Photo by Liz Levy
The CherryArts Emerging Artist program will help five new, emerging artists prepare for and participate in the festival. Each selected emerging artist—defined as an artist near the beginning of their career—will receive $5,000 in unrestricted funds to pursue any investment that supports their work. Discover more about this year’s juried artists and their unique creative practices.
“Art has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a ceramic artist, painter, and sculptor, I create work that reflects both the beauty of nature and the warmth of human connection. My journey began in South Korea, where I spent my childhood constantly drawing, sculpting, and exploring various forms of craft. This early passion led me to pursue a Ceramic Art degree at Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea, where I deepened my knowledge and skills in ceramics.
My work today blends traditional Korean pottery techniques with freehand building, allowing me to bring both structure and organic fluidity into my pieces. I primarily work with mid-to-high fire glazes, but I also appreciate the raw, unglazed surfaces of clay, which highlight the natural textures and character of the material itself. Through my art, I strive to capture subtle yet powerful moments of life—the fleeting expressions of love, the quiet beauty of nature, and the resilience found in everyday existence.
As an emerging artist, I am truly honored and excited to be part of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival and to have been selected for the Emerging Artist Program. This opportunity means so much to me, and I look forward to connecting with artists, mentors, and the broader art community through this program. I am eager to learn, grow, and share my artistic journey while engaging with the inspiring creatives who make this festival such a meaningful experience.”
Rachel Meyers Hefferan is a textile artist and small-scale shepherd focused on sustainability in their art practice and lifestyle. Rachel received a bachelor’s degree in 2013 from the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan with magna cum laude honors and an emphasis of study in environmental science. Rachel lives on five acres in Fennville, Michigan and raises Pygora and Angora goats, Jacob sheep, and a few Icelandic and Shetland sheep. Rachel completed her master’s degree in 2020 at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where she focused mainly on weaving, but paired with Natural Dyes.
Her artwork focuses on microbial networks, connectivity, pattern, and fermentation, and most often takes the form of large scale abstract weavings. Her aim as a textile artist is to engage in holistic practice that brings natural and second-hand materials through the entirety of their life cycle without sacrificing aesthetics or color, and to invite others into this practice through conversation, workshops, community, and other events.
Kristen St. Clair (b. 1989, Virginia) is a mixed media artist based in Denver, Colorado, who recently transitioned from a corporate career to pursue art full-time. As a parent of two young boys, she draws her passion and motivation from the joyful chaos of everyday family life.
Kristen’s artistic practice explores the intersection of history, culture, and humanity, using a unique blend of ceramics, resin, and found objects. Influenced by the patterns and textures of vintage textiles, clothing, and architecture, she transforms discarded objects or grotesque forms into pieces that are both intriguing and feminine. Fascinated by the narratives embedded in these items, Kristen invites viewers to consider the past through a contemporary lens, highlighting the timeless nature of certain shapes, forms, and themes.
Benjamin Stanford is a figurative painter currently living in Denver, Colorado. Working primarily with oil, Ben often borrows from the foundations of classical painting and religious iconography, using them as a springboard to explore his own perspectives and internal world. He places his subjects in surrealist dreamscapes where the spaces that unfold feel both familiar and otherworldly. While capturing the likeness of his subjects is of high priority, he makes an effort to strike a balance between the deliberate rendering of form and intuitive response. This open-ended process of translation creates a unique place to gesture toward the ambiguous, enigmatic, and unknown.
Tricia Waddell is the textile artist behind Studio Blkbird, based in Denver, Colorado. Informed by her degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a variety of surface design workshops, her work combines organic forms with painting and screen printing using reactive dyes and resists. She uses visual textures inspired by abstract art and graphic design blended with mixed media and fiber elements for soft sculptures and wall pieces that evoke radical vulnerability.
“I make soft sculptures and art pieces that are self-portraits and expressions of everything I keep hidden.
I am obsessed with the visceral combination of dye, cloth, texture, and form to hold memories and tell stories with deep emotional resonance. No matter how confident we appear on the outside, we all struggle with mental health challenges, hidden pain, and negative self-talk. By exploring raw internalized emotions in my work, I want people to feel seen and less alone. Inspired by the beliefs in many cultures that objects and dolls can hold protective, healing, and magical powers as talismans, I strive to create intimate works that embody quiet emotional power and empathy.”
