NOMADstudio

Our mission is rooted in the belief that art-making, as a form of human expression, is for ALL people and that all people should have access to resources enabling them to participate in the experience of making art. It is our intention to help those who do not have access get it and we do this by taking to the streets, tools and supplies in hand, in order to bring the art-making experience to the people, ALL people.

NOMADstudio is an artist-led organization that delivers art outreach aboard the 34-foot NOMAD Art Bus. We make regular visits to places like group foster homes, programs for at-risk youth, and parks & community centers in inner city neighborhoods.

The organization was founded by artist Carrie Boucher. After living and working as an artist in Chicago for a decade she returned to the Tampa Bay area and was disappointed to find that art was underfunded and even eliminated from the curriculum in many area schools. 

The organization was started based on her belief that making art, as a form of human expression, is for all people, not just those who had access to the tools, supplies and education to participate.

“Art, music, theatre, dance, I don’t think their importance can be quantified, they’re just a part of who we are as humans, they allow us to share our experience. I can’t imagine a life without them, but we have to teach the value of the arts if we want them to continue to be appreciated and supported.”

In order to fulfill the mission of getting art to all it became immediately apparent that this project would have to be mobile to accommodate those who couldn’t or wouldn’t make it out of their neighborhoods to participate in a bricks & mortar based program. A few months after going public with her plan a family who owns several auto repair shops in Venice, Florida donated a former Arlington Transit bus to the project, and so the work began.