Melissa Mason

Melissa Mason is one of three Co-Executive Directors of the Center, focusing on Programming and Operations. Melissa has worked for the Center for the Arts for over 10 years, holding various roles including Visual Arts Director, Interim Executive Director, Associate Director, Director of Community Engagement, and currently Co-Executive Director. After selling her Crested Butte Studio Art School business in 2012, she established the Visual Art program at the Center bringing new art classes and workshops in various mediums to the community, in addition to starting two signature community art making events, the Chalk Walk and the Community Iron Pour. Melissa also ran the Piper Gallery in the old Center facility while sitting on the new Center building Design Committee, working with stakeholders to bring the new Kinder Padon Gallery to the forefront of Center programming. Melissa holds a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University of Virginia and has leveraged her teaching and education background to initiate programming at the Center, and create educational programming for Crested Butte Community School students in partnership with the Enrichment Program, Western Colorado University, and in partnership with local organizations providing extracurricular arts programming at the Center. Melissa also previously served as the Program Director for the Trailhead Children’s Museum designing children’s art curriculum and events. In 2015, working through both the Center and her position as Chair of the Arts Alliance, Melissa was central in helping Crested Butte become a state of Colorado certified Creative District, sitting as Chair of the Creative District Commission shortly after the district’s inception.