Join us and 5 local creatives as they share their stories. Scroll down to learn about each speaker and their topic!
Doors open at 6:00 pm | Event starts at 6:30pm
Light snacks and beverages will be provided.
AIGA Members:
FREE
Non-Members:
$15
Students, $5 (must bring ID)
The Healing Power of Art & The Creative Journey
Aimee Eischen is an abstract artist from Oklahoma City. She has always had a passion for art and felt called to create from the earliest of memories. She is a self- taught artist and enjoys experimenting with different mediums, including acrylic, watercolor, graphite, charcoal, ink, oil stick and oil pastels, finding joy in combining them all in her mixed media paintings. Aimee’s intuition and literary background play a strong role in her work. Each painting starts with words on the canvas - verses, song lyrics, poetry, or meaningful names. Even though they won’t be seen when the painting is completed, they are the foundation underneath that is the spirit of the piece. Eischen paints from her home studio in Oklahoma City. She is a wife and mother to 4 children through the messy-beautiful journey of open adoption. She draws inspiration from nature, music, faith, family, and the stories of people she encounters. She loves to add beauty to the world around her and looks for opportunities to partner with other organizations that invest in the the people in their communities. She spends time teaching others about the healing aspects art can bring as well as donating art to causes that touch her soul. Aimee’s paintings have been featured in multiple galleries and venues across the nation and are sold at local galleries, online, art shows, and various events. She also has a passion for creating meaningful commissions for her collectors.
The Experience in UX Design
A senior product designer/manager, with web application experience—over ten (10) years of designing digital products; a certified Scrum Master and a certified Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt) practitioner. My love for web application design led me to pursue my undergrad in multimedia design and computer science, and my interest in project execution led me to pursue my graduate education in project management and organizational dynamics. Over my career, I have worked on web application projects funded by government agencies and UN Development Program.
Diversity in Graphic Design
Sofia Arenas is a creative dreamer, maker, and doer. Her mission is to bring people’s passions to life and empower them by helping turn dreams into reality. Her work has been recognized locally and nationally by competitions and galleries. Outside of design, Sofia runs an online vintage boutique; makes earrings for two local business in OKC, and is involved in multiple Hispanic organizations and events.
Stop Denying, Start Trying
I am a designer by day, baker by night kind of gal with a love for plants, pets, and good ole fashion Sopranos binge. My name is Karson Brooks and I am currently the Visual Designer for Tailwind App. In my current position, I lead a team of marketers and designers in the creation of visuals, graphics, site designs, strategies and more for our scheduling social media platform. In the past few years, I’ve also had the chance to advocate for equal rights in health care for women, LBGTQ, and minority communities working with Planned Parenthood, and designing packaging for the wild west of the cannabis marketing world. When I'm not hitting stacks at work, I create illustrations for my comic, Belmont, and work on exploring new corners of my artistic pursuits. I love taking my background in printmaking to combine both old and new tools and techniques using digital art. As a growing artist, I want to find ways to better continue my outreach. I love mentoring, and helping my fellow friends, artists, and acquaintances meet their own achievements.
Essentials of the Design Process for Inclusive XR
Ashley Coffey (she/her) leads the Business Case XR workstream within the XR Access initiative and serves as a community & engagement team leader. She is passionate about furthering the adoption of inclusive design for accessible technology. As a sought-after speaker, Ashley makes the world of emerging tech approachable and attractive to everyone. She has been featured by the Journal Record in the 2022 'Power List of Innovative Women' & featured in the inaugural issue of Hundred Magazine as one of OKC's most wildly capable women. Whether she's speaking at Harvard, SWSW-EDU, giving a TEDx talk, or hosting her own podcast (Coffey & Code), Ashley is always on the move, working to cultivate empowerment within all realms of tech.
