Weehawken
Creative Arts - About Us
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Weehawken
Creative Arts - About Us |
A Colorado Non-Profit Organization (501-c-3), Weehawken Creative Arts is an organization that offers arts and cultural classes, lectures and events to adults and children year-round in Ouray, Ridgway and Montrose, Colorado. We are Ouray County’s Arts Center. Our organization is unique as it gives a broader definition of the arts that embraces topics of importance to the local community and the culture of Ouray County residents. As a result, Weehawken offers classes and programs that include: visual arts/fine arts, fiber arts, photography, craftsman arts, creative writing, culinary arts, children’s arts classes, horticulture, miscellaneous topics tied to the creative process, and performing arts including a full dance program. Our dance program offers dance classes in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, boys' dance, West African Dance, clogging, belly dancing and pointe. The dance program has over 100 students each semester, from ages 2-adult. Accomplishments: • In the summer of 2009, Weehawken signed two leases and now occupies a space in Ouray and a space in Ridgway (it actually saved the organization money to do so). In this, Weehawken Creative Arts has become the managing entity for the Wright Opera House in Ouray which expands another avenue and opportunity for arts programming to the residents of Ouray, Montrose and San Miguel County.
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| We are a group of Ouray County residents who come from different parts of the country and backgrounds, but are united by a love of the mountains and a dedication to the arts. We came together to establish the Ouray County Arts Center in 2004. In 2005 we were renamed Weehawken Creative Arts. Our mission is to provide the highest quality visual and cultural arts education, seeking the active participation of the local, national and international community. | ||
Staff:
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Board of Directors: Member at Large: Debbie Clapsadl |
Committees
(open to the public): |
Meet Ashley King Our Executive Director: Ashley King started her career in Gunnison and served there for five years as the Executive Director of the Gunnison Council for the Arts/ Gunnison Arts Center -- a 12,000 square foot Non-Profit Community Arts Center that housed a multitude of arts community-based arts opportunities for adults and children alike.
After leaving Gunnison, Ashley moved to the Vail Valley and worked with several non-profits and government agencies including: The Steadman Hawkins Research Foundation, The Town of Minturn, (Director of Economic Development), The Town of Gypsum (Special Events & Projects Coordinator), The Minturn Community Fund (Executive Director) and The Eagle Valley Artists Alliance (Co-Founder). Ashley made the exciting and much-dreamed about move to Ouray County in mid-2008 when she was brought-on with Weehawken. Ashley was excited to move here as her family is all in the area. Further, she is excited to be developing Weehawken Creative Arts and helping the organization in its evolution and expansion. She loves life in Ouray County and is excited to declare this as her "home" for a long, long time to come.
Ashley also serves as a PAN Advisor for the Colorado Council on the Arts. The PAN Advisors are Colorado's 15 strongest arts managers who have also been trained in facilitation skills. Among them, they have strengths in facilities development, local arts council development, public art program development, fundraising, capital campaigns, youth programming, endowment-building, marketing, board development, planning, and more. |
Meet Natasha Pyeatte Our Artistic Director for Dance: Natasha Pyeatte Artistic Director, is a native of Los Angeles, CA., where she began dancing at the age of 4. She has extensively trained in tap, jazz, ballet, pointe, modern, hip-hop, and ballroom and has been teaching and choreographing for six years.
Natasha has danced with the Colorado Ballet School in Denver, Gotta Dance in Los Angeles, Mesa State College under tap legend Tony Coppola and "Feet First" dance ensemble on tour internationally.
She has acted as Artistic Director and choreographed many shows on the Western Slope, including "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and "Jesus Christ Superstar". Some of her recent credits include Katalyn Hunyak in "Chicago" with the Telluride Rep and Spanish Chocolate in "The Nutcracker" with the Telluride Dance Academy. Natasha is excited to be teaching in Ouray County and has enjoyed thoroughly developing the dance program for Weehawken Dance as the Artistic Director of the program since the fall of 2007.
Weehawken is honored to have her endless enthusiasm, talent, insight and vision guiding the program each day.
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Meet Stephanie Wallin Our Programs Coordinator Stephanie grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska where she attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. After enjoying a semester in Japan, and a variety of travels, she graduated with an International Business/Finance, Bachelors of Science degree in 1996. After completing her work at an investment firm and further travels, she moved to Denver and enjoyed a career in the software consulting business. In 2001, Stephanie and her husband Brian chose to move to a life in the mountains and found Ridgway, CO. She tele-commuted in the software business until deciding to focus on her family which now includes two daughters and a dog. Since then Stephanie has expanded her volunteer opportunities, including serving as Vice President for the Friends of the Library Board, Auction Chair for Mt. Sneffels Education Foundation, and Treasurer/Secretary of the Ridgway School PTA. Stephanie joined the Weehawken staff in October 2007 as Program Coordinator. She has enjoyed discovering the varied interests and talents in Ouray County and beyond. She is always looking for interesting opportunities to pursue to enhance the Weehawken program offerings. Please feel free to contact her with your ideas and interests at wcaouray@yahoo.com
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