Teachers and Staff

Lauren spent her childhood in Long Island, New York, and she was fortunate to have parents who exposed her to both art and skiing at a young age. Lauren loved to do anything creative and this became her passion growing up. When it came time to select a college and a major, her family was incredibly supportive of her love of art and everyone brainstormed ideas that would allow her to pursue art as a career. There were many conversations around the dinner table that sparked the idea of opening an arts center someday! 

Lauren attended University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design and she explored as many art mediums as she could fit into four years. After college, Lauren accepted a K-12 Art Teacher position at Vail Mountain School and moved to beautiful Vail, Colorado which quickly became home. Her love of teaching, connections with families throughout the valley, and role on the board of Eagle Valley Artists Alliance sparked the idea to open Alpine Arts Center for the community. Lauren is thrilled to realize her lifelong dream and explore this journey as Alpine Arts Center’s owner and founder. Lauren’s Portfolio

Russell is from the Great Lakes State – Michigan, growing up he enjoyed time on the water in the summer and always explored lots of northern MI winter adventures. Russell has always had a passion for multiple creative mediums… Drawing, calligraphy, photography, video production, graphic design, writing & storytelling. All those creative passions lead him to focus his studies on Television Production & Graphic Design at Ferris State University. Russell brings several years of experience in various areas of creativity within telecommunications, multimedia production, design, marketing, network television, internet, large corporate & small businesses to the Alpine Arts Center. Beautiful Edwards Colorado is Russell’s settling point and he is enjoying all CO seasons to the extreme! Russell is looking forward to sharing his creative passions and growing the Alpine Arts Center community.

Born in Dallas, TX – Aileen’s family moved to Colorado early on and she has spent the majority of her life growing up in the valley. Her passion for art sparked at a very young age! With lots of creative diligence over the years, Aileen has become experienced in a wide variety of art mediums – oil & acrylic paint, charcoal, pastel, watercolor, embroidery, mixed media and digital. Aileen’s hobbies are spending time in the great CO outdoors listening to music, making clothes and playing her Nintendo Switch 🙂

Val spent her childhood in Belgium with a very crafty mom. She moved to the Vail Valley (after an 8 year stop in the South East of France) to become a ski and fitness instructor. She teaches various mediums during summer camps, but her favorite is to reuse materials and repurpose them to create art. Currently, she’s also hooked on watercolor! Val loves skiing, cooking, nature, photography and her sweet family (2 daughters, plus her handsome and handy husband). Valerie’s Portfolio

Debbie has lived and worked in the Vail Valley for 30+ years. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ohio University with a major in painting, however, realized in her final quarter that her passion was really ceramics. From graduation on, she pursued ceramics beginning with work in a small pottery studio on the upper west side of Manhattan. Eventually, she began teaching pottery classes, entering her work in art shows around the city and finally became one of the founding members and owners of the 78th Street Pottery Coop in New York City.

In 1976 she attended a summer workshop at the SummerVail Art Workshops, where she studied ceramics and fell in love with Colorado. She accepted a position with the SummerVail Art Workshops as ceramics assistant, and moved to Vail. Debbie says, “It was an inspiring summer and I continued to work for the Workshop for several summers, in addition to teaching pottery classes at Colorado Mountain College’s two facilities in Vail and Eagle.” She produced a line of dinner ware in her East Vail pottery studio, and her pottery was sold in galleries in Vail, Minturn, and Glenwood Springs, as well as numerous art shows and festivals throughout Colorado, including Vail Arts Festivals where she won Best of Show several years running. In addition to her ceramics career, Debbie taught Art at Red Sandstone Elementary School for many years. Debbie’s Portfolio

When Emily first picked up a camera years ago it opened her eyes in a way that encouraged her to slow down and see the daily surroundings in a new light, and she began self teaching. Emily believes that we cultivate empathy and new approaches to our ingrained modes of thought when we stay open to viewing our environments from different angles, in various lights, and from others’ perspectives as well. As a member of Nature First, a global alliance for responsible nature photography, a lot of Emily’s work focuses on our natural surroundings as she is passionate about the care and preservation of our outdoor spaces and wild places. She enjoys working with nature networks and organizations doing good things for the community and for the environment. Emily Kent loves being able to capture unique moments with those you love in the artistry of our natural surroundings. 

Emily grew up in the state of Minnesota and worked for both undergraduate and graduate degrees, in Psychology and Education. After college, Emily and her husband, along with two daughters moved around the country during the family’s 16 years in the U.S. Air Force. The Kents transitioned to the mountains of Colorado in summer of 2019 and are overjoyed to call this beautiful place home.  Emily’s Portfolio

Blake was born in Napa Valley, California and moved to Homestead, Colorado in first grade. Blake is a sophomore at Vail Christian High School and enjoys many forms of art. His favorite mediums are ink sketching, oil paints and watercolor. Blake has a passion for big mountain skiing & competition, and loves outdoor activities such as fly fishing, tennis, and golf. 

Born in Denver, Olivia’s family moved to the Vail Valley in her middle school years. While attending many art camps at the Alpine Arts Center, she developed a love for acrylics, watercolor and charcoal. Olivia’s interests include art, skiing, surfing, and volleyball. 

Sage’s love for art comes from the beautiful Vail Valley she was raised in. Since middle school, Sage has been taking a variety of art classes experimenting with different styles, her favorites being charcoal and oil paints. If you can’t find Sage in the studio, you can definitely find her snowboarding the fresh powder or in the midst of a mountain bike race.