By Dustin Staggs

To close Women’s History Month, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art held the Canvas Queens art workshop March 28. The event, put on by Social Practice Artist Lakisha Bradley and her team at My-T-By-Design, was one to commemorate women’s uniqueness and bring out their creativity through therapeutic canvas painting.

Social practice art encompasses many different types of creative initiatives, but every social practice artist focuses on community engagement through a range of art mediums and human interaction. While varying in goal, approach, and scale, all social practice art shares a common goal of creating beneficial societal contributions through helping people.  

“Our tagline is ‘Imperfectly painted with purpose,’” Bradley said. That’s the idea she strives to instill in those that she is able to help through her work at My-T-By-Design. Whether it’s serving the youth and families within the juvenile justice system, assisted living facilities, schools, or amongst the women at Canvas Queens.

Bradley started My-T-By-Design seven years ago, back in 2017, after working with Walmart for 16 years and taking a leap of faith by quitting the job to pursue her love for art and helping others. The company started as a mobile service and, within a year, was able to make an art studio its home.

Bradley extended her services in 2018 by working with Cartsen Counseling Services LLC, and she has now shared the power of therapeutic art with over 16,000 people. 

Canvas Queens is just another piece of what My-T-By-Design typically does, Bradley said. 

The event was a lively celebration of creativity and connection that gave women the opportunity to enjoy a calm and introspective time together while creating relationships through a painting journey. In attendance at the event were 14 participants—a perfect amount, Bradley said—to ensure a great connection and conversation amongst the group. 

Chantal Herrera, the community engagement educator, and the team at Crystal Bridges provide a lot of resources in helping put on programs that will integrate more of the community. Herrera started at Crystal Bridges about a year and a half ago, when the art museum had started their arts and social impact program which pairs a civic organization with a local artist to address any issues through a more creative artistic lens.

“Community Engagement’s goal is to connect and get to know our community, our local and regional partners,” Herrera said, “organizations that have been doing work before us or are still doing work, and really integrating them into the museum. And I think establishing just on the basis that art and museums are for everyone, and it’s not something that should feel or be inaccessible.”

Within Community Engagement, they have one pillar called co-hosted programs, which is what Canvas Queens was. Co-hosted programs are any type of programs, but they are specifically working with a community organization and an artist, usually underserved and under-resourced, or are serving communities that are underserved and under-resourced.

The team at My-T-By-Design offered the option of pre-sketched or blank canvases for the attendees to paint on and let their intuition drive their creation. 

“When people, especially some of those as either first-time painters or those that paint or maybe haven’t painted in a while,” Bradley said, “getting in front of that canvas can be a little bit intimidating because it’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you’re going to judge me.’ That’s what we think.”

But similar to My-T-By-Design’s tagline, Bradley wants to show people it’s okay to make mistakes and be imperfect because that’s what makes you unique. Bradley said she wants people to be in the present, have fun in the moment, and know, through their imperfections, they are perfect. 

This ceremony embraces everyone and recognizes women’s efforts. You’ll take home a one-of-a-kind artwork as a physical remembrance of your shared adventures.

In her seven years using art as a healing outlet for the community, Bradley said she’s heard testimonies from those who participated in her workshops or private one-on-one sessions about how much art therapy has helped them. 

“Even when we work with our youth and families with Benton County Juvenile Probation and hearing families say through our art workshops, their communication has improved by participating in these classes and has shown the power of what therapeutic and healing art can do for a community.”

Herrera said that Bradley would occasionally direct them a bit with the painting, but she was really there as a guide emotionally and mentally, making sure that this was a time for the women to rest. 

Bradley would ask prompts to the women and have them go around the room and answer.

“One of her prompts was to say something you liked about yourself,” Herrera said. “And you could tell that there was a moment of like, ‘Oh, I have no idea.’ Like, it’s not something that you’re, you’re regularly asked.”

Lakisha took into mind what people might be feeling on a Thursday, having work the next day, Herrera said. It was a moment for all of them to pause and relax. 

“I think our work culture is so toxic in that way that there’s no space to reflect or just be you,” Herrera said. “You always have to produce something.”

To Herrera, she said the two hour event felt more like a two day retreat for her and the women. It really felt powerful and magical, she said. 

The workshop ended with what Bradley calls a “mini art show.” This allows people to unconsciously get up, walk around, and communicate with each other during the session, she said. 

“We are really big on building connections because one of the things I’ve discovered and learned is you can’t do it by yourself,” Bradley said. “If you build this ecosystem of resources and support, that’s how, you know, us as humans thrive and our community thrives.”