Arkansas-based Lakisha Bradley— artist, entrepreneur, leader, mentor, and therapeutic art practitioner—has been selected as the 2023 recipient of the new Creative Impact Award from Artists 360, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA). The Creative Impact Award recognizes an exceptional artist who has contributed to and nurtured the region’s cultural ecosystem. Artists were selected for the Creative Impact Award by a panel composed of Northwest Arkansas arts and cultural leaders and their organizations.
“This award is helping me keep my studio lights on so that we can continue to be a light of hope in the community,” says Bradley, who founded My-T-By Design, a therapeutic art studio that offers non-clinical art services and licensed mental health counseling in Arkansas. “It’s both me and the community receiving this award.”
“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,” states 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.”
Stacy Harper, executive director of Light House Solutions, also explains that Bradley possesses a “uniqueness to merge art and people together” and that she uses her “artistic skills and creativity to address important social issues within her community.”
To note the significance and its impact on artists, Harper also explains that this award “not only honors her achievements but also motivates future generations to engage with the arts and use it as a catalyst for change.”