Abbey Andersen, Board Co-President
Abbey Andersen has made a life out of following her nose and tastebuds. She is an illustrator and ceramicist, holding a BA in studio art and creative writing from Humboldt State University, but her favorite medium is food—farms, foraging, setting tables in beautiful spots, and gathering people around them. Originally from the Northwest, and after many years of teaching art and working in the food realm across the country, Abbey arrived in Paonia for a residency at Elsewhere in 2019 and set up shop. Here on the Western Slope, she teaches seasonal classes with Arts For All, makes pottery and popsicles, periodically illustrates for High Country News, and coordinates farm harvest events for hunger relief through her work with UpRoot Colorado.
Jessica Miller, Board Co-President
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.
Alicia Toldi, Board Vice President
California born & raised, Alicia Toldi is currently based on unceded Ute land in Paonia, Colorado, where she is on a constant quest to make a life out of adventuring and working with her hands. She is a creative organizer, artist, aspiring permaculturist, and traditional craft enthusiast. She is 1/2 of Piney Wood Atlas, a collaborative project that visits and catalogues small and unconventional artist residencies, creating regional field guide publications and strengthening a country-wide network of alternative residencies for artists and facilitators alike.
Rebecca Worby, Board Secretary
Originally from New York, Rebecca Worby is a writer and editor currently based in Austin, Texas. She is the editorial director of Reasons to be Cheerful, a nonprofit online magazine. Her two Elsewhere residencies were way back in 2012 and 2013, but the pull of Paonia is strong: Becca returned as a High Country News fellow for all of 2017. Her writing has appeared in Outside, Orion, Guernica, Catapult, Lit Hub, and elsewhere. She received her MFA in creative nonfiction from Columbia University.
Carolina Porras, Board Member
Carolina Porras Monroy (she/her/hers) is a Floridian Guatemalan-American currently living in North Adams, Massachusetts where she is Studios Residency Manager at MASS MoCA after four years of managing Elsewhere Studios. She is co-founder of Piney Wood Atlas, a country-wide artist residency research project highlighting radical and DIY spaces through publications and online resources. Currently, her creative practice involves working with her hands in any way through drawing, textile work, and repairing bikes.
Photo by Freddie Rankin II