Adams County Pride

Adams County Pride brings art to the center of celebration, with immersive and interactive art installations spread across the event.

Teague Oak McDaniel (they/he/zi) is an artist, educator, and curator based in Denver, CO. They are the founder of CII and an Affiliate Professor at MSU Denver. Their art practice encompasses many methods of sharing ideas including sculpture, performance, social practice, and video.

Teague will bring a vibrant collection of interactive sculptures to this year’s Adams County Pride. Learn more about Teague Oak McDaniel on their website and social media.

Artists Nikki Pike and Maureen Hearty bring their community-focused initiative, bARTer collective, to Adams County Pride 2026 for a story swap. The bARTer collective is a collective of artists, designers, educators, thought provokers, dreamers, service workers, and citizens who host a mobile exchange space, reImagining the contemporary notion of exchange of currency for product or service.

Together with community, they create dynamic situations that present alternative means of exchange where active creation gives way to goods and services. They would gladly trade the mass produced for blowing kisses and hand written notes.

Learn more about bARTer collective on their website and social media.

Alex Gomez (he/him) is a visual artist who loves using any and every medium to create works that engage audiences and subvert expectations. Alex’s works can be found throughout Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station, the Artcade 2024, Adams County Pride, and the walls of his parents’ living room. The proud son of Mexican immigrants and a bisexual member of the LGBTQ community, Alex’s experience in these communities push him to make works that are not just engaging, but inclusive, socially conscious, and ecologically mindful.

Alex brings a new collaborative, interactive sculpture to Adams County Pride that features the work of over 30+ local artists. Learn more about Alex Gomez on their website and social media.

Katie Kindle is an interdisciplinary artist exploring the relationship between people, the land, and the changing environment with its inherent mysteries, interconnection, and dualities. Kindle has collaborated with other artists, scientists, and non-profit organizations to create public art and forums on environmental and social justice issues.

Adams County Pride will host an installation of 12 flags created by Kindle, featuring photography, literature, and delicate fabrics that remind us of our connection to the environment and to each other. Learn more about Katie Kindle on their website and social media.

Artist Leilani Nobuko Derr is a visual artist and designer in Denver. Her recent work explores her search for belonging and identity as a “hapa” Japanese-American artist and what manifests when cultural connections are diminished through assimilation, racism, objectification, and confusion.

Leilani will bring an imaginative printmaking experience to Adams County Pride that celebrates the common bonds in the weird, beautiful, and unique creatures that we are. Learn more about Leilani Derr on her website and social media.

Artist Diana Merkel is a branding and graphic design expert with other 18 years of experience as owner and creative director of PS.Design. Diana brings her installation Lyre ’72 to 2026 Pride, a project exploring how our worlds are intricately woven together, and that no matter who we are, we can find community and connection. Learn more about Diana on her website.

Artist Kaitlyn Tucek is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work has been shown in New York, Aspen, Palm Springs, and Denver, including exhibits at The Dairy Arts Center, Black Cube Nomadic Museum, Leon Gallery, Friend of a Friend, and K Contemporary Gallery.

Kucek brings a giant inflatable rainbow, named Ray Ray, to this year’s event. Gender neutral, Ray Ray embodies a big burst of anxious joy. Easily inflated or deflated, Ray Ray is all of us, longing for connection and love in an uncertain world. Learn more about Kaitlyn on her website and social media.