ABOUT US

We started ARTwalk on Broadway in 2018 with the idea of creating events that would build cultural and economic vitality in Eagle’s Historic Downtown core. Due to the success of our monthly events, in 2019 we officially established EagleARTS as a nonprofit organization to provide a foundation for our efforts. EagleARTS is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Eagle, Colorado through the development of arts and culture. We have given local artists, musicians, and performers the opportunity to show off their talents, while also promoting our storefront merchants and local organizations. With the collaboration of our local government, local businesses, and the artisan community, we continue to produce programs and events that nurture and showcase the creativity of our community while building economic vitality.

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Meet the Team

Welcome to our team!

President & Chair

Tara Austin Novak

Tara is one of the founding members of the Downtown Business Alliance in Eagle, and also sits on the board of the Vail Valley Art Guild. Ms. Novak was a co-recipient of the 2019 Community Impact Award by the Town of Eagle in recognition of the economic impact of the ARTwalk initiative. Ms. Novak moved to the Vail Valley almost 30 years ago as a competitive snowboarder after receiving her degree in Packaging Design & Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology, with a minor in Graphic & Industrial Design. In 2000, she started Custom Creations & Restorations, Inc. working in resort homes doing specialty faux finish and furniture restoration from Breckenridge to Vail to Aspen. Ms. Novak opened ARTSPaCE workshop+gallery in 2015 and began producing monthly 2nd Friday Eagle ARTwalks in November 2018, officially forming EagleARTS as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in April 2019.

Program Director & Treasurer

Jennifer Filipowski

Jennifer joined the EagleARTS Board of Directors in February 2020, is one of the founding members of the Downtown Business Alliance in Eagle, and is instrumental in producing the organization’s programming. Ms. Filipowski was a recipient of the 2021 Community Impact Award by the Town of Eagle in recognition of the economic impact of 2nd Friday ARTwalk. Ms. Filipowski fell in love with skiing and the Vail Valley at a young age and after receiving her BA in Communications from the University of Illinois, moved to Colorado where she worked at the Vail Valley Arts Council, producers of the Vail and Beaver Art Festivals and one of the founding partners of the Vilar Arts Center. After leaving the valley to pursue a successful career in marketing and technology, she moved back to the Vail Valley and immediately went to work finding opportunities to support economic development in her new community.

Board Member

Laura Lieff

Laura runs her own writing, editing, and PR business called Lieff Ink. She is also a writing tutor at Colorado Mountain College, as well as a contributing writer for Covered Bridge and Mountain Lifestyle magazines. On Friday nights, she hosts a radio show called Bite the Bullet on 107.9 Radio Free Minturn. Ms. Lieff published her first book, Wookie Is Not His Real Name, in February 2021. When she is not working, she can be found enjoying the Colorado outdoors with her significant other Brian, their son Fleet, and their pups Sedona and Zephyr. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Laura Lieff grew up in the music business. Her family founded and operated a chain of record stores in Florida for 50 years and music has always played an important role in her life. Ms. Lieff moved to Colorado in 2002 to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder, where she earned her BA in English. At the age of 23, Ms. Lieff became a professional writer when she moved to Denver and began working as a reporter for the Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle. Over the years she was promoted to Content Editor and then to Executive Editor. In 2013, she resigned from the Chronicle and moved to the Vail Valley where she runs her own writing, editing, and PR business called Lieff Ink.

Board Member

Elke A. Kaiser Wells

Elke is a Landscape Architect working primarily in the Roaring Fork Valley and provides AutoCAD and design support for projects in Florida. Elke has a Bachelor of Science in Biology as a Naturalist from Appalachian State University and a Master in Landscape Architecture from N.C. State. Elke has moved to Colorado twice, and has now lived in the valley for 14 years. She retired from the Eagle Valley School District, after ten years, to refocus on her landscape architecture business and art.