Artifice

Lance Lowry, a proud Ally and LGBTI advocate, serves as the Executive Director of the LOVELOUD Foundation. He is also featured in the HBO Documentary BELIEVER alongside Dan Reynolds for his work as the organizer of the inaugural LOVELOUD Festival.

After over 10 years in the comedy business, comedian/impressionist Marcus continues to be one the most diverse talents in the industry. From performing stand-up all over the country, writing a developing a musical impression show with his friend and fellow comedian Guy Seidel, hosting and producing his own paranormal-themed web series, “Ghost Hopping”, to being part of 2 successful podcasts, Dirtpod and Area 52. Marcus is a multi-faceted performer and creative force to be reckoned with. Find out where you can see Marcus live by following him @ComedianMarcus on Twitter.

Yolanda Stange is an actor/producer/casting director who has appeared in over a 100 industrial film, 50 feature films, 15 television shows and 3 national commercials. She has worked along side some of Hollywoods biggest stars like Zac Efron, Danny Glover, Diane Keaton, Elizabeth Moss and many more. In 2015 she opened her own production company Radical Hospitality and casting agency, Stange Casting LLC. She is currently filming James Lafferty's new drama Everybody's Doing Great in Los Angeles and is a series regular on the CW hit The Outpost. When she is not on set or on stage she can be found running her real estate business, Stange Realty with her husband Chris. Yolanda is a proud member of SAG and AEA.

Known for his modern approach to jazz, technical mastery on the kit and high aptitude for rhythm and independence, Steve Lyman is emerging as one of the leading voices on the drums around the globe. Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Lyman moved to New York City in 2005 to study at the prestigious New School University. Lyman quickly began working with some of New York's finest musicians under the tutelage of his teacher and mentor, drummer Ari Hoenig. Lyman's first major opportunity was performing with vocalist José James (with whom Lyman was an active member from 2006-2008) performing on Mr. James's critically acclaimed album The Dreamer, which was voted #21 of the top 50 albums in 2008 (JazzTimes Magazine). As a performer, Lyman has enjoyed sharing the stage with some of the leading voices in jazz and contemporary music, including: Aaron Parks, Jon Batiste, Gilad Hekselman, Nir Felder, Julian Pollack, Chase Baird, José James, Ben van Gelder, Ben Street, Bill McHenry, George Garzone, Ralph Alessi, Lo

Scott Stoddard is a game designer and animator who has worked on over 30 games across his 20 years in the video game industry. He began his career animating video games for Disney and then went on to create Robot Unicorn Attack before joining the team at ChAIR to help create the land mark Infinity Blade series. He is currently working as lead game designer on a project for Epic Games. Scott is driven by an interest in the principles of fun, and using those ideas to make satisfying and meaningful human experience. Growing out of a background in fine art, he is fascinated by the combination of art and interaction that is unique in the creation of games. When he’s not making games, Scott finds fun amassing the world’s largest rubber shark collection, climbing rocks, competing on American Ninja Warrior, and the most fun and meaningful experience of all: raising a loving family of five children with his wife Natalie.

From upended roses to figures whose faces are obscured by gestures of undress, Lindsay Frei’s striking subjects inhabit moments of vulnerability. Bold brushstrokes and exuberant palettes extol a vibrant, unapologetic femininity that simultaneously embraces and undermines conventional Western concepts of beauty. Lindsay’s work has been exhibited nationally since 2000 and featured in publications such as Salt Lake Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine, Sacramento Magazine and Poets and Artists. She received her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Utah. Lindsay encourages creative expression and exploration in her community, and provides art education for children and individuals facing illness. She is currently an Artist in Residence at Huntsman Cancer institute, and an Adjunct Art Instructor at the University of Utah.

Marc Cameron is a dynamic individual who had no formal dance training until the age of 21, but had a huge passion and desire to achieve. Using this Passion, Marc went on to qualify as an IDTA Jazz teacher, picking up various other genres of dance along the way. His heart, however, lay firmly in his roots as a Hip-Hop dancer and soon he set about choreographing and pushing the boundaries of his dancing potential in Hip Hop as a culture, and as an art. Hip-Hop OG’s would come to the UK, and Marc was always there to learn. This work ethic resulted in choreographing and winning various Jazz championships in the UK for 5 years in a row and major Hip-Hop competitions across the World, with a traveling crew of dancers. After becoming a member and co-choreographer for the Hip-Hop Britain’s Got Talent finalists, ‘Nemisis’, Marc then went on to set up his own dance school in England. This dance school was one of the premier dance schools in the Midlands of England, performing on famed stages in the West End and t

Rebecca Fenton has been in 'the biz' of fashion design with her own label, Haunted Head Fashion, for more than 20 years. She creates custom, one of a kind or limited edition designs. Rebecca's designs can be described as avant-garde, dramatic, edgy and unique. In 2015 she also started her wedding dress design and alterations company, Rebecca Fenton Bridal, expanding her horizons to the opposite side of the design spectrum. Her production wedding dresses can be found exclusively at Alta Moda Bridal. Her brand has been showcased in multiple fashion publications. She has been showcased in a many runway shows. In 2012, she was nominated as Utah designer of the year. She loves to paint, read or watch Sci-Fi, fly helicopters, laugh with her husband and son and consume metric tons of rice pudding.

Great art almost feels like magic. It opens our minds to brand new ideas, and teaches us to see ourselves and our world more clearly. Of course, behind all great art—there are artists! And I think that’s where the real magic happens. As we go beneath the art itself to explore how artists do what they do, we see glimpses of the sorts of creativity and resilience that lead to the art that moves our world. And maybe we can learn to borrow some of that magic for our own thinking. That’s the goal here. And now that we’re on the same page, let’s dive in. I’m Emily Merrell, and this is Artifice.