Basalt’s Art Base welcomes new executive director, Lisa DeLosso

The Art Base, a nonprofit community art center in downtown Basalt, is kicking off 2023 with a new executive director: Roaring Fork Valley resident and non-profit arts veteran Lisa DeLosso.

Originally from a coastal town in southern New Jersey, she relocated to the valley six years ago and said she understands the unique advantages and challenges of growing up and living in a resort town.

“I think it’s very much like a home for me because I understand the seasonality of having a high tourist season as well as an offseason,” she said. “But, I also just really love this valley so much, particularly for its arts and culture scene; it’s very cosmopolitan.”

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She admitted she’s a “bit of a unicorn” for initially coming to valley for work and then learning how to ski, instead of the other way around, but stressed it was a welcome adventure to be able to pursue her goals in “a beautiful corner of the world.”

DeLosso received her undergraduate degrees from Pennsylvania State University in art education and art history, and a master’s in art education from the University of Texas at Austin. Her graduate thesis, “A Phenomenon of Thought,” focused on spatial liminality in the museum environment.

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Prior to coming to The Art Base, she was the associate director for development at UT’s School of Architecture, the chief development officer at Aspen Art Museum, and, most recently, the director of development and strategic partnerships at Aspen Public Radio.

With experience in teaching and curriculum development, both as a kindergarten art teacher and a museum educator, DeLosso can continue her work around arts education at The Art Base, an organization she has supported for many years.

“I have been actively supporting The Art Base since I moved to the valley,” she said. “I have been through it in so many aspects as a donor, to somebody who has taken workshops at The Art Base. I just think that it’s a special organization. It was founded about 27 years ago in 1996, and we have such a rich tradition of education here for so many people of all ages across the valley.”

She said she strongly believes that arts education is imperative to young people, because having a creative outlet helps them express their emotions and contributes to better mental health, noting that — from buildings to objects in our home — we are always surrounded by art, whether we recognize it or not. 

“I feel like art creates healthy and resilient humans. It makes people more whole and more complete. And, it’s just something that’s near and dear to my heart,” she said. “A creative upbringing was very important to my parents as well, and I’m just grateful that I have that space to go to when things get hard.”

Also a practicing artist, DeLosso welcomes the opportunity to continue her personal creative journey at The Art Base, saying she considers herself an illustrator first, with a love of watercolors stemming from her love of water from “growing up at the beach,” but also enjoys experimenting with different disciplines such as linocut.

It’s her mission at The Art Base to continue to make art accessible and non-intimidating for anyone in the community who is interested.

“I have really identified creativity as being something in my life that I really missed during the pandemic. And so, being able to have this opportunity come up and to get back to it has been very transformative for me personally but also professionally. It was just the right time, it’s a great fit, and I’m really excited to be here,” she said.

sgirgis@aspentimes.com

Sarah Girgis is the Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Aspen Times. She can be reached at 970-429-9151 or sgirgis@aspentimes.com.