Who We Are

Bristlecone Arts Collaborative has an open board position! We are looking for an individual who has a passion for the arts and who has experience in the legal field.

Please emails us at info@Bristleconearts.org if interested!

What does Bristlecone do and why is it important?

Watch our brief video

Mission

To distinguish art programs in rural public schools through building community and capacity.


Vision

We envision Communities where all schools have the Capacity for robust art programs that encourage community involvement, energize teachers, and motivate students for artistic futures.


Goals

  • Create lasting partnerships between the local community and arts programs

  • Support teachers by providing arts resources to expand existing programs in K-12 schools

  • Showcase and support student artwork by providing assistance with student art shows

  • Provide professional development opportunities centered around current arts practices, topics, and curriculum


Board of Directors

Kyle Jones

President

Kyle Jones is a Pianist, Composer, and Producer located in the Central Rockies of Colorado in the beautiful city of Glenwood Springs. He performs regularly around the valley from Aspen to Glenwood Springs. Kyle works as a full-time pianist playing for weddings, private parties, piano bars, religious services, and high schools across the state. He continues to give private music lessons, including virtual lessons. Kyle serves on the Glenwood Springs City Art and Culture Board and is a board member of the Glenwood Springs Arts Council, a non profit organization. He works for Jazz Aspen Snowmass, a music education non-profit.

See more about Kyle at: https://www.dirtypianoplayer.com/

Lindsay Bobyak

Secretary

Lindsay Bobyak is a professional musician and educator in the Roaring Fork Valley. She first came to the Valley as a student at the Aspen Music Festival and School and now works for them as a Teaching Artist in their valley-wide AfterWorks Beginning Strings Program. Lindsay Bobyak also works for Jazz Aspen Snowmass in their JAS In-Schools program working directly with the public band programs from Aspen to Rifle. She has an established private studio and plays with the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and is the founder of Creative Roots Collective, a collective impact music and literacy program in Silt, Colorado.

See more about Lindsay at: https://lindsaybobyak.com/

Alex Williard


Born in Lakewood Ohio, Alexander spent his formative years in the suburbs of Cleveland. He earned a fine art degree from Ohio State University. Alexander is now the editor for Wendover Productions, a video production company with an international viewership on Nebula and Curiosity Stream. He’s won national design contests, he’s been published in magazines and papers, and has worked with touring musicians to develop creative branding. He sees supporting the youth of Colorado with opportunities in creativity and the outlets to build self-confidence, not only a privilege but a responsibility that will foster a stronger community.

See more about Alex at: https://www.alexanderwilliard.com/

Kimber Mather

Treasurer

Kimber Mather is a loan officer at the Rifle Branch Alpine Bank, in Rifle, CO. She is a long time advocate for the arts and grew up singing in multiple choirs. She is an active member of her community and values volunteerism and community connections. In addition to Bristlecone Arts Collaborative, Kimber is the Chair for Reach Out Colorado, Lead for Totes for Hope, and volunteers at Lift Up and Extended Table.





Staff

Lindsay Latva

Executive Director

Lindsay Latva has been a visual arts teacher from 2008-2021. During that time she has taught middle and high school drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, installation, and performance art. She earned her Master's Degree in Art Education from the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) where she was Project Manager for the Center for Integrated Arts Education from 2015-2017. Her own art practice is primarily in fibers and watercolor, focusing on such themes as fragility, femininity, and journey.

Lindsay's passion for collaboration in the arts and building thriving visual arts programs has led her to create Bristlecone Arts Collaborative. She brings teaching perspective to the nonprofit world and seeks to use her strengths to elevate art education in rural communities.

See more about Lindsay at: https://lindsaylatva.wixsite.com/lindsaylatva

Our Name

We are all about the outdoors here in Colorado. In searching for a name for our organization, we knew we wanted to reflect these values. It began with a search for plants that created natural dyes. This led to a list of native trees in the western US. Our research taught us that Bristlecone Pines are hearty, rugged, and withstand harsh environments. They are long-lived trees that grow in exposed conditions on mountains, often in high terrain. They can survive in rocky, windy, drought laden conditions. Through all of this, Bristlecone Pines are the oldest living trees in the Rocky Mountains.

We thought this was a metaphor worth living. We believe the arts, and those who teach them, are strong, long-living, and can withstand harsh conditions. The arts are often forgotten or undermined by bureaucratic operations. However, they survive even the most difficult circumstances and are a what brings beauty to our communities.

Here at Bristlecone, we believe that every student has the right to a meaningful and rich art education. We believe that the teachers in these programs are amazing, hard working, and full of dynamic ideas. We also know that sometimes as an Art Educator, you don't have quite enough time to make all of these ideas come to fruition. Bristlecone is dedicated to building the capacity of these programs so teachers may thrive in their ideas and students can benefit from these lasting experiences.