Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Lacey.
Hi Hunter, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
When I was 2, my brother Chase was born with Congenital Encephalopathy. He didn’t receive this diagnosis at birth, it took years before he got his diagnosis, but it was apparent to my mom that something was not normal about his development shortly after his birth. Chase is now 30 and he is still nonverbal and developmentally delayed. Our sister Annabelle was born 3 years later.
Annabelle and I grew up in the disability community and, apart from that, with our own unique interests in the arts.
As adults leading up to the opening of Creation Studio, both Annabelle and I were working in art fields. Annabelle was studying to become an artist and I was working as a photojournalist and teaching journalism. One day at work, I heard through a coworker about Creative Growth in Oakland, California, the first studio and gallery for adults with disabilities. I immediately researched to see if something like this existed in Dallas. When it didn’t, I pondered starting a studio like Creative Growth but felt that it was unrealistic.
After my daughter was born in early 2024 and the school year ended, I had summer break and her amazing ability to nap for long stretches even at a young age to brainstorm. I put together a business plan that summer and began fundraising in the early fall. By mid-fall, we had a location and enough funds to reasonably open in January 2025. That fall, Annabelle committed to being our art teacher (she was always the perfect person for the job but I didn’t want her to feel pressured to join the team unless she wanted to).
We have now been open for almost a year and a half and it has far exceeded my expectations in terms of sustainability and artwork. The community has been incredibly generous and neither Annabelle nor I have had to pay for any of our expenses out of pocket. Our artists create beautiful work and we have now had three successful art shows. The public seem to truly enjoy the artwork and many people now have Creation Studio artists’ work hanging in their homes.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Fundraising is certainly the biggest challenge of running Creation Studio. Though we make some income from art sales (as do our artists), we are a nonprofit and thus need to fundraise to continue operating. I wouldn’t say it has been a struggle necessarily but as my background is in photography and teaching, fundraising does not come naturally to me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Creation Studio Dallas is the only art studio and gallery in Dallas specifically for adults with disabilities. Our mission is to empower adults with disabilities to become working artists, and to diversify the arts by sharing their artwork with the public. Through Creation Studio, adults with disabilities can find their media of choice, grow as an artist, and exhibit and sell works of art.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I think I was a pretty typical oldest child in a lot of ways – strangely into organizing my room and keeping it clean, always attempting to parent my two younger siblings even when my parents told me not to, putting myself into time out if I did something “wrong.” I loved being with my friends but always had social anxiety in large group settings (still do). Dance was a big part of my life from a young age into college. That was my creative outlet and it wouldn’t be until after college that I discovered my interest in photography and beyond that, art in general. I do remember that, despite a strong belief that I was terrible at art and shouldn’t even try to make any, I was always very sensitive to the world around me. As an adult, I feel like that sensitivity allows me to be an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.creationstudiodallas.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/creationstudiodallas
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/creation-studio-dallas/
Image Credits
Artwork by
Emily Morrow
Rachel Frederick
Happy Waterman
Reese Gould
