Trade School returns alongside Outdoor Retailer with four-days of inspired discussion, original art and informal collisions with leading athletes, advocates, entrepreneurs and artists of the outdoor industry.
July 23 - 26
Live from the lobby of the Aloft Hotel (800 15th St. @ Stout | Downtown Denver)
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Trade School Talks are free & open to the public.
All sessions take place live in the lobby of the Aloft Hotel in Downtown Denver. | 800 15th Street, on the corner of 15th and Stout.
Explore the schedule below. Click for discussion details and session speakers. Check back for session updates.
FEATURED SPEAKERS:
Darcy Gaechter, Adventurer/Kayaker | Luis Benitez, Colorado Outdoor Rec | Tracy Ross, Award-Winning Writer of the West | Shannon Galpin, Endangered Activism | Madaleine Sorkin, Climbing Grief Fund | Jason Blevins, Writer & Co-Founder, Colorado Sun | Tom Adams, Utah Outdoor Rec | Mackenzie “Mack Daddy” McGrath, First Descents | Gretchen Jones, Award-Winning Fashion Director | Kelly Bastone, Outdoor Journalist | Mely Whiting, Trout Unlimited | Cailin O’Brien-Feeney, Oregon Outdoor Rec Industry | Amy Kemp, Entrepreneur & All-Around Boss-Woman | Brendan Leonard, Semi-Rad | Kim Beekman, Backbone Media | Domenic Bravo, Wyoming Outdoor Rec | Rachel VandeVoort, Montana Outdoor Rec | Stacy Bare, The Phoenix | Scott McGuire, Stoke Broker | Female Founders & CEOs of Bold Betties, Western Rise,Gearo, Wylder Goods, Heroclip | Camber Outdoors | American Whitewater | Backcountry Hunters & Anglers | Colorado Department of Natural Resources | American Alpine Club | Mayfly Outdoors | Grand Junction Economic Partnership and Riverfront at Las Colonias Park | Colorado Outdoors Project | Bonsai Design | Access Fund
Monday, 7/23
- 11:00 am — The Confluence of Rivers & Economic Restoration
- 1:00 pm — River Revival – The intersection of agriculture, water and an emerging outdoor recreation economy
- 3:00 pm — Next Generation Conservation Movement – 50 Years of Wild & Scenic Rivers
Tuesday, 7/24
- 11:00 am — Adventure Entrepreneurs of Camber Outdoors Pitchfest
- 1:00 pm — Women Writers of the West
- 3:00 pm — Spirituality, Religion & the Outdoors
- 4:00 pm — Healthy Happy Hour
Wednesday, 7/25
- 11:00 am — Public Lands and Waters
- 1:00 pm — The Outdoors as the Path to Wellness
- 3:00 pm — A Conversation with the Artists
Thursday, 7/26
- 8:30 am — Creating the Adventure Impact Working Group (AIWG)
- 11:00 am — The Confluence Accords – A Behind the Scenes Look with the Colorado Sun
- 1:00 pm — Women of the Water
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Andrea Slusarski (@drawingfromnature)
Andrea is a teaching artist, sketchbook adventurer & advocate for creative confidence from Denver, Colorado. Her work is rooted in the lines created by nature, chartered, followed down trails, and carved through snow. Her sketchbooks continue to fill with the lines & messages throughout the landscapes & stories she explores.
"Ever since I can imagine, I've needed to be outside - adventuring, sketching, getting lost in the surroundings around me and in my drawings. Creating is my way of fully submerging myself into my world. My art is inspired by the simple connection I hold with nature and the feeling I try to preserve with every painting or drawing. I feel most alive when I am out in the wilderness, and even more so when I create."
Noelle Phares (@pharen_art)
Noelle is a watercolor and mixed media artist who brings fresh perspective into her landscape themes through creative texturing via embroidery and abstract detail atop realistic subjects. For the past decade, Noelle has been painting across the American West and currently lives in Denver, CO. As an environmental scientist by trade, she brings her left-brain attention to detail and discipline into her artwork, allowing the same topics that drive her professional work to seep into her art to inspire people to respect and wonder at natural resources.
"I feel that humans have been moving farther away from their wild roots. Through my artwork, I try to bring outdoor inspiration and awe into a viewer’s daily life. While acknowledging the impossibility of re-creating the intricate beauty of the natural world, I am drawn to add abstraction to my watercolor pieces through alternative mediums such as embroidery - allowing the viewer to join me in an exploration of nature’s treasures. My favorite themes are abstract mountain and desertscapes- places that have always drawn me peacefully away from the hustle of human life and back to tranquil balance."
Kat Carney (@katcarney)
Kat is an outdoor adventure photographer based in Providence, RI. She has worked with brands and agencies like REI, Kelty, British Airways, Hyundai, Travel Wisconsin, TomTom, Gregory, Lifestraw, and Outdoor Research, and has been published in Outside Magazine, Backpacker, Misadventures, and many more. Kat’s recent adventures include spending a month surfing the entire Baja peninsula, piloting her own dog sled in Wisconsin, and climbing the Stawamus Chief in Squamish, Canada.
"I love using color to help tell a story and nature has the most beautiful palette. Most of my work involves people living life outside, in particular the strength of women in tandem with the power and beauty of the great outdoors."
EXHIBIT HOURS
8:00AM - 8:00PM | July 22 - July 30
Aloft Hotel, 800 15th Street, Denver
Trade School is presented in partnership with and with support from:
With special thanks to the Outdoor Industry Association and Outdoor Retailer.