Meet Mary Lac | Art Studio Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mary Lac and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mary, what do you want your legacy to be?
We want the Legacy of The Artist Lab to be comprised of two main aspects:

Internally, it is all about our Artists and staff. We are passionate about offering a studio to artists so that they are able to have a stable job in a creative field and allow them to speak to their own unique voices. Our goal is to provide support to our artists in their creative careers and allow them to pass on their knowledge to the next generation. We connect with local teachers/students from LCAD, CSULB, CSUF, OCSA and more.

Externally, we want to be a definitive source of excellent art education here in Orange County. Our curriculum was designed with portfolio and future development in mind. Our instructors, who are leading in their industries, have designed our curriculum based on age group from Pre-K to 12th grade. We have 20+ different classes at The Artist lab that focus on both concept design and technical skill development. Both local and international students focus on art education beyond just drawing and painting, its both creative development and skill refinement. We want students from public schools, home schools and private schools to know that we have unique curriculums that will help their students develop themselves artistically.

What should our readers know about your business?
The Artist Lab is a business that was started in November 2015. We had a small art studio called Little Artist Lab in Old Town Tustin. Gradually over the years we expanded and moved to Woodbridge Plaza in Irvine and now we are in our large studio space on University near Tanaka Farms and UCI. We struggled with growing our business in our beginning years, introducing art classes that are not just drawing and painting focused but technical and conceptual. As a women-owned, minority-owned business, we wanted to share the arts with our communities. As more and more art education programs are cut out of schools, more than ever is our goal more important.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Irvine has a plethora of good food options here and tons of entertainment and shopping available. If you’d like to hit a spot that encompasses all of these highlights, then I recommend Diamond Jamboree Plaza. It has everything you need. The Orange County Museum of Arts has opened in the past year, the museum is free for the next 10 years! Take advantage of the free admission and partake in their ever-rotating exhibitions. Although not as big as Los Angeles County, there is so much to do in Orange County: ride rollercoasters in Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm, shop til you drop at South Coast Plaza or Irvine Spectrum. or pig out in our many food halls.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The Artist Lab is dedicated to artists, whether they’re a professional, a student or an enjoyer of the arts. Art is a joy that makes us our better selves.

Website: www.theartistlabs.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_artist_lab/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theartistlabirvine/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-artist-lab-irvine

Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@theartistlab

Image Credits
Lisa Hu Chen Photography