Ken Chapin, executive director of Design Age Friendly, a non-profit studio based in southern Colorado, co-creative director of Intreccio Fiber Works, and artist in residence at the historic A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art. As A member of the Colorado Commission on Aging, he sits on the sub-committee for age-friendly communities
Ken grew up in Ohio's coal country, the rural deep south, and in southern Colorado where he excelled in athletics, community theater, and performing arts. At the age of 16, he enlisted in the United States Navy where he spent four years traveling the world.
Since debuting his first art exhibition in 2003, he has curated various exhibitions and events, and in 2023 the AIS Funded project, Goodnight Moon - A Fiber Tale, and the Smithsonian Exhibition Crossroads: Change in Rural America, a traveling showcase that examines how life in small towns has evolved over the last century.
Ken's ability to lead and coordinate has been evidenced by his successful production and curation of an eight-week Smithsonian exhibit, along with over XX companion events. He took charge of fundraising, media and public relations, municipal and corporate partnerships, and coordinating over 315 volunteers from the community. Ken also built relationships with more than 40 organizations that contributed to the project.
In 2006, after a weekend at the famed d.school at Stanford University, Ken established the Mobile Innovation Lab. He collaborated with clients on strategy, leadership development, and creating efficient teams for more than 10 years. However, his focus later shifted to mapping the systems of care for older people in India, particularly across rural northern India. For the past three years, he has worked diligently to improve the lives of older people in Southern Colorado and expand the role the arts play in age-friendly initiatives statewide.
