Arrian Yves Wheeler (“AY”) is a Boulder, Colorado-based artist, entrepreneur and all around cool dude. He’s always got something new cooking, and his artwork - using Bavarian crystal and simian to create massive, stunning paintings - is a passion that’s recently been taking off.

Joel Hartter is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Masters of the Environment professional graduate degree program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Joel is a National Geographic Explorer, and for the last 20 years has worked as a researcher, consultant, engineer, and educator focused on sustainability and resilience.

Experiencing the art by Evan Hecox could be described as having a moment of zen on a trip - when something that you’d walk right by in your everyday life instead makes you stop, take it in, look at the lines, shapes and colors, and really think about it for a moment. It might be a building, a motorcycle, a mountain, a house - but whatever it is, a snapshot is clearly imprinted in your mind.

Culturelines contributing editor Amani King, creative director of Avocados and Coconuts, spoke with Ari Robey-Lawrence, Eric Douglas Porter, Darice Jones, Chris McWayne, Adachi Pimentel and Khalil Anthony Peebles from the wood // work collective.