Ashley La Russa - Owner of Roux Events and Community Organizer

In this episode, we hear from Ashley La Russa, founder of Roux Events and community organizer. Ashley takes us back in time and discusses how she landed in the Sonoran desert, all the way from Upstate New York, and what has inspired her to stay. She shares her influences in theater, event management and diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Just as many guests on past Artistories episodes, Ashley reveals her “artistic root,” which she can trace to her six-year-old self while living in Texas and finding her voice in performing arts. She reveals how she decided to shift her career in theater arts to event management as an entrepreneur in the middle of a pandemic. Finally, Ashley shares how she is working alongside Arts Foundation staff and leading the charge to produce the 2021 Open Studio Tours event and how artists from across Southern Arizona can participate in a new, hybrid model for OST.

To hear all this more, listen to the full-length podcast by clicking the link above! To listen to the mini, click below!