to express difficult emotions. Having experienced a closeted life until his 20s, divorce, and coming from a separated home, EJ’s intent is to channel negativity into something more cathartic.
EJ is also a member of the Utah-native collective Foreign Figures.
Insta: @whoisejm Website: foreignfigures.com
Tiffany Csesznegi is a freelance artist, graphic designer, and illustrator—featured in three Amazon best-sellers. She is also a tattooist and business owner at Black Art Society in Salt Lake City.
www.blackartsociety.com @theblackartsociety
Alex Blue V is a Ph.D. Candidate in Ethnomusicology at UC Santa Barbara, and the 2019-2021 Thurgood Marshall Fellow in African and African American Studies at Dartmouth College. He was recently appointed as Assistant Professor of Music at the College of William and Mary. In his new position at the College of William and Mary, Blue will teach courses on race and music, sound studies, and hip-hop production, and will continue his research in the areas of sound, race, identity, and urban space. His dissertation is an ethnographic study of hip-hop in contemporary Detroit, Michigan, that explores narratives of death and dying and illuminates numerous ways the creation, performance, and consumption of hip-hop is used for spatial reorientation, identity formation, and other means in a rapidly-changing city. He also served as a Fellow in the 2018-19 Ithaca College Predoctoral Diversity Scholars Program, and has received a number of grants and fellowships in support of his research. Outside of his academic pursuits, Alex enjoys a very full life as a musical “jack-of-all-trades,” working as a performer, educator, arranger, clinician, designer, consultant, and more for a wide variety of ensembles across a litany of musical styles. He holds a Bachelors in Trombone Performance from Texas Tech University, and a Masters in Jazz Pedagogy from University of North Texas.
Instagram: blue_tha_fiff
Twitter: @alexbluev
Colin Hinton is an active member of Brooklyn’s creative music community. A drummer, percussionist, and composer, his music draws from the jazz and free music traditions of Henry Threadgill, Anthony Braxton, and Muhal Richard Abrams, as well as 20th century classical composers Messiaen, Scriabin, Feldman, and Grisey.
He has performed in the US, Canada, Central and South America, and Asia, and has had his compositions performed in the US, Italy, and Canada. An active educator in the NYC area, Colin has taught at the City College of New York, numerous music academies, and runs a private teaching studio. He has given clinics at the City College of New York and the University of Toronto.
Hinton studied drums with Ed Soph, Tyshawn Sorey, Dan Weiss, Ralph Peterson, and Ari Hoenig, and composition with Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey, and Eric Wubbels. He studied at the University of North Texas and City College of New York, completing a BFA in Jazz Performance and an MA in Music Performance with a focus in 20th century theory.
Colin has performed with Ingrid Laubrock, Todd Neufeld, Tony Malaby, Brandon Seabrook, Michael Formanek, Lotte Anker, Jon Irabagon, Okkyung Lee, Eivind Opsvik, Tyshawn Sorey, Brandon Lopez, Jacob Sacks, Briggan Krauss, Miles Okazaki, Michaël Attias, Jesse Zubot, and Anna Webber. He performed on Jake Hanlon’s 2012 CD release “Follow” which was nominated for ECMA Jazz Recording of the Year. He has performed at notable NYC venues such as The Jazz Gallery, The Stone, Bar Next Door, Rockwood Music Hall, and Cornelia Street Café.
Hinton currently leads contemporary classical/avant-jazz quintet Simulacra (Anna Webber, Yuma Uesaka, Edward Gavitt, Shawn Lovato, Colin Hinton), free-jazz/post-punk hybrid Glassbath (Peyton Pleninger, Edward Gavitt, Eva Lawitts, Colin Hinton), Aphelion (Tony Malaby, Todd Neufeld, Eivind Opsvik, Colin Hinton), and a piano trio featuring Santiago Leibson and Eivind Opsvik. Colin also co-leads Ocelot – a collaborative trio featuring Yuma Uesaka and Cat Toren whose debut recording will be released in fall 2020.
Hinton is also the founder and co-curator of Off-Brand Music Series – a monthly music series hosted at Branded Saloon in Brooklyn that celebrates the avant-garde and experimental music scene. Off-Brand Music Series has been running monthly since January of 2018.
For more information visit https://www.colinhinton.com/
Described as “playing a mean guitar” (Wichita Eagle), William Flynn is a Kansas-based jazz guitarist and educator currently serving as Director of Jazz Studies at Wichita State University. William’s recent professional engagements include performances at the Overture to Overtown Jazz Festival (Miami, FL), the Charlie Parker Celebration Festival (Kansas City), The University of Central Oklahoma Jazz Lab, and The Blue Room (Kansas City). William’s recent releases can be heard on Armored Records and Artists Recording Collective.
Widely respected as a leading educator in his field, William has presented and adjudicated at conferences and universities across the country. His educational writing has been published in Just Jazz Guitar Magazine, and he is the co-author of Mel Bay’s 2016 publication Jazz Guitar Duets. Additionally, William is the founder of @thejazzwoodshed, an educational Instagram account followed by thousands of users from around the world.
William holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies from Capital University (Columbus, OH), and a Master of Music degree from the University of North Texas, where he taught as a Graduate Teaching Fellow. From 2011-2012, William held the guitar chair in the world-renowned and Grammy-nominated University of North Texas One O’ Clock Lab Band, and can be heard on Lab 2012.
In his position at Wichita State University, William teaches applied guitar and jazz improvisation, and directs both the Jazz Arts Ensemble 2 and the Guitar Ensemble.
http://www.williamflynnmusic.com/
Kathryn Lachey is a singer/songwriter, pianist, bandleader, and educator from Chicago. With an equal appreciation for jazz, folk/country, and 60’s pop, Kathryn uses her inviting tone and playful harmonic approach to tell stories across genres.
In 2011, Kathryn graduated from The University of North Texas with a Master of Music (Jazz Studies) where she was privileged to have held a teaching fellowship and studied with Paris Rutherford, Rosana Eckert, and other esteemed musicians and educators.
Kathryn is half of the songwriting duo The Wild Rumors, formed in 2019 with her longtime friend and music collaborator, Josh Murtha. Halfway between country and rootsy pop with a jazz sensibility, The Wild Rumors delivers simple, beautiful, and lyric-forward tunes. Their debut album is set for release in 2020, if the world holds up.
Blake Casselman is a comic book writer, screenwriter, film producer, and teacher. He graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's Degree in Film, and later earned an M.F.A. in Education. He is the co-writer/co-creator of the graphic novel, "Devil's Triangle" with Brian C. Hailes. He also co-wrote the award-winning dark fantasy short film, "Kiss the Devil in the Dark" starring Doug Jones ("Star Trek: Discovery" "The Shape of Water"). Many of the films he has written and/or produced have been screened in film festivals throughout North America. In 2012 he co-founded a film production company, Rare Legend Films, and co-wrote and produced the award-winning feature-length comedy, "Adopting Trouble" (available for rental or purchase on Amazon Prime). His short fiction has been published in a number of anthologies and he edited the sci-fi/fantasy anthology, "Heroic: Tales of the Extraordinary" on behalf of the Aaron Allston Foundation. Over the years he has taught screenwriting, film and story theory, and storyboarding classes and has worked as the Director of Programming for FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention.
Called “…one of the best male vocalists in the jazz world today,” by WCLK in Atlanta, Jeff Baker has quickly become one of the most significant talents in the next generation of jazz vocalists. His diverse musical recordings, exciting live performances, and infectious energy and personality have gained him accolades from critics and listeners alike. Baker has headlined numerous festivals and clubs, and has shared the billing and played with some of jazz music’s top artists including: Ray Brown, Gene Harris, Brian Blade, John Patitucci, Steve Wilson, Bobby Hutcherson, Carla Cook, Marquis Hill, the Yellow Jackets, Mose Allison, Kenny Werner, Joey DeFrancesco, Joe LaBarbera, Bruce Barth, Darrell Grant, Karrin Allyson, Nancy King, Henry Butler, Dave Frishberg, Gene Harris, Orrin Evans, Clark Sommers, George Colligan, Randy Porter and many more!
Jeff has performed throughout the U.S., and has enjoyed performance engagements in central Europe and South Africa. His four critically acclaimed CD releases on the Origin/OA2 Records imprint have charted on the ‘Jazzweek’ International Radio Top 50, have been played on over 200 stations internationally, were Top 5 on NPR’s nationally syndicated “Jazz Works” radio program, and were #1 on stations in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Portland, Buffalo, St. Louis, Cape Town, SA and New Zealand.
A graduate of Willamette University, Baker has also been sought after as a jazz educator, adjudicating numerous festivals, and working in clinics with some of the nations very best high school and college jazz programs. As one of the ‘founding fathers’ of the ArtsWest School for Performing and Visual Arts, Baker helped create one of the top High-School Jazz programs in the country. His students have won over 100 Top Awards at festivals and competitions throughout the U.S., including being named finalists to the Monterey Jazz Festival ‘Next Generation Competition’ in 2010, 11’, and 12’ and winning 10 Downbeat Magazine Student Music Awards, including the 2010, 2012 and 2013 High School Vocal Solo Winners, and the 2012 Winner for Large Vocal Jazz Ensemble. Additionally, Baker’s groups have been invited to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the Portland Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, and the National Cathedral.
Jeff is an ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) Certified Clinician/Adjudicator, a past member of the International Association of Jazz Education (IAJE), and a current member of the Jazz Education Network (JEN), the National Association for Music Education (NAFME), and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS or the GRAMMY Foundation). Jeff Baker resides in Portland, OR, is the Former Director of Jazz + Contemporary Voice at Portland State University, and the Co-Founder of The Reality Book, Next Records, and the Jazz Forward Competition.
http://jeffbakerjazz.com/phrases/
Emily Hanigan is creatively drawn towards color, simple design, eco-friendly products, and art that gives her peace or makes her smile. She is inspired by other artists who have made it their goal to fearlessly take charge of their own creativity and life. Home design, playing the piano and comedy are also her jam. Hanigan started her art career as a college student and received her BFA in Art Education from Boise State University in 2011. She creates artwork that is influenced by her surroundings, individual perception of the world and specific life experiences. In exploring these elements, she is searching for a state of personal contentment. Each brush stroke and mark made is an extension of herself. Often utilizing layers, she examines the variety of ways we live and the variety of paths our lives can take. In her free time, you’ll also find her playing card games with her wife while their corgi-lab chills nearby.
Sean Hancock is a multi-faceted performer, award-winning actor and the creator of the award-winning comedy company, Recycled Minds. With versatile creativity, Sean's work goes beyond borders in film, commercials, theatre, sketch, stand up, spoken word and improvisation.
In June of 2016, Hancock won Best Actor along with 3 other awards with his team for Make It Count, an i48 short-film that he later adapted into a one-man show, One Deep Breath, that debuted in January of 2017 for the Idaho Laugh Fest. He has studied at the world-famous Groundlings School of Improv in Los Angeles, CA as well as The Upright Citizens Brigade and Comedy Sports, and performed a monthly improv show at I.O. West in Hollywood, CA. He has been seen on the front page of funnyordie.com, crackle.com, revver.com and youtube’s comedy page for sketch. Hancock has traveled the world teaching and performing in over 10 countries including Edinburgh, Scotland at the world's largest performance arts festival, The Fringe Festival. Sean also founded Monkey Butler Comedy UK, contributing to one of the world's largest growing improv theaters and schools.
In addition to performance, Sean Hancock is an expert in corporate training and coaching through improvisational comedy. His teaching and influence have been sought after by corporations, executive teams and individuals who want to increase their professional and personal influence through principles like thinking outside the box, active listening, elevating others, building confidence and improving communication. Through the power of play and the principles of improvisational comedy, Sean has been transforming a variety of industries and individuals into confident powerhouses for over 15 years. Jean Piaget, a clinical psychologist, said it best, “If you want to be creative, stay in part a child, with the creativity and invention that characterizes children.”
Rachel Robison is a composer for video games, film, and other media based in Utah. She is also a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and educator with almost two decades of experience. Her studies include media music and music recording technology at Salt Lake Community College, graduating with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Music Recording Technology in 2019. Rachel joined ATA Music Production that same year as composer and head of business development. At home, she helps run Utah Game Audio (a local community for game audio professionals) and co-hosts the Create Loud Podcast. She currently serves as an Advisory Board member and Assistant Communications Manager for the Game Audio Network Guild.
Website: rachelrobisonmusic.com Rachel's Podcast: facebook.com/createloud
When I was a young boy I was obsessed with art. I was born in Florence, Italy where I lived for 7 years. When I hit high school I saw no need to pursue art and so I dropped it and got into other things. After high school, I got an internship with a film production company and started getting more into film. When I was 22 I realized that I wasn’t satisfied with what I was doing so I needed a change. I decided that advertising was a lot more exciting and chose to go to Miami Ad School and that’s where my passion for photography came in. At school, I had to rely on my own skills to produce print ads and online media. I had to convey a message and I didn’t want to just snap one shot and be done. I wanted to include a lot of different elements that told a story. That’s when I started getting into compositing. I realized that I could actually create the images that were inside my head. I never thought that was possible before. I became literally obsessed with ad photography. I would stay up every night until 2 or 3 studying my favorite photographers. I would study every single detail and try to recreate what I saw. It took me a year and a half before I decided to put my style out there to the public. Once I put my work out there for people to see I got a surprising response. People loved it! I dropped my 9 to 5 job and have been working full time doing what I love ever since. Whenever I create an image I try to think of a story behind it. I want my viewer to get into the picture and imagine a whole scenario. What brings me joy is when I can inspire others to do bigger and greater things. I am based out of Los Angeles and Puerto Rico where I specialize in Commercial and Advertising photography.
www.joshrossi.com
Soprano Melissa Heath enjoys a varied career of opera, concert and recital work. Hailed as a “soaring, sparkling soprano” with “vivacious stage presence”, recent opera roles include Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen. Recent concert work includes Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem and both Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in c minor with the Temple Square Chorale and Orchestra at Temple Square, Handel’s Messiah with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and both Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate and Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915 with Sinfonia Salt Lake. With Utah Symphony, Ms. Heath has performed both Nielsen’s Symphony no. 3 and Handel’s Messiah. In November 2017 she was the soprano soloist with Ballet West in choreographer Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. In 2018 Ms. Heath had the pleasure of singing songs of Messiaen and Schubert on NOVA Chamber Music Series’ season finale concert, and performed recitals in Seattle and New York. In 2019 she sang the role of The Water in Utah Opera's Production of The Little Prince, Mahler’s Symphony no. 2 with Salt Lake Symphony, and performed with Utah Symphony in their Deer Valley Concert Series. In 2020, she will appear with Utah Chamber Artists, Brigham Young University choirs and orchestra, and again with both Ballet West and the Temple Square Chorale and Orchestra. Ms. Heath was a district winner in the Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions, and was a two-time regional finalist in the National Association of Teachers of Singing’s biennial art song competition. Ms. Heath is an Assistant Professor of music and the Vocal Area Coordinator in the Department of Music at Utah Valley University. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in voice from Brigham Young University, and her Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees in voice from the University of Utah.
Jared Quan is published in genres from Spy-Thriller to Horror/Supernatural, to Fantasy-Comedy. His works include Changing Wax, Prepped and Last Outpost on Zombie Highway.
He served the community in key roles with the League of Utah Writers, Storymakers, Cultural Arts Society of West Jordan, EMAA, BigWorldNetwork, TEDx SaltLakeCity, UVU Book Academy, Utah Poet Laureate Selection Committee, AITP, and for countless events and organizations.
Jared has received Gold Volunteer Service Awards from the President of the United States, awards from Utah State Governor and Lt. Governor for his more than 2,000 hours of service to the writing community from 2015 to 2019.
Madazon Can-Can is a working clown, burlesquer, puppeteer, drag thing and regular weirdo based out of Salt Lake City, UT. This last year solidified their position as someone who constantly finds their voice in their art and now, well they just can't shut up. Running into issues with the state, being censored publicly and from other local theatre and dance companies, Madazon is no stranger to fighting for her right to ART! Good thing they've been through the school of hard knocks from the beginning, otherwise they would have given up the good fight and become a paper pusher instead of a pastie pusher. Politics, pasties, heart and art all make up the rainbow cacophony that is this simultaneously loud and queerly silent clown and let's not forget...if anyone can...Madazon Can-Can.
www.madazoncancan.com
Jay Whittaker is a comedian from Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Boston! Jay was recently one of the featured comedians on the Dry Bar Comedy Live tour, which was in over 60 comedy clubs nationwide. He has been seen on the Disney Channel, Food Network, and Lifetime Channel. He's also received the "Best of Fest" award at the Big Pine Comedy Festival. Jay is also a loving father, and 16-year Air Force veteran. @itsjaywhittaker
Julie Barnson has always been a storyteller. She just didn’t know it! She would tell stories to her friends on long car rides or on campouts. It wasn’t until she attended a storytelling class in college, that she learned that you could actually BE a storyteller! Since then she has worked telling stories at schools, libraries, festivals, and other events. . Her career has led her to being a chapter president, a tour guide for ghost tours, and a board member for the Story Crossroads storytelling festival. She loves sharing stories with others!
Shannon Camacho is the front-woman and main songwriter for Hello Shannon, an Indie Electronic duo from Dallas, TX that brings together electronic elements with organic live instrumentation and a focus on vocal layering and production. Influences include Imogen Heap, Kimbra and James Blake.
Hello Shannon was started in 2014 by Shannon along with her husband/producer, Jonathan Camacho. After the release of their first EP, “The Tide,” Hello Shannon began performing at festivals, venues such as House of Blues (Dallas, New Orleans), Hotel Cafe (Los Angeles), intimate concerts such as the SoFar Sounds series, and internationally, with a tour going through northern Europe in 2015-2016. In 2015, Hello Shannon was featured on the long running BMI Acoustic Lounge Series in L.A. Hello Shannon stopped touring from 2015-2018 and spent those 3 years working in the studio on their full length album, “Wander,” which was released in October 2018, along with an official music video for the title track. The release garnered local attention with continued local radio play as well as receiving a 2018 Ghosty Award for “Best Electronic Act”. In 2019, Hello Shannon had the opportunity to open for Billboard charting artist LANY. Hello Shannon is currently touring their new live show in support of their album.
www.helloshannonmusic.com
Jonathan Ingram worked in the graphic design industry for more than 20 years before becoming a studio artist. He creates abstract paintings and sculpture that interplay between the two art forms with exquisite texture, color, and form.
Graduating with a BA in Illustration from East Texas State University, Jonathan honed his design skills to capture a job with GibbsBaronet before starting his own company, i.design in 1998. From exhibition design to branding and identity for such clients as Dallas Musuem of Art, National Academy of Sciences, The Sixth Floor Museum, Halliburton, and American Airlines, Jonathan’s work has been featured in Communication Arts, Graphis, and Print Design Annuals.
He grew up in a home that encouraged creativity. Cultivating different art forms was the norm. One of his earliest memories is making pottery with his mother in their garage as a young boy with a throwing wheel, a kiln and countless ceramic molds. Add in a piano, a Ti-4a99 computer, growing up gay in a conservative home, a love for architecture and gardening, with supportive mentors along the way and it’s no surprise that his art communicates the way it does: Technologically expressive portraits of abstraction building a language of its own.
Born in Granada, Spain in 1983, Pamies has published four albums under his name; Entre Amigos (PSM, 2008), Borrachito (Bebyne Records, 2011), What Brought You Here? (Bebyne Records, 2017), and Summer Night at La Corrala: Solo Piano (expected December 2019). Critics have acknowledged his talent for composition, the lyrical qualities of his playing, and his natural and spontaneous ability to fuse the traditional jazz language and flamenco music of his childhood.
Pamies has performed at festivals in Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Colombia, Perú, China, Spain, and the United States. He has collaborated with outstanding artists, such as Dave Liebman, Christian Scott, Rubem Dantas, Antonio Serrano, Diego Amador, Pepe Luis Carmona “Habichuela,” Quamon Fowler, Ashleigh Smith, Samuel Torres, Tatiana Mayfield, Michael Miskiewicz, and Joan Albert Amargós. Besides leading his own projects, he has produced other artists such as Verso Suelto (Verso Suelto, Youkali Music 2016), Korean singer Roja (My Shining Hour, Mirrorball Music, 2013), and The Zebras (Flamenco Jazz Project, North Texas Jazz, 2011).
Pamies received his bachelor’s degree in Jazz Piano (Liceo Conservatory in Barcelona, 2007), and then moved to the United States to study with Stefan Karlsson and complete a master’s degree in Jazz Piano at the University of North Texas (UNT), where he was awarded “Outstanding Student” in 2011. Pamies finished his doctoral studies (DMA in Jazz Piano) in 2016. He was the pianist of the 7-time Grammy nominated One O’Clock Lab Band at UNT, having the opportunity to perform with guest artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Arturo Sandoval, Marvin Stamm, Wycliffe Gordon, Doc Severinsen, and Chuck Findley. As a member of the One O’Clock rhythm section, he has accompanied artists such as Christian McBride, Peter Bernstein, Lewis Nash, Tim Hagans, and Greg Osby, among others. Pamies is the featured soloist on Rich DeRosa’s composition “Neil,” which received a Grammy nomination in 2016 for “Best Instrumental Composition.”
In 2015, Pamies was selected for the “Latin Jazz Traditions” concert organized by Carnegie Hall, performing there with Paquito D’Rivera, having his composition “Dudú” selected for the program. In 2014, Pamies was awarded with the “Best Representation of Granada in a Foreign Country” youth cultural award by the Youth Institute of Andalucía, Spain. He has received 7 DownBeat student awards; Best Instrumental Soloist (2013), Best Large Ensemble (2014), and Best Latin Group (2012) among them.
Pamies is currently teaching jazz piano, jazz arranging, composition, and leading the small group program at University of Texas in Arlington.
Michael Wysong Crigger studied Fashion Design at the University of North Texas, earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts in May, 2011. He began pursuing his Master of Fine Arts in Fashion Design at UNT. During his undergraduate career, Michael studied Haute Couture sewing techniques in Paris, France. He has been recognized in several design competitions, and finds his passion in tailoring and construction.
"For us, Petit Atelier is about bringing back some of the charm of the original ateliers of Paris, before all the big couture houses came into play. That, teaching people about fashion, and passing on what we've learned thus far."
At the helm of our kitchen is Chef José Meza Arróyave, one of Mexico’s finest. Meza has spent his career at culinary meccas including Rene Redzepi’s NOMA in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Enrique Olvera’s Pujol, in Mexico City. Hailing from Mexico City himself, Meza most recently led the kitchen at the famed Restaurant Carolina, at the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, as well as the Nizuc Resort & Spa, named “Best New Restaurant in Mexico” by Travel + Leisure in 2014. Meza now brings his contemporary approach to Mexican cuisine to Jalisco, elevating traditional dishes with a modern twist, while maintaining the integrity of his country’s cuisine.
Praised for the “breathtaking singing quality of his sound” by jazz icon John McNeil and as a “musician of the highest order” by renowned orchestral trumpeter Charles Daval, Ryan Nielsen’s lyricism and versatility are rare. His artistry grows out of a love of groove, spirit, and beautiful melody. He began performing professionally at 17, and has since been a guest artist at concerts and festivals throughout the United States.
Nielsen’s debut album, Gift of Breath (a joint project with his mentor, Ra Kalam Bob Moses) was selected by the New York City Jazz Record as a 2017 Recommended New Release. Ra Kalam, whose previous work was selected by the Smithsonian as a landmark in jazz history, called Gift of Breath, “One of the deepest, most soulful and creative recordings I've ever done.”
In 2016, Nielsen was named trumpeter in the Kobie Watkins Grouptet. Perhaps best known for his extensive work with jazz legend, Sonny Rollins, Watkins formed his Grouptet from across the country. Their first album, Movement, was released on Origin Records to international critical acclaim. The Chicago Tribune named it one of the ten best albums of 2018, alongside artists like Joe Lovano, Stefon Harris, Don Byron, and Dave Douglas.
As a graduate student at Arizona State University, Nielsen studied with David Hickman and Mike Kocour, and received of the Doc Severinsen award for outstanding classical and jazz trumpet. He went on to pursue doctoral studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he studied with John McNeil, Ra Kalam Bob Moses, and Tom Rolfs. Nielsen loves teaching students of all ages, and has a reputation as a passionate and inspiring teacher. He is currently Associate Professor of Trumpet at Utah Valley University.
Rebecca Jensen loves telling stories and drawing pictures, so becoming an illustrator made perfect sense. She currently lives and works in Utah, creating art for children’s books, magazines, posters, cards, and anything else people will let her draw on.
Artistic Director of Salt Lake City’s Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company since 2013, Daniel Charon has been active as a choreographer, teacher, and performer for over twenty-five years. While based in New York City, Daniel maintained a project-based company and danced with Doug Varone and Dancers and the Limón Dance Company. Additionally, he performed with Doug Elkins and Friends, the Metropolitan Opera, the Aquila Theater Company, and the Mary Anthony Dance Theater among others. He is a BFA graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts and an MFA graduate of the California Institute of the Arts in Choreography and Integrated Media.
As Ririe-Woodbury’s Artistic Director, Charon has created multiple original works for the stage, gallery installations, and has designed video for his and other choreographers’ works. Daniel has choreographed Moby Dick, The Pearl Fishers, Aida, and La Traviata at the Utah Opera. He has presented multiple full evening concerts in New York City and has been commissioned to choreograph new works for many companies, universities, and festivals around the country.
A nationally known and respected educator, Charon regularly teaches master classes and workshops nationally and internationally and has taught at the Metropolitan Opera, the Bates Dance Festival, Salt Dance Fest, North Carolina School of the Arts Summer Comprehensive, Varone Summer Dance Workshops, and Limón Summer Workshops. He has been a guest artist at numerous universities and was an adjunct faculty member at Hunter College (NYC) and the California Institute of the Arts. Daniel has staged the works of José Limón, Jirí Kylián, and Doug Varone at schools and companies around the world.
Mindy has been performing since the age of eight. Her original goal in life was to be the world’s first “singing Heart Surgeon”. Unfortunately, medical school didn’t pan out; so, she decided to heal the world through music and as a result, she has been studying different vocal techniques, voice science, and vocal health her entire life. Mindy has studied with many nationally and internationally renowned vocal instructors and was a vocal performance major at the University of Utah.
Mindy is part of some incredible voice teams and music industry professionals throughout the world. Some of these team’s consists of Laryngologists, ENT’s, Artist Development, Managers, Record Labels, Vocal Arrangers, Producers, Music Directors, and many others. Mindy holds a certificate in Clinical Vocology from The National Center for Voice and Speech. Mindy holds certificate in laryngeal manipulation and currently in school to become a fully licensed Massage Therapist/Body Integration Specialist. Mindy is the creator of one of the top Educational Apps called Voice Tutor.
Mindy has a full studio in Salt Lake City, Utah and a satellite studio in Los Angeles, California. She also has clients around the world via online sessions. Her studio has a roster of clients from the novice to the professional, all genre's and styles, actors and voice over artists, the injured or rebab voice, transgender, motivational speakers, and any other voice user seeing out her help. Clients are in all genres and styles of the music. Clients such as Brandi Carlile, Justin Timberlake, The Lumineers, Emily Sailers of the Indigo Girls, Halsey, Austin Mahone, SHAED, Common, Royal Bliss, Tesseract, Martina McBride, and Pharrell Williams have seen the value of combining Mindy's technique and Vocal Tract Reconditioning for the longevity of touring. Other clients have been seen on world tours, national Broadway tours, AMA's, Grammy's, Saturday Night Live, International Award shows, You Tube Sensations, College Scholarship Winners, Reality TV Shows, Cruise Lines, and local and national performances to name a few.
Mindy is currently the co-producer for the Vocal Master Class Series, A Conference for a Cause with Dr Reena Gupta and the Osborn Head and Neck Series which is a non-profit organization that provides ENT services to third world countries. For over 12 years Mindy has been in charge of education for an artist development camp in Los Angeles as well as International Teacher Training Programs. She is frequently asked to present at voice conferences for singers, actors, voice over professionals, video games, Speech Language Pathologies, ENT's and Laryngologists worldwide.
Not only is Mindy a technician she is also a performer, so she understands first hand the demands and stresses on artists. Mindy’s performance career has taken her all over the world. One of her most favorite was when she had the opportunity to perform with some of those considered “Broadway Royalty” on an Album by composer Scott Alan, “Live from Birdland”. Mindy has been both behind the director’s chair as well as on the stage through Utah.
In 2015 Mindy was awarded Best of Stage for Voice Instruction and has received Best of Salt Lake City for Private Music Instruction for the past five years.
Mindy understands how hard it is for artists to make connections to the music world. She is known to bring in top industry professionals to not only help her clients connect and network but to help artists and musicians’ home in on their skills and further develop themselves and their artistry.
Mindy is a member of the Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA) and The National Teachers of Singing (NATS)
Jessica Day George is the New York Times bestselling author of the Tuesdays at the Castle series, the Twelve Dancing Princesses series, and the Dragon Slippers trilogy. Originally from Idaho, she studied at Brigham Young University where she earned a BA in Humanities/Comparative Literature, and worked as a librarian and bookseller before turning to writing full-time. She now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband and their three young children.
www.jessicadaygeorge.com
Chef Nick’s Bio
My mother comes from a strong Italian family raised in New Orleans. Family life was all about food and southern hospitality. My father was obsessed with French culinary tradition and always wanted to be a chef. He graduated from Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France in 2004. I wasn’t exposed to this obsessive side of my father until shortly before he passed away.
I became intertwined with my dad’s passion. After I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY, I traveled to France, Spain, and Italy to better understand food culture and the craftsmanship of fine cuisine. I worked for and run kitchens in Maine, Wisconsin, New York, and Virginia before coming to Salt Lake.
Table X is a culmination of my ideals: deep compassion for community coupled with food that is inspired by local ingredients, art, and expression.
Heidi M. Gress first discovered her passion for Creative Entrepreneurship while studying European Cinema at the University of London. After she completed her film education with a BFA from the prestigious Chapman University in Southern California, she continued in the creative industry by working as a commercial producer, fashion film and documentary director and still photographer in Los Angeles. Her editorial work has taken her all over the globe and she has been published in numerous international publications, including Los Angeles Magazine, Vogue Italia, Salt Lake magazine, AMF magazine, MORE magazine, sphere magazine, City Weekly, and more. Eventually, this led her to start her own cultural fashion magazine in Los Angeles where she published the quarterly issue for 5 years. Eventually selling the company, she relocated to Utah for family and to be closer to nature. Locally, she is the Director at Impact Hub Salt Lake, a social impact entrepreneurial center; the founder and producer of Art Meets Fashion, a foundation that cultivates cultural exchange through the fashion arts; and is an Instructor at SLCC Fashion Institute, where she teaches Business, Marketing and Event Production.
Salt Lake City-based artist Stacy Phillips shifts effortlessly between sculpture and painting. In part, this is because her studios for each discipline lie under one roof. In part, it is because she has mastered the ability to adapt as the result of moving 49 times in her life. (Her family relocated frequently while her father worked for Campbell Soup Company.)
A change-filled life also helps explain the wide range of Stacy’s artistic toolbox: She works in sculpture, ceramics, painting (on canvas, wood, and ceramics), and jewelry; teaches acrylic painting/collage and monoprinting; and actually enjoys “the business part” of being a career artist.
“I majored in fine arts [at Keene State College in New Hampshire] and minored in business and graphic design,” Stacy says. “My father, being in the corporate world, said I should have something to fall back on. In the long run, it suited me, because I can dance between left and right brain.”
Among Stacy’s sculptures are torsos — some bronze and some painted ceramic — with beaded skirts of monochromatic crystal and pearl or multicolored beads. She takes the bead concept to an oversize scale in her series of painted wood disks (with center holes), 16 to 18 inches in diameter and 2 to 3 inches thick, cradled in a metal stand).
Also in ceramics, she creates brightly colored, abstract sculptures on wood bases. For walls, she makes flowers (some painted and some fired with gold luster) that can be mounted randomly or in one’s chosen pattern.
Stacy credits her grandmother, a full-time artist, as an early influence.
“Then in high school, I had an art teacher who encouraged me,” she says. “I didn’t know what it meant to be a professional artist; I just knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
After earning a bachelor’s degree and working a couple of years for an ad agency in Nebraska, Stacy moved to Park City, Utah, where she bought a frame shop and converted it into a gallery, exhibiting the work of other artists. After years of that, she yearned to get back to “the creating side” of art, she says. “I wanted to explore more in different materials.”
With that goal in mind, Stacy pursued graduate work at the University of Miami from 1999 to 2000 before determining that she possessed what was needed to make a living as an artist.
“[College] was too academic for me in my late 30s, so I took a sabbatical and went to Mexico,” she says. “I had a friend who had a studio with a connected apartment. I rented the apartment and just made art.”
After three months in Puerto Vallarta, she returned to Park City and put together a body of work for the Sun Valley Arts Festival. At that time, Connie and David Katz owned a CODA Gallery in Park City, as well as in Palm Desert, California, and New York City, New York.
“CODA was the gallery I wanted to be represented in, so I invited Connie to come see my work,” Stacy says. “She came and bought my whole show.”
Now residing in Salt Lake City, where she rents space in an arts complex encompassing studios for some 50 artists, Stacy maintains three rooms: one for sculpture, one for painting, and one that serves as her office for paperwork and art supplies. In addition to working on her own art, she teaches painting and monoprinting and gives lectures and demonstrations throughout the state as the Working Artist of Utah for Golden Paints.
Stacy does not sketch but lets herself “respond to the work” as she goes.
“The inspiration is the mystery of it,” she says. “You can only do so much in your brain. I love the discovery, the idea of ‘what if.’ The dance between intuition and intention motivates me to be in the studio every day.”
http://stacyphillipsart.com/
As a child, sports were Monica's main focus, but she auditioned for her first musical as a young teen, and was quickly hooked--switching focus to acting, singing, dancing, and modeling. She attended Brigham Young University (BYU) on a talent scholarship, majoring in Music Dance Theatre. In 2013, Monica started getting into film, and is best known for her role as Julie Flinders in Saturday's Warrior. Monica currently works as an actor, singer, dancer, and fitness model.
https://monicamooresmith.com/ https://www.instagram.com/monicamooresmith/ https://www.youtube.com/user/monicamooresmith/ https://www.facebook.com/MonicaMooreSmith.Performer/
Adam has been making violins since age 14, due in part to the recommendation of his first violin teacher, Kelly Richardson. His violins have been played on and praised by Joshua Bell, Joseph Silverstein, and Igor Gruppman, as well as many young, talented soloists throughout Utah. Born in Murray, Utah, Adam grew up in a musical environment, beginning the violin at age 3. When he began studying to be a luthier with Paul Hart, violin making came naturally to Adam because of his highly developed ear and playing ability. He knows very well the qualities that string players look for in an instrument and how to produce them. By nature, Adam is very detail-oriented. (His wife lovingly refers to him as “The Millimeter Man.”) In harmony with this trait, Adam has always excelled in art. Countless hours spent developing this talent greatly enhanced his violin making skills. Adam concluded 4 years of training with Paul at the Tree’s Breath Violin Making School and started his own shop, which has become a thriving business, serving string players and educators worldwide since the year 2000. Adam is married to Kate Day and they are the proud parents of four adorable children.
Christine Baird did a career 180 when she moved from the corporate world to focus on podcasting, event production, social media strategy, and influencer branding. She developed Lewis Howes’ brand, the School of Greatness, for four years, during which time the podcast downloads increased from 1 million to over 80 million. She now helps influencers launch and strategize their shows. She also produces her own self-development podcast, the Worthfull Project. She’s passionate about becoming the best version of herself and inspiring others to do the same.
https://www.instagram.com/worthfullchristine/ https://christinebaird.com/
LULU FALL is a singer, award-winning songwriter and actor currently based in New York. Lulu, a formally trained jazz vocalist with a musical theatre background, is one complete and unexpected package. As a product of Senegalese and Cameroonian parentage, her music reflects her global perspective by way of her American sensibilities.
https://www.lulufall.com/
Because Lulu has a background in musical theatre, she alternates between that and music. Among other shows, she was a performer in the Smithsonian’s American Songbook Program, and ensemble member in Studio Theatre’s adaptation of Passing Strange. She was also a featured ensemble member in the acclaimed hippie love-rock musical HAIR, both the first National tour and Broadway. Her off-broadway credits include: Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, the acclaimed Porn musical Pretty Filthy, and acclaimed folk-opera Hadestown. Lulu portrayed the character of Brenda in Capital Repertory’s production of Smokey Joe’s Cafe in Albany. Lulu was most recently in Broadway production of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, and the off-Broadway productions of This Ain't No Disco and Wild Goose Dreams.
With a degree in Jazz Studies, Lulu attended Michigan State University. Lulu Fall independently released her debut EP, It’s Official in 2009, both in Washington DC and London. Her title track single can be found on Spotify. Lulu also independently released a collaborative EP, Heal: Part 1, with the LF+JT (Lulu Fall and James Theory) project in 2015. Lulu's latest collaborative project album, The Unpaved Road, was released in August 2017 with writing partner Kris Johnson. This full-length album can be found on all major music platforms ( iTunes, Spotify, CD Baby) as well as the Artist Centric Music label website (www.artistcentricmusic.com). The latest video single from this album, entitled "Painfully Sober", was exclusively released by AFROPUNK. Some of Lulu’s music performances include the Winter Music Conference in Miami, FL, Blues Alley in Washington, DC, Langnau Jazz Nights Festival in Switzerland, Jazz Re:freshed in London and Cliff Bell’s in Detroit, MI. Lulu was a finalist in the 4th annual Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Jazz Competition. Lulu won the Mid-Atlantic Song Competition (MASC) and was awarded Gold and Silver for her songs “Fight” and “No Better” in the R&B category. Her single “Pretty For a Dark Girl” was awarded TOP 5 WINNER in the R&B category of the Great American Song Contest. Lulu is set to release her next album, Between Two Worlds, November 8th, 2020 under the Ropeadope label.
Clayton Vance is a practicing architect with his own small firm in the Park City Utah area. He received his masters of architecture from the university of Notre Dame where he studied traditional architecture and urbanism. His passion is creating beautiful and timeless spaces. He started the https://www.timelesshomes.org/ website and podcast where he hopes to take us all on a journey of discovery as to what makes cities and buildings truly timeless.
https://www.claytonvance.com/
"I grew up here in Utah and attended Culinary School at Utah Valley University where she learned all about the art and science of cooking. I loved every second of culinary school...almost! But I didn't learn any of the cake decorating or sugar flower work I do today in school. That came from years of trial and error, recipe testing and an obsession with flowers. I love a good challenge when it comes to new flavors or a new flower. I love to pick apart a flower and see how it's put together. My best work is done when I have a fresh flower in front of me to model mine after.
When I'm not working, which is rare, I love to travel and experience food in different places. New York and Thailand are my favorite places I've visited so far. I'm always looking for reasons to adventure to new destinations. Food is my love language and my favorite things in life are sharing food and laughs with people I love. Balance of salty and sweet is my jam. My family lovingly calls me "the salt police" because I'm always searching for the perfect amount of salt in things we eat." https://flourandflourishcake.com/
Joel Long’s book Winged Insects won the White Pine Press Poetry Prize. Lessons in Disappearance (2012) and Knowing Time by Light (2010) were published by Blaine Creek Press. His chapbooks, Chopin’s Preludes and Saffron Beneath Every Frost were published from Elik Press. His poems and essays have appeared in Gettysburg Review, Sports Literate, Prairie Schooner, Bellingham Review, Rhino, Bitter Oleander, Massachusetts Review, Terrain, and Water-Stone Review, among others. He lives in Salt Lake City.
https://www.terrain.org/2018/poetry/joel-long/
Becky Willard is a Warm Audio featured artist, a music producer, recording engineer, songwriter and vocalist. She began working with artists over 25 years ago as a mentor, vocal coach and songwriting coach. It was a natural transition from coach to producer as she guided singers searching for their sound and began recording them in her home studio. In 2010, Becky founded Vox Fox Studios and has become the go-to producer for many Utah artists as well as artists from all over the world. These artists go to Vox Fox Studios to produce their music because they know they will get their best vocal performances, modern production sounds and mixes that are “radio-ready”. As a singer/songwriter herself and session vocalist, her songs and voice can be heard in dozens of TV Shows and movies. As a woman in a male dominated field, Becky is actively engaged in educating and inspiring young women in her community and worldwide to pursue music production and engineering.
If you are ready for that “next step” contact Becky right away to get started building your business!
http://www.voxfoxstudios.com/about
Celeste Chaney is a writer, filmmaker, and marketing consultant. Her first script, The Feed, is in development with Passage Pictures and was a finalist in the Tribeca Film Institute’s 2019 AT&T Untold Stories Competition, as well as the Alfred P. Sloan filmmaker fund.
Her novel, In Absence of Fear, received Honorable Mention at Foreward’s 2015 Book of the Year Awards.
She wrote, produced, and directed Cradle Song, her first short film in May 2019.
https://www.celestechaney.com/
Davis Hong is the designer behind BYSHAO, a minimalist unisex fashion brand based in Salt Lake City, Utah. With over 8 years of experience, Davis’s distinct style has shown to stand out amongst crowds. The brand focuses on sustainable multi-seasonal jackets + tops. With an attention to quality, detail, and a new yet classic approach in design, the pieces are made to make you feel effortlessly powerful. No need to think about what to wear, simply put on a jacket or top and you’re ready to take on the day.
http://www.byshao.com/ https://www.facebook.com/byshaousa https://www.instagram.com/byshaousa/
Born in the "Charm City" of Baltimore,Dee-Dee has ben delighting audiences with her mixture of jazz standards, R&B, soul and funk for a quarter of a century.While making sweet sounds Dee-Dee also discovered the acting bug and has performed in countless regional theater productions and discovered her love of jazz while performing to sold out shows in the lead role in Lady Day At Emerson's Bar & Grill for Pygmalion Theater Company in Salt Lake City, Utah. Folks have been lining up to see her ever since.
Front Row Review glowed "You know how to tell the difference between an extraordinary singer and one who is mediocre? The “ugly” face. You know the kind that Patti and Aretha get when nothing matters in the world (not poise, beauty, makeup, lashes falling off, hair coming undone) except the love affair between artist and song? That is Darby-Duffin.
Darby is immersive with her audiences and if she recognizes you, she is sure to "call you out" and thank you for your support.
https://www.deedeedarbyduffin.com/
Alternative classical composer Phillip Bimstein lives in Salt Lake City and Springdale, Utah, where he served two terms as mayor. A recipient of grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet The Composer, American Composers Forum, Austria’s Prix Ars Electronica and an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Bimstein’s music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Bang on a Can Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival and London’s Royal Opera House.
Bimstein was born in Chicago and is a graduate of Chicago Conservatory of Music, where he majored in theory & composition. In the 1980s he led the new wave band Phil ‘n’ the Blanks, whose three albums and six videos were college radio and MTV hits. After further studies at UCLA in composition, orchestration and conducting, Bimstein took a hiking trip to southern Utah and never left.
Fascinated by language and the ability of music to tell a story, he frequently incorporates text in his work. Refuge, his string quartet based on the book by Utah naturalist Terry Tempest Williams, was described as “sublime - elegant perfection” by the Deseret News. In 2005 Bimstein composed Lockdown, a techno tone poem based on the sounds and voices of a youth crisis center in southern Utah. In addition to public concerts, the work is presented as dialogue-promoting outreach to youth detention facilities and prevention programs.
In 2006 Bimstein received his second Continental Harmony grant from the American Composers Forum to compose Zion Canyon Song Cycle based on the historical and contemporary stories of his community. Performed by his Americana folk chamber group Red Rock Rondo, it is the subject of an Emmy Award winning PBS -TV music special, which also won Bimstein an Emmy for music composition. In 2011 Bimstein composed a new song cycle for Red Rock Rondo and the Salt Lake Sympony based on the best-selling book by Ted Gup, A Secret Gift.
In 2015 the Salt Lake Symphony premiered The Brahma Viharas, a symphony with English horn soloist (Charlotte Bell), which Bimstein composed based on four ancient Buddhist/Yogic contemplative practices that were developed over centuries to cultivate the qualities of lovingkindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity in the human heart. Bimstein has practiced yoga, the brahma viharas and mindfulness meditation for more than 40 years, and teaches the University of Utah Honors course, “Opening the Mind’s Eye: Contemplative Practice & Higher Education.”
Described by Outside Magazine as “America's only all-natural politician-composer,” Bimstein served two terms as Springdale mayor. Due to his successful efforts to bring harmony to his previously divided community, Parade Magazine dubbed Bimstein, “The Man Who Brought Civility Back to Town.” In 2017 Bimstein gave a TEDx Talk about his approach to community: How to Practice Politics with Music in Mind.
Bimstein has served as Chair of the Utah Humanities Council (who awarded him the 2009 UHC Alumni Award and the Delmont R. Oswald Fellowship), Vice-President of the American Music Center in New York, and he is profiled in Who’s Who in America. Bimstein designs and teaches an interdisciplinary course in the University of Utah’s Honors College, “Composing a Community,” and he is a frequent keynote speaker on creativity, community and collaboration. Information about Bimstein’s music and other projects can be found at his website: www.bimstein.com
Melanie Shore’s dynamic musical fluency on the piano has established her as an accomplished performer, sought-after studio musician, and award-winning composer and arranger.
Over her career, she has performed with an array of artists, including Chuck Berry, Il Divo, Lea Salonga, David Archuleta, Debby Boone, The Osmonds 2nd Generation, Restless Heart, and Teddy Gentry from the Grammy Award-winning group Alabama, among many others. Melanie most recently completed her stay as associate music director/conductor for the first U.S. national tour of Roald Dahl and Tim Minchin’s Matilda The Musical.
Melanie is currently music directing for Michael Feinstein’s Great American Songbook Foundation. Formerly, Melanie served as musical director and arranger, as well as played keyboard/Hammond B3 organ alongside pop and country multi-platinum artist Collin Raye.
She has been featured in and is a regular contributor to Joseph Gordon-Leavitt’s collaborative musical community, hitRECord. In addition, she has played for many national Broadway tours, performs with neo-soul sensation, Joslyn, and is touring with the soul/funk/fusion group led by Kris Johnson of the Count Basie Big Band and Lulu Fall of The Great Comet of 1812.
Melanie is established as a commissioned composer and arranger in high demand. She was awarded composer-in-residence by the Utah Arts Festival and has been commissioned by various organizations across the United States for her choral, orchestral, and jazz arrangements.
She is also the arranger for the Homecoming Spectacular series, where she has written for renowned artists Gladys Knight, Kristen Chenoweth, Peter Hollens, and Lexi Walker. Melanie regularly arranges for the world’s largest choral-orchestral organization, Millennial Choirs and Orchestras, as well as for “Downbeat Award” winner, The Crescent Super Band.
Melanie is also active as a studio session musician. She is known for her stylistic versatility and can be found recording everything from musical theatre to pop, funk, gospel, soul, and jazz. She has recorded for many independent artists, dance label Power Music, and has produced albums for Hudson Lights and Joslyn. She also arranged and recorded Collin Raye’s sacred hymn album, His Love Remains.
When not performing, arranging, or touring, Melanie gives back to the community by serving as a clinician for school-aged Jazz bands. She holds a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Utah, and is an associate professor of jazz piano at Snow College, University of Utah, and Utah Valley University.
Facebook: @melanieshoremusic Instagram: @melanieshoremusic
Artist’s Statement
Life presents a child with a choice on Saturday mornings—cartoons or cooking shows? I always opted for the second. Though my passion for food didn’t turn into a career, it is still an indispensable part of my life. When my love for ceramics began, so too was born a dream of marrying it with the culinary arts. I had a vision of customizing dinnerware for chefs. Growing up in Salt Lake (which was never on the map for its choice in food) the dream seemed vaguely ludicrous. Would there ever be a chef in this area who would invest in custom hand-made dinnerware? With the Olympics, a strong economy, and a growing population, farm-to-table restaurants such as Forage began to advance the idea of fine-dining. My first collaboration with a local restaurant began with Bowman Brown at Forage years ago, and has since expanded to include a handful of the finest restaurants in the Salt Lake and Park City areas.
My main focus as a ceramic artist when it comes to dinnerware is to create a canvas for the chef. A custom plate says something that plain white factory-made dinnerware simply doesn’t—it says the chef cares about the food enough to customize how it is presented. Furthermore, the texture of each piece, which I also customize, rounds out the experience in that the silverware will interact with the clay or glaze by giving off a sound different from standard industrial ceramics. Even the feel of the piece as a fork or spoon runs across it, will be unique and create something most diners haven’t experienced yet. Dining at a high level should be an extra-sensory experience—it should include, sound, taste, touch, sight, and smell. My work becomes a small part of a unique experience in fine-dining.
With media attention, both local and national, and a growing number of clients, both public and private, there has also grown a necessity to meet demands beyond what I can do with my own two hands. An inherent dream since I began ceramics has also been that of becoming a ceramic designer. In collaboration with a local manufacturer, I will release my first set of designer dinnerware in early 2016. The release comes in conjunction with a feature in the March 2016 issue of Food and Wine Magazine. “The Designer Series,” as I will call it, will make my work available to more people, and allow me to maintain an affordable price for clients. Furthermore, it will allow me time to continue to do custom work.
https://cmceramicart.com/aboutGW.php
Camille Washington is the co-director of Good Company Theatre, and the Marketing and Box Office Manager for Onstage Ogden. Good Company Theatre is the only black-owned and administrated theatre in Utah. Before her current posts, she was Curatorial Fellow for Diversity in the Arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and also held positions at Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, and New Langton Arts (San Francisco). Her play, Oda Might, will have its world premiere at Plan-B Theatre Company in November 2019. She received her BA in Art History from the University of Utah (2006), and her MA in Exhibition and Museum Studies from the San Francisco Art Institute (2009).
Brandon Ray Olive, storyteller, originally hails from Shreveport, Louisiana. He credits his journey to his child-like curiosity, to his family's loving influence, and his passionate belief in the human potential. All of which has contributed to building his life in accordance...
Brandon Ray Olive (now a loving husband to 1 and proud father to 3) is a prolific TV/Film actor, with recent appearances in Steven Soderbergh's "Logan Lucky", HBO's "Mosaic", and a slate of upcoming projects releasing in 2019-2020.
In addition to acting, Brandon has directed and produced projects for Comedy Central & Warner Bros and is deeply involved in the nurturing and mentoring of other creatives/storytellers/actors. He currently resides near Park City, UT., where he continues to explore, hone his craft, and live life (and all of its questions) with his beautiful wife and mischievously amazing children.
Olivia Custodio has her BFA in Vocal Performance from Carnegie Mellon University and her Masters in Music from the University of Utah. As a performer, she has appeared in numerous operas, musicals, and plays, and studied improv comedy at The Second City in Chicago. She has begun to dabble in the world of being a playwright and her first short play, Driver’s License, Please, premiered at Plan-B Theatre Company in the spring of 2019. Olivia currently serves as the Director of Individual Giving at Utah Symphony | Utah Opera and also served as the Director of Development at Salt Lake Acting Company.
Raised outside of Dallas, Jed was raised on music, singing in the church choir and taking mandatory piano lessons until his mom let him quit. To her surprise, he continued to play piano but replaced classical pieces with classics such as Queen, the Beatles, Billy Joel, etc. After graduating from BYU with a degree in Commercial Music, Jed worked at a number of studios in Utah and spent time in New York City working at Electric Lady Studios. Jed is now on staff as an audio engineer at June Audio Recording Studios, works as a music producer for bands and artists, and gigs as a keyboard player. When not in the studio, you can find Jed enjoying his hobbies of rock climbing or riding his motorcycle.
Jen Palmer is a commercial photographer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. She specializes in fashion, beauty, and product photography. Her favorite part of being a photographer is creating images that never existed before that moment and working with creative teams. When she’s not taking pictures, Jen loves to spend time with her family, friends, and especially her dog, Bucky. She also loves to travel and see all the places she’s read about.
Johnny Worthen is an award-winning, best-selling author of books and stories. A Utah Writer of the Year. Trained in modern literary criticism and cultural studies, he writes upmarket multi-genre fiction, symbolized by his love of tie-dye and good words. “I write what I like to read,” he says. “This guarantees me at least one fan.”
Johnny is best known (so far) for his award winning, nationally acclaimed, best-selling young adult novel, ELEANOR, THE UNSEEN. It is a great book and if you haven’t read it, you need to. Johnny’s debut novel, the adult occult thriller, BEATRYSEL along with its companion story DR. STUART’S HEART explores the darker sides of love and Magick.
CELESTE, THE UNSEEN BOOK 2, continues Eleanor’s story as she tries to maintain a life in Jamesford, while distant events and local suspicion conspire to threaten everything. DAVID, THE UNSEEN BOOK 3, sees the powerful transformative conclusion of this awarding series as Eleanor learns her past and builds her future.
Johnny’s entry into mystery with THE BRAND DEMAND won a Silver Quill Award from the League of Utah Writers in the best novel category, while, his genre-bending comedy noire, THE FINGER TRAP, introduces Tony Flaner, a flawed slacker every-man detective who can’t throw a punch but can slay a room with sarcasm.
Johnny's short stories appear in a number of anthologies including the Dark Fiction LITTLE VISIBLE DELIGHT (The Point), Utah Horror, OLD SCRATCH AND OWL HOOTS (Keep Sweet), IT CAME FROM THE GREAT SALT LAKE (May 15th), Utah Fantasy, SECRETS & DOORS (A Thousand Secret Doors), HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT (The Lost Curse of the Witch's Nest) and the limited edition commemorate Salt Lake Comic Con anthology HEROIC: TALES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY (The Grape Whisperer).
Johnny lectures and teaches about writing and life whenever anyone will listen. He edits professionally for Omnium Gatherum, a dark fiction press. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife, sons and a cat.
Sarah Keele is the illustrator behind all of the Dark City Series board games by Façade Games. They launched their first Kickstarter, a social deception party game in a faux book box called, Salem 1692, back in April of 2015, just in time for Sarah’s graduation from Brigham Young University with a BFA in illustration. Riding the wave of the boom in the tabletop gaming industry, they exceeded their humble goal of $6k reaching an incredible $100k in funds to kickstart their game. Their second game, Tortuga 1667, solidified the success they were having when they reached $400k, and thus Façade Games as an official game publishing company was born. Sarah’s post graduate career as an board game illustrator also officially began. With 3 successful board games (the latest, Deadwood 1876, garnering over half a million dollars in its KS campaign) now behind her, she continues to draw and paint with fervor always keeping an eye for the next great opportunity. Her work has also been included in a well known children’s magazine called, The Friend, and various book covers with authors like A. Lee Martinez among them. Her latest book cover is for author, Cami Murdock Jensen, titled, First Earth: The Arch Mage series. It will be released before the end of 2019. When she’s not doing client work, she’s making custom portraits through her Etsy shop, working on her comic, spending time with her husband and two daughters in their Orem, UT home, and collecting coins.
You can find her at . . .
Instagram: @sarahkeeleart Facebook: @sarahmartbyu Pinterest: @sarahkeeleart Etsy: etsy.com/shop/KeeleKreation
Joseph Facer is a multi-instrumentalist, audio engineer, and producer from Provo, Utah. He developed a love for music early in life and has pursued his passion single-mindedly ever since. Joseph has toured internationally as well as across the United States with various groups and has performed with and recorded such artists as Gladys Knight, Toto, Lea Salonga, Leslie Odom Jr., Lexi Walker, and many more. Joseph also performs with his original progressive hard rock band Solyphony, who just released their first single, “The Dawning.”
As a young girl, Aubrey loved being in the kitchen. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle), she would go crabbing during the summers. These experiences instilled an appreciation and love of fresh seafood. She learned the art of catching, cleaning and cooking - sea-to-table was very real.
Driven by passion, Aubrey graduated from the Culinary Arts Institute at UVU. Here she cultivated her skills and developed an excitement for Italian cuisine. This excitement took her to Italy where she studied & learned the art of homemade pasta, pizza and sauces.
Since her days in Italy, Aubrey has used her skills and passion to feed the masses through private catering, cooking classes and taking care of her family.
Aubrey's clientele includes:
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James Harden (Houston Rockets)
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Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors)
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C-Suite Executives at: Vivint Smart Home, Clear Link, Low VA Rates, Overstock, Nuskin, Skull Candy, DOMO, Traeger grills
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Award-winning doctors
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Music Producers
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Local City Officials
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Legislators
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Jeremy Guthrie (2015 MLB WS pitcher)
Aubrey is very passionate about health, fitness and and a nutrient dense diet. She strives to educate her children and peers on the importance of taking care of their bodies through food and exercise. That said, she can't resist a perfectly layered, buttery croissant or homemade pasta. She lives by the rule of all things in moderation.
Traveling and exploring cultures through food is an on going life pursuit. Marco and Aubrey share this love together and plan to share their experiences on amniccoli.com
Lance Lowry, a proud Ally and LGBTI advocate, serves as the Executive Director of the LOVELOUD Foundation. He is also featured in the HBO Documentary BELIEVER alongside Dan Reynolds for his work as the organizer of the inaugural LOVELOUD Festival.
After over 10 years in the comedy business, comedian/impressionist Marcus continues to be one the most diverse talents in the industry. From performing stand-up all over the country, writing a developing a musical impression show with his friend and fellow comedian Guy Seidel, hosting and producing his own paranormal-themed web series, “Ghost Hopping”, to being part of 2 successful podcasts, Dirtpod and Area 52. Marcus is a multi-faceted performer and creative force to be reckoned with.
Find out where you can see Marcus live by following him @ComedianMarcus on Twitter.
Yolanda Stange is an actor/producer/casting director who has appeared in over a 100 industrial film, 50 feature films, 15 television shows and 3 national commercials. She has worked along side some of Hollywoods biggest stars like Zac Efron, Danny Glover, Diane Keaton, Elizabeth Moss and many more. In 2015 she opened her own production company Radical Hospitality and casting agency, Stange Casting LLC. She is currently filming James Lafferty's new drama Everybody's Doing Great in Los Angeles and is a series regular on the CW hit The Outpost. When she is not on set or on stage she can be found running her real estate business, Stange Realty with her husband Chris. Yolanda is a proud member of SAG and AEA.
Known for his modern approach to jazz, technical mastery on the kit and high aptitude for rhythm and independence, Steve Lyman is emerging as one of the leading voices on the drums around the globe.
Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Lyman moved to New York City in 2005 to study at the prestigious New School University. Lyman quickly began working with some of New York's finest musicians under the tutelage of his teacher and mentor, drummer Ari Hoenig.
Lyman's first major opportunity was performing with vocalist José James (with whom Lyman was an active member from 2006-2008) performing on Mr. James's critically acclaimed album The Dreamer, which was voted #21 of the top 50 albums in 2008 (JazzTimes Magazine).
As a performer, Lyman has enjoyed sharing the stage with some of the leading voices in jazz and contemporary music, including: Aaron Parks, Jon Batiste, Gilad Hekselman, Nir Felder, Julian Pollack, Chase Baird, José James, Ben van Gelder, Ben Street, Bill McHenry, George Garzone, Ralph Alessi, Logan Richardson, Jaleel Shaw, Thomas Morgan, Tyshawn Sorey, Madeline Eastman, Joe Martin, Dan Tepfer, Becca Stevens, Kris Johnson and Corey Christiansen to name a few.
Lyman has also toured the world extensively as a performer. In Europe, Lyman has performed throughout the UK, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, playing such venues as the BBC Studios London, The Blue Note Milan, and the New Morning Paris. In the United States, Lyman has performed at the renown Blue Note and Smalls jazz clubs regularly, both as a sideman and as a leader.
As an educator, Lyman has led workshops and masterclasses throughout the US and is becoming a first-call international clinician.
In 2018 Lyman led his first ever drum clinic tour in the UK—teaching to hundreds of drummers around the regions of London, Wales, Bristol and at Universities and music festivals throughout the greater UK. Upcoming clinics include: Argentina, Singapore as well as returning to the UK in 2020.
Lyman released his debut record Revolver in 2013 which featured all original compositions and received 5 Stars from All About Jazz Magazine. Lyman is also the author of the book A New Approach to Odd-Times for Drumset published by Mel Bay Publications (2013).
In 2019 Steve will be filming on online lesson for Drumeo and touring the US and EU with saxophonist Chase Baird.
Endorsements: Craviotto Drum Company Drums, Istanbul Mehmet Cymbals, Remo Drumheads, Polynome Metronome App and Reflexx Practice Pads.
Steve Lyman also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Jazz Drumset Studies at the University of Utah and lives in Salt Lake City.
https://www.stevelymandrums.com/
Scott Stoddard is a game designer and animator who has worked on over 30 games across his 20 years in the video game industry. He began his career animating video games for Disney and then went on to create Robot Unicorn Attack before joining the team at ChAIR to help create the land mark Infinity Blade series. He is currently working as lead game designer on a project for Epic Games.
Scott is driven by an interest in the principles of fun, and using those ideas to make satisfying and meaningful human experience. Growing out of a background in fine art, he is fascinated by the combination of art and interaction that is unique in the creation of games.
When he’s not making games, Scott finds fun amassing the world’s largest rubber shark collection, climbing rocks, competing on American Ninja Warrior, and the most fun and meaningful experience of all: raising a loving family of five children with his wife Natalie.
From upended roses to figures whose faces are obscured by gestures of undress, Lindsay Frei’s striking subjects inhabit moments of vulnerability. Bold brushstrokes and exuberant palettes extol a vibrant, unapologetic femininity that simultaneously embraces and undermines conventional Western concepts of beauty.
Lindsay’s work has been exhibited nationally since 2000 and featured in publications such as Salt Lake Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, Sacramento Magazine and Poets and Artists. She received her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Utah. Lindsay encourages creative expression and exploration in her community, and provides art education for children and individuals facing illness. She is currently an Artist in Residence at Huntsman Cancer institute, and an Adjunct Art Instructor at the University of Utah.
Marc Cameron is a dynamic individual who had no formal dance training until the age of 21, but had a huge passion and desire to achieve. Using this Passion, Marc went on to qualify as an IDTA Jazz teacher, picking up various other genres of dance along the way. His heart, however, lay firmly in his roots as a Hip-Hop dancer and soon he set about choreographing and pushing the boundaries of his dancing potential in Hip Hop as a culture, and as an art. Hip-Hop OG’s would come to the UK, and Marc was always there to learn. This work ethic resulted in choreographing and winning various Jazz championships in the UK for 5 years in a row and major Hip-Hop competitions across the World, with a traveling crew of dancers.
After becoming a member and co-choreographer for the Hip-Hop Britain’s Got Talent finalists, ‘Nemisis’, Marc then went on to set up his own dance school in England. This dance school was one of the premier dance schools in the Midlands of England, performing on famed stages in the West End and traveling through Europe. In addition, he performed with celebrities on The BBC, Channel 4 and in various music videos and shows, including VH1 and MTV. He has toured in a Michael Jackson tribute act, across England, and has also shown a variety in creativity and skills through acting and singing, in addition to his dancing prowess. Now he not only performs in shows in the States, but he also produces and directs theater shows in Utah with Urban Fairytalez! Workshops also became a huge part of Marc’s success. He teaches and judges at major dance competitions in many different countries and States, and is also a member of U.D.O. (Utah Urban Dance Organization).
Since moving to Utah, Marc has established himself as a premier Hip-Hop artist and choreographer, sharing his passions with anyone, and everyone he comes into contact with. He has taught as a professor at Pioneer High school, and also teaches at BYU in their first ever Hip-Hop syllabus that qualifies for college credit. Marc also pays special attention to charity work for underprivileged children, outreach programs to schools, and is constantly sharing his love of dance with many studios, homes, companies and teams throughout the United States. He is a founding member of WDFKP’s “Peanut Butter Jamm”, and continues to focus on giving back to the community.The Dance Project SLC is Marc’s home where he cultivates young talent and teaches the principles of dancing with integrity and character. He has also helped develop some of the leading dance organizations and dancers alike. He is an advisor and mentor for U.D.O (Utah Urban Dance Organization), a lead choreographer for Utah’s most authentic Hip-Hop show “They Reminisce” and is also a founding member/producer of the amazing Urban Fairytalez production!
When not in the studio or dancing, Marc enjoys quality time with his wife, daughter, family and friends, here in the States. He spends a lot of time learning about the culture here, and engages in a variety of activities, from Basketball, to hikes, and movies, to a good night with food and new cuisines…he loves chocolate!
Rebecca Fenton has been in 'the biz' of fashion design with her own label, Haunted Head Fashion, for more than 20 years. She creates custom, one of a kind or limited edition designs. Rebecca's designs can be described as avant-garde, dramatic, edgy and unique. In 2015 she also started her wedding dress design and alterations company, Rebecca Fenton Bridal, expanding her horizons to the opposite side of the design spectrum. Her production wedding dresses can be found exclusively at Alta Moda Bridal. Her brand has been showcased in multiple fashion publications. She has been showcased in a many runway shows. In 2012, she was nominated as Utah designer of the year. She loves to paint, read or watch Sci-Fi, fly helicopters, laugh with her husband and son and consume metric tons of rice pudding.
Great art almost feels like magic. It opens our minds to brand new ideas, and teaches us to see ourselves and our world more clearly. Of course, behind all great art—there are artists! And I think that’s where the real magic happens. As we go beneath the art itself to explore how artists do what they do, we see glimpses of the sorts of creativity and resilience that lead to the art that moves our world. And maybe we can learn to borrow some of that magic for our own thinking. That’s the goal here. And now that we’re on the same page, let’s dive in. I’m Emily Merrell, and this is Artifice.