Jessica Miller
As a member of the development team at Outright International, Jessica (she, they) leverages her corporate background to build and strengthen relationships with Outright's partners to accelerate momentum in advancing LGBTIQ human rights at the United Nations and globally. Through various avenues of advocacy and volunteering, Jessica believes in the power of altruism. She works to increase nutrition security, artistic freedom, educational equality, and resource conservation throughout her home state of Colorado. Jessica also harnesses the selfless energy of others as volunteer director for a number of organizations on the East Coast. As a musician and event promoter, Jessica creates safe spaces for all to share in the power of dance, community, and self-expression. Jessica holds degrees and certificates from the University at Buffalo and the University of California, Berkeley.
Melissa Orion Riggs
Melissa Orion Riggs is an artist, performer, emcee, and social-permaculture designer whose work moves fluidly between creative expression and regenerative practice. Through Common Grounding, she stewards a constellation of land-based projects in the North Fork Valley and beyond, weaving together community imagination, ecological design, and storytelling.
Melissa creates regularly with Paonia Players, contributing to local theater and collaborative arts, and is energized by the potential for future joint projects with Elsewhere Studios. Her work is shaped by the landscapes she calls home, the networks she helps cultivate, and the daily inspiration she finds with her husband JJ, and their four children.
Katie Kerr
“Katie is a visual abstract artist who gathers inspiration from the scientific and natural world. Her work explores different organic systems working together to create harmonious chaos. She lives in Paonia, and she’s passionate about public art, cooking, science fiction, biking, and jazz.”
Tara Seren
Tara Seren is an integrative healing practitioner and lifelong student of holistic and cross-cultural arts. With more than two decades of experience, she supports people through life’s threshold moments, drawing from studies in anthropology, holistic medicine, entheogenic traditions, folklore, and whole-cycle doula work.
Her approach weaves somatic and energetic practices, sound and DreamWork, and culturally aware, sacred methodologies that help individuals and artists return to their inner clarity, resilience, and creative spark.
Tara brings to Elsewhere a grounded presence rooted in cultural awareness, sacred stewardship, and a deep commitment to community wellbeing and the alchemy that emerges when creative minds gather.
Willow Windgood
Willow Windgood is a co-founder of the Elsewhere Studios residency program and non-profit, and continues to cultivate the space as her most collaborative and extensive community art piece! She now finds herself full circle, tending and giving breath to the program as part of the team, after many years of supporting from the sidelines as the home owner.
Willow is so excited about this next iteration of the building and program blooming into the community, as the power house it is, as the Temple to the Muse! She is an artist herself and creates art that acts as a doorway into the human imagination, invoking a sense of wonder and adventure.