Community Spotlight: Allison Burns

By Onnoleigh Sweetman,
contributing writer

Bartering Bad Ass

Ali Burns is platinum blonde haired, blue-eyed girl with a cute pep in her step and a light southern twang. I first met Ali back in my club days at Club Ice on Paradise and Harmon. I was immediately captivated by her inviting personality, zest for life and friendly demeanor. She was spunky, she was blonde, she was my soul sister…

One thing I've learned about Ali over the years, is not to be fooled by the small stature and southern drawl. This girl has a big personality and even more fiery ambition. If she’s not appearing in rock videos, she’s spending her time building her resume’ as a Vegan Chef, humanitarian, world traveler, performer, model, designer, and the list goes on and on. Founder of Conscience Cuisine (just as the name suggests) and Founder of Howl at the Moon Festival and Food drive, Ali also spends her time volunteering with local Burners without Borders projects and Go-Go dancing for the DTLV electronic dance troupe Nytronix. Ali makes a New York gal like myself look at the term Bad Ass with a whole new meaning and reverence. Add single mother to the equation and you get nothing but respect for a gal that continues to push forward, move ahead and reinvent herself and her artistic approach at every corner.

These days, Ali has teamed up with former Green Valley High School classmate Brianna Coleman to bring Las Vegas The Open Closet Project.- “A karmic clothing encounter” in which both women are reinventing retail in a trade-based setting. They currently have a space to trade daily inside Reclaimed Art Suppliez at 1114 S. Casino Center, an experimental art gallery, store and community center in downtown Las Vegas. To kick off the premier of this fashion forward project, Ali and Brianna are producing a large scale event at Rainbow’s End on Saturday October 4th. “Wear it Forward: Fashion Show & Clothing Drive” is an interactive clothing exchange and fashion show complete with over 25 vendors, fine art by Mike Wardle, organic food by Rainbow’s End Cafe, live band CoConUT & the CLue, beats by Dre Morningstar, poi spinning by Hope Quinnones and live performances by Sara Lyn and Georgia Curringa of Nytronix Entertainment. The event starts at 6:00 pm and goes till 10:00pm. So clean out your closets ladies (and gems), fill up a barter bag, and experience the Bad Ass Bartering Blonde that is Miss Ali Burns.

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