EMBER: Perspectives in Creative Resilience
• – • CCA | Muñoz-Waxman Gallery space
About the speaker
EMBER AS ENDURANCE
In April, CreativeMornings Santa Fe invites you into the enduring glow of creativity shaped by loss and resilience. Three New Mexico women—Anita, Katy, and Kristin—each faced profound disruption from the Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire of 2022. Anita lost almost everything, yet she continues to build a life and work around creativity, teaching, and community. Katy’s family home was a generational anchor lost to the fire, and she speaks from a deeply rooted sense of place, care, and creative practice. Kristin was evacuated for six weeks to the Taos Rodeo Grounds, living with livestock and pets, and she brings insights from farming, research, and handmade craft about sustaining work under pressure. Each will share their personal perspectives on how creativity becomes a steady ember—an ongoing, nourishing force that supports healing, connection, and renewal after loss. Expect honesty, practical wisdom, and a hopeful path forward through creativity.
Anita Marie Moss is the founder of Anita's Endeavors LLC, dedicated to all things creative. A lifelong maker and educator, she has built a career teaching and creating—from hand-drawn portraits and photography to murals, mosaics, fiber arts, and culinary ventures. Anita has long been active in community development and has led and organized arts groups and councils in Mora County. Her work centers on building happy, creative communities, with a focus on sharing skills and fostering collaboration.
Katy Yanda was born and raised in northern New Mexico, and has spent her life rooted in care, community, and beauty. She works as a pediatric occupational therapist and writes and photographs with a deep love for family and place. Katy is pursuing a quartet of novels inspired by her family and continues to explore how creativity can thrive within home, memory, and service to others.
Kristin Swoszowski-Tran is an artist, maker, and farmer based in Mora, NM. She runs Ledoux Grange, a certified organic farm, and grows native seeds and pollinator crops. Her practice blends farming, craft, and wellness research, including work on regenerative agriculture and forest therapy. A Ph.D. graduate, Kristin integrates science and art to explore slow, attentive processes, resilience, and the shared stories that connect people to the land.
Local partners
Out of This World Bagel is the work of Danny, a baker with over a decade of experience honing his craft from Vermont to Colorado to Maine. Now based in Santa Fe, he hand-rolls and kettle-boils each batch, bringing a practiced, no-frills approach to great bagels and a clear love of the process behind them. Visit their website or follow them on Instagram to find out how to order.
CrashMurderBusiness, our 2026 coffee partner, is a whimsical cafe with a serious passion for community and great coffee. Their name, inspired by a playful chat about animal group names and the community among our animal friends, reflects their mission to create a gathering spot that sparks conversations about everything from ferrets in ties to deeper topics like equity and kindness—all over a perfect cup of coffee.
The City of Santa Fe Economic Development Department supports a thriving local economy by fostering entrepreneurship, supporting businesses, and promoting innovation. Their initiatives help build a vibrant community where creativity and commerce can flourish.
Chatter creates adventurous, approachable musical experiences by blending new and traditional classical music in intimate, unconventional venues. Chatter North brings this vibrant programming to Santa Fe at CCA, pairing music with poetry and community connection each week.
The Exodus Ensemble is a boundary-pushing immersive theatre company founded in 2020 by thirteen artists from across the U.S. who met at The Theatre School at DePaul University. When the industry shut down at the start of the pandemic, they left major cities and careers behind to build something entirely new in Santa Fe. Working out of homes and unconventional spaces, they’ve since created a repertoire of bold, original productions—including Ivanov, Bathsheba, Hamlet, and more—that reimagine classic texts through intimate, electrifying storytelling.
Additional details
MUSICAL GUEST
This month our musical accompaniment will be provided by Lucy Barna. Lucy is a Santa Fe–based songwriter and multi-disciplinary artist known for her years with Hot Honey and her soulful, story-driven solo work. Over the past decade, she has written, recorded, and performed original music across the Southwest, building a sound rooted in honesty and emotional depth. Her latest album, What I Know is True, earned finalist honors at the New Mexico Music Awards and highlights her gift for intimate, heartfelt songwriting. Beyond the stage, Lucy also teaches songwriting and supports others in finding their own creative voice.
THE VENUE
Each month we meet at The Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in the Muñoz-Waxman Gallery space - also the home of CHATTER North - providing a backdrop of alternating, curated artworks. CCA Santa Fe is located just west of Old Pecos Trail, behind the New Mexico Military Museum and Santa Fe Children’s Museum. Free parking is available in multiple lots onsite.
NEED A HAND? Everyone is welcome at our events, and we want it to feel that way! Enter the CCA Munoz-Waxman Gallery via ramp from the upper parking area or level walkway from the lower circle drive. If you need a special accommodation, just let us know prior to the day of the event via email. We can’t provide an ASL at this time, but we can reserve ADA seats right up front if you let us know in advance.
What is the event like? CreativeMornings is about community and inspiration. Come for both! Doors open at 8:30am, and we’ll have coffee, and a light breakfast ready for you. Coffee time is great for meeting the other CreativeMornings attendees. The talk will start at 8:55 followed by Q&A. We like giving hugs and high-fives.
Location
Hosted at
CCA | Muñoz-Waxman Gallery space
1050 Old Pecos Trail Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico United States 87505
When
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