MiaRubio
Founder and Executive Director
Hi! I’m Mia, the founder and creator of Open Easel. I’m a visual artist and student at Dreyfoos School of the Arts, and I have always believed that art holds a remarkable ability to preserve pieces of who we are. It gives form to experiences we cannot always articulate, transforms emotion into something tangible, and allows our stories to exist beyond the moment in which they were lived. To me, creating has never been simply about making something beautiful; it is a way of understanding, remembering, and sharing the world as we uniquely see it.
My relationship with art became even more meaningful when, for a period of my life, I lost the ability to use my right hand. As a right-handed artist, something I had always taken for granted suddenly became impossible. I had to learn to create with my left hand, accepting imperfect lines and unfamiliar movements while discovering that creativity could persist even when the way I expressed it had to change. By the grace of God, I eventually regained the use of my right hand. Being able to hold a pencil and create again gave me a profound appreciation for an ability I once considered ordinary and deepened my belief that our gifts are meant not only to be cultivated, but shared.
As I have continued growing as an artist, I have also realized how transformative the right opportunity, resource, teacher, or community can be. Yet so many incredible opportunities for young artists remain scattered, difficult to find, or unknown altogether. I created Open Easel to help bridge that gap and to build the kind of space I would have wanted while growing as an artist: somewhere to discover opportunities, strengthen your work, find inspiration, receive support, and connect with other young people who understand the joy, and uncertainty of creating.
My hope is that Open Easel opens the world of art a little wider for every artist who finds it. Whether you are developing an AP Art portfolio, experimenting in a studio class, submitting to your first competition, searching for inspiration, or still discovering what kind of artist you want to become, I hope this community reminds you that your creativity has somewhere to go. God gives each of us distinct gifts, perspectives, and stories, and I believe there is something powerful in giving those gifts room to grow. Open Easel is my way of helping more young artists discover just how far theirs can take them.