About Mindful Art Center
What We Offer
The Mindful Art Center offers self-care resources that are based in art therapy and mindfulness practices, and backed by neuroscience research. Our team creates all of our resources, which include online and in-person courses, workshops, events, private coaching, corporate training and presentations, books, articles, and more.
Our Mission
Mindful Art Center is dedicated to sharing the transformative power of creating art as a practice of mindfulness. You don’t have to call yourself an “artist” in order to understand yourself better through art. Learn within a supportive space how to tap into your creative intuition, using art to approach self-care from a new angle.
Our History
The Mindful Art Center was established in 2012 by Kelly Darke, a lifelong artist, and art therapist since 2010. Kelly Darke started the Mindful Art Center when she realized the importance of making art therapy services more widely available and accessible, due to the profound impact she saw that these practices have had for both herself and for the members of her communities. The creation of art as a practice of mindfulness, as a way to calm the mind and body, and as a way to help us better understand ourselves and our processes, has always been a core component of Kelly Darke’s life. She has thus dedicated her life to expanding her practice and her understanding of art’s therapeutic effects, all while sharing this practice with those around her.
In 2014, the Mindful Art Center moved into our first studio and office in Livonia, MI, where we would stay until 2018. Here, we hosted workshops, private sessions, and gallery shows, in addition to operating a small ceramics studio in the back. The Mindful Art Center initially focused on LGBTQ+ clients and groups during this time, after Kelly Darke’s oldest child came out as transgender in 2015, and the need for more inclusive spaces was recognized. This made clear to Mindful Art Center one of our core values; to joyously invite individuals from all walks of life, as we strive to create a space where everyone feels welcome, respected, and supported.
In January of 2020, the Mindful Art Center moved into our second studio and office space, in Canton, MI. We hosted group studio sessions here for two months, before quarantines started in March of 2020. This is when Kelly Darke began hosting her Art & Mindfulness online workshops, which continue to this day. We remained operating online workshops out of this location until March of 2022.
Now, in 2024, the Mindful Art Center has begun expanding our team, and expanding our vision and goals to offer more than ever before. Our team strives to share the positive impact that all forms of art have had on us as individuals, with an ever-growing library of resources and opportunities to connect with a safe and supportive community.
