Art of Modeling isn't a non profit, but it is a mission driven woman (minority) owned small business that strives to build community, host free offerings, collaborate with other local organizations, train new art models, and set professional high standards.

Boulder Artist and Art of Modeling Founder/Executive Director, Ellen Allen, is an award-winning artist with a traditional arts training (A.O.S. Graphic Design) from Pratt Institute, NY, NY and a BA (Psychology) from the University of Colorado at Boulder, with additional coursework at Parson's School of Design at the New School, NY, NY.  

Ellen was a sought-after fine arts model in the San Francisco & Monterey Bay Areas.  Ellen also managed a professional commercial fashion model with dual representation in Denver & San Francisco, working directly with booking agents at two major talent agencies for a decade.

Before Ellen started Art of Modeling, she interned in arts administration for the Boulder County Arts Alliance, and worked in arts administration for the Arts Hub Performing & Visual Arts Center, and for the NoBo Art District. She is currently the NoBo Art District board meeting scribe, volunteer coordinator, gallery attendant at the Bus Stop Gallery.  She will also be managing the NoBo Art Center and the Bus Stop Gallery beginning in 2022.

Ellen is proud of her volunteer involvement in both the Boulder, CO and the Scotts Valley, CA communities that she and her family have made her home and most recently has donated time & experience in the arts to the Dairy Arts Center, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (BMoCA), The Boulder County Arts Alliance (BCAA), The NoBo Art District, The City of Boulder's Office of Arts & Culture's (BAC) Boulder Arts Week (BAW), Arts Parts Creative Reuse Center, and Art Walk Longmont.

Robyn Cochran Ragland: A true AOM Angel; she attends every figure drawing marathon possible, comes early to help set up, brings her workhorse to share, has instructed classes through us at the rate of basically gas money, shows up to draw and give another artist's perspective at one of our model training workshops, came out to support our collaboration with Burning Man.org

Lynn Keller: Paid for two months of advertising for the NoBo Art Center group, hung paper flyers for the NoBo Art Center group

Crystal Polis:  For telling someone about my early stage AOM idea in front someone, which forced me to follow through with it

Patrick Allen: Regular stage hand; has volunteer modeled

Hope Scalcini: Delivered costumes to models, check in duty at a busy figure drawing marathon, rescued a model with a flat tire on the way to a marathon, picked up/delivered coffee refill for marathon artists

Joseph Scalcini: Donated a good quality Bluetooth speaker so we can have music while we draw

Jack Gaffney: Played piano at a figure drawing marathon on a volunteer/tip basis

Charlotte Sutte: Volunteer modeled at the NoBo Art Center group & was FANTASTIC, a true muse

Will Whalen: Played piano at our figure drawing marathons at the Spark Theater and at our NoBo Art District Arts Pop Up events at the NoBo Gallery at a super low rate, and sometimes even for volunteer

Denise Chaudhari: Agency 313, redesigned the website; a major upgrade from the original

Kaz Umezono: Shares his super strong light with the NoBo Art Center group

Paula:  Letting us borrow her awesome dais to use at the NoBo Art Center

Boulder Figure Drawing Group (no longer running): Donated their dais, stacking workhorses, light & heater to AOM

Nude Foods Market: Allowing us to use their store, after hours, to hold weekly figure drawing sessions beginning Spring 2022

Sandy & Jeff: letting my sign sit outside of their Pearl Street business, Farfel's

David Mandelbaum: Donating a LARGE amount of fabric for window coverings for our Nude Foods Market after hours figure drawing