After moving from California, Anthony Wilson has called Colorado home since he was 10 years old. Wilson studied Economics at CU Boulder before joining the staff of the College of Arts & Media (CAM) at CU Denver in 2019. As Finance & Operations Manager, Wilson oversees all aspects of the procurement process, assists in monitoring College financials and maintaining compliance with University policy and procedure. He also plays a part in the scholarship process and event coordination. When a professor needs money for a special project or concert they want to organize, or if they have an idea for a scholarship program, Wilson is often the first person they contact. Frequently called upon to help all three departments in CAM problem-solve, Wilson delights in the fact that he helps students and faculty execute their artistic endeavors. “One of my favorite parts about the College is the breadth of different programs that we have,” Wilson says. “Between our incredible faculty and students, I never cease to be amazed by the innovative and breathtaking projects that they propose and execute; it's truly inspirational.” 

Questions:

1. What is a project you’ve been involved in with CAM that you take pride in?

The revamping of our Events Process has been a project that I've been working on for several months now, culminating in the hire of Brennan Major, CAM's new Events Coordinator. Being able to assist in the revitalization of CAM's events scene, particularly coming from a role that primarily centered around finance, has been a breath of fresh air and has opened me up to so many new professional relationships, and provided me an opportunity to assist in elevating our wonderful College in the wider Denver events sphere.

Though I'm not always on the frontlines, I do see so much of the work that the CAM community puts forth, and to say I'm honored to be a part of it is an understatement. I hope everyone always feels empowered to introduce themselves to me or invite me to an exhibition, performance, gallery, etc. I love getting to meet our faculty and students, and being able to take back the incredible things I see produced by our community to my personal friends and family is such a neat experience. More often than not I get told by people that I must have the coolest job, and I'm pretty inclined to agree with them! 

2. Do you have a creative outlet? If so, what is it? 

I don't know that it's a creative outlet per se, but music is my entire life. Doesn't really matter what genre, or where the show is at. You can pretty much always catch me grooving at shows in my free time. Something about smiling and dancing with a bunch of strangers fills my heart with joy.

3. How do your personal and professional aspirations overlap in your role in CAM? 

Working with CAM has provided me an opportunity to consistently take on new challenges and constantly push myself to be more efficient. This sort of radical self-actualization is a mindset which I try to adopt in my personal life as well, and I take a great deal of pride in the intersection of my two "lives".

About a month into my job, I realized my role required me to stay organized, perhaps to a greater degree than your average staff member, due to the deadline-oriented nature of the projects I work on and the sheer amount of things CAM facilitates. I keep an old-school agenda notebook that I am constantly referring to and updating just to stay on top of everything!

4. Sometimes finances and the arts are seen as having an antithetical relationship. What has been your experience with the finance side of the college and the art it makes possible? 

Though I'm not an overtly artistic or creative person, I love art with all my heart. Working in a position like this allows me to handle all the—at times—confusing and frustrating finance and operational aspects of what our faculty do. I try to make it as simple as possible and provide as much support as I can, so that they can get back to changing the world and molding the minds of the future generation of artists. It's truly a very rewarding experience, even if the correlation isn't always immediately apparent. 

5. In your opinion, what is the value of a degree in the creative arts in our current job market? 

Coming out of COVID, the world has been reawakened to the importance of art and just how drastically it affects nearly every single aspect of our lives. Whether it's therapeutic, expressive, contemplative, or just plain fun, art touches every facet of the human experience. When we start looking at the world through that kind of lens, we realize that in some way, the creative arts "rule the world"! They tell our stories and they're the blueprints of our future.