About RedLine Contemporary Art Center

Located in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver, Colorado, RedLine Contemporary Art Center is a non-profit arts organization that fosters education and engagement between artists and communities to create positive social change.

 

RedLine’s Mission

To foster education and engagement between artists and communities to create positive social change.

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RedLine’s Vision

That every person is empowered to create positive social change through art.

 

RedLine’s Values

Community Responsiveness
Artist-Focused
Bold Vision
Approachability
Deep Connections

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Socially Engaged Art at RedLine

Discover what socially engaged art is and how RedLine’s programs embody socially engaged art practices.

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About RedLine Contemporary Art Center

Founded in 2008, RedLine is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting emerging artists and providing creative opportunities for local residents.

We work to provide equitable access to the arts for under-resourced populations and grassroots organizations. This includes cultivating diverse communities of emerging artists to use socially-engaged art as a tool for positive change.

RedLine has launched more than 130 resident artists, engaged more than 10,400 students at under-resourced schools, provided space and resources for dozens of artists who are unhoused or experiencing hardship, and responded to community needs with creative solutions. 

End of Silence: A Punk Survey Gregg Deal exhibition opening reception. 2022. Photo credit: Adrienne Kendall.

RedLine’s facility of 22,000 square feet includes a main exhibition hall with 12-15 curated exhibitions per year, 18 resident artist studios (a two-year residency program that includes free studio space), a Community Studio for educational programing and community events, a Project Space responsive to evolving artist event and exhibition programming, and a library with a collection of over 8,000 books on art and art history. 

Applying a community-responsive model by first listening to our local communities, we co-create innovative solutions to social challenges alongside artists young and old, housed and unhoused, emerging and seasoned, with these strategic program areas: 

Artists-in-Residence Program

Youth Art Education

Contemporary Art Exhibitions

Community Art Programs

Regranting & Artist Grants

Creative Place-Keeping

With a history of responding to local societal needs through artistic interventions, RedLine is an essential and profoundly connected member of Denver's creative ecosystem and the go-to resource for professional artists and local communities to create positive social change.

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RedLine’s Mission

RedLine’s mission is to foster education and engagement between artists and communities to create positive social change.

RedLine’s mission is deeply committed to social justice, focusing on cultural responsiveness, social responsibility, and collective leadership to promote positive social change. 

Inclusion for RedLine means that programming, artists, and leadership reflect Denver’s diverse population and include key community members, leaders, and local residents. 

As a result, RedLine operates using a Methodology of Community Responsiveness that transforms ideas born from the community into implemented programs with the voice, experience, and leadership of constituents and participants inherently built into the process. 

Through outreach meetings with key community members and leaders, brown bag community lunches, and co-creating programs through partnerships with local organizations, RedLine creates pathways for members of nearby communities to be integrated into all facets of RedLine’s programming, including the planning process.

RedLine’s Values

Our values are to be community responsive, artist-focused, have bold vision, be approachable, and have deep connections with the Denver arts community. Learn more about what these values mean to us and tangible examples of how we put these values to practice below!

 

Community Responsiveness

We begin any collaborative project with conscious listening to understand and creatively respond to relevant social issues impacting our local communities. In this way, we can ensure that we center the voices of artists of all ages and honor the history and cultures of this specific place.

Example: Youth Art Mentoring — Youth Art Mentoring was created in response to the need for support of our neighborhood schools who were struggling because of the School Choice System.

 

Artist-Focused

We seek to understand the needs and experiences of Colorado artists through holistically supporting their ideas and practices. Our focus is on historically underrepresented artists of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities.

Example: Reach Program — In response to the lack of support for artists who have experienced extreme financial hardship, are unhoused, or are in recovery, Reach was created as an artist-led studio art program that offers an inclusive space for artists to build their creative practice together and take the next steps in their lives.

 

Bold Vision

We are committed to playing a key supportive role within a dynamic art-centered ecosystem that promotes positive social change within and across different communities. At the heart of our approach is deep and authentic relationship-building that disrupts white supremacist culture.

Example: Satellite Studios — To increase the inventory of affordable studio space and live/work space to keep artists living and working in Colorado, RedLine has been working with developers, city planners, and private property owners to negotiate live and work spaces for Colorado artists.

 

Approachability

We believe in an ethos that values all people and their individual lived experiences. We strive to break down real and perceived barriers that make it difficult to fully engage with the creative process or the world of art by creating an inclusive, welcoming, accessible and equitable experience for everyone.

We are hyper-local in our neighborhood of Five Points in Denver, Colorado, and we engage with a multitude of residents by providing space and creative opportunities for them to connect.

Example: Art of Access — RedLine is a founding member of Art of Access, an alliance of eight Denver-area individuals and organizations who work to advance and connect accessible and inclusive practices across Denver’s cultural organizations.

 

Deep Connections

We value the longevity of our relationships within our communities. Our programs are community-responsive and designed to be holistic, long-term solutions to pressing social issues. 

Example: Creative Place-Keeping Projects — RedLine co-creates Creative Place-Keeping Projects to bring awareness, advocacy, and action to local issues brought to us by Denver community members.

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Big IDEA Work at RedLine

In addition to our mission and vision, RedLine is committed to living the work of IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Access). We hold each other accountable through the Big IDEA Committee and our Big IDEA Advisory Circle.

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The RedLine Team

Featured
Louise Martorano, Executive Director
Louise Martorano, Executive Director

Louise Martorano is the Executive Director of RedLine, a non-profit contemporary art center and residency located in Denver, Colorado. RedLine's mission is to foster education and engagement between artists and communities to create positive social change. Under her leadership, RedLine has received the Denver Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts (2014 & 2015), the Greenway Foundation’s “Partner in Change” award, acknowledged by Denver Public Schools for excellence in community engagement, and has presented and organized over 100 exhibitions over the past 10 years.

Martorano holds a B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder and M.H. from the University of Colorado, Denver with a focus in Contemporary Art History & Music. In 2017, she was awarded a Livingston Fellowship from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation for promising nonprofit leaders who hold significant leadership roles in Colorado’s nonprofit sector. She also sits on the advisory committee for the Visiting Artist, Scholar & Design program at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, is the Board Treasurer for the Global Women’s Empowerment Fund, and is on the Board of Trustees for the Harmony Hammond Trust. Contact Louise at lmartorano[@]redlineart.org

Robin Alli Gallite, Deputy Director
Robin Alli Gallite, Deputy Director

Robin is an educator, artist, advocate and explorer of different cultures. She is also a quasi-Buddhist and has a passion for fashion. Prior to joining the RedLine team in 2011, she taught middle school math and visual arts at Aurora Public Schools for five years and in Monterrey, Mexico for one. Robin believes that artists can be powerful agents for social change, by promoting education and community engagement. At RedLine, Robin gets to challenge conventional ways of teaching, thinking, making art, and being in the world.

For questions about community partnerships, potential collaborations, and general operations, please contact Robin at rgallite[@]redlineart.org

Scott Anderson, Development Director
Scott Anderson, Development Director

Scott Anderson brings 15+ years of experience and leadership in fundraising, nonprofit management, and consulting to RedLine. Mr. Anderson is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Denver, as well as the Institute for Leaders in Development at the University of Denver (IDL). Prior to RedLine, Mr. Anderson was the Interim Chief Development Officer, at the Denver Zoo, Development Director at KIPP Colorado, and Development Director at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. Additionally, he is a former board member of RedLine and served as Chair of their Development Committee. Mr. Anderson will provide strategic and tactical leadership on all development efforts, including the engagement of individuals and families, corporations, foundations, and other institutional funders.

For questions about supporting RedLine, please contact Scott at sanderson[@]redlineart.org

Tya Alisa Anthony, Education Director
Tya Alisa Anthony, Education Director

Tya Alisa Anthony, Interdisciplinary Artist + Curator, explores themes of social justice, human rights and identity. Anthony incorporates photography, collage, and sculpture to give a voice to narratives of often marginalized people as well as the social, economic, and natural environments that surround them. In her work, she is interested in reimagining histories, and in creating autonomous spaces for bodies of color.

Tya received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree, (SUMMA CUM LAUDE) honored as Valedictorian, from Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. She lives and works in the city of Denver, producing performance, photography + installations. Anthony is the Founder of Mahogany Vu Contemporary Art, an online thriving gallery for BIPOC artists, and a member of the advisory committee for the Colorado Photographic Arts Center.

Tya is a RedLine Residency Artist Alumni and serves on the Advisory Board for Leon Gallery, a non-profit gallery and creative space dedicated to mentoring emerging artists across multiple disciplines. She has served as a board member for Tilt West and artist representative for Platteforum. Prior to joining RedLine, she worked as the Student Diversity Equity and Inclusion Coordinator for Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design.

Jada Hughey, Finance & Operations Director
Jada Hughey, Finance & Operations Director

Jada Hughey is an experienced finance and operations leader with over 20 years of expertise in accounting, business development, and team management. As the Finance & Operations Director, she brings a strong background in streamlining financial processes, optimizing workflows, and fostering collaborative environments where creativity and efficiency thrive.

Jada was fortunate to take a hiatus from business management to focus on her own art practice, running a small stained glass shop within a thriving artist community. There, she combined artistic vision with business strategy, deepening her understanding of creative entrepreneurship. This experience reinforced her passion for supporting artists and creative communities through strong financial and operational foundations.

Dedicated to building sustainable financial structures, Jada works to empower artists and organizations to thrive.

Shaunie Berry, Assistant Director of Community & Education
Shaunie Berry, Assistant Director of Community & Education

Shaunie is an artist, educator and integrative health advocate. In her free time she enjoys creating mixed media art and portraits, being outside, trying new breweries and spending time with loved ones. She has worked with many diverse organizations and especially enjoys working with LGBTQIA+ populations and youth. Before coming to RedLine, Shaunie was a Physical Education teacher at a charter school for several years. With BFA and a Masters in Public Health- Community Health Education, she is interested in using art as a means to support mental health and well being.

She believes that the experience of creating can be truly enlightening and lead to positive health outcomes and life outlook. It is only right to share these gifts for the betterment of communities. “Art healing, art is medicine, art is protest, art is self care.”

Reach out with any questions regarding Youth Art Mentoring to Shaunie Berry at sberry[@]redlineart.org

Leigh Kargol, Art Programs Manager
Leigh Kargol, Art Programs Manager

Leigh is a Colorado native who studied Art History at the University of Kansas. She has spent many years volunteering in various arts and literacy non-profits in Colorado as well as in New York and Chicago.

As the Art Programs Manager, she collaborates with the Arts Director and Exhibitions & Installations Manager to ensure program engagement and success — including the artist-in-residency program, exhibitions, visiting artists program, and more.

She believes that through many mediums art can transform communities and prompt social change.

For questions about Art Programming, email: lkargol[@]redlineart.org

Patricia McCrystal, Marketing & Communications Manager
Patricia McCrystal, Marketing & Communications Manager

Patricia (Patty) is a published writer and marketing maven from Arvada, Colorado. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Regis University. Prior to RedLine, Patty was the Content Director at a digital marketing agency for 5 years. Before breaking into the world of marketing, she specialized in community development for tribal communities.
Patty believes art is one of the most powerful vehicles for social change — if it wasn’t, dictators wouldn’t burn books!
For questions about press, marketing, or communications, contact Patty at pmccrystal[@]redlineart.org

LARES FELICIANO, ART GRANTS MANAGER
LARES FELICIANO, ART GRANTS MANAGER

Lares Feliciano is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural worker based in Denver, CO. She holds an M.F.A in Cinema Production from San Francisco State University and a B.A. in Film & American Studies from Smith College. She has completed residencies with RedLine Contemporary Art Center and Grand Canyon National Park and was a participant in the Colorado Creative Industries Change Leader Institute.

In 2020 she joined the RedLine staff as Art Grants Manager where she supports artists and organizations across Colorado. Previously, Feliciano served as Program Director for Think 360 Arts for Learning and launched the Artist in Residence program at the Children’s Museum of Denver. Lares believes that everyone is an artist and is on a mission to support creativity in all.

For questions regarding grants please contact Lares at lfeliciano[@]redlineart.org

Barbara Warnsley, Events Manager
Barbara Warnsley, Events Manager

Barbara brings 15 years of knowledge and experience in the event industry. From concept to completion, she manages events to excellence. She is a graduate in Events/Wedding management from New York Institute of Arts & Design as well as IWED (Institute of Wedding and Design). Barbara received her diploma becoming a Professional Bridal consultant at Penn Foster. In addition to being part of the RedLine team, Barbara is an Entertainment Coordinator at Gaylord Rockies and Convention Center, which is one of the reasons she joined RedLine, bringing third party events to the art world. Her goal is to create an artistic experience for communities joining RedLine through events.

She is originally from Decatur, IL where most of her family still resides. Something fun about Barbara, she coached basketball for 17 year and loves to cook and dance. A woman of many talents and strengths—a true people person who always wears a smile.

You can contact Barbara about event-related questions or inquiries at bwarnsley[@]redlineart.org

Tiffany Medina, Reach Studio Facilitator
Tiffany Medina, Reach Studio Facilitator

Tiffany Medina is a multi media artist who currently resides in Denver. She works with a diverse range of mediums. Creativity has been used to express her empathy and perception.

Tiffany has evolved through her entrepreneur spirit. From selling candy on the school yard, running several businesses to embracing the artist at heart. She became a “student“ at RedLines’ Reach Studio in 2019.

Tiffany’s essence is represented through connection with her empathetic views, to social issues and self reflection. She focuses on her peace yet creates from her noise. Tiffany paints with intention and lives in a place of healing, using experience to bring her creativity to life.

Her intention to share her creativity and inspire others to find theirs, and learn to embrace the tough experiences that we must work through to find oursleves.

Awards

2023 “Best Non-Profit Gallery” by Denver Westword

2020 “Business for the Arts Award” from Colorado Business Committee for the Arts (CBCA)

2020 “Best Resource for Artists in Distress” – Westword’s Best Of Arts & Entertainment 2020

2018 - “Best Incubator for Emerging Artists,” “Best Art Gallery Openings,” and “Best New Off-Street Art” – Westword’s Best of Denver 2018

2017 "Livingston Fellowship" from the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation. Awarded to RedLine's Executive Director, Louise Martorano, an honor that recognizes “promising nonprofit leaders who hold significant leadership roles in Colorado’s nonprofit sector.”

2017 Second Place Winner of Colorado Art Tank Grant. In support of “Moveable Feast,” a series of community dinners celebrating the Five Points neighborhood.

2016 Winner of Mayor's "Race & Justice Design Challenge." For RedLine's “Community Cypher” Project, with Creative Strategies for Change

2015 “Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts.” Organization that best embodies the priorities and values of the City of Denver's cultural plan, "Imagine 2020"

2015 PBS "News Hour." RedLine's Reach Studio Program receives national attention.

2015 "Partners in Change Award" from the Greenway Foundation.

2014 "Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts." The EPIC Arts Program is recognized for Unique Collaboration.

2014 "Colorado Museum Art Educator of Year Award" awarded to Robin Gallite, RedLine's Program Director, from Colorado Art Educators Association.

2012 - 2013 "Our Town Award" from the National Endowment of the Arts, with letters of recognition from Congresswoman Diana DeGette and Senator Michael Bennet.

2012 "Community Engagement Award" from Denver Public Schools.

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RedLine Board of Directors

 
Featured
Dr. Ellamaria Ray, Co-Chair
Dr. Ellamaria Ray, Co-Chair

Dr. Ella Maria Ray is an associate professor of African American studies and visual anthropology, a student of the Jamaican Rastafari movement, and a visionary creator of material culture. She creates a relationship between ethnographic data and visual art as a tool for understanding our human experience. Thus far, Dr. Ray’s sojourn has led her to Cortona, Italy, as an artist-in-residence for the University of Georgia’s Study Abroad Program and to fellowships at the University of California, Davis, and Colorado College, Colorado Springs, to analysis ethnographic data, and explore humanity through visual art.

Susan Lewis, Vice Chair
Susan Lewis, Vice Chair

Susan Young Lewis is a self-employed interior designer, home renovator, and proud Redline volunteer. She has spent time on the boards of Academia Ana Marie Sandoval and Lazos Education Fund and is passionate about arts and education. She has always been drawn to art and feels deeply connected to Redline’s mission to create positive social change in the community through art. For fun she loves to study Russian, play harp, travel, and throw weird theme parties.

Mark Bell, Vice Chair
Mark Bell, Vice Chair

Mark Bell has practiced law in Colorado for 25 years emphasizing business, finance, and real estate transactions and litigation. He holds the designation of a Best Lawyer in America, preeminent ranking in each of his practice areas, and is currently a partner with the national firm, Stinson LLP. Mark's passions are alternative music, art, and literature.

Mark is an avid but mediocre visual artist and writer of poetry and dark fiction. His favorite haunts are Mission Ballroom, the Tattered Cover on Colfax, and the Continental Club in Austin, Texas where he attended college. His community involvement is extensive and focuses on furthering the arts in Denver and assisting those suffering from addiction.

Mark also supports Lighthouse Writers Workshop, Colorado's literary hub, and Recovery Dharma, an international addiction recovery program based on Buddhist principles. Mark has two amazing daughters and enjoys an urban lifestyle, living and working in downtown Denver.

Marlene Price, Treasurer
Marlene Price, Treasurer

Marlene Price’s appreciation for and commitment to the diversity, complexity, and beauty of our world formed early as the youngest of a world-traveling military family. After she graduated from the University of Colorado, with a degree in Chemistry / Biochemistry, she took advantage of experiencing the variety of the US, through numerous work assignment locations, during her 30+ engineering and leadership career. Marlene’s commitment to proactive community support and engagement has included volunteerism and board membership for numerous art and cultural organizations and museums, as well as working with organizations focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). Her recent relocation back to Denver CO is providing her opportunities to leverage her skills and experiences in her hometown.

Patricia Ho, Secretary
Patricia Ho, Secretary

Patricia (Patty) Ho is a Seattle-area native that made her way to Boulder and then Denver as an attorney.  Practicing in the areas of intellectual property (copyright, patent, trademark) and commercial litigation at Denver-based Sheridan Ross P.C., she provides counseling and litigation services to a range of clients, from individual business owners in Denver to large corporations.  She values connection to her local community, and is committed to providing her experience and legal mindset in furthering RedLine's mission.

Karla Dakin
Karla Dakin

Karla Dakin is a landscape architect and an artist. Her practice focuses on plant-driven design of landscapes, food gardens and green roofs for private residences, museums and public spaces, as well as commercial projects. As a leader in the field, Dakin creates green spaces that push our expectations of landscape and engage all five senses, making places that are both ecologically sound and aesthetically resonant.

Since founding K. Dakin Design in 1997, Dakin has completed over 100 residential landscapes, two major museum roof gardens and dozens of commercial and public projects. She co-authored The Professional Design Guide to Green Roofs (published by Timber Press in 2013) and lectures internationally on subjects ranging from the future of green roofs to food gardens and the relationship between art practice and landscape architecture. In addition to being a licensed landscape architect, Dakin has studied permaculture and biodynamic gardening, giving her a level of horticultural knowledge that is rare in the field.

Dakin brings over 20 years of experience in landscape architecture to each project as well as a professional background and aesthetic sensibility polished by her early years working in the international art worlds of New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Her practice hinges on the understanding that each project has a unique context, both human and ecological. For Dakin, the design process is a collaboration between landscape architect, client and site: both a discipline and an art.

Terry Dowd
Terry Dowd

Terry Dowd, trained artist and architect, President of Terry Dowd, Inc., in Chicago and former Partner in Ship Art -Terry Dowd LLC in Denver. Established fine art services company in 1978 in Chicago to provide comprehensive services to the arts community. Terry Dowd directed the growth of TDI to become the premier service provider in the Midwest Region specializing in the handling of art and artifacts. In 2001, established and developed the Denver office to serve the Mountain/Plains Region.

Terry continues to orchestrate the secure handling of thousands of sensitive objects of all sizes and shapes. Working with institutional, corporate and private clients, complex installation or transportation projects are planned and managed to address unique obstacles and circumstances. He has participated in numerous panels and sessions focusing on best practices for handling and caring for fine art and artifacts.

He has also been involved in commercial real estate investment, development and management since 1985 focusing on repurposing underutilized commercial property. In 2022, Terry began investing and engaging with the digital mining industry to seek and explore new opportunities.

His personal interests include travel, motor sports, snow skiing, surfing and cycling.

Thomas Evans
Thomas Evans

Thomas Evans, a.k.a. Detour, is an all-around creative specializing in large scale public art, interactive visuals, portraiture, immersive spaces, and creative directing. His focus is to create work where art and innovation meet. With his ever-evolving approach to art, Detour’s focus is on expanding customary views of creativity and challenging fine-art paradigms by mixing traditional mediums with new approaches—all the while opening up the creative process from that of a singular artist, to one that thrives on multi-layered collaboration and viewer participation.

Anthony Garcia Sr.
Anthony Garcia Sr.

Anthony Garcia Sr. was born and raised in Denver in the Globeville community. Starting off as a graffiti writer, his knowledge of the Denver art scene and his go-getter attitude molded him into a force to be reckoned with early on. He is currently programming with at-risk youth and trying to bring more fine art to the streets of Denver. He is also the co-founder of Birdseed Collective (a DIY group of artists working together to create a more accessible platform for up and coming talents to express themselves). His artistic training was molded by Denver “Art Street” program and the Center for Visual Arts.

Sharon Hicks
Sharon Hicks
Doug Kacena
Doug Kacena

Doug Kacena, the highly-regarded gallery owner of K Contemporary, is a studio owner, an art therapist, a provocative curator, a podcast host, a collector and a passionate advocate for other artists. Doug is a member of the Denver Art Dealers Association (DADA) and is on the Contemporary Collections Committee of the Denver Art Museum.

Agnes Ma
Agnes Ma

Agnes Ma is an Illinois native who relocated to Colorado in 2016. She is currently an Assistant Professor and 3D Studios Coordinator in the Fine Arts + Foundations Department at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design.

She received her M.F.A. in Metalwork, Jewelry Design, and Digital Fabrication as well as a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies from Northern Illinois University and has a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Her work combines traditional craft and modern methods of fabrication to examine the relationship between humans and their surrounding environment.

Agnes was the Artist in Residence for Metalwork and Glass at Lillstreet Art Center (Chicago, Illinois) in 2015-2016 and took part in a 4-week artist residency at Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 2018. Her artwork has been exhibited nationally, including at the Metal Museum in Memphis Tennessee. Her museum and curatorial endeavors have extended as far as Sicily.

Yael Nyholm
Yael Nyholm

Yael Nyholm graduated from Pratt Institute with a degree in Architecture, she started her career going down a more traditional path of design and construction. She has since found herself immersed in a variety of peripheral influential supportive roles. Including founding Radian, a Community Design Center, she successfully transitioned the organization after acting as the Executive Director for 5 years. She currently works as a consultant in the realm of community development, with a focus on affordable housing. Yael brings the perspective of private business and non-profit management to the board.

Laura Merage, Founder
Laura Merage, Founder

Laura Merage is an artist/photographer with works in public and private collections nationally and internationally. She has launched several philanthropic organizations, including RedLine and Black Cube, experimental art museums that operates nomadically and works with artists to produce pop up exhibitions in unexpected places. Laura serves on the Anti-Defamation League Board of Directors (Mountain States Region and National), and is deeply committed to their mission of promoting justice and fair treatment to all.