CU DENVER VISUAL ARTS BFA THESIS EXHIBITION
The Visual Arts BFA Thesis Exhibition is a demonstration of the artistic, creative, and scholarly spirit of the Visual Arts Class of 2025 in the areas of 3D Graphics & Animation, Art History, Art Practices, Digital Design, Illustration, and Photography. Graduating visual arts students' work will be on display at the following events:
- BFA Thesis Exhibition: on display at Redline Contemporary Art Center, April 26 - May 10, 2025
- Alumni Panel: Redline Contemporary Art Center, Tuesday April 29, 2025, 5pm - 8pm
- Art History & Animation Presentations: Sie Film Center, Wednesday May 7, 2026, 6pm - 9pm
- Closing Celebration & Reception: Redline Contemporary Art Center, Thursday May 8, 2025, 5 - 8pm
Alumni Panelists
Cortney Lane Stell ('04)
MA, European Graduate School
Executive Director + Chief Curator Black Cube
Independent Curator
PhD Candidate in Media Communications, European Graduate School
Cortney Lane Stell is the Executive Director + Chief Curator of Black Cube, a nomadic contemporary art museum based in Denver, Colorado. Stell recently served on Denver’s Commission on Cultural Affairs, as appointed by the mayor. She has held independent curatorial practice since 2006, which has included curating numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally for museums, university galleries, biennials and art events. Stemming from a philosophical interest in art as communication, Stell has organized exhibitions that focus on artworks experimental in both conceptual and material nature, including exhibitions with artists such as Liam Gillick, Cyprien Gaillard, Daniel Arsham, and Shirley Tse. In her role as the Executive Director + Chief Curator of Black Cube, she has art-directed dozens of site-specific artworks including works by SANGREE, Adriana Corral, Rindon Johnson, and Jennifer Ling Datchuk—to name a few. Stell holds a MA from the European Graduate School in Switzerland where she is also a PhD candidate in Media Communications.
Courtney Pierce ('15)
MA, University of Denver
PhD student, CU Denver
Courtney Pierce (she/her) is a PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder in the School of Art & Art History with a focus on the Arts of the Americas. Her research interests include the history of American fashion, dress, and textiles—including Indigenous American dress and the diasporic cultures that constitute the United States—and the cultural meanings embedded within these objects. Her research further seeks to interrogate the museological practices behind fashion and dress exhibitions and how they inspire critical thought and engagement, and how a decolonial curatorial practice can offer alternative narratives to the history of fashion. She previously worked as the Curatorial Assistant in the Textile Arts and Fashion department at the Denver Art Museum, and in the fashion industry as a buyer and visual merchandiser.
Courtney holds an MA in Art History from the University of Denver, and a BA in Art History from the University of Colorado Denver.
Chelsea Minter Brindley ('21)
Flex Art Creative Producer, Meow Wolf
Art in Public Places Commissioner, City of Aurora
Colorado-based photographer Chelsea Minter Brindley has been documenting her journey through motherhood for the past several years. As a sculptor and analog photographer, Chelsea works with materials that challenge outdated ideologies surrounding gender and place, merging the flat image with three-dimensional media to push beyond conventional boundaries. Endlessly curious and wildly experimental, she seeks to harmonize creativity, independence, and motherhood through her work. Chelsea has a BFA in Art Practices from the University of Colorado Denver. She works as a Creative Producer at Meow Wolf and is an Art in Public Places Commissioner for the City of Aurora.
Katey Marquette ('17)
Freelance Art Direction & Illustration
Caliper Productions
With over a decade of freelance and contract experience in the fields of motion design, marketing, and branding, Katey Marquette directs with a unique blend of creativity and strategy. A problem solver at heart, Katey’s passion for tackling challenges, whether creative brainstorms or technical troubleshooting, helps her transform innovative ideas into engaging realities that captivate audiences.
Her journey includes leading and producing high-impact animation and branding projects for industry giants such as Google, Meta, and Visa. From art and creative direction to project management and hands-on execution, she has a proven track record of bringing compelling visions to life for clients across wildly diverse sectors. Passionate about pushing boundaries, Katey continues to elevate brands through innovative storytelling, dynamic design, and color-coded spreadsheets.
Amber Somthaboun ('19)
UI/UX Developer, Selling Simplified/Foundry
Freelance Designer/Illustrator
Amber Somthaboun is a graduate from the University of Colorado Denver with a BFA in digital design and illustration. Amber currently works as a UI|UX Developer at Selling Simplified / Foundry and a freelance designer/illustrator. She enjoys using her skills to develop innovative and narrative designs and illustrations. Taking drawings from paper into the digital space for dashboard tools and interactive illustrations. Amber's background in the these two creative spaces allows a different creative view on how products and illustrations will come to life.
Cameron Sprague
Virtual Production Artist
Cameron Sprague is a graduate from CU Denver’s Digital Animation Center (DAC). He was part of the first group of seniors to do their short film using Unreal Engine, which helped push him to focus his career in real-time virtual production. After working in the broadcast industry for several years creating XR and AR graphics for companies like ESPN, NFL Network, and FOX Sports before switching to freelance for film projects with Miramax, Pace Pictures, and other small studios. He is also now a part time instructor at the DAC, helping students pursue their dreams in the ever-evolving virtual production industry.
Moderator
Lucinda Bliss
2025 Alumni Panel Moderator
Dean, College of Arts & Media
MFA, Vermont College of Fine Arts
A leader in arts education, Bliss will be bringing experience as both an educator and artist to CAM. At MassArt, Bliss took pride in her work creating greater access to education, while navigating a shifting landscape in academia. She believes in working with faculty and staff to create a mission and vision for CAM aligned with CU Denver’s goal of becoming an equity-serving intuition.
“I’m a bit of a unicorn in my interests and well aligned with CAM in that regard,” said Bliss. “For over twenty years I have been a committed visual artist, teacher, and administrator; however, I played in garage bands for years, and though I’m not a serious musician, I still play piano and bass for fun. I love vinyl records and have a voracious appetite for music."
Bliss attended Skidmore College as an undergraduate to study theater, thinking she wanted to write and act, but quickly fell in love with art history and ended up focusing on art history and the visual arts. After college Bliss worked at the William Morris Agency, in the motion theater and theater department, while taking night classes at the Art Students League in New York. Bliss said "in a sense, CAM feels like a reunion with some of my early interests.”
College of Arts & Media
CU Denver
Arts Building
1150 10th Street
Suite 177
Denver, CO 80204
303-315-7400
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