Karen Kliethermes
-----Upcoming Events-----
Into the Wild Race at the Wild Animal Sanctuary
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Date: 6/3/23
Time: 7-10am
Location: The Wild Animal Sanctuary
2999 County Road 53
Keenesburg, CO 80643
Admission: Donation-Based
Link: https://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org/into-the-wild-running-festival
Affordable Arts Festival 2023
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Date: 8/27/23
Time: 9am-3pm
Location: Arapahoe Community College
5900 S. Santa Fe Dr.
Littleton, CO 80120
Admission: $12
-----Past Events-----
Body, Mind, Spirit - Spring 2023
Date: 3/17 - 3/19/2023
Time: Fri 1pm-9pm
Sat 10am-7pm
Sun 10am-6pm
Location: Crowne Plaza Denver Airport Convention Center
15500 E 40th Ave
Denver, CO 80239
Admission: $10 daily
This colossal annual metaphysical event hosts over one hundred practitioners and artisans on one weekend, drawing the masses to this unique event with people of all kinds. Karen experienced Round #7 as a BMSE vendor! She was present on all three days as a vendor, selling originals, prints, her Mammals AND new Birds Animal Essence Oracle Card Decks, her Save The Bees Coloring Books, as well as her new addition of handmade jewelry (wire-wrapped crystal pendants, and handmade dangle earrings with crystals and humanely-sourced feathers)! This will be Karen's last time at this particular show for multiple reasons, but stay tuned to see her other events! And lastly, thank you kindly to her immensely supportive loved ones who assisted her in setting up, vending, and taking down Karen's booth; each and every one of you are extremely appreciated!!
Pongo Lifestyle Parties
Dates: 2023 Events: TBD
2022 Events: 12/14, 12/7, 10/12, 8/16, 7/30, 3/15, 3/1, 2/9
2021 Events: 12/22, 12/15, 12/8, 12/1, 10/16
Time: Typically 5-8pm
Location: Pongo Lifestyle Boutique
5738 South Rapp Street
Littleton, CO 80120
Pongo Lifestyle knows how to throw their parties! During the holiday season and for special events, this maximalist boutique goes out of their way to hire live musicians and a bartender to go along with a plethora of food--all free for the public to enjoy! Karen is invited to do some live-painting to add to the array of entertainment at these lively events. She has had the incredible honor of having painted the murals in the entire store, and Pongo Lifestyle also very generously allows Karen to sell her decks and prints at their events. This store truly goes above and beyond to turn over their product for every holiday and season; words don't accurately describe how wondrous this is, you've got to see it for yourself!
This charming shop focuses on selling products that are fair-trade, use upcycled/recycled/thrifted materials, are ethically sourced, support impoverished communities, and come from woman-owned businesses across the world. Also, the owner of Pongo Lifestyle also has worked very hard to create and sell an entire line of palm-free skincare products, all set to match different themes and rooms in the store! In addition to supporting orangutans by avoiding palm oil, a huge amount of their profits are directly donated to the Center for Great Apes, an incredible, altruistic sanctuary for rescued apes. To learn more about Pongo Lifestyle and their mission, please visit: https://www.pongolifestyle.com/ To learn more about the Center for Great Apes: https://centerforgreatapes.org/
Katie's Night Gala 2022
Date: 12/4/22
Time: 5pm-9pm
Location: Reelworks Denver
1399 35th St
Denver, CO 80205
Admission: $25-50
Link: https://www.katieadamsonconservationfund.org/katiesnight2022
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Katie's Night was finally back post-COVID, and this was their most successful event to date! Hundreds of animal lovers and patrons attend this fancy fundraising event, raising money for the incredible animal conservation efforts led by KACF. Three drawings of Karen's were up for auction, one of the endangered Nepalese Pangolin, the endangered Musk Deer, and the Giant Panda Bear. This was also Karen's first official event where she sold her freshly printed bird oracle decks! Karen was so honored to once again be invited to this event, as well as so grateful to be working with and around some of the most inspiring, caring people--of whom are just as passionate about preserving our natural world as she is. To learn more about the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund, please visit: http://www.katieadamsonconservationfund.org/
Affordable Arts Festival 2022
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Date: 8/28/22
Time: 9am-3pm
Location: Arapahoe Community College
5900 S. Santa Fe Dr.
Littleton, CO 80120
Admission: $12
Karen was thrilled when she found out that she got accepted into this popular juried show! And one that reflects her values of art being not just for the wealthy, but for everyone! All art sold at this show must be $100 or less in the medium you juried for. Income made from ticket sales for this event go towards community college scholarships, so it's an added bonus for attendees to know they are supporting the local arts and accessible higher education!
Karen displayed and sold dozens of original paintings and drawings, a good portion of them being bird portraits (created specifically for her birds oracle deck!), as well as a succulent series she painted just for this show. Customers really were getting some incredible deals for some of these detailed originals! She was also pleased to add her old work into the mix as well, artwork that otherwise sits around in storage and takes up space, rather than being appreciated in someone's home! This was the most successful event Karen has done to-date, and she certainly intends to come back next year with new artwork in tow! Karen also gives a huge shoutout and thanks to her partner who was an immense and instrumental help through the whole process of setting up, selling, and taking down her booth--it's a huge venture!
To learn more about the Affordable Arts Festival scholarships: https://affordableartsfestival.com/impact
Into the Wild Race at the Wild Animal Sanctuary
Date: 6/11/22
Time: 7-11am
Location: The Wild Animal Sanctuary
2999 County Road 53
Keenesburg, CO 80643
Admission: Donation-Based
Link: https://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org/into-the-wild-running-festival
This was Karen's first shot at this incredible opportunity; vending at a giant annual race that raises money for the Wild Animal Sanctuary! Thousands of animal lovers far and wide participate in this event; in addition to seeing their hundreds of rescued animals on the property, attendees get to enjoy a memorable day and workout with loved ones. It was a joy to interact with so many caring people, most especially those that work/volunteer for the sanctuary!
To thank this fantastic organization for all that they do (and for having me!), as well as raise money for their rescue work, Karen donated some of her artistic services. Specifically, she was given two authentic, hollow ostrich eggs (from their resident ostriches!) to paint, and then return to the sanctuary to sell in their shop. Isn't that the coolest?? Stay tuned, you will see pictures of the painted ostrich eggs before next year's event on her "Artwork" page! Karen also gives a huge shoutout and thanks to her partner who was an immense and instrumental help through the whole process of setting up, selling, and taking down. To learn more about the Wild Animal Sanctuary, click here: https://www.wildanimalsanctuary.org/about-us
Rock of Apes VI
Date: 4/16/22
Time: 5:30-11:30pm
Location: Wellshire Event Center
3333 South Colorado Boulevard
Denver, CO 80222
Admission: $60
Link: http://rockofapes.com/
Rock of Apes VI was another jam-packed night of fun, delicious food, awesome rock music by PHOENIX (the best cover band in Vegas!), dancing, and most importantly, philanthrophy. Ape experts talked about their crucial scientific research, efforts to protect apes, as well as the problems that apes face in our world. The proceeds from the silent auction as well as the event itself went directly supporting great ape conservation! Karen did a live drawing of a silverback gorilla and donated it along with another work (courtesy of KACF who commissioned me for it) to the live auction (splitting the proceeds). Additionally, Karen sold her decks, cards, and prints. With that, she is so thankful to her dear friend who greaty supported her and helped customers while Karen was live-drawing! To learn more about Rock of Apes, please visit: http://www.rockofapes.com/
