Speaker biographies:

Denise Clark, Associate Artist, One Yellow Rabbit Theatre
Denise joined the One Yellow Rabbit performance ensemble as an optimistic youthful choreographer/dancer and actor in 1983. She remains optimistic because the company tours internationally, has a lot of fun and does cool work that she is proud of right here in her home town.

David Down, Senior Architect/Urban Designer, The City of Calgary
David Down is Coordinator of Urban Design & Heritage with Land Use Planning and Policy. His team is responsible for design review of development applications, for providing design guidance in all areas of policy creation, for the creation of specific urban design guidelines and for the conceptual design of City-
led urban design projects. David Down joined the City of Calgary in 2005 as Senior Architect/Urban Designer with a mandate to advocate for higher standards of architecture, urban design, and sustainable design practices. Prior to that he was principal of his own architectural firm of Down + Livesey Architects together with Graham Livesey.

Ben Gadd, naturalist & author
Ben Gadd, 64, is one of Canada’s better-known naturalists and Rockies writers. Author of Handbook of the Canadian Rockies and Raven's End, Ben has written seven other books and contributed to several more. Heard frequently on CBC radio, Ben has also appeared in many television items and several documentaries on the Rockies. He supports various conservation groups in promoting wilderness protection. After thirty years in Jasper, Ben and his wife Cia recently moved to Canmore to be Grandpa and Grandma just across the yard from three-year-old Marie.

Travis & Rachel Gertz, creative explorers
Travis and Rachel just got back from a wild adventure. They quit their jobs, sold their belongings and hit the road. For nine months, they've been exploring the underbelly of the US and Canada in their regal Winnebago, Walter. Now they're back for a trial run in Calgary. They're curious to see if they can apply any concepts of the open road to little old Cowtown.

Darcy Lundgren, Co-Owner & Artist, DaDe ART & DESIGN LAB
Darcy Lundgren has been designing unique, high-end homes since 1992 and has been working on abstract and modern art for about as long. Darcy and his partner opened DaDe ART & DESIGN LAB in 2008 and are now located in Inglewood. DaDe ART & DESIGN LAB creates and provides innovative and unique products that enhance interior living spaces, favoring eco-friendly products. With a distinctive product mix and presentation philosophy, DaDe offers a complete product range for modern living, including original art & sculpture by local artists, and exclusive furniture from around the world.

Tracey Read, Centennial Manager, Calgary Stampede
Tracey has worked at the Calgary Stampede for 18 years, and has held a number of positions. Recently she was the Heritage manager, during which time she became very interested in the history of the Stampede.  Currently, Tracey is the Centennial Manager, and is looking forward to working on many projects that will celebrate one hundred years of the Stampede and its place in the heart of the city.

Brian Rusted, Curator & Associate Professor, University of Calgary
Brian Rusted teaches courses in folklore, performance studies and visual culture with the Department of Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary. His recent research and writing deals with documentary and social change, and he was guest curator for The Art of the Calgary Stampede at the Nickle Arts Museum. Rusted's creative work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, the National Gallery of Canada, the Southern Alberta Art Gallery and the Banff Centre’s Walter Phillips Gallery.

Sharon Stevens, artivist
Sharon Stevens is an award-winning video artist, an award-winning activist, and a community collaborator and a celebrationist-in-training. She works to integrate art, activism, feminism and social justice into her life and still have fun. As artist in residence at EMMEDIA, she developed a participatory online art project called OX: A Crash Course on Loving Calgary.