Meet the Artist
“I am not an artist.
I am Art.”
Avery-Grace Blanco was born in Fort Collins, Colorado and grew up both in her hometown and in the Boulder, Colorado area. She flourished as an artist in her small elementary and middle school community designing and sewing her own clothing for a fashion show in the annual talent show, performing in musicals, and teaching art at children’s birthday parties.
In high school Avery-Grace took a strong interest in criminal justice and began working for a local non-profit her senior year. In this role she investigated national unresolved homicide and missing persons cases. The following year she moved to Denver, Colorado to study Criminal Justice & Criminology at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. She completed her Bachelor of Science Degree with a Minor in Leadership Studies in three years while maintaining scholarship status and holding several part-time, full-time, and volunteer positions at government and non-profit agencies.
Overlapping with the end of her bachelor’s degree she worked full-time for the City and County of Denver as the Lead Overnight Emergency Shelter Coordinator in Denver’s only COVID-19 positive homeless shelter. Shortly after she took on a contract role as a Criminal Investigator for the State of Colorado. She continued her work in victim services and shelter management as she started her Master’s of Arts degree in Social Justice and Human Rights at Arizona State University.
Her first semester of her advanced degree she was recognized for her research in mechanisms of modern slavery with an invitation to an internationally renowned human rights forum called the Sedona Forum hosted by the McCain Institute. She was quickly staffed on their Combatting Human Trafficking Team afterwards. Only a few months into her new role she had a life threatening relapse in her chronic illness that forced her to return home to Colorado and pursue alternative career options with flexible work hours. She completed a total of twelve graduate coursework credits.
While managing treatments for new complications in her illness she turned to art for peace and comfort. As her skills advanced so did her passion for art and desire to give back to her community, thus deciding to establish her own business which incorporates art, her professional experience, and her own personal experience as a survivor.
Artist Showcases
Petals & Pages of Denver
Avery-Grace’s 3D art has been showcased at an inclusive bookstore in the Santa Fe Arts district twice in 2024.
The Mercury Cafe
Avery-Grace performs poetry at the Mercury Cafe on Friday and Sunday evenings when she is able to.
That’s What She Said
Avery-Grace’s Poem “Thoughts the Days After” was selected for an event that amplified survivor’s stories at the Auraria Campus in 2019.
Professional Experience
State Of Colorado
Avery-Grace was an investigator of national and international fraudulent unemployment claims in 2021. She worked to restore benefits to Colorado residents during the COVID-19 outbreak.
A Woman’s Place
AVery-Grace worked at a safehouse as certified Domestic Violence Victim Advocate to provide nationwide advocacy and shelter services to adults and children escaping domestic violence.
City & County of Denver
Avery-Grace worked as an Emergency Shelter Coordinator in Denver’s only pop-up homeless shelter for COVID-19 positive residents. She led overnight shifts, trained new employees, and worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and recovery of those in need.
Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance/The Rose Andom Center
Avery-Grace completed extensive training in victim advocacy including over 15 different certifications and completed hands on case management at a domestic violence resource center in Denver, Colorado.
McCain Institute
Avery-Grace collaborated on a comprehensive resource kit for all educators in the State of Arizona to identify, report, and respond to cases of human trafficking from a victim-centered approach.
Colorado Human Extractions and Remains Team
Avery-Grace assisted as a volunteer in death scene investigations and the performance of autopsies at the Denver Medical Examiner’s office in preparation for deployment during a mass casualty event.
Meeting former Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley and President of ASU Dr. Michael Crowe.
Attending the McCain Institute's Annual Sedona Forum.
Personal recognition from 46th United States President Joseph Biden.
Visiting the National Society of Collegiate Scholars in Washington, D.C.
Attending a meeting at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Avery-Grace's first speech at a campus rally she organized called "Silence is Violence."
