Voices of Western Colorado: Legacy

LEGACY

The lasting impact of a person, place or idea.
What is passed down, preserved or transformed over time.

We Asked These Western Slope Locals to Weigh in on This Topic

TANYA BLOCK ROUSSIN

Founder of Smart Virtual Solution

“I see legacy as the invisible thread that connects what we build now to what lasts. At Smart Virtual Solution, my work is about connecting dots between vision and action, overwhelm and clarity, tech and people. My legacy isn’t about flashy growth. It’s about helping others build smarter, simpler, more sustainable businesses, and feel proud of how they got there.”

TERRY SHEPHERD

Artist-in-Residence and Ceramics Director of The Art Center of Western Colorado

“Over 41 years, I’ve tripled our studio’s size and class offerings — from three classes per week in 1984 to 10 per week in 2025. I’ve built and rebuilt three outdoor kilns, expanding the ways we fire pottery to include experimental styles alongside our traditional work. In 1997, I co-wrote a $20,000 Coors Foundation grant that, along with revenue from our annual September Pottery Sale, has funded equipment upgrades and maintained a vigorous studio for our students. I’m proud to have fostered a climate of curiosity, serious study and open-minded exploration in the ceramic arts. I’ve hosted over 30 visiting artists for workshops, and in 2006 cofounded the Biennial International Juried Contemporary Clay Exhibit, now in its 20th year. I’m honored to contribute to the vitality of the arts as both a teacher and ‘doer.’”

LAURA BRADLEY

Manager of Performing Arts Marketing at Colorado Mesa University

“Legacy lives in what endures in our imaginations. In the performing arts, moments vanish as they are lived, but something lasting and profound remains: a gesture, a voice, a feeling. I’ve learned that legacy isn’t always what’s recorded but what is stirred. Each time I face a blank canvas or an empty stage, I feel the wonder of possibility. It’s as if I’m stepping into an ongoing story that I’ve inherited by daring to create. I know what I pass on might be unintentional, intangible. For me, legacy is about the impact we leave behind in the moments of connection, and in the love or truth we discover in ourselves and share.”

Originally published in the fall 2025 issue of Spoke+Blossom.