Lakisha Bradley receives $25,000 award from Artists 360 program(Photo by Kat Wilson/Courtesy Artists 360)Arkansas-based artist and entrepreneur Lakisha Bradley was named the 2023 recipient of a $25,000 Artists 360 Creative Impact Award. The award, facilitated by Mid-America Arts Alliance, acknowledges artists who significantly contribute to the region’s cultural environment.
A panel of regional arts and cultural leaders selected Bradley for her efforts in nurturing the local cultural ecosystem.
Bradley in 2017 shifted her focus from a 16-year corporate retail career with Walmart to launch My-T-By-Design, a therapeutic art studio that offers both non-clinical art services and licensed mental health counseling. The initiative creates a safe space for community members, especially people of color, to experience art coupled with mental health services.
Bradley extends her services beyond her studio, working with various community entities and organizing events, exhibitions, and dialogue spaces around important issues.
“Lakisha’s unwavering commitment to authentic community involvement in the arts and her adherence to principles of integrity and soulfulness have greatly inspired and transformed me,” said Sara Segerlin, director of community engagement at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. “She has dedicated herself to supporting community members in need and has established the My-T-By-Design studio in Fayetteville, which offers a safe space for people of color to experience art and mental health services.”
She said the award will help keep the lights on at her studio.
“It’s both me and the community receiving this award,” said Bradley.
