OUR VISION
Our Vision is to transform the lives of artists with disabilities for the glory of God.
Our Mission is to leverage art and place; empowering artists with disabilities who become creative catalysts for changing systems of day habilitation; long-term care, peer support, and affordable housing.
Imagine Art is a Christian ministry and 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1996. Our passion is art, disability, and ministry. We are a diverse community of artists—with and without disabilities—who offer high-caliber art services that reveal the power of creative space to bring transformation and change.
We creatively leverage public resources to model new approaches to service delivery—approaches that honor the dignity, talent, and God-given purpose of people with disabilities.
Our artists are being transformed with vision and purpose and are becoming catalysts for systems change. Through their creativity, faith, and courage, they are reshaping what is possible.
OUR STORY
Our story has been a journey of grace and restoration and we believe that we are called to minister to a specific people group; artists, namely those living with disabilities.
Disability is woven deeply into our founder’s story. Between 1989 and 1997, Debbie Kizer worked as a consultant in the fields of developmental disability, supported employment, and systems change. In 1995, she was diagnosed with a mental illness—and that moment altered the course of her life.
Her recovery and her spiritual journey unfolded alongside the growth of a small grassroots arts community that would become Imagine Art. As both paths developed in parallel, it became clear that God was shaping something far greater than any one person.
By 2001, Jesus Christ had become unmistakably recognized as the cornerstone of Imagine Art. From that point forward, the organization embraced a foundation of faith, committing itself to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the artists we serve.
WHAT WE DO
Our work is driven by a field of practice that we call, Creative Placemaking—we leverage art and place to serve a community’s interest, and create social change in systems that serve people with disabilities in Texas.
Our model of Creative Placemaking demonstrates a new way to deliver traditional disability services. At Imagine Art, we provide high-caliber art classes, micro-business development, studio space, and a supportive creative community. Because our services are excellent—and designed with artists with disabilities at the center—they naturally attract artists without disabilities as well. Everyone creates side by side, accessing the same opportunities in an environment intentionally tailored to support those with the greatest barriers.
In response to the needs we witnessed, Imagine Art expanded beyond the studio, creating programs that address peer support, day habilitation, employment, long-term care, food security, and affordable housing. Each program grew from a direct, practical need expressed by our artists.
Through this work, we are positioning artists with disabilities as placemakers and leaders—not recipients of charity, but catalysts for transformation. These leaders are being deployed into our various programs to model what is possible, reshape systems, and demonstrate the power of creative placemaking to change lives and communities.
