Paulina M. Johnson I 2021 COTY

Originally from Mexico City, via California, and South Carolina, Paulina has been immersed in the fields of art and graphic design for over 15 years. She is currently dedicating herself to exploring the possibilities of what simple strips of paper can do. Glued on edge, paper strips extend out into the 3-dimensional world and react to light, color and movement in pretty magical ways. They are able to engage in a conversation with the viewer based on physical perspective. They are also able to react to, and with, their environment as lighting changes throughout the day.

Paulina holds BFA from the Academy of Art University and the University of San Francisco as well as an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. In addition to being YBC’s Artist of the Year, Paulina is also an adjunct professor at Colorado Mountain College (CMC) and an exhibiting partner at Pine Moon Fine Art. 

WEBSITE: https://paulinamjohnson.com/ // INSTAGRAM: @paulinamjohnson

Madeleine Greeson I 2020 COTY

Madeleine Greeson, creator of Paragon & Bone, specializes in striking, handmade jewelry utilizing a variety of materials including: gemstones, bone, metal and leather.  She has been an active member of YBC since 2017, starting as one of the first participants in our Farmers Market booth. Madeleine’s momentum in growing Paragon & Bone contributed a driving force in helping expand YBC's market programs. Her magical jewelry can be found not only at YBC markets, but locally in Ohana, on the Paragon & Bone Etsy site, and various artisan markets throughout Colorado. 

ETSY SITE: PARAGON & BONE // INSTAGRAM: @paragoneandbone

Jules BNXX I 2019 COTY

JULES BNXX HAS PARTICIPATED IN EVERY YBC GROUP SHOW SINCE BECOMING A MEMBER IN MARCH 2018. HIS SOLO EXHIBIT, SOCIETY SHED, IN AUGUST 2018, FEATURED A COLLECTION OF MIXED MEDIA WORK EXPLORING THE FEELING OF STRUCTURAL DECAY & SOCIETAL DIS-INTEGRATION. BNXX SOLD SIX PIECES FROM THIS SHOW AND IS QUICKLY BECOMING OUR MOST COLLECTIBLE YBC CREATIVE. YBC IS THRILLED TO HONOR JULES WITH THE 2019 CREATIVE OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR HIS EXEMPLARY WORK AND PARTICIPATION WITH YBC OVER THE PAST YEAR. HE WILL HAVE HIS SOLO SHOW IN AUGUST OF 2019.

Julian Banks, b. 1981; Queens, NY. Raised in the Bronx. Studied at Mason Gross School of the Arts; Rutgers University: New Brunswick, NJ.  Came to Colorado through internship from pastry school; Institute of Culinary Arts, NYC.  Resident for better part of a decade.

Alex Sorapuru | 2018 COTY

"NOT EVERYTHING THAT IS FACED CAN BE CHANGED, BUT NOTHING CAN BE CHANGED UNTIL IT IS FACED" - JAMES BALDWIN

I have recently become enamored with the idea of taking risks. Taking risks, in my early life and education career was something I tended to stay away from. It meant stepping away from what I knew I did well, something I was not comfortable with. Recently I have taken the biggest risk of my life, as I have left the comfort of humidity and slang of Southern Louisiana in order to discover the mountain lifestyle of Northwest Colorado. Engulfed by unfamiliar sights, sounds, and feelings there are now new things for me to question. An opportunity to diversify my work; blending together the old and the new. 

works in progress

alex-sorapuru.squarespace.com