We asked some of the most talented folks in the community to talk to us about projects they’ve worked on that they still think about, projects that really meant something. Have you had such an experience? Are you looking for inspiration for your next project? Check out the stories below, they are exciting, entertaining, and most importantly – inspiring.

Paty Fernandes

The most meaningful project I have ever worked on is Duet Paty & Leo, my life project that I share both artistically and personally with my partner, guitarist Leo Testoni. We first met while studying music in São Paulo, Brazil. Years later, by a beautiful twist of fate, we reunited on stage during a major performance with a well-known band. Read more>>

Margaret Vega

My current solo show at the Atlantic Gallery in Chelsea NYC is a collection of many ideas I have examined most of my life. The show, Interstices, is about the spaces that exist between thoughts, between the small unnoticed sliver of light and pauses between questions as we search for answers, between awareness and knowledge. Read more>>

Kyra Clemons

Every project I’ve worked on has been meaningful to me, especially in my journey as a collage artist focused on the African diaspora. Each piece offers a new challenge, a new story, or a new way to honor the histories and identities that inspire my work. Through these projects, I’ve learned to experiment boldly, trust my instincts, and embrace the layered, intuitive nature of collage. Read more>>

Mahsa Merci

One of the most formative projects in my career was my first solo exhibition, Hot Blossoms, presented in Iran in 2019. Growing up in a context where personal and social identities are continually negotiated, my early work developed through a visual language shaped by ambiguity, metaphor, and unresolved questions. Read more>>

Robyn McMurray Hurtig

In my role as development director for ARTSiE, a small nonprofit, I’ve been helping to facilitate a community mural for the past two years at Evanston’s oldest community center in its historically black neighborhood. We are working with two local muralists and holding several community workshops to engage the entire Evanston community in this project. Read more>>

Rob Morrison

In the summer of 2024, I served as music director for a play with music (called Where the Mountain Meets the Sea, composed by The Bengsons) at the Signature Theater in Virginia. I had worked with the director, Timothy Douglas, before and I knew this would be a very fulfilling experience. Read more>>

Greg Fortune

The most meaningful project that I’ve worked on thus far is, of course, the one that I am currently working on. I’m continually evolving as a songwriter and creative human, and I am just beginning to record my next album. Read more>>

Mary Lowery

On October 25, 2025, I hosted my first Art Exhibition since the pandemic. God always gives me an anointed vision to do something. This time it was to do a show. It was stressful at first of planning and getting people interested in coming. I kept my faith and prayed hard! The day of people showed up and out for me. The support was surreal. Read more>>

Pedro Torres

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on has definitely been photographing Ryan Castro during Paris Fashion Week for Harper’s Bazaar. It was one of those moments where everything I’ve worked for suddenly felt real. I couldn’t believe I was in Paris for work taking pictures for one of my favorite artists. Read more>>

Sarah Fitzgerald

The most meaningful project I’ve ever been part of was a collaboration with Rocky Mountain Children’s Hospital. I created a collection of paintings depicting gentle, hopeful moments between children and animals. They were scenes meant to comfort, soothe, and spark a sense of safety. These pieces were placed in the rooms of children facing incredibly challenging illnesses. Read more>>

Davian Chester

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on began with my comics about consent. I created a series that explores real-life situations people face but rarely discuss. Mixed signals, pressure, coercion, crossed boundaries, and the grey areas that a lot of people may have trouble navigating. Read more>>

Peter St.Lawrence

…It’s hard to commit to a single most meaningful project, but what I am moved to talk about is a series of restaurants I had the opportunity to work on with Chef Paul Canales. Read more>>

Melody Kiser

HeyDreamer is working on a new concept album called Celebrated Destruction of Paradise, and it’s easily the most ambitious thing we’ve ever taken on. It’s a full story world. The album follows a cast of characters living in a society that’s quickly falling apart underneath them. Read more>>

Geoff Decker

One of my longest and most meaningful projects is being the photographer for Lucha Libre and Laughs (LLL), a professional wrestling and comedy show in Denver, Co. I’ve been photographing it for twelve and half years as of December 2025 and its an ongoing passion project. When I started the project, it was a right-place right time kind of thing. Read more>>

Joshua Frye

This year gave me two projects that reshaped me in very different ways. The first was my retrospective with the City of Thornton. It was a decade-long story told through thirty paintings and several sculptural pieces, all gathered in one space. The show traced five major series that marked different chapters of my life and creative evolution. Read more>>

Simeon Gibbs

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far in my music career is my recent debut single ‘Real.’ Now, I know that may seem oddly convenient, but I just have to give the context. Back in late 2022, I was an 8th grader in middle school daydreaming. I decided to put these wandering thoughts on a google doc. Read more>>

Pia Coronel

The most meaningful project I have worked on is This Temporary Space, a seasonal cabin gallery on our forested land in Thomaston, Maine. The story behind it is tied to a major life transition. My family and I moved from New York to Maine in the fall of 2023, and although the change was intentional, I found myself longing for connection. Read more>>

Michael Cortez

My recent book, The Hateful Heart of a Tramp has been a very meaningful project to me. It is a project that when I am gone from this world can represent and tell a very honest and sad part of my life. Read more>>

Geralyn Williams

The most meaningful work I’ve ever done started at Princeton, where I mentored and advised our Activism & Advocacy Board and supported students who wanted to organize in real, grounded ways. My priority was always the community partners—the local organizers, advocates, and grassroots leaders who had been doing the work long before any of us stepped in. Read more>>

Rickale West

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was the “Freedom To Dream” exhibition. I had the honor of curating and collaborating on this project as part of the planning team alongside the leadership at Montrose Grace Place. The exhibition showcased artwork created by Grace Place youth, along with submissions from local young artists. Read more>>

Alexey Logunov

Throughout my creative career, I’ve been wandering between different musical genres and styles, and also between the two paths of composer and pianist. As a teenager, I played actively in rock bands, and later I decided to pursue the classical route and entered the conservatory. Read more>>

Erica Shirey

Professionally, the most meaningful project I’ve worked on was when Home Staging for Houston partnered with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to fulfill the wish of a terminally ill teenager whose dream was to have a glamorous bedroom. I rallied support from generous donors and worked closely with her to bring her exact vision to life. Read more>>

Lacey Konjevich

I picked up pottery during the pandemic, to pass the time. Little did I know that handbuilding little pots for my plants would turn into a full blown obsession! My most meaningful project, was creating an entire set of dishes for myself. It was so thrilling to toss out my boring commercial plates and bowls and replace them with one of a kind handmade pieces. Read more>>

Christopher Neal

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on is my first book, The Son of Cthulhu. Writing and reading have been a core part of who I am since I was a kid. I stayed buried in stories about demigods, supernatural creatures, and heroes with destinies bigger than themselves. Read more>>