THE TEAM
Gretchen Leggitt
Co-Founder
Gretchen Leggitt is a muralist, artist, educator and business owner based in Bellingham, WA. Her passion to help found Noisy Waters Mural Festival is based on her desire to preserve, protect and cultivate creative culture in areas where rapid economic growth has historically displaced artists. Her vision behind Noisy Waters Mural Fest is to facilitate an event that promotes diversity, equity and opportunity in the public art realm.
www.gretchenleggitt.com
Nick Hartrich
Co-Founder
Placemaking enthusiast and public art curator, Nick Hartrich, has spent over 20 years sparking large-scale public projects (including murals) that breathe life into cityscapes. Noisy Waters isn’t just a call to raise the bar for high-impact murals—it's proof of how fast, bold, intentional art can turn a city into a thriving, connected community. Let’s make it beautiful, friends.
GRACE ROGERS
EVENTS MANAGER
Grace is driven by the joy of working with others to create shared spaces and experiences that reveal beauty and our innate connection. With a background in civil engineering, she is passionate about building infrastructure that is both functional and deeply meaningful. Through Noisy Waters, she works alongside the community to reimagine local infrastructure as a vibrant canvas for shared expression - bringing shapes, colors, and a bit of magic into everyday life.
Kayleigh Burkinshaw
Digital Culture Creator
Kayleigh is a storyteller and change-maker with a deep love for the people, places, and landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, which she's proudly called home since 2022. Drawn to the power of community, she brings a background in nonprofit marketing and years behind the camera to share authentic stories through impactful content. She believes the most meaningful work brings people together and inspires them to be a part of something bigger. You'll often find her immersed in nature, dancing at a music festival, or browsing a local artist’s market.
Acacia Lopez
Momentum Analyst
Acacia is a strategic systems-thinker who integrates over a decade of professional design experience with advanced expertise in space systems engineering and geophysics. Currently applying her skills in project management and systems optimization, she excels at translating complex, multidisciplinary concepts into structured, actionable processes. By bridging analytical diligence with creative vision, Acacia helps to deliver innovative solutions that drive operational efficiency. Outside of her professional endeavors, she maintains her creative and athletic pursuits through music, painting, and trail running in the mountains.
KAPLAN BUNCE
INDIGEVERSAL COLLECTIVE CO-LEAD
Kaplan Bunce is an Apache artist, carpenter, and designer from Kauai, Hawaii. His works are representative of his prayers that he has made in ceremony and ideas around sacredness and positivity. Kaplan is the originator of the Indigeversal Collective, a program designed to create uplift for artists from Indigenous communities globally. The purpose is to provide time and space for artists to further develop their craft. The Indigeversal Collective is here for the future voices of art!
Heather Dawn Sparks
INDIGEVERSAL COLLECTIVE CO-LEAD
From Nuwaha Territory, Skagit County, Heather Dawn Sparks specializes in vibrant, shimmering, landscape integrated sculptures that engage the public in learning about bioregional ecosystems. They are best known for illuminated sculptures featuring cut metal designs of flora and fauna that cast prismatic shadow & light patterns.
As a lead builder at Lookout Arts Quarry, a prior rock quarry turned international events center, Sparks consistently collaborates with culturally diverse innovators, builders, and community leaders to complete large scale projects. She is a member of the Femme Metal Collective, a group of femme and 2SLGBTQIA+ artists working to overcome obstacles in the trades.
Sparks' work has been installed in 8 countries, 30 cities, and 40+ international art events. They are currently represented on Bellingham's Public Art Roster, ArtsWA’s Public Art Roster, Seattle's Public Art Roster, Oregon's Public Art Roster, and Portland Light Festival’s Public Art Program.