promoting the art of figure modeling as an artistic profession

VIEW UPCOMING EVENTS

Filling a gap in our thriving arts

community, Art of Modeling provides:

Online Art Gallery Exhibitions/Sales Opportunities
Brick & Mortar Gallery Exhibits
An Unofficial Association of Fine Arts Models in the Boulder/Denver Metro Area

BOOKING

The Art of Modeling is a woman/artist/model

owned business in Boulder, CO

Art of Modeling is a proud member of

The Boulder County Arts Alliance

Art of Modeling is a proud member of the

NoBo Art District

Art of Modeling is a proud Colorado Start Up

NPR station, KUNC's recent arts feature on AOM

OUR

STORY

The Art of Modeling is a booking agency, fine arts model training provider and an informal professional association of fine arts models in the Boulder-Denver metropolitan area.

Boulder, Colorado has the third highest per capita rate of artists in the country and Art of Modeling is thrilled to promote the performing art of figure modeling & to provide this service to our thriving arts community!

Our Mission and Goals include:

To promote fine arts modeling as a legitimate and artistic profession
To encourage models’ safety and respect
To raise the level of professionalism within the fine arts modeling industry
To facilitate both the hiring of models & finding work as a professional fine arts model
To promote a wage that is equitable to the profession
To create and provide figurative drawing opportunities for the arts community
To support figurative artists careers by hosting brick & mortar gallery exhibits
To educate artists & models on industry appropriate conduct

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, set professional high standards, negotiate a higher level of pay for our fine arts models, and pay all Black models at the highest pay grade, $23/hr.

Ellen art modeling in Los Gatos, CA

Illustration in progress by Artist, John Peck

ELLEN ALLEN, founder

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.

ARTISTS

BOOKING

Interested in booking a live model?

We can help.

MODELS

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Thank you to our generous Donors & Volunteers!

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

Do you want to help the Art of Modeling succeed?

Attend our drop in figure drawing groups at the NoBo Art Center and our figure drawing marathons at the Spark
Spread the word about us to other artists and groups that utilize fine arts models
Use Art of Modeling to book fine art models for your artistic studio projects
Make a monetary donation of any amount
Sponsor our marathons and drop in groups by donating food or drinks
Read our fine arts model training manual and then volunteer model for us at the NoBo Art Center
Build us an app
Use your TIPS certification to volunteer serve wine/beer at our figure drawing marathons
Play your musical instrument or DJ for one of our figure drawing marathons
Donate a space that AOM could use to hold our own events, store our equipment, use as an office
Promote us on your social media threads
Write us a letter of support
Let us regularly use your commercial space AFTER hours to hold figure drawing in, rent-free (promotion for your business!). I used to model after hours for artist, John Peck's class at the Los Gatos Coffee Roasters. They covered the windows with butcher paper, locked the doors & fed us left over pastries. THE best almond croissants I've ever had. My daughter & I used to stop there for them on the way to every San Francisco fashion/commercial modeling job that she booked.
Let us regularly use a private area of your commercial space DURING business hours (I also used to model in the basement of the Los Gatos Museum Gallery for Larry Dumlao's group)