Art Heart

Address: 156 East 900 South, Unit 107

Telephone: 801-831-8540

Website: @artheartslc

District: Central City

 

“I was born with a paintbrush in my hand, right out of my mom's belly.” Marla Hart’s artistic journey to the opening of Art Heart began early, infused with the rich colors of her Mexican, Italian, and Indigenous heritage.

Growing up in California, Marla spent childhood summers in Mexico with her grandfather, who taught her to see the world as an artist. “What color is the apple?” he would ask, encouraging her to look beyond red to find the hidden shades of yellow, sienna, and cobalt. That foundational lesson - seeing the world through an artist’s eyes - has guided Marla every day since.

Marla’s family had always been artists in one form or another - poets, writers, actors, muralists, and painters filled both sides of her family tree. “I wouldn’t know what I’d do without art. It’s like breathing,” she reflects. Her mom, who had her at sixteen, was herself an artist. Although finances were tight, “we didn’t need anything, but we didn’t have money for extras,” Marla recalls. “I never had an art lesson, but I didn't need it." Summers spent with her family in Mexico became her earliest form of art education as well as being the perfect camp environment. She smiles as she remembers her fifteen cousins running around together, and how she learned from their grandfather, who recognized her talent at a very young age.

Marla moved to Utah from California as a high school senior, starting a life chapter that would weave in and out of the state. After attending Salt Lake Community College and the University of Utah, she returned to her home state. She lived and worked in California for ten years, having a successful career running multi-million-dollar organizations. However, the call to create full-time drew her farther from home. She moved to Greece, settling in Mykonos, where the Mediterranean became both her studio and sanctuary. “It was a complete dream,” recalling mornings spent running through cobblestone streets as vendors washed down the white walls, making the town crisp and clean in the early light.

In 2008, her life shifted again. Pregnant with her first daughter at age thirty-five, Marla returned to the United States, leaving behind the artist’s life she had built in Greece. Two years later, she had her second daughter and then found herself a single mom. Marla knew that she could return to San Francisco and continue her lucrative career, but she also knew that a career in that environment would mean long days and hiring a nanny, limiting her time with her daughters. Determined to raise her girls herself, she chose to remain in Salt Lake, embracing a quieter life where she could be fully present for Naima and Justine.

In 2015, Marla founded her own art camp, Art First, which quickly became a cherished after-school program. “I was able to raise my girls in the field of art,” she says. “We have had a beautiful life. We live in gratitude, teaching kids about art, but also treating each other with love and respect.” Art First became a place of solace and discovery for countless children, some facing their own difficulties at home. Parents would often share their gratitude, noting how their children came alive in her classes, leaving behind daily stresses and finding joy in the process of creation.

The challenges of Covid-19 brought further changes. Like so many, Marla was forced to adapt. “Teaching on Zoom was born out of necessity,” she explains. “I am so grateful to the kids because we were all so isolated.” Adapting to the virtual world helped Marla see new possibilities. She began to think about how she could teach on a larger scale, reaching both children and adults with creative experiences that went beyond summer and after-school programs. “Art heals,” she says. “It transcends time and space.”

In 2024, Marla moved to the Maven District, expanding her vision to include events for both children and adults. Her participation in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program “broke the paradigm about what I knew about business,” she notes. Inspired to change the business name to Art Heart, the space now hosts everything from corporate team-building workshops to “Paint Your Pet” events, making art accessible and transformative for all ages.

In her studio, she sees children who have experienced adoption, loss, and even domestic challenges. A child on the spectrum may be indistinguishable in the creative space of Art Heart, where art bridges gaps and fosters connection. “I’ve had parents tell me, ‘I’ve never seen my child do this,’” Marla shares. “People don’t realize art is a necessity until they see the fruit - the transformation in their child. Kids manifest problems at home in different ways, and art works.”

Art Heart SLC has allowed Marla to bring her vision full circle, sustaining her family and empowering other independent mothers and artists to believe in the potential of creativity. With dreams of establishing art studios across the country, Marla aims to provide more families with spaces where art can heal, inspire, and unite communities. “No one works harder than a single mom who has to raise her kids, but no one finds more gratification than I do.”