Our Story: From a Dining Room Table to Orange Easel

If you had walked into my house during spring break in 2012, you would have found a group of kids gathered around my dining room table, covered in paint, paper, and big ideas.
That week wasn’t part of a grand business plan.
It was an experiment.
A “let’s try this and see what happens” kind of moment.
I had no idea at the time that it would grow into what we now know as Orange Easel.
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The basement art studio where it all started. Less than 350 square feet but full of potential.

​2012: The Beginning (a.k.a. The Dining Room Days)

Spring break camp. My dining room. A handful of kids.
That’s where it all started.
Later that year, we moved the chaos (and the creativity) downstairs and built out a basement studio. It felt official… but still very much homemade in the best way.
Back then, it was simply called Miss Allison’s Art.
And it was small, personal, and full of possibility.

​2014: A Name, A Team, A Leap

By early 2014, I knew something had to shift.
This was becoming bigger than just me.

I hired my first teacher in 2014 to help me with classes.

An evening art class inside Miss Allison's Art.

Winter Break Art Camp 2013 (phone camera quality has really come a long way since then!)

February 2014 — The First Hire
Miss Sara joined the team as our very first employee.
At the time, I didn’t fully realize how much I needed a teammate—but she was a game changer.
Having someone beside me in this work changed everything.

The Naming Night
As we prepared to open our first commercial space, I knew one thing for sure:
We couldn’t keep the name Miss Allison’s Art.
We were building something bigger—a team, a community—and it needed a name that reflected that.
So I gathered a group of my closest, creative mom-friends.
We covered the tables in butcher paper, opened a couple bottles of wine, grabbed Sharpies, and started brainstorming.
We asked big questions:

• Who is this studio for?
• What kind of art will live here?
• What do we want people to feel when they walk in?

We knew what we didn’t want:

• Not too cutesy
• Not too girly
• Not limited to just painting
• Not just for little kids

We wrote words. Colors. Ideas. Associations.
By the end of the night, two words were circled:
Orange. Easel.
That night, before going to bed, I designed the logo and bought the URL.
And just like that—Orange Easel was born.

August 2014 — First Studio Opens (Liberty location)
We opened our first commercial location.
It was a huge leap… and the beginning of something real.
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Yes, this is what the lobby looked like when we opened...

Inside a sparkling clean, brand new Liberty studio

2018: Growing Up

August 2018 — Second Location (Platte Woods)
We expanded and opened our second studio.
More space. More artists. More opportunities to grow.
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Expanding Our Classes
Up until this point, we focused on multimedia art.
In 2018, we introduced drawing classes for the first time—opening the door for students who wanted to go deeper, build skills, and grow in new ways.
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Summer 2018 - checking in on construction

August 2018 - painting the speech bubble at the new Platte Woods studio

​2020: Pivoting & Creating Something New

Lke many small businesses, 2020 tested us in ways we never expected.
But it also pushed us to think differently.
That’s when we launched Creation Nation Art Club—our online art program.
What started as a way to stay connected became something so much bigger:

• A growing online community
• A library of on-demand lessons
• A way to reach artists beyond our local studios

It changed how we think about access, flexibility, and what art education can look like.
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Teaching live online classes during the pandemic

Believe it or not, this is what our zoom screens looked like at the height of the pandemic.

​2021: Growing Leaders

We introduced our Junior Staff Program—designed to give Orange Easel students their first job experience while building leadership skills.

It’s become one of the things I’m most proud of:
Watching students grow up in our program… and then step into leadership roles?
That’s full-circle in the best way.
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2024 Junior Staff

2025 Summer Staff

​2023–2024: Meeting Artists Where They Are

As we’ve grown, one thing has stayed at the center of everything we do:
Different kids learn differently.

So we’ve continued to expanded our class offerings to reflect that.
Creation Explorations
For artists who thrive in open-ended, process-driven environments.
Drawing 103
For students ready to level up, take on challenges, and really see what they’re capable of.
These additions weren’t about adding more—they were about serving our artists better.
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One of our first K/1st grade classes in the Liberty studio. Most of these kids are seniors in high school now!

2022 was the last time we held art shows at our studios. We've outgrown the spaces and now we rent BIGGER spaces to celebrate our artists!

​Today

What started at a dining room table has grown into:

• Two studio locations
• A full team of instructors
• Hundreds of students
• An online art community
• A space where kids come not just to make art… but to grow, connect, and build confidence

And somehow, it still feels like those early days—just on a bigger scale.
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​What’s Next?

We’re still dreaming.
On our “dream big” board, you’ll find ideas like:

• More studio locations
• Expanding our online programs beyond the Kansas City area
• Scholarship programs to make art more accessible for families
• A future college scholarship for graduating seniors

We don’t have all the answers yet.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned since 2012, it’s this:
Start small. Stay curious. Keep listening. Keep building.
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​Thank You

If you’ve been part of this journey—as a student, a parent, an instructor, or a supporter—thank you.
You’ve helped shape what Orange Easel is today.
And we’re just getting started.