Gretchen Marie Schaefer (she/her) thinks primarily about sight and perception as they relate to understanding when making drawings, sculptures, installations, and performances. Schaefer was born, raised, and currently lives and works in Denver, Colorado. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Visual Arts from Regis University. She is a co-founding member of artist-owned and operated TANK Studios, LLC., a sustainable, community-centered studio space for professional artists in Denver. Schaefer is a former board member of RedLine Contemporary Art Center and of Tilt West. Since 2013 Schaefer has directed the Visiting Artist, Scholar, and Designer Program at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design (RMCAD) where she curates the annual theme and roster of visiting artists. Her curatorial work includes exhibitions by Catherine Haggarty and Esteban Cabeza de Baca. In 2014, Schaefer was listed as one of Denver Westword’s “100 Colorado Creatives” and in 2016 she received Westword’s “Best Of” for her work directing the Visiting Artist Program at RMCAD. Her artwork has been exhibited at numerous locations including the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the University of Colorado Boulder Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Rule Gallery in Marfa, TX, Texas Tech University’s School of Art, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, CO. Schaefer was an artist-in-residence at RedLine Contemporary Art Center (Denver, CO) Breckenridge Creative Arts (Breckenridge, CO), and the Jentel Foundation Artist Residency.

Ethan Bradford Barrett is a web developer focusing specifically on education, publishing, and medical services. They also serve as the executive director of Denverarts.org, a local resource the Denver art community and board member of Denver Digerati, a non-profit specializing in the exhibition and education of digital motion art and animation.

Instagram: @BuildingsAreHeavy

Portfolio: buildingsareheavy.com

Kate M. Nicholson (she/her) is a civil rights attorney, arts activist, and the founder and Executive Director of the National Pain Advocacy Center, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the health and human rights of people with pain. She has spoken at TED, universities, and think tanks, testified in state legislatures, and briefed the U.S. Congress. Her opinion pieces have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Washington Monthly, Hill, STAT, and MedPage Today. Her advocacy has been featured by the New York Times, Guardian, Washington Post, NBC, Scientific American, BBC, Newsweek, NPR, the ACLU’s At Liberty, and elsewhere.  She previously served on the collecting committee at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Advisory Board of the University of Colorado Art Museum in Boulder, and she currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Ulrich Museum. Nicholson was a founding board member of Tilt West and edits its written responses to roundtables.

Sharifa Lafon (she/her) is an artist-facilitator and community organizer. In addition to her board position with Tilt West, Sharifa is currently the executive director and curator at Denver Digerati, a 501(c)(3) that specializes in experimental practices at the intersection of art, science, and technology, and a lecturer in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Colorado Denver.

Geoffrey Shamos (he/him) is the Director of the Vicki Myhren Gallery and Curator of the University Art Collections at the University of Denver. He graduated from Yale University and has a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania, where he specialized in Renaissance art from Northern Europe. Prior to joining the University of Denver, Geoffrey worked at the Yale University Art Gallery, the Cantor Center for Visual Art at Stanford University, and RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver. Geoffrey is thrilled to be at the University of Denver, where he plans exhibitions and programs and helps grow the university’s collection. He particularly enjoys engaging with students, faculty, artists, and the local community.

Marty Spellerberg (he/him) is the director of Spellerberg Projects, a cultural incubator in Lockhart, Texas. He has 20 years experience in interactive design and development, including a decade working specifically with cultural institutions. He is the co-lead of the National Museum Website Visitor Motivation Study and co-author of the resulting paper in the Journal of Digital and Social Media Marketing. He presents regularly at industry conferences such as Museum Computer Network, Museums and the Web, SXSW Interactive and WordCamp. He has worked with the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; the Clyfford Still Museum, Denver; the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History; and the Toronto International Film Festival, among others. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto.

Whitney Carter (she/her) has two decades of expertise in the art world, encompassing roles as an art dealer, fine art logistics specialist, collector, and co-founder of Tilt West. She holds an M.A. in Art History with a focus on Feminist Studies and an M.S. in Business Analytics. Currently working as a Data Analyst in environmental services, Whitney's passion for the art world remains ever-strong.

Ruth Wilson (she/her) is the Director of Administration and Partnerships at Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado's arts agency. She joined Colorado Creative Industries in 2014 and manages Colorado’s Art in Public Places Program. She has an extensive background in the arts, including working at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Biennial of the Americas, the Denver Art Museum and the SCFD. Ruth earned a MA in Arts Administration from New York University and a BA from Colorado College. Ruth currently serves on the Jefferson County Cultural Council.

Maria Elena Buszek, Ph.D. (she/her) is Professor of Art History and President's Teaching Scholar at the University of Colorado Denver, where she teaches courses on Modern and contemporary art and design. Her recent publications include the books Pin-Up Grrrls: Feminism, Sexuality, Popular Culture and Extra/ordinary: Craft and contemporary art; contributions to numerous international anthologies and exhibition catalogs; and articles and criticism in such journals as Art in America, Art Journal, and Flash Art. With Hilary Robinson, she edited the 2019 anthology of new writing, A Companion to Feminist Art. Her current book project, Art of Noise, explores the ties between contemporary feminist art and popular music. Dr. Buszek is also a prolific independent curator, who has previously worked at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Recent exhibitions include Danger Came Smiling: Feminist Art and Popular Music at the Franklin Street Works, Inner Ear Vision: Sound as Medium (with Raven Chacon and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe) at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, and Sensitive Content (with Alayo Akinkugbe and Helen Beard) at Unit London.