Today we’d like to introduce you to Kait Holland.
Kait, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I feel like it’s such a winding road to sum up how we got here – in terms of BARE BONEZ, the collective has only existed for about five years; but I’ve basically been a full-time artist in various capacities since dropping out of college in January 2015.
For me, art was never something I had expectations around pursuing professionally – outside of a random commission maybe once a year. After graduating high school in June 2013, I attended The University of Baltimore for grant writing, then transferred to Bloomsburg University after a semester and double-majored in Psychology and Communications, with a minor in Art. Staying adjacent to the art world while working with children and teens in a therapeutic setting was always the goal. When financials became an issue and we fell below the income threshold to even qualify for the Parent-Plus loans through FAFSA, I was forced to withdraw from classes a week into my third semester at BloomU.
Following that, I sort of snapped a bit and took off to San Diego within 48 hours after returning home. From there, I became a full-time model and leveraged my social media network to build out “model tours,” during which I spent 6-8 weeks at a time driving around the country, booking 40-50 photoshoots with fellow creators who wanted to make weird art together. When I felt burnt out from that after a couple years, I deleted all my social media and moved to a village in Thailand to teach Art, English, Health, Math, and Science to K-6 students for a year.
In May of 2018, I returned to the U.S. and six months later, was invited to live in LA with my best friend from high school – something we’d dreamt of and talked about since we met in an art class at the age of 17. I lived there for nearly two years, working full-time as a social worker and spending any remaining free time adventuring and building out a decommissioned ambulance I’d acquired with my then-partner. When LA shut down during COVID and the life I built there began to fall apart, I left and returned to life on the road, just me and my 2001 4Runner. I spent all of 2021 and most of 2022 galavanting around The West, until a cervical cancer diagnosis prompted me to leave Texas and seek medical care in Colorado.
It was during my time in Los Angeles that I was introduced to and fell in love with film photography; and after about six years in front of the camera, I decided to pick one up again. Through modeling, I’d grown quite jaded about who I should give my creative energy to, having fallen prey to numerous GWC’s (an industry term for men who used a camera to put themselves into proximity to beautiful women they wouldn’t have otherwise had). After hearing far too many stories of exploitation, abuse, and inappropriate behavior from friends and peers who also modeled, I decided to start providing safe spaces and sets on my own that fostered connection, curiosity, collaboration, and creativity without fear of the safety, consent, or personal comfort being compromised.
That’s where the big, conceptual photoshoot days and other events I later went on to host got their start; and when I moved to Denver in 2022 and got linked up with Hudson Hill in early 2023, I felt I’d truly found a home for the vision I had for BARE BONEZ COLLECTIVE. In the time I spent on the road following my departure from LA, I struggled to take the collective to other cities like Austin, TX – but Denver felt different.
As someone with many interests and curiosities, I’ve struggled to stay engaged with one medium for too long. I’ve taken to calling myself “a maker in many mediums,” and given the tagline of “li’l bit of everything | not for everyone” to BARE BONEZ, due to the myriad events we came to host and co-host in Denver.
Between July 2023 and May 2026, we threw over 250 events at Hudson Hill – ranging from Collage Clvb to top surgery fundraisers for multiple individuals, latte art throwdowns to group art exhibitions, night markets to mezcal tastings. I feel deeply, endlessly grateful for the time I spent there, and for the lovely humans at Hudson Hill who worked so hard to bring each event and gathering to fruition. We’ve become a family, and I’m excited to see what’s next for the space as I transition out of Denver – and hopefully take BARE BONEZ COLLECTIVE global.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When launching a business or embarking on a passion project (BARE BONEZ is a bit of both, I suppose), I don’t think the road is ever smooth. Bits of the vision can be ever-evolving, finances always come into play, and if you’re doing it with others, that can get murky at times, too.
I think one of the main challenges I’ve struggled with is making the collective – event production, the photography aspect, and selling steady works/having regular commissions – my full-time gig, while also keeping ticket prices/vendor fees/etc. accessible and fair to everyone. In addition to running BARE BONEZ fully solo, I’ve also had to maintain part-time jobs here and there, sometimes working in vintage shops around Denver, picking up art and production assistant gigs, and various side jobs to cover bills and expenses. As much as I’d love to just run the collective and dedicate all my efforts to learning and growing it, I haven’t figured out how to fully support myself with it just yet. I hope, in time, I’ll find that sweet spot!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I think I’m going to answer this in a few parts because I struggle to pick just one: I would say I specialize in cultivating unique gatherings and spaces; I specialize in nostalgic, romantic film photography; and I specialize in hyper-emotional oil and mixed-media paintings.
The idea behind many of the events I endeavor to host is to celebrate 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 artists. The majority of the great painters and makers were not discovered or revered until long after their passing, and that feels kind of jacked to me. I want to bring people together to honor and recognize those who are making and doing things 𝘯𝘰𝘸. In addition to celebrating living artists, I also aspire to bring out the creative child in everyone who attends one of our events: Unplug, get curious, get your hands dirty, and go wild! Make something!
I’m extremely proud of the community we built at Hudson Hill and throughout Denver. I feel like we found the perfect intersection of hosting a wide range of fun and inclusive events that foster connection, curiosity, and creativity while also supporting mutual aid funds and causes locally as well as globally. I feel like if we can throw a bangin’ event that people feel safe attending solo (feedback I’ve gotten numerous times), while also raising funds for people in need, why not??
When it comes to photography – especially film, I think I really love it because it gives me the ability to freeze time, preserve a moment. Photos from my childhood that were not already stored in albums were lost following a divorce and foreclosure of our home in 2008, so I think capturing memories, however monumental or seemingly mundane, became really important to me after that. And now, I feel like one of my love languages is snapping film of the people I care about doing everyday things – I wish so badly for my loved ones to see themselves as I do, in all their internal and external beauty.
One of my proudest moments of my film photo career thus far was being hired to photograph Denver Pride in 2023, 2024, and 2025. I got to run around with my cameras documenting Queer Joy, powerfully moving speeches, and dashing performances from absolute icons. Being part of the queer community is so very special, and I feel honored to have had such an opportunity.
Painting, my first love, has always been a process of catharsis for me. As a child, I put my emotions, thoughts, aspirations, and fears to canvas – and still do as an adult. Often times, certain pieces will take years to complete, as I cycle through the seasons of life and only visit them when I’m feeling heavy or whatever emotion is driving the completion of it. Through many years of this process, I’ve found that finishing a painting helps me to release the feelings and situations that initially inspired it.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Well, I transitioned out of hosting events at Hudson Hill in May, as I mentioned, due to my husband and I preparing to move to Australia in August. We are saddened to be stepping away from the Denver community (for now), but feel this is the right move for us as a family. I am extremely grateful to have been approached by someone who attended some of my very first BARE BONEZ events at Hudson Hill to take over hosting events, and I’m beyond ecstatic to see what she does in that special space.
I’ve never experienced a city like Denver, where people are so eager to go and check out events, whether solo or in groups; and so willing to support artists and creatives via markets and pop-ups. It really is such a special place, and I hope Denver never loses that.
In our ever-increasingly technological and automated world, I feel human connection and the act of making something tangible with your hands that you conjured up with your own brain are more important than ever. I feel like the goal of my events and that of many other event producers in Denver is to combat all the things that creep up in an overly-automated society. In addition to the thriving market and pop-up scene, I do believe event producers in Denver will continue to seek ways to bring people together to celebrate the artists, makers, and doers of the city. I feel fortunate to have led and been part of a community of people who – when they recognize a void in something, they find a way to meaningfully fill it.
As for BARE BONEZ, I am hoping to take the collective global and hopefully launch a version of what I’ve been doing in Denver, in Perth. Perth feels wildly similar to Denver in culture and geography – in that there’s a downtown/metropolitan area but the rest is an urban sprawl of adjacent neighborhoods, each with their own distinct vibes, communities, and ecosystems. I’m excited to get settled there and hit the ground running.
I’m also in the process of building out my website further, and will be offering downloadable workbooks and resource guides for event coordination, as well as BARE BONEZ merch. There will also be an inquiry and booking form, for anyone wanting to work together when we’re back in Denver!
Pricing:
- GET BENT tees (sourced secondhand then screenprinted and hand-embroidered) – $30/ea.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barebonezcollective.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barebonezcollective
Image Credits
personal image credit: Blake Holland
Denver Pride parade photo: Evey
GET BENT tee models: Vanessa + Adele
