ABOUT US
We started with the simple idea of connecting artists with the community. Established in 2019, EagleARTS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Eagle, CO through the development of arts and culture. By collaborating with our local government, local businesses, and the artisan community, we produce programs and events that nurture and showcase the creative vitality Eagle has to offer. We are grateful for all the enthusiasm, participation, growth, and support!
TARA NOVAK
President & Chair
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, Tara started Custom Creations & Restorations, Inc. in 2000 working in resort homes doing specialty faux finish and furniture restoration from Denver to Vail to Aspen. Ms. Novak began producing monthly 2nd Friday Eagle ARTwalks with Kat Conner in November 2018, officially forming EagleARTS as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in April 2019. Ms. Novak 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 ARTwalk.
JENNIFER FILIPOWSKI
Program Director & Treasurer
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. She 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.
LAURA LIEFF
Board Member
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.
In addition to working diligently for her clients, Ms. Lieff is 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.