Meet the 2026 Artist Grant Recipients
Left to right: Soozie Lindbloom, Alissa Davies, Nori Pao, Rachael Gillespie, Riven Badgett, Sarah Rosenthal, and Elise Hillbrand (not pictured).
The Artist Grant is intended to support the execution of a project or a growing artist's creative practice. We want to fund artists and works that are at an inflection point, in order to help bring the work or artist into the next phase of growth.
The application process is competitive and the selection process thoughtful. Meet the 2026 recipients and see what they’ve proposed for their project funding.
Riven Badgett
Riven plans to create A Dreamer’s Mosaic, a performing arts production featuring artists from the valley whose work explores what it means to be human. "In addition to producing the event, I would perform an original dance piece, with the hope of fostering a more interconnected artistic community and creating meaningful professional opportunities for small-scale performing artists throughout the Roaring Fork Valley."
Alissa Davies
“I participated for the first time this year in Carbondale Art's Fashion Show as a model. It was such a positive and community-oriented experience that was greatly inspirational for my art. I have secretly always wanted to be a fashion designer since I was a little girl, so I would love to create a line based on my sculptural pod-shapes for the 2027 Fashion Show. Supporting funds would go to purchasing the supplies (fabric, crinoline, wire, tea, etc.”
Rachael Gillespie
Rachael has plans to create a unique, locally inspired cookbook featuring hundreds of gathered recipes in collaboration with her sister, who will create original illustrations to give the cookbook character. The cookbook will also highlight the importance of supporting local farmers and eating seasonally, helping to build greater community awareness and education around where our food comes from and how we can make more intentional choices as consumers.
Elise Hillbrand
Elise’s project will expand her screen-printing capabilities through professional equipment and a dedicated studio space in the New Castle or Glenwood Springs area. This investment would enable larger, more complex projects while offering local businesses and individuals a fully local design-to-print experience. Expanded space will also support workshops, open studios, and community education, strengthen the creative business, and foster collaboration among artists and makers throughout the Roaring Fork Valley.
Soozie Lindbloom
This project will bring a giant puppet show back to the community for the first time since 2019, creating an all-ages performance rooted in sustainable, upcycled, and compostable materials. Funding will support professional development with a trip the Paperhand Puppet Project in North Carolina, performance materials, puppet repairs, and production time. Soozie’s project will culminate in a community performance in spring or summer 2027, encouraging collaboration, and creativity.
Nori Pao
Nori’s funding will aid in searching for a larger, private studio to expand her practice and develop an interactive piece exploring humanity’s fascination with rocks. Through one-on-one interviews, participants will share “stone stories” about meaningful rocks they have collected. These stories will be paired with photographs and clay replicas, culminating in a book and exhibition. The project will create intimate community portraits through the lens of the earth’s deep history.
Sarah Rosenthal
Funding will support a self-directed, month-long artist residency focused on stone carving, artistic growth, and sustainable practice. Grant funds will provide studio rent, materials, and tools, allowing for Sarah’s dedicated creative focus and reflection. The experience will be documented through a self-published zine combining residency reflections with profiles of well known local stone carvers. The publication will celebrate and preserve the rich carving traditions of the Roaring Fork and Crystal River Valleys.