Local StoriesMay 22, 2023

Meet Mara Fletcher

Local Stories

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Mara Fletcher. Mara was introduced to us by the brilliant and talented Ashlei Brianne.

Hi Mara, we’re so thrilled to have you sharing your story with us today. Maybe we can kick things off by having you introduce yourself to our readers? We’d love to have you go into your story and how you got to where you are today.
My journey from woodworker to art gallery has been a roller coaster ride (not the smooth, exciting kind but the rickety wooden kind). Last year someone asked me where I saw myself in five years. I envisioned a retail space with a back room for woodworking and a storefront where I could sell beautiful mirrors and have social events with wine and chocolate. I then thought having artwork in the space would be kind of amazing. Eventually, the idea of being surrounded by beautiful artwork and people having a great time clarified my vision and gave it meaning. I have never been one to shy away from a challenge, so I set out to do a pop-up art event fundraiser for a local non-profit to see if that was something I was interested in doing. My first show was in October of 2022. I rented out space in an art gallery for a few hours, found a few artists who were gracious enough to work with me, hired a musician, and invited a chocolate vendor to sample and sell chocolate. I had no idea there would be such a great turn out! It was an amazing experience to see the community come together to support local artists and small businesses. I was ready to do it again! I did several other pop-up events on Santa Fe Drive in Denver. Each event was unique and special. I met so many wonderful artists and had so much fun curating these events. It was a lot of hard work setting up the pop-ups, but it was worth it. In February of this year, I started looking for commercial spaces for a gallery. Not an easy process! There was a lot of disappointment along the way. I would fall in love with a space, then something would go wrong, and I would have to start all over again. But things happen for a reason because I ended up finding my dream space! Far better than I ever imagined. I am proud to announce we will be having our Grand Opening in June of 2023, where we will be surrounded by beautiful artwork and people having a great time.

Please tell us more about your brand, The Art Social Colorado
The Art Social is a comprehensive art gallery dedicated to promoting local artists and supporting all forms of artist expression. Our mission is to create meaningful beauty through art and social connection. We curate events that appeal to everyone, even those who may not like going to art galleries. We always have contemporary music playing in the background and love to bring in local musicians for live performances. We also love supporting local small businesses by inviting vendors to sample and sell their goods at events. What we are most proud of is the social connection that happens at our events. We love seeing the community come together and meet the artists and each other. Someone once said after a show, “Thank you. I made a new friend tonight.” We are all so busy and have problems and challenges we face every day. It is nice to look up once in a while and appreciate the story behind a painting and see each other in person face to face knowing we are all in this together.

Ashlei Brianne has been a great friend to us and I know you’ve got a great relationship as well. Maybe you can tell our audience a bit about Ashlei and your experience with her.
Ashlei is an amazing singer-songwriter! I was introduced to Ashlei through a mutual acquaintance. As soon as I heard her music, I knew immediately I wanted her to perform at the art exhibit I was curating. Ashlei is not only a talented singer, but she is one of a kind. Her sultry sound and meaningful lyrics create a unique ambiance that makes you want to stop and listen.

One of her first questions for me was “Can you share with me your vision and goal for this event?” Ashlei then curated a set list that was in line with my vision and goal, creating a beautiful experience for everyone in attendance. Her performance was outstanding! Attendees stood around and sang along with the music and stuck around to meet Ashlei. Ashlei was gracious and supportive, never making her performance about herself, but about elevating other artists and actualizing the collective vision.

I love Ashlei’s professionalism and positive attitude. It can be stressful curating events, but I had full confidence in her. She was always quick to respond to inquiries and willing to accommodate. She was fun to work with and a lovely person. The show would have not been the success it was without Ashlei’s performance! I look forward to working with her again.