Meg Bourne

• “Meg doesn’t do anything halfway — I know that’s a huge factor in how she’s lived her life and work. … One of the things that I learned from her is to go through your feelings and emotions on the way to finding a solution. From my perspective, that’s been a huge asset in my life. What’s allowed her to be successful is she follows through with everything she does. She’s intentional. Meg’s journey has never been to be rich or famous. Her intention is to bring joy and light and life to these kids and to shine a light on their creativity.”

— Channing Barker • “As adults I think we often fail to treat children like our equals. Meg is so great about connecting with children by giving them space to explore their interests and joining in when she’s invited. She’s so authentic, and I believe children can really sense that. Plus, she is known to give some award-winning piggy back rides.”

— Vincent McCracken • “I think kids are drawn to Meg because she respects them and encourages them. That sounds like such a simple concept, but kids aren’t always treated like their opinions and ideas matter, and Meg has a way of making you feel like everything you do is incredible! She has this electric energy that captivates kids and adults, so when she praises you or compliments your work, you feel on top of the world! The best way to describe her is enchanting. Like a Disney princess, only she’s real life and has art supplies!”

— Meredith McClary • “Meg is a visionary. She sees ahead of us and is willing to pivot when we need to change paths. We laugh about being ‘Pivot Queens’ because of how many times we had a great plan, but had to rework that plan about four times before we achieved the goal. Meg tends to look at the world as an adventure that she gets to experience. So when things go wrong, she usually meets it with a loud laugh, a planning session on what our next steps are and then some major hustle. Those qualities are coupled with her drive. I’ve never met someone who works as hard and heart-centered as Meg. She’s dedicated, 100% in, not afraid to learn something new or to look silly if she doesn’t get it right the first time. It creates a culture where we all get to learn together, and while we strive for excellence, we also get to explore new ways of doing things.”