8 JANUARY 1-7, 2026 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | People to Watch SEVEN CREATIVES IN THE SPOTLIGHT IN 2026. BY KRISTEN FIORE Malik Robinson As the son of Denver’s iconic Cleo Parker Robinson, Malik Robinson jokes that he grew up “running amok” in the dance company. “I probably got on a lot of dancers’ nerves, but it was a joy for me having all of these dynamic artists around, and you get to see people do- ing amazing things,” he says. Malik might’ve been in the background goofi ng off when he was young, but he was also paying attention. “He was really a sponge,” Cleo says. While Cleo Parker Robinson Dance has always been guided by Cleo’s artistic vision, the late Tom Robinson, her husband and CPRD co-founder, handled the business side of things. Malik laughs that his dance career peaked in kindergarten when he performed as a munchkin and a fl ying monkey in The Wiz, but he did end up following in his fa- ther’s footsteps: coordinating conferences, organizing international tours for the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble, book- ing shows and securing funds. In 2024, he became president and CEO of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, and he’s currently leading the 55-year-old Denver institution through a massive expansion of its facility. Since the late ‘80s, CPRD has operated out of the historic Shorter AME, a Five Points church retrofi tted into a perform- ing arts center. While Cleo says she never dreamed the company would outgrow the building, it has done just that, and thanks to a $4 million Community Revitalization grant from Colorado Creative Industries, tax credits and contributions from individuals and foundations, the Cleo Parker Robinson Center for the Healing Arts is scheduled to open this month after about a year and a half of construction. The facility will focus on the healing power of art – something that Cleo, who got her degree in psychology, education and dance from Colorado Women’s College, has always valued. The 25,000 square-foot expansion, which is connected to the Shorter AME building, will also offer a state-of-the- art theater, performance spaces, movement studios, activity rooms for multi-disciplinary arts classrooms and offi ce space. “Dance is socially oriented, and it’s inter- generational,” Malik says. “When you think about an organization of this nature that is committed to community engagement, you get folks moving together, moving that energy, being in rhythm, and there’s some- thing to that for people who come in for recreational classes or some of the technique classes. They’re moving with other people, seeing how they relate to other people. Dance really does require your whole mind, body and spirit to be engaged and fi ring on all cylinders.” To make it all happen from the business side of things, a normal day for Malik involves overlapped meetings on the expansion project, the company’s strategic visions and programming, plus a constant stream of incoming messages. “I don’t really get to see him,” Cleo jokes. “I know that’s him. But he is moving from one meeting to another, meetings with other staff members, board members or com- munity members.” Malik’s goals for the future in- clude bringing in and onboarding new staff, driving revenue, expand- ing CPRD’s work in healing arts, and making classes and program- ming more accessible. But at the end of the day, his favorite part is the art itself. “I thoroughly enjoy watching the dancers, whether it’s in a re- hearsal or onstage,” he says. “I get a lot of joy out of being able to secure the support for a new work. You get to see an artist fulfi ll their dream to create.” Louise Martorano After fi fteen years at RedLine Contem- porary Art Center — much of it focused on connecting art residents with affordable stu- dio spaces — Louise Martorano announced in July that she would be transitioning to a new role as managing director of a Colorado branch of the Community Arts Stabilization Trust/ CAST was founded in San Francisco in 2013 to help artists and communities that have endured systemic oppression and historical underinvestment fi nd affordable studio spaces, and the organization’s expan- sion to Colorado was the fi rst of its kind. “I knew that this was a community need based on my work at RedLine,” Martorano says. “I was constantly trying to support the challenges around affordability issues for both artists and our cultural partners that did not have permanent, affordable space. What is amazing with CAST Colorado is that we have been able to make addressing and responding to these challenges our mission, and can now work daily on behalf of creative communities to secure affordable long-term space.” Since its launch, Martorano says CAST Colorado has submitted a letter of intent to purchase a building that will likely become home to six artist studios, a macro cinema, affordable artist storage and a gallery. The organization is also under contract with another building ro provide permanent, af- fordable live/work space for thirteen artists. Martorano’s goal for 2026 is to maintain the pace she set at RedLine through the satellite initiative, which helped connect local artists with affordable studios, allow- ing them to continue living and working in Colorado. CAST Colorado also plans to offer professional services for artists, including legal, fi nancial, permitting, development acquisition and operating support. “Buildings and homes should not break people, organizations or communities, but they can and do,” Mortorano says. “With CAST, I hope to design new approaches, collaborations and partnerships that operate through economies of scale to avoid this pos- sibility, so that every square foot can function as additional infrastructure to support and reinforce the communities that make them relevant and meaningful.” Andrea Albo In September, Andrea Albo became the new executive director of the Scientifi c and Cultural Facilities District, which monitors the regional tax that gives one penny from every $10 purchase back to cultural institu- tions across the seven counties of Denver, Boulder, Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe, Doug- las and Broomfi eld. “I’ve been so impressed with the depth and breadth of our funded partners, their programming and the impact that SCFD has on our district and region,” says Albo, who previously served as deputy chief of staff and senior vice president of culture and strategy at Denver International Airport. “In my over 27 years in public service, I have gained a deep appreciation for systems-level efforts that help to support the diverse communities that we serve. I’m passionate about leading with EDIA values and building systems that create sustainable legacy for organizations.” In 2026, SCFD will be kicking off a multi- year stakeholder engagement process in partnership with GBSM, a Denver busi- ness and communications fi rm, to conduct research, gather feedback and build con- sensus with SCFD stakeholders “to create CULTURE KEEP UP ON DENVER ARTS AND CULTURE AT WESTWORD.COM/ARTS Malik Robinson is the president and CEO of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. Louise Martorano is the managing director of the new Colorado branch of the Community Arts Stabilization Trust. COURTESY OF CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE COURTESY OF LOUISE MARTORANO
