ADSF Emerging Artists Residency Program

About the Program

In the fall of 2021, Denver’s Art District on Santa Fe launched the pilot for our Emerging Artists Residency Program. In partnership with NEWSED Community Development Corporation, this program is designed to support emerging local talent and foster the continued economic development of Denver's most historic creative district.

Through the program, each artist receives:
- 3 months of free studio space in the Art District on Santa Fe Studio & Headquarters
- A $500 materials stipend
- A 4-week Business Basics course through NEWSED
- A chance to display their work in a group show in the Art District
- Mentorship and networking with professional artists in the community, and much more

Learn more about our current resident artists and alumni below!

Please note: we are not currently accepting applications. Check back soon!

Meet the Artists

Mia Carpenter

Mia Carpenter is a multimedia artist from Denver. She is a Denver native, but has spent the last four years living in San Diego while earning her B.A. She has since been working to establish herself within the Denver art community.

Mia uses carefully created objects and subjects them to violent actions in order to create sculpture and performance work that interacts with each other. Her work focuses on feminist themes in connection with her lived experiences. She uses her work to express her confusion and anger surrounding gender roles and the social pressures placed on women. She also uses performance work to critique the way women are often performing gender roles as a way to fit into society. Most of all, her artwork is rooted in emotion and is created out of a need to express the emotions she feels as she transitions from girlhood to womanhood.

Liberty Garcia

Liberty Garcia is a Mexican-American artist from Laredo, Texas. Her work is deeply influenced by the cultural dualities of her border-town upbringing, offering a unique perspective on identity, memory, and connection.

Garcia began drawing in elementary school, exchanging sketches of Pokémon for homework answers. This early interest evolved into a passion for art, leading her to pursue a studio art degree during the 2020 pandemic. Despite limited in-person classes, she showcased her work in three exhibitions during her final semester.

Now based in Denver, Garcia primarily works in oil, acrylic, and watercolor, with a strong focus on the human figure. Through her art, Garcia seeks to evoke empathy and provide a deeper understanding of the human condition, inviting viewers to reflect on the universal aspects and shared experiences of existence that transcend cultural and personal divides.

Navya Malleppedi

Navya Mallepeddi (b. 1995, Kakinada, India) is a Denver-based oil painter whose representational work captures the quiet beauty of everyday life. Originally an actuary, she transitioned to art after moving to the United States in 2021. Since then, she has honed her skills through self-study and training at the Boulder School of Fine Art and the Art Students League of Denver.

Her artistic practice is rooted in observation, combining the traditions of European academic realism with contemporary subjects. Drawing from personal experiences of navigating new seasons and people, her work explores themes of discovery and belonging.

Navya’s debut series, ‘Foreign’, examines the experience of transitioning from life in India to the Western world. Inspired by her move to the U.S., it revisits the mundane with fresh eyes. She has exhibited work in several galleries in Colorado.