2026 Live Art Demos & Artist Alley
Art in Action
Discover the creativity of Colorado's talented local artists through live art demonstrations happening in our Dragonland Area. Watch as original works come to life and meet the artists behind them.
Then stroll through Artist Alley to view the incredible artwork submitted for this year's Colorado Dragon Boat Festival Poster Design Contest. Celebrate the creativity and talent that help make each year's festival unique!
Live Art Demos & Artist Alley Location
Check out the Artist Alley!
Come see all the amazing Poster Designs that were submitted for this year’s CDBF! Start planning for YOUR design submission for next year’s CDBF!
2026 Poster Designs
Meet our Artists!
Ratha Sok
Objective: As an artist my objective is to provide high quality public and commercial arts through creativity, teamwork and leadership.
Skills: Creative problem solver, leadership, entrepreneurship, time management, marketing, project management, organizational skills and creative art director.
Gaby Oshiro
Gaby is a painter/musician was born in Buenos Aires Argentina to Edvige Bresolin, a photographer and pianist, and Oscar Takashi Oshiro, a political activist and lawyer, who was desaparecido (kidnapped and murdered) for opposing the military dictatorship in Argentina. When it became clear her father would not return alive, Gaby emigrated to Italy along with her mother and brother, where she studied for 5 years at the Liceo Artistico Statale di Treviso. After fine arts school in Italy, she attended Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes Ernesto de la Cárcova in Argentina where she studied with Guggenheim fellow Carlos Gorriarena. In 2016 Gaby collaborated with writer/journalist Andrés Asato on his book about the 17 Desaparecidos of Japanese descent (Nikkei), helping him write the chapter about her father entitled "Con Alma Tanguera.” Following the publication of the book, she was invited to do an art installation called Kintsugi about the 17 desaparecidos Nikkei at the Espacio Cultural of the National Library of Congress in Argentina. Kintsugi, the Presence of your Absence-Part II, was presented at the Galleria dell'Artistico in Treviso Italy, and at the CMA Centro Municipal de Arte in Buenos Aires. Gaby has received multiple awards and accolades for her work to include being a finalist for the prestigious Bienal Sur 2017 and the Artisan Series Bombay Sapphire Prize. After working on portraiture for many years, Gaby’s current work is exploring the use of Oracle Bone script (Japanese/Chinese ancient characters) as modules inspired by the Art Informel and Abstract Expressionism guided by Robert Motherwell, Giuseppe Capogrossi and Carla Accardi.
Her latest art installations can be seen at the Denver Art Museum.
Gaby's WebsiteLeilani Derr
I’m Leilani Nobuko Derr (she/her), I’m a visual artist and designer in Denver who explores thought-provoking themes through a lens of whimsical multiculturalism and surreal illustration. My work delves into how we use myth and folklore to find place, belonging, and understanding in our modern culture. I draw inspiration from an interweaving of my multi-cultural “hapa” upbringing, relentless curiosity, and power of artist advocacy.
I received my BA at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina where I specialized in graphic design and printmaking. Since moving to Colorado in 2010, I spent much of my creative career designing in branding agencies and marketing departments for which I've been the recipient of multiple ADDY and SPJ awards. My passion for public art expanded during a decade of work as Creative Lead of Art and Design in Adams County, Colo. public libraries. While working as a designer for the seven branch district north of Denver, I specialized in art direction and helped to launch community art initiatives, partnering with local artists and organizations.
Most recently, I have been focusing on surreal, illustrative multi-media projects exploring my journey to seek belonging and identity as a mixed Japanese-American artist and what manifests when those connections are diminished through assimilation, racism, objectification, and confusion. The saturated hues in my work tend to clash and vibrate next to each other. They are often intentionally ambiguous as a reflection of the vague spaces I often fall between with my cultural and racial identities.
Leilani's Website