Visiting Artist R. Alan Brooks working with Kent Denver arts classes

Visiting Artist ProgramKent Denver School is seeking applications and/or project proposals for our Visiting Artist Program for the 2026-27 school year.

Recent participants in our Visiting Artist Program include mixed media artist Michael Gadlin (2021), performers from Soul Penny Circus (2022), musicians from At The Table Group (2023), graphic novelist and illustrator R. Alan Brooks (2024) and director and theater professor Shannon R. Davis (2026).

2025-26 Visiting Artist

Kent Denver’s 2026 Visiting Artist, Shannon R. Davis, joined our school community during the first two weeks of January.

A theater professor at Colorado College, Ms. Davis’s work and career are in close alignment with this year’s Arts theme, Identity. As she explained to students, “I'm a director, educator, performer, community connector, storyteller and a craftsman… I am also a woman, I'm a mixed Indigenous woman, I'm a mom, I'm a stepmom, I'm a partner, I'm a friend, and I'm an animal lover. These identities are core to my being and core to my practice as an artist.”

In addition to sharing her artistic career path with students, Ms. Davis worked closely with several art classes in the Middle and Upper Schools. Through guided activities and hands-on art-making, she helped students explore the aspects of identity that shape each individual as an artist and community member.

Many thanks to Ms. Davis for her work at Kent Denver as this year’s Visiting Artist!

About the Visiting Artist Program

The Kent Denver School Art Department is looking to host an artist or group of artists (ie. band or troupe) who will offer opportunities to supplement our curriculum and are excited about working with and engaging in our community. Our visiting artist will be asked to:

visiting artist speaking in front of a group of students

Provide classroom workshops with students in grades 6-12
Present at our school assemblies
Showcase your own work to the wider school community
Collaborate with our students on a creative project

We ask that the artist be on campus for a minimum of 10 school days (may or may not be consecutive days, depending on the artist's schedule). During the artist's residency, Kent Denver will offer ample time to collaborate with students, along with an opportunity to create temporary or permanent work or a host a performance on campus. When school is in session, lunch will be provided each workday the artist is onsite.

The stipend for this program is $6,000.

2026-27 Application

About the School

students walk outside a modern building at Kent Denver

Kent Denver School offers extraordinary educational experiences to more than 740 students in grades 6–12. We are a vibrant, inclusive learning community filled with students and teachers who are curious, intelligent, creative, determined and kind. Our academic, extracurricular and athletics programs are designed to help students discover their passions, build community and prepare for a meaningful, self-determined life.

Kent Denver fosters a culture where all differences and identities across gender, ability, religion, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and economic background are valued, celebrated and recognized as an essential quality of the education offered in our dynamic learning environment.

For more information, please explore Kent Denver's website (especially our Arts pages), and be sure to also look at our school calendar for scheduling purposes.

Questions? Email Alex Ates, the Director of Arts at Kent Denver School.

Visiting Artist Spotlight

For the 2024-25 school year, Kent Denver was pleased to welcome R. Alan Brooks as our Visiting Artist for two weeks in November. With a passion for storytelling—which is also the Arts Department’s theme for the 2024-25 school year—Mr. Brooks spent several class periods during his time on campus working with arts students to reimagine classic fairy tales. He also spoke at Middle and Upper School assemblies, detailing his journey to become an artist and encouraging students to find their path.

“What would your life be like if you didn’t let fear stop you?” Mr. Brooks asked middle schoolers during assembly. “And if art has ever inspired you, if you never make your art, how many people will you be robbing of inspiration?”

Mr. Brooks was also the keynote speaker for Kent Denver’s Professional Development Day on October 28, speaking with faculty and staff about the power of seeing yourself in art.