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Ten To Watch

Published August 18, 2007 at midnight

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A look at 10 people and organizations making things happen onthe local arts and culture scene (in alphabetical order):

Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art

Kristen Gerdes, associate curator; Joan Markowitz, co-executive director

The pair have brought one of the few visual-arts venues in Boulder back up to the quality it enjoyed years ago, when Cydney Payton was in charge. That is, BMoCA is presenting must-see exhibitions, including an ambitious fall show dealing with the environment, with noted critic Lucy Lippart as guest curator. Longtime gallery owner Markowitz, with smart support from Gerdes and other museum officers, also have the budget in the black.

Colorado Council on the Arts

Elaine Mariner, executive director; Chris Castilian, council chairman

Arts advocates were poised to declare the state's arts council dead a few years ago. But then it moved into a new parent agency in the state hierarchy, shifted to funding from the state's take on gambling and came under the watch of Mariner and Castilian. They've boosted council funding and again are supporting organizations in the seven-county metro area previously denied money because they're eligible for Scientific and Cultural Facilities District money.

Erik Dyce

Marketing director, Red Rocks

Laugh at his ideas - we'll admit sometimes our eyebrows are arched - but Dyce is someone who shakes things up. He helped get a Colorado Welcome Center put in at Red Rocks, is spearheading an effort to get U2 back to Red Rocks (fat chance, but it doesn't hurt to ask) and generally is a promotional whirlwind. That's an energy we can all support.

Matt Fecher

Rock music promoter

This young promoter has the pulse of the indie rock scene, having promoted the South Park Festival for the past several years. Now, national promoter AEG Live has tapped him to help it stage the Monolith festival Sept. 14 and 15 at Red Rocks, where he's a key player in assembling the lineup of about 80 indie bands and solo artists.

Gene Felling

Executive vice president, general manager, Broomfield Events Center After the Broomfield Events Center opened on the Boulder Turnpike with a bang (a concert by Bonnie Raitt), minor-league sports and obscurity moved in. Enter Felling, who's already turned one suburban concert venue (Fiddler's Green) into a must-see destination and helped open the Pepsi Center. Fresh from California, where he ran several large concert venues, he seems just the man to breathe life into the space.

Charlie Packard

Theater producer

What doesn't this guy do? Charlie Packard is a busy man: He's the creative force behind the Aurora Fox Theatre, the president of the Colorado Theater Guild, a trade group for area theaters, and does behind-the-scenes work on lighting and scenic design. And he's talented, earning four nominations in this year's Henry Awards.

Dan Ritchie

Chairman, Denver Center for the Performing Arts

Anyone else might be daunted by having to replace legendary DCPA founder Donald Seawell. But the new chairman has already been a leader in corporate America (CEO of Westinghouse Broadcasting) and education (chancellor, University of Denver). After initial statements about trying to reduce the impact of the seat tax, Ritchie has been publicly quiet. But that only means we're about to hear about something he's cooked up.

Sam Scinta

Associate publisher, Fulcrum Publishing

The respected Golden publisher has long focused on the outdoors, American Indian culture and other niche topics. Worthy but sans sizzle. Recently, founder Bob Baron's son- in-law Sam Scinta, 38, has set his sights on sexier titles. He launched a new series, Speaker's Corner, focusing on timely issues by writers like Laurie David, Willie Nelson and George McGovern. He's expanding into fiction and just published Anita Thompson's memoir about her late husband, Hunter Thompson.

Gene Sobczak

Executive director, Arvada Center

During his five years at the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Sobczak built a reputation for creative marketing that sold more tickets at a time when most symphonies were selling fewer tickets. That's good news for the Arvada Center, where he starts Sept. 4, since it recently expanded and faces increased competition from other arts centers and the city's expanding entertainment options.

Brian Vogt

CEO, Denver Botanic Gardens

In some ways, things can't get any worse at the Botanic Gardens. Don't get us wrong - the place looks great and is fulfilling its mission - but the group has had its hand out, waiting patiently for long-overdue city bond support for basic maintenance repairs, while one issue after another gets preference. So it's up to the upbeat Vogt to get the job done.