Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyce Vazquez.
Alyce, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Both of my parents immigrated to the US and that greatly impacted my desire to start a business at 24 years old. Art was always something that allowed me to be my best self and to connect with people from various backgrounds. Starting my art studio for kids happened almost ten years ago. I ran an art studio while putting myself through college and once I graduated, it became clear that I wanted to continue to teach. I officially opened my studio doors in 2011 (after only four months of prep) with the hopes of offering fine art education to children in the south bay. My mission was and still is to preserve our student’s natural abilities and imagination while giving them the tools to bring their ideas to life.
The first month was spent with me mostly painting all day and inviting people walking by to see what I was creating. After getting zero students, my dad who was working for LAUSD asked to borrow all of his friend’s kids and shuttle them down to MB once a week. He promised them free pizza and time to be creative. Once I had students in the studio, I was able to display student artwork and showcase my abilities as an instructor to teach higher learning concepts and help my students create artwork that was both technical and a reflection of my student’s personal interests. Parents were happy and slowly, I was able to build my clientele. After a few months, I was teaching almost 70 kids a week. At the time, I was also doing all of our advertising, accounting, management, administrative, ect. Looking back, It was crazy! I worked at least 60 hours a week for the first three years.
Fast forward, I hired my first employee after a year and the business kept growing. Within the first three years, we were teaching 250 kids a week in a 700 sq ft studio space. By six years, I had six employees and I was able to partner with some pretty incredible organizations. In 2019, we moved to a 2,000 sq ft studio which I renovated and we now have 11 employees. We work with and support Free Arts LA, a nonprofit that provides opportunities to at-risk youth. We also work with the Memory Project, an organization that allows us to connect to children across the world that need our support. The Memory Project has helped create 160,000 portraits and counting for children in 49 countries since 2004. Our collaboration with The Memory Project allows our students the opportunity to create portraits as special mementos for children around the world who face daily adversity that most of us could barely imagine. To date, Alyce’s Art Studio has corresponded with amazing and resilient children from Afghanistan, Syria, and Nigeria. We hope to foster this relationship so that students at Alyce’s Art Studio feel a bond with children around the world and understand the power that art has in human connection.
We also do small projects with local organizations and charities. We completed our first mural last year at the Blue Butterfly Cafe in El Segundo so that our teen students could make an impact through art-making.
Since 2011, we have worked with over 4,000 children and teens in the south bay and we have donated over $30,000 to charities. We hope to continue to motivate and uplift young people by teaching them that art is not just about creating something beautiful rather, it is about sharing ideas, thoughts and emotions.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has absolutely not been smooth but every step of the way has taught me valuable life lessons. At one point, my first employees robbed my studio and stole my curriculum in order to open their own art studio. I was completely devastated. And the truth is that I had no idea how to run a business at 24 years old. I didn’t know how to manage or train employees and I definitely didn’t know how to deal with conflict. So this situation was a huge reality check for me.
Another huge struggle has been to keep my business running through covid. We had a huge push to grow the business in 2019. Some students were on a one year waiting list to join my program so I thought it was time to grow. So we moved to a studio that was more than twice the size of our previous space. We also signed a ten years lease and invested in all new furniture and equipment. In January 2020, we were barely recovering and in March, we were forced to shut down for over four months. The closure was heartbreaking. I have 11 employees and more than half of these employees have been working with me for at least five years so I was trying to support them while problem-solving new ways to generate revenue. My husband lost his job in movie production because all of the studios shut down and there was a point that I thought we would have to file for bankruptcy. But a miracle happened and our community showed up in ways that I never expected. Parents started donating their money and time. We were able to film art tutorials, prepare art kits, and quickly pivot towards virtual art classes. Somehow we made it through and reopened on July 1st. We will still be recovering for another year but I have faith that things will work out.
Please tell us more about your art.
At Alyce’s Art Studio, we believe in changing lives with the power of art. Our mission is to provide high-quality fine art education and instruction to children and teens in Los Angeles’ South Bay.
We are different in our approach to fine art education in the way that we draw out our student’s ideas. We focus on drawing out the unique voices of our students so that each develops their own artistic style and gains the courage to share their ideas and personal expression with others.
We also provide our students with an opportunity to impact their communities through public art installations, events, collaborations, and most importantly a chance to connect to the greater world around them.
Lastly, we aim to provide students at Alyce’s Art Studio all the tools necessary to pursue a career in the arts if that is their calling. Our teen portfolio class allows our teens to build a website, connect with professional artists, and put together an art show in an actual gallery.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
My husband and I are working on creating a television show called, For Art’s Sake that features me interviewing artists from around the world. We want to be able to make art accessible and to inspire people to pursue a life of creativity and connection. The show will feature interviews followed by a large impactful art installation in a community space. For example, a mural in a hospital created by local youth, our featured artist, and myself.
I also hope to continue to expand our impact within our own community. I want to be able to offer our students more opportunities to showcase their artwork and to feel like they have the power to make a difference through art-making.
Contact Info:
- Address: 500 S. Sepulveda Suite 201
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 - Website: www.alycesartstudio.com
- Phone: (310) 569-1283
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alycesartstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlycesArtStudioMB
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/alyces-art-studio-manhattan-beach
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