Laura (she/her) comes to Laramie after spending over fifteen years as an arts administrator in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is passionate about providing arts access for all.
Laura has a Masters in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University. She previously worked for the Carnegie Museum of Art as the Manager of Social Engagement and for the Office of Public Art in Pittsburgh as the Educational Programs Manager.
Contact Laura: director@laramiepublicart.org
Photo credit: Ana Castro
Olivia (she/her) grew up outside of Fort Collins, CO and has been visiting family in Laramie all her life. After settling in Laramie in 2017, she helped organize the Downtown Laramie Farmers Market and has been sewing at Atmosphere Mountainworks since 2019.
While on a semester abroad, she took some courses at the Glasgow School of Art. This reignited her love for the arts and she found respite from her vigorous pre-med studies. She primarily works with paint and has worked on a few public art pieces. She assisted artist Jodie Hererra with a mural in Downtown Laramie in 2022 and completed two bathroom murals for LPAC, Visit Laramie, and the USFS in 2023. She strives to make this community a welcoming place for artists and anyone who wishes to express their creativity.
Contact Olivia: community@laramiepublicart.org
Sunnie Lew (she/her) is the Manager of Content Strategy and the President of the Diversity Equity & Inclusion Employee Network at the University of Wyoming Foundation. She is a co-founding editor of the literary magazine Open Window Review and a UW alum where she was mentored by renowned authors Dr. Lori Howe and the late Brad Watson. She holds degrees in English, Creative Writing, and Chinese Mandarin. A published writer, poet, and accomplished artist, Sunnie has resided in Laramie for nearly 15 years where she mentors marginalized individuals and trauma survivors in professional and community leadership. She is passionate about minority advocacy and creating policy change that builds a stronger and more diverse state. In 2022, she received a CASE Gold Award for her work with the University of Wyoming.
Sadie Winter (she/her) grew up on a ranch in Wyoming, immersed in the DIY aesthetic and frontier ingenuity of outsider art. She has studied at Penland School of Craft, interned at Anderson Ranch Arts center, received a post-baccalaureate in ceramics from Utah State University, and worked and interned at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts. She regularly teaches ceramics at Siren Studios in Laramie, Wyoming and maintains a studio practice and business out of the Laramie Plains Civic Center. She is extremely passionate about making arts education accessible to all - regardless of age, economic status, education, or location - and believes every person has creative potential to better their communities.
Photo credit: Ana Castro
Sylvia Parker is the Coordinator and Interim Director of the Science and Mathematics Teaching Center. She has worked as a teacher, researcher and advocate providing professional development and technical assistance to teachers, schools and communities seeking to create high quality public schools. Her work has primarily focused on rural education, place-based learning, community development, program evaluation and staff development. She holds a BA with honors from Colorado State University and an MA from Teachers College, Columbia University.
At the SMTC, Sylvia works with Wyoming schools and districts to identify needs for professional development for teachers in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). She then collaborates with UW faculty and others interested in developing programs and applying for funding to help meet those identified needs. She is particularly interested in interdisciplinary work that integrates STEM with the arts and humanities and contributes to the community. She loves Laramie for all of the arts and entertainment, lectures and access to nature but still complains about the wind in winter.
Sue Ibarra was elected a County Commissioner in 2020 and serves on the LPAC Board as the liaison for the Commission. She has served on numerous boards, including two terms on the ACSD1 School Board, the SAFE Project, Downtown Clinic, and Laramie Reproductive Health. Sue holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a master's degree in Spanish from the University of Wyoming. She taught in the Department of Modern & Classical Languages at UW for ten years. She continues to use her Spanish language skills as a volunteer medical interpreter for the Downtown Clinic and Laramie Reproductive Health. Sue enjoys running, biking, hiking, and nordic skiing in her free time.
Micah serves as the Laramie City Council member liaison for the LPAC Board. She is also the Director of Programs at the Wyoming Community Foundation, where she oversees grantmaking to nonprofits across the state. Micah received her K-12 Art Education degree from Chadron State College and worked as an independent artist for a number of years. She grew up in Wyoming and is passionate about Laramie and her fellow Laramigos. She enjoys volunteering in the community, working in her garden and playing outdoors.
Ana Castro is a multimedia artist and creative with a passion in restorative justice, public accessibility, and community development.
Immigrating to the United States from Mexico. She is a queer brown woman, who is currently navigating her new and exciting role as Program Coordinator for Laramie Main Street Alliance.
Katie Christensen (she/her) spent 20 years working in the arts in various capacities including as a working artist, for the Wyoming Arts Counsel, Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, and the University of Wyoming Art Museum. Motivated by working with Veterans and women who were incarcerated, she recently transitioned to the mental health counseling field. Integrating expressive arts in counseling, Katie provides a nurturing environment to help people explore and create their best selves. Katie holds an MS in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Wyoming (UW), MFA from Bowling Green State University, and a BFA from UW. She resides in Laramie with her husband and daughter. Together, they enjoy spending time outside, and soaking up the sunshine and cultural events whenever possible.
Aubrey Dawne Edwards is a veteran photographer, visual artist, collaborative anthropologist, educator and public works enthusiast. Her professional artistic collaborators range from the United Nations to Spike Lee. She comes to Laramie via New Orleans, where she dedicated the last decade to youth advocacy deeply grounded in equity and the arts, supporting young people in art making within a healing-centered / trauma-informed framework. She loves using her background in collaborative anthropology to connect organizations, policy makers, artists and teachers in jointly amplifying youth voice through public art making.
She holds an Associate of Applied Science in Photography (ACC), a Bachelor of Journalism (UT) and a Master of Science in Urban Studies (UNO). She is presently earning her Master of Art in Anthropology and Environment and Natural Resources with a focus on community-rooted archaeology at the University of Wyoming.
Ali Grossman is a University of Wyoming video producer, documentary filmmaker, and community advocate. Through her documentaries, she provides an additional stage for the collaborative endeavors of specialists in their landscapes and environments, whatever their creative spaces may be: studios, laboratories, or the American West. She is an active volunteer with Laramie Main Street Alliance and is co-chair of the Laramie International Flavor Festival. She holds a BFA from University of Arizona where she studied media arts and dance.
Jacob (he/him) is an environmental economist and the Knobloch Assistant Professor of Conservation Economics at the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. He is deeply invested in public art as a driving force for community vitality and economic growth.
Jacob holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Wyoming and degrees in Environmental Studies and Economics from Gettysburg College. He was formerly employed by East Carolina University and has consulted for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, The Nature Conservancy, The World Bank and the United Nations Development Program.