Welcome to our playground! A safe space for personal expression and connection with community. Now that you’ve found our studio, we hope you will experience the joy that creating art brings to the soul! We built this space as a beacon, so creatives could gather to make magic together. It is our hope that every person who comes through its doors, finds The Heart’s message of value, and leaves a little happier.

So what’s our story? Well, it’s definitely been a labor of love to get to where we are today! The idea for our studio was born over two decades ago, in 2002, when my husband and I took a chance on this old building. We were youngsters in our 20’s - just out of college and looking for a place to raise our family, as well as start an art studio. There was a housing bubble then which made buying a home unaffordable at our age. So when we saw the possibility of a price we could afford come up in the market - we decided to take a tour, even though it was a commercial listing. As we walked around the “as-is” structure, we knew this project would be crazy to take on, especially with 2 small kids! However, our gut said the bones of this dilapidated property would be a perfect fit for our purposes! So we trusted our gut, and took the leap! Our parents thought we were insane, but we could see past the cosmetics, and envisioned our dream! Now, almost a quarter century later, our kids are grown, and The Heart is our happy place.. We are filled with gratitude for the joy we have helped cultivate, and continue to inspire.

We pay tribute to the fact that the idea for “The Heart” was born out of our great love of music, community, as well as the visual arts! It was this love that kept us going through thick and thin. Together, we have grouted tile, planted gardens, and endured countless setbacks (both financial and bureaucratic), to keep coming back by learning from our mistakes.

The Heart is an ever-evolving art project. We have many new additions planned for this year, including expansion to an outdoor sculpture garden, yoga, and more music events. All of this is inspired by our interactions and connection with you, our community. While aiming to live by our motto, “Do things from the heart, or not at all.”

Much Love,

Saima Yousuf