Meet Natasha Vega of The Vega Studio in East Dallas

Natasha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The journey begins in Dallas, growing up on the East side near White Rock Lake and visiting the DMA. The artwork that always stood out to me as a kid was, The Iceburgs. Staring at that painting instantly transplants you into the Arctic and you can actually feel the coldness, the glowing beauty, and the icy death that surrounds you. I loved how paintings (art) could create that overwhelming sensory experience while also taking you out of your element. I always enjoyed being imaginative and creative but wasn’t sure exactly where my talent was. After graduating college, I began traveling and teaching abroad. I would visit art museums and galleries in all different cities. I took it all in and began painting with watercolors and creating collages in my travel journals for fun. I also incorporated more art lessons into my teaching style. Everything in the arts was just a hobby, a side interest, or so I thought. 

I’ve tried on many career hats (teacher, interior design sales consultant, accounting clerk) but the feeling of wanting to connect more with artists in a community never left. When I moved back to Dallas in 2016 after living in South Korea and NYC for a few years, I knew that I wanted to immerse myself in my hometown art scene. The NYC scene was still really intimidating to me and I wanted to give myself time to breathe and explore with space, which is hard to come by up there. It seemed like a great time to come back to my hometown since so many changes and arts initiatives had taken place in the 5 or so years that I was gone. I was eager to get reacquainted with Dallas.

While hanging out with a new friend on the outskirts of Deep Ellum one evening, we drove by a FOR RENT sign on a very nondescript building just east of the area. My friend explained how there used to be an art gallery there a couple years ago that held all these great exhibitions. I became inspired to do the same and started renting out one of the studio spaces in that compound off Peak Street in Old East Dallas. My purpose and goals aligned that fast! I had an incredible will and excitement which carried me through the trials of organizing the studio space. New projects also tend to bring people together and I had some great help in building a free standing wall to divide the gallery/living quarters, getting a desk, and installing the disco ball to initiate the studio. 

I started off very simply and used the resources around me to build upon. That was in April of 2017. I have to say that it took almost a year of living in Dallas before I found the studio and also took a few months of having the space before I even had my first art show. It was all an experiment.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with The Vega Studio – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am remarkably proud of every artist and collaborative show that was organized at The Vega Studio space in Old East Dallas (a total of 11!). The shows ranged from the photography of a tornado storm chaser, to a group show featuring 9 artists and three musical acts, to hosting a documentary about the Korean death metal scene. I even connected with these ladies who had a business of running fun risqué painting classes. The space turned into this incubator-type environment for ideas. I love collaborations and seeing how people interpret their passion. I was able to connect with so much emerging talent within the community which showed me that there is a need for alternative creative venues in Dallas that offer more opportunities to foster the growth of diversity in the arts.

The Vega Studio even caught the eye (through Instagram) of an artist living and working in Australia. She eventually came to NYC where we had a show together last November. I find it fascinating how perhaps artists on the other side of Dallas may never have known me, yet this artist in Australia had found my studio and we were truly able to form not only a close friendship but a great working relationship as well. That led me to believe wholeheartedly in the creative process and in my own ability to connect with artists locally and on an international scale.

In transitioning The Vega Studio into an online platform, its created a more flexible space for myself as an independent curator, collaborator, and creative initiator. This has inspired me to broaden my definition of connectivity through virtual and concrete avenues. It doesn’t have to mean the traditional white cube, the possibilities for art integrating into our daily lives and with each other are endless. There is an incredible need for connection. I truly believe there is space for everyone and make it a point to seek out those that are not always represented in galleries and have unique bodies of work.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
The Vega Studio can be anywhere and do anything, which was an important mind shift when I made the decision to move back to NYC last September. It was a tough decision that came from a series of events, both personally and professionally. The big apple definitely holds a grasp on you and I know that I will always be back in forth between both places. I have a bond with creatives in Dallas and look forward to bringing up some of that Texas talent. Dallas is my hometown and will always be a part of my story.

Vega is not only my last name but the name of one of the brightest stars in the Summer Night Sky. It was once the North Star and in about 12,000 years it will be the North Star again. I love this idea of Vega still shining bright, its beam reaching out into the darkness of the cosmos for anyone to tune into-the next evolutions of The Vega Studio still being discovered!