2025 Resident Artists

Alex Bugg

Alex Bugg (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and educator living and working in the metro Denver area. Her illustrative style showcases a vibrant and playful oeuvre which depicts themes of femininity and queerness. Unabashedly “camp” and indulgent of all things colorful, her work bridges mediums of acrylic canvas painting, murals, and animation. Originally hailing from Texas, Alex earned a bachelor’s degree in film production from the University of Texas in 2017. After her move to Colorado in 2023, she dove into the creative scene and began participating in open calls for group exhibitions as well as exploring mural work and festivals. She currently works as a part-time instructor at Art Garage where she is able to share her excitement and passion for the arts with her students.

Gabriel Vitello

Gabe Vitello (he/him) was born and raised in Arvada, Colorado. His art journey started back when he played in a touring heavy metal band and would do demo art and show flyers for other bands. Of course they had the traditional rock n’ roll themes of esoteric mysticism, and in general all things spooky and gross. As Gabe continued, his style has come from the cyclical process of creation and experience. Influence can be derived from anything; old fairy tales, poetry,  obnoxious noise music and heavy metal, his own revolutionary politics, and fascination and love for expressionist, abstract, and outsider art, with a tinge of antiquated fantasy. Through connection, the things we gain and lose, the willingness to explore, and the sum of the most beautiful and terrifying human experiences, it can all come together through messy visual poems and tomes of places.

Sydnee Masias

Sydnee Masias (she/her) is a multimedia artist from Denver, Colorado. Her education in the arts began at the Denver School of the Arts. From there she went on to earn her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Colorado Denver before moving into a professional graphic design career. She has a love for the strange and unusual and her work explores themes of dreamscapes, dark folklore, and playful characters. Using vibrant colors, she creates whimsical pieces in all mediums, often combining mediums and unexpected materials for her work. She derives inspiration from her culture, memories, and dreams. Her work often reflects the surreal.  With an interest in fashion, Sydnee has created several designs for the One Club of Denver’s Paper Fashion Show. She has also participated in Meow Wolf’s Trashion Show, highlighting sustainable fashion out or unconventional materials. This interest is shown in much of her work where craft meets fine art and art becomes wearable. Sydnee enjoys merging themes and working to explore vulnerability through a beautiful and vibrant execution. 

Marissa Forbes, Poet Laureate

Marissa Forbes (she/her) is a Pushcart Prize nominated author, visual artist, and creative instructor. Her poetry books, Surviving Peter Pan (Beyond the Veil Press) and Brief & Bleeding Margins (World Stage Press) were published in 2023. Other published poems and short fiction stories can be read on marissaforbes.com and @word_nerd_ris. She is the Managing Editor for Twenty Bellows, a CO indie press, the Development Coordinator for Civic Center Conservancy, and teaches poetry for the Denver Chapter of Community Literature Initiative’s 10 month Poetry for Publication program. Marissa was the 2024 Winter Resident with Tiny Spoon, has curated poetry activations with Aurora History Museum and the Center for Colorado Women’s History, plus coordinated the second annual Creative Colorado Writer’s Retreat held at Mint & Serif in 2024.  Forbes has resided all over the country but now lives a colorful life in Denver with her two children, where she hones her personal mission to amplify art and community in Colorado.