NOMAD Studio

Learn about NOMADstudio and our programs from our teammates and community partners. If you’re interested in more info about how you can support our work, go to the link in our bio and visit the “how to help” page on our website.

In May 2018 our team dropped into the local juvenile detention center to facilitate a printmaking workshop for the youth detained there. During that visit we learned that children detained in facilities like this have access to state mandated education for the "basics", but Florida doesn’t consider art a basic educational necessity. We believe that creative expression *is* a basic need. In fact, we believe that participation in the arts is a human right because it’s the only way some people know how to authentically connect with others, and people (especially young people) need connection to thrive. We knew that if anyone could benefit from the opportunity to feel seen and heard, it was the youth we met that day. After exhausting the “proper” channels for funding that would allow us to make regular visits, we realized that route would take longer than we wanted to wait. But artists are creative problem solvers! We launched our MONTHLY GIVING PROGRAM* that same month and because of the support we received from the community, within four months we started Justice Studio—the in-house after-school art program at Pinellas Regional Juvenile Detention Center. We’ve been there ever since. . . . . . ________ * Learn more about how to get involved at the link in our bio! . . . #drivingcreativity #fuelingconnections #nurturingcommunities

In 2020 it felt like the world shut down. Here locally artists’ work opportunities vanished and families suddenly had children home 24/7. We knew we had to do something, but for our entire history NOMAD had always been an organization that called people together so we had to rethink how to be safe. We knew neighborhood children were still gathering to play. We also knew that some of the artists in our network lived in areas that were hard hit by the impacts of unemployment and health disparities. Under our Studio on the Block initiative, we started paying those artists to pop up weekly MicroCamps with the children in their neighborhoods. It was supposed to be a temporary solution to summer camps and other similar programs running at half capacity (at most), but as we watched our MicroCamps take root in neighborhoods, we witnessed strengthening community bonds. We decided we would continue the program for as long as the community would support it. Two of our original camps are still running weekly programs to this day—North Greenwood (Clearwater) and Westminster Heights (St Petersburg). Many neighborhood children there don’t remember a time when they didn’t have this social resource a short walk away, and a culture of creativity has become part of the neighborhood identity in those places. We love being able to support artists’ investments in their own neighborhoods. . . . . #drivingcreativity #fuelingconnections #nurturingcommunities

Another spectacular Painting in the Park at the @mfastpete ! We loved getting creative with all of our bus painters today! Did you make it out to paint with us?

Beep, Beep! The team had a wonderful time connecting and painting the bus in Sarasota with The Ringling team. Now we are on the move to get the bus ready for our next Rolling Studio event: Painting in the Park at the MFA! We need all hands-on deck to get the bus sparkling. We usually wash our bus in the early afternoon, but this Mother's Day we’ll be bringing it to our young friends at the group children's home. We plan to have an evening bus washing session immediately after that visit. We’d love for you to join us…and bring your loved ones out too! Allendale UMC 3803 Haines Rd N, St. Petersburg, FL 33703 May 10th, 2026| Sunday 6p - 7:30p ________________________________ Check the link in our bio for upcoming volunteer opportunities! 🔵 🟡 🟢 🟠 #DrivingCreativity #FuelingConnections #NurturingCommunity

The NOMAD art bus will be at two FREE events in May 2026! Every child I know LOVES painting this bus. 🎨 Note: Registration is required for both events: -May 2: Remake Learning Day at The Ringling (Sarasota) 10am-2pm /event/remake-learning-days-nomad-art-bus/ -May 16: Painting in the Park Park outside of Museum of Fine Arts (downtown St. Pete) 11am–3pm /event/painting-in-the-park-2026/ Comment or DM me “bus” and I’ll send you these links! Follow @kidthingstodointampabay for more fun activity ideas from a local mom! @nomadstudio_org @theringling @mfastpete #free #familyfriendlytampabay #nomadartbus #paintinginthepark

"As a Teaching Artist, I find myself utilizing many different types of art supplies. There are times when I’m facilitating a project and I don’t feel great about the material. It’s not that it isn’t fun and visually appealing but it’s because it isn’t particularly earth friendly (I’m looking at you, glitter. I’m looking very hard at you)." - Calan Ree _____________________________ Our teammate @Calanree spent this month partaking in an earth friendly art project. She shares this project with us along with some eco- friendly tips! Head to the link in our bio to read more. 🔵 🟡 🟢 🟠 #DrivingCreativity #FuelingConnections #NurturingCommunity

👋🏼 Hello, friends, Carrie here (founder of NOMAD 🙂). Dropping a peek of my latest blog post here. You’ll be hearing from the team as well. _ This is an experiment. We are out in the field several times a week, and while we do often photograph our engagements and as a team are constantly reflecting on the work we do (what went right, what we need to work on, etc.) we rarely write to document our work. A few years ago I read Mariame Kaba’s book, “We Do This ‘Til We Free Us”. In the editor’s introduction Tamara K. Nopper talks about how Kaba “detests writing”, but that she is “practicing what she preaches to fellow organizers: document your work and write yourself into the record.” So here I am, attempting to start that. I’m part of an awesome team of artists whose community work is inspiring. I don’t want their work, their voices, to be lost to history. And our team collaborates with some incredible humans, from our neighborhoods, to the youth in the group children’s homes and inside the juvenile detention center. They carry such wisdom, insights, and stories…and one thing we reflect on quite a bit: their humanity in situations that can be incredibly dehumanizing. All of this to say that while I’ve always understood the importance of an ongoing and contemplative documentation of our work, it’s not been my priority to pull it out of the river up until now. That’s partly because I’m a slow and far from perfect writer. I can spend 30 minutes agonizing over a sentence. My time is filled with things I love to do, things that I think are helpful to our community, so it can be hard to make space for less urgent tasks, especially the ongoing ones that don’t come easily. And I suffer from not wanting to put something out into the world that won’t stand up to critique. I’m not talking about perfection, but having gone through art school has conditioned me to at least be able to defend everything I put out into the world. Writing is not a space that I’m comfortable in, so I spend a lot of time questioning, rewriting and/or over in another tab looking things up, researching, etc. Okay, enough of that. No excuses. Here we go.

One of our regular campers gave a wonderful interview, sharing their highlights from art camp. The NOMAD team is beaming with joy after watching this video. We are so honored we get to connect and create alongside amazing community members. Thank you to our teammate Izzy, for capturing this precious moment! ________________________ Video by teammate Izzy @3verything_under_thesun 🔵 🟡 🟢 🟠 #DrivingCreativity #FuelingConnections #NurturingCommunity

Calling all Volunteers! We are seeking your help from bus wash to organizing art supplies in the office and tying aprons at events. Upcoming opportunities include: Bus Wash - [NOMAD office] April 19 12:30p - 2:30p Monthly Volunteer orientation - [online] April 26 1p - 2p Monthly Volunteer Day - [NOMAD office] April 26 2:30p - 4:30p Ringling: Remake Learning Days [Sarasota] May 2 10a - 1p or 12p - 3p To learn more about each opportunity and to register, visit the link in our bio. 🔵 🟡 🟢 🟠 #DrivingCreativity #FuelingConnections #NurturingCommunity

Sarasota friends we are bringing the Rolling Studio over the Skyway bridge to you! Join NOMADstudio and @TheRingling team for a day of community bus painting at The Ringling Museum on May 2nd, 2026. Bus painting is FREE but registration is required. Head to ringling.org, scroll down the homepage and look for their ‘Family Friendly’ button to register, or scan the QR code on the last photo. 🔵 🟡 🟢 🟠 #DrivingCreativity #FuelingConnections #NurturingCommunity

We're excited to celebrate our volunteers and thank you for the support you share with our team! This gathering is also for anyone interested in volunteering with NOMAD. Join us for an intimate gathering where you can learn more about NOMADstudio, see behind the scenes, and have some light refreshments! Join us to: ➡️ explore art supplies (bring your kids!) ➡️ hear about how you can help with future volunteer opportunities & tasks ➡️ ask any questions you may have When: Sunday, 3/22/26 - 2:30 - 4:30 Where: The NOMADstudio office at Allendale United Methodist Church Register via the link in our bio for this Volunteer Gathering. 🔵 🟡 🟢 🟠 #DrivingCreativity #FuelingConnections #NurturingCommunity #TampaBay #VolunteerStPete