Kari Palazzari (she,her,hers), Executive Director

Kari brings extensive experience in nonprofit management and leadership consulting to her role as Executive Director. Prior to moving to Colorado in 2006, she earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University and a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. She served as Board Treasurer of Groundworks Art Lab for nearly two years, helping with the transition from a city-run program to an independent non-profit organization. Earlier in her career, Kari launched both nonprofit and for-profit start-ups and also worked in marketing communications and project management. Kari is primarily responsible for the growth & expansion of the organization, including the capital campaign and construction process. As Executive Director she also manages the nonprofit support functions of the organization - finance, marketing, and fundraising - and reports to the Board of Directors.
Contact - kari.p@groundworksartlab.org

Aaron Winston (he,him,his), Artistic Director

Aaron earned a master's degree in printmaking from the University of New Mexico where he also began to practice a Japanese tradition of throwing porcelain. At the end of his studies, he was invited for a short but life changing stay with Living National Treasure, Inoue Manji, in Japan. Aaron moved to San Diego where he worked with Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail Design creating unique service pieces in porcelain and with Kouta Shimazaki at the San Diego Ceramic Connection, operating a community studio. In 2006, he came to Colorado and started working at the City of Boulder Pottery Lab and in 2015 he became the Director. Aaron oversees programs and partnerships of the organization as well as major facilities decisions. He manages the program staff - instructors and teaching assistants - and is responsible for fulfilling the artistic mission of the organization. Aaron reports to the Board of Directors.
Contact - aaron.w@groundworksartlab.org

Colleen McCarthy (she,her,hers), Operations Manager

Colleen graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor's degree in recreation and leisure services. She moved to Boulder in 1989, where she and her husband have raised their two sons. Once her sons started high school, she began taking pottery classes in January 2008. She became a volunteer assistant for the adult and teen classes and started working part-time in the summer of 2011; firing kilns, making glazes and general lab duties. Colleen taught youth classes for 6- and 7-year-olds as well. She now serves as Operations Manager, overseeing all activities at the studio. She also directs the organization's administrative functions, which includes data management, accounting, and scheduling.
Contact - colleen.m@groundworksartlab.org

Meredith Clinkinbeard (she,her,hers), Senior Manager of administration

Meredith graduated from University of Colorado with a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies with an emphasis in Biogeochemistry. Meredith has spent several years in the financial industry. In 2010, she took her first pottery class at the Pottery Lab. Through the years, she has taken on roles as a teaching assistant and pottery instructor for adult classes and now the role of Senior Manager of Administration. Outside of Groundworks Art Lab, Meredith can be found road biking, running or working in her studio.
Contact - meredith.c@groundworksartlab.org

Jaci Woodburn (she, her, hers), Senior Manager of Advancement

Jaci brings a diverse set of skills and experience to her role as Senior Manager of Advancement. As a true "Jaci of all trades", she earned a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her career has focused on project management and operations in a variety of fields, including mental health and behavioral care, construction and design for hotels and hospitality venues, an interactive technology start-up, and an equine assisted learning non-profit. She has a keen love for figuring out the unique "how" of any program or project, and then applies her wealth of skills and talent to bring it all to fruition. This is perfect for her position at Groundworks Art Lab, where she will tackle a variety of challenges as the organization continues to grow.

Contact - jaci.w@groundworksartlab.org

John Minkler (HE,Him,His), CLAY Studio Manager

John began making pottery in high school and was fortunate to have a great teacher and access to an outstanding facility. He earned a BFA in Ceramics and a BA in Art History at the University of Colorado. After college, he began working as a production potter and has never looked back. In 1998 he started his own ceramics business. He now lives in Longmont with his wife Mary Ellen and three kids. John brings his wealth of studio processes to his role at Groundworks Art Lab.

Contact - john.m@groundworksartlab.org

Samantha Shaw (She, Her, HERS), Clay Studio Manager

Samantha grew up in the mountains of WV and from a young age loved using her hands for making things. She received her BFA in ceramics and New Genres from Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe, NV and has been making pottery since 2002. While at Sierra Nevada college she became involved in woodfired ceramics at Great Basin Pottery near Doyle, CA and fell in love with the process. Once moving to CO in 2011 she was seeking the community and process that woodfiring provides and became involved in the Anagama firings at the Pottery Lab. She has been involved with Groundworks Art Lab ever since volunteering, assisting and teaching.

Contact - samantha.s@groundworksartlab.org

James Makely (He, Him, His), Metal Studio Manager

James Makely is an Artist, Designer, and Instructor who has dedicated his life to pursue his passion for blacksmithing on a full-time and professional basis. He began his passion for forging metals in his native home of West Virginia. The Appalachian hills and close contact to the abundant, vigorous vegetation play a role in his designs. At the age of twelve he fell in love with the old world traditions of blacksmithing. He explains, "I was enchanted to learn the mystique of the hot fire and wondered where it was going to take me”. For over thirty years James has worked as a blacksmith. Professionally, James’ work can be seen nationally as well as internationally. He has designed and constructed complex architectural forms, custom railings, gates, lighting, sculptures, and memorial monuments. His impeccable artisanship can be seen in every creation and he has always embraced the opportunity to provide clients with a hand-crafted legacy.

Contact - james.m@groundworksartlab.org

Melissa Pickering (She, Her, HERS), Print Studio Manager

Melissa Pickering has been an artist and lover of the humanities from an early age. She studied fine art in high school and college, and discovered printmaking in 2008, which promptly became her artistic passion. She loves the connection between process and creativity, leveraging both sides of her brain to make, ink, and print her ideas.

Contact - melissa.p@groundworksartlab.org

Thomas Cummings (He, Him, His), Wood Studio Manager

Tom graduated with an engineering degree from WPI but quickly discovered that studio furniture and custom woodworking offered him much greater creative freedom. He owned a custom woodworking studio in his 1890’s Carriage House outside of Boston for 25 years. Along the way, he earned a master's degree in education and taught thousands of students woodworking. Tom has been passionate about creating fine, hand-crafted works of art in wood, metal, and found objects full-time for the past 40 years. He has combined a love of learning new techniques with traveling - having been influenced by carvers he met in Ubud and Kathmandu, as well as the five years spent on St. John. Tom now finds himself  inspired by the mountains living in Boulder as the Manager of the woodworking shop at Groundworks Art Lab.

Contact - thomas.c@groundworksartlab.org

Sara Hailey (she,her,hers), Program Coordinator

Sara is a Boulder native who started taking kids classes at the Boulder Pottery Lab when she was a kindergartner and continued taking classes as time allowed. She graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Equine Science and has spent many years teaching horsemanship. She worked for BVSD and SVVSD for over 10 years where she taught multiple subjects and ages and spent the last few years working in a life skills program with students with special needs. She is thrilled to be part of the Groundworks Art Lab community and is looking forward to bringing pottery and joy to the people engaged in the SAB Partner Program. When she's not at the studio, you can find her riding the trails around Boulder on her horse, Minnie, or at home in Longmont with her partner and two dogs.

Contact - sara.h@groundworksartlab.org

Anayeli Vazquez-jimenez (She, her, hers), Program Coordinator

Anayeli Vazquez-Jimenez is a Colorado based visual artist and a Naropa University Honors Graduate. As an artist she expresses her creativity through visual narratives. When she is not exploring different art forms, she is found reading or running. Anayeli believes in the inherent connection to art and the need to create. She has dedicated years of research to the importance of fostering the creative self in each of us in the fields of Art Therapy and Early Childhood Development. She is happy to be a part of the amazing community at Groundworks Art Lab, an organization that shares the belief in “cultivating the artist in each of us”. Anayeli finds working in a creative and artistic environment gives her the most fulfillment in life. 

Anayeli Vázquez-Jiménez es una artista visual radicada en Colorado y graduada con honores de la Universidad de Naropa. Como artista expresa su creatividad a través de narrativas visuales. Cuando no está explorando diferentes formas de arte, se la encuentra leyendo o corriendo. Anayeli cree en la conexión inherente al arte y la necesidad de crear. Ha dedicado años de investigación a la importancia de fomentar el yo creativo en cada uno de nosotros en los campos de la Arteterapia y el Desarrollo Infantil. Está feliz de ser parte de la increíble comunidad de Groundworks Art Lab, una organización que comparte la creencia de "cultivar al artista que hay en cada uno de nosotros". Anayeli considera que trabajar en un entorno creativo y artístico le brinda la mayor satisfacción en la vida.

Contact - anayeli.v@groundworksartlab.org

Codey Davis (She, They), Program Coordinator

Codey has always had a passion for creating and helping people find that creativity within themselves. From teaching art camp in high school to teaching her classes now, she loves seeing the joy in peoples’ faces when they make something they’re proud of and want to show off. In 2018 she graduated with a BFA in Ceramics from RIT in Rochester, NY and made her way to Colorado. She has worked at a few different ceramic studios processing work, reclaiming clay, engaging with the community, and teaching all different styles of making. She's excited to see more of what happens behind the scenes in her role as program coordinator. In her free time, Codey enjoys working in her studio or hanging out with her wife and three dogs: Jedi, Oli, and Nox.

Leo Creighton (he,Him,His), Brand Associate

Leo earned a degree in Art History from CU Boulder and worked in high-level administration for a large arts organization where he oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Director’s office and managed both short- and long-term projects. He returned to school to study design and multimedia technology and became editorial designer for an online civil discourse platform where real people share real stories. Leo’s extensive skillset and administrative experience are perfectly suited to help Groundworks Art Lab grow. Outside work, Leo maintains an active interest in contemporary art history (which he assures us is not an oxymoron). He also plays the ukulele and is an avid Lego collector, just ask him.

Contact - leo.c@groundworksartlab.org

Taylyn Carrizal (She, They), Marketing Associate

Taylyn's background in healthcare has shaped her deep appreciation for hearing people's stories and learning what motivates them in life. Her drive to make a difference leads her to marketing, where she seeks to connect individuals with brands and organizations that can enhance their lives. Taylyn is particularly drawn to social media marketing, recognizing its power for creativity and community-building. Groundworks Art Lab embodies those same qualities, and she is thrilled to contribute to their growth.

Contact - taylyn.c@groundworksartlab.org

Sam Watkins (He, Him, His), CLay Studio Assistant

Sam earned his bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology from Berry College in 2014. While there, he was a studio assistant for the pottery department to hone the skills he learned at a young age. Since then, Sam practiced and worked at three pottery studios before finding Groundworks Art Lab. He took classes for three years before stepping into a part-time teaching role. Now, he is teacher and a studio assistant, focusing primarily on clay recycling, glaze formulation, and kiln processing. In his free time, Sam explores the outdoors with his partner Jennie and their dog Cahya. 

Contact - sam.w@groundworksartlab.org

Akane Kleinkopf (She. Her, Hers), Print Studio Assistant

Akane began printmaking in 2017 at Whitman College, where she earned her BA in History and Japanese. She then went on to receive her MA in Japanese from CU Boulder, where she was a teaching assistant for five semesters. Akane has been teaching printmaking classes at Groundworks Art Lab since 2023, and is excited to introduce the Boulder community to the vast world of print as an instructor and studio assistant. 

Contact - akane.k@groundworksartlab.org