40 West Arts would not be here today without the assistance of our countless volunteers and supporters. These individuals work, often behind the scenes, to increase outreach into the community, to develop and execute programs, and to amplify the corridor with art and creativity in ways that would not be possible with our staff alone.

As our Artist in Residence and Give Back Residence programs come to a close, 40 West Arts and its partners the West Colfax Community Association and Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District would like to say: thank you.

Janelle Sowers, Artist in Residence

The Artist in Residence provides free workshops (you may remember HEART-felt Cards, Wooly Gholies, or Felt Soap Making), classes and open studio hours to the local community. They also participate in exhibitions, Colfax Art Crawls and other major events. This program would not be possible without the support of Metro West Housing Partners.

Janelle is an artist and a teacher who returned home to Denver to share her almost decade long experience living and creating in other countries — namely Turkey, parts of South America, and Mongolia. Focusing her work in felting, Janelle also writes and maintains a blog space to keep up with her practice and volunteers at Sprout City Farms Mountair Park Community Farm (stop by to see her dye garden that she uses to create the incredible colors in her work).

You can learn more about Janelle on her Instagram @fuzzyalchemist or see her portfolio and blog.

Kate Scalf, Give Back Resident

The Give Back resident artist is awarded a free studio space at 40 West Gallery in exchange for one or more ‘give back’ projects to the community. This program would not be possible without the support of the Lakewood-West Colfax Business Improvement District.

At the beginning of her time with us, Kate undertook a monumental challenge: turning the old Lakewood Police office into a working studio. Not only did she furnish and repaint the space, she turned it into one of the most stunning studios in the district. Thank you Kate for using your magic touch not only in art but directly in making our spaces feel more like home. Kate also painted a spectacular mural along the 40 West ArtLine by the Mountair Park community farm.

Kate Scalf is a Denver-based painter, sculptor and photographer. Focusing mostly on the portrait, she often incorporates elements of nature and science in her work and process. Existing somewhere between contemporary realism and abstract expressionism, Scalf creates hauntingly beautiful portraits of women and people of color which often challenge traditional beauty standards and convey the range of powerful emotions we all feel and relate to. Learn more about Kate vist her Instagram at @k.e.scalf or her website at katescalf.com.