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Meet the 18b Board
18b is an all-volunteer organization, and its Board is comprised of local business owners and community members who are committed to building a stronger and more connected community downtown. Want to be get involved? Join as an 18b Member today!
Becky Miller
18b President
Becky is the Board President and 20+ year business and property owner in the Arts District. She runs Main Street Mercantile (home of Kitty La Floof) where she specializes in selling vintage and gift items and making vintage inspired clothing for the non-vintage figure. She's had some terrific mentors in her lifetime. They've inspired her to keep giving to others and to keep building our awesome neighborhood. The 18b Las Vegas Arts District is truly the heart and soul of Las Vegas and she's honored to serve our community.
Izaac Zevalking
18b Board Director
Recycled Propaganda is an artist acclaimed for his graphic exploration of a variety of contemporary issues from global history to current affairs. Its sole creative, Izaac Zevalking, is an English-American who was raised bicontinental in a family that highly valued creativity and outside-the-box thinking. This support and lifelong emphasis on ingenuity, coupled with a background in graphic design and art, bred a body of work epitomized by eye-catching visuals with enigmatic social commentary. Known for his often gritty, always thought-provoking, and occasionally shock-inducing imagery, Recycled Propaganda utilizes original digital images conveyed through media ranging from large-scale murals to packs of stickers.
All the imagery is crafted with the intent to “subvert the black and white – fear and fact-based rhetoric that we are so frequently plagued with, into a more eccentric and equivocal one that more accurately reflects our reality.” The art aims to encourage critical thought and nuance in an increasingly apathetic and polarized society. Zevalking has been practicing under the Recycled Propaganda pseudonym since 2013, predominately in the Las Vegas area. In this period he has received a number of accolades, notably the “Best of Award” for street art and the “Mayor’s Urban Design Award” for mural projects completed during the 2020 lockdown. In 2018 he opened his flagship brick-and-mortar gallery in the Las Vegas Arts District. Using this platform he has continued to grow his own artistic practice as well as expand his national and global reach. The gallery is also utilized as a platform to expose other artists both established and up-and-coming. Recycled Propaganda’s body of public mural work continues to grow, specifically in DTLV but increasingly in cities across the country. Trying to reach many, this artist is continually expanding his influence with an ambition to evoke change globally.
Jen Taler
18b Board Director
Over the past 14 years, Las Vegas has become my home, where I've invested my time, passions, and business efforts while building my family. During this time, I have opened, started, and run multiple small businesses, including some notable ventures:
About a decade ago, I focused on small business development in Downtown Las Vegas. In 2012, owner, Megan Mossler and I opened Stitch Factory, a fashion incubator that provided local artisans with a space to design, sew, and create, along with manufacturing support. We also created a lifestyle capsule collection for the Life is Beautiful festival, which achieved wild success and a dedicated following. We managed all design, development, and merchandise booths for the festival in its third and fourth years.
In 2016, I transitioned from the Stitch Factory to start the redesign, redevelopment, curation, and operations of Fergusons Downtown. Co-founding this project with the late Tony Hsieh, we opened the public side of Fergusons Downtown in December 2019. Transforming an old motel, we developed it into a small business hub and community-focused space on Fremont East, proudly supporting our local creative community.
During the development of Fergusons Downtown, I launched Market in the Alley, a monthly market highlighting and supporting local small businesses. Starting in the summer of 2017 with 20 creatives, our database has now grown to over 800. Market in the Alley is now present in four hub communities in Las Vegas, further bolstering our small business community.
In 2022, I opened Akin Cooperative, a retail store in the Arts District on South Commerce. The store features over 50 local artisans, hosts workshops and gatherings to connect creatives with the community, and includes a micro bar featuring natural wine and craft beers.
Marissa Pretkus
18b Board Member
Marissa Pretkus. Owner of Horse Trailer Hideout bar Downtown in the Gateway District. Vegas resident of 30 years. I have seen this city grow. I am excited to be a part of the changes and constant development of our community. Coming from the service industry and working class, I am excited to bring new insights and thoughts, while also being able to listen and understand new ideas to help develop our district.
Ben Johnson
18b Board Director
Ben has been working for the City of Las Vegas in the public art program since 2024.
Curtis Walker
18b Board Director
Curtis Joe Walker first opened his studio inthe arts district in 2010 and has been a member of the board since 2013. He joined the board with a goal of streamlining communication with the community through the 18b.org website and social media. After relocating his studio outside the arts district neighborhood in 2019, he has continues to offer his expertise and passion for downtown Las Vegas to the board.
Robin Slonina
18b Board Director
Robin Slonina is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates sculpture, painting, murals, interactive installation and bodypainting. Over her 25+ year career, her philosophy has always been to take the “Do Not Touch” sign off her art, inviting people to recognize art as an integral and fun component of everyday life.
Robin graduated from the SAIC art school in her hometown of Chicago, but Las Vegas has been her adopted home for the past 15 years. In 2006, she founded the world-famous Skin City Body Painting event company in Las Vegas, growing it from a side-business operated out of her garage into the largest bodypainting company in the USA, hiring over 100 freelance employees per year from the Vegas creative community.
Robin is also a Producer and Judge on the hit body painting competition show Skin Wars, alongside RuPaul, Rebecca Romijn and Craig Tracy - now in its third season on Netflix.
Robin’s artwork has been exhibited at galleries and museums all over the USA and Europe, as well as featured on ABC, BBC news, Fox, Lifetime, MTV, NATGeo, NBC, Showtime, Spike, Travel Channel, Univision, and Viceland, as well as on the Jimmy Kimmel show and a 2012 Super Bowl commercial.
In her capacity as Skin City Artistic Director, Robin has created award-winning spectacles for the Gay Pride parade, Cirque du Soleil charity shows, major private and corporate events, as well as almost every major casino in Las Vegas. Skin City supports over 20 local charitable organizations like AFAN, Cure 4 the Kids, HopeLink, Opportunity Village and St. Jude’s.
Derek Stonebarger
18b Board Director
Derek Stonebarger owns ReBar and Davey's, and was 18b Board President for seven years. He's now part of the team that's helping to restore the Huntridge Theatre!
Sarah Collins
18b Treasurer
Sarah is a third culture child who identifies as Puertorican with Spanish being her first language followed by English and French. In 2015 Sarah opened Main Street Peddlers Antique Mall at 1400 S. Main Street, which she currently owns along with Kat Weatherspoon. Sarah also produces the Antique Alley Map in The Southern Nevada Country Register.
Open Call
18b Board Director
Would you like to join the Arts District Board? Come to our mixers and meetings and see what we're all about and chat with a board member about opportunities to give back to the community.
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