Behind the Cape: Colorado Mythology for the Future
Colorado Mythology for the Future aims to share the perspectives of Little Red from the lens of a Black, queer/non-binary and Native women all fighting their own wolves in today’s world. Artists K8e Orr, Ashley Cornelius, and Sophie Trémeau will invoke the color red and Colorado mythology for a retelling of her-story.
Behind the Cape
Creative Team
Behind the Cape Creative Team
K8e Orr
K8e Orr always sought solace in art. In her youth she was a skilled improviser, thinker, explorer, as well as her older brother’s comic book inker. As she grew as an artist, she fell in love with the art of storytelling, and was influenced by the iconography she developed in her own life as well as designs from different cultures and periods throughout history. She creates intricate patterns that flow throughout her objects, which often have a whimsical and ancient feel. She has a connection with an older place in time and loves to scavenge vintage items, which she paints, dismantles, or uses as parts in her one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces. She enjoys working with various supplies and focuses on using unique and recycled materials whenever possible. She has devoted her life entirely to artistic pursuits, working for local nonprofits (completing about 50 Community projects), running her own business (Jibwa at the Manitou Art Center), opening galleries, and helping others learn how to follow art as their passion. She has a dedication to finding artistic conclusions for the problems found in life and hopes to reach people and their emotions through her individual artistic impressions, community projects, and a sharing of ideas.
Ashley Cornelius
Ashley Cornelius is a nationally recognized poet and Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate. Her poetry reflects her intersectionality as a black woman. She is a Rising Star, class of 2021 with the Colorado Springs Business Journal. She is the gold winner of the Colorado Springs Independent Best of Artist Category, 2019. She competed at the Women of the World Poetry Slam in 2018. She has been featured at Tedx Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College, the Colorado Springs Women’s March, and the Colorado Nonprofit Association. Ashley was nominated for two 2018 Pikes Peak Art Council (PPAC) awards and won best recurring poetry event. She has also been featured at Tedx Colorado Springs. Ashley has a master’s degree in International Disaster Psychology from DU, and is the RISE program manager at Denver Health. Ashley is the Co-Director of Poetry 719, a poetry group lifting the voices of marginalized communities and BIPOC folks through poetry. She aims to inspire, empower, evoke change. Ashley has a background in poetry education and was the Program Director of an arts nonprofit in Denver focused on poetry workshop and curriculum. Ashley is committed to using poetry as a platform to speak up and out for marginalized groups and be a voice for those who have been silenced.
Sophie T.
Sophie T. (they/she) is a multimedia artist, drawing inspiration from generations of non-binary wandering mountain folk, city slickers, and the pure joy and curiosity of children (of all ages). Sophie received an MA and BA from NYU in Global Liberal Studies with a focus in political science. They have co-directed plays, curated arts festivals, taught French and theatre to K-12 in New York and Colorado. Most notably and most recently, Sophie survived clown school in Paris at the Ecole Philippe Gaulier. After working and performing for the last decade with community-based local organizations such as the Millibo Art Theatre, Springs Ensemble Theatre, and the Manitou Springs Arts Academy, Sophie has a wide range of skills in teaching and performing children’s theatre and puppetry. While living in New York, they also worked at the French Heritage Language Program with both newly arrived and multi-generational immigrant families and students, whose bi-lingual musical Amidou et Toya received large acclaim at the annual lycée français theatre competition. Nominated by the CS Business Journal Rising Star in 2019 for their work with LGBTIQ+ young people and outreach education with Inside Out Youth Services, Sophie currently volunteers as an artivist around the Springs, devoted to developing projects in educational outreach and art programming that provide more sacred and creative spaces—in service of authentic individual expression, community accountability, and liberation on all fronts.
Stay Connected
3×3 Projects: Creative Collaborations from Isolation
Artists collaborate all the time, but not always from a distance. In our present reality of isolation, artists must find different avenues for the creation and presentation of work. With this in mind, the Fine Arts Center and Performing Arts at Colorado College invited artists of the Rocky Mountain West and American Southwest to pitch collaborative, multidisciplinary projects to premiere online in the coming months. More on 2021 3×3 Projects