As a San Juan island resident who loved art but grew up with limited access to resources on the island, Maria Michaelson had a vision. She longed to create opportunities and accessibility for islanders, particularly island youth, to explore and experiment with different art forms. Her dreams were realized as the co-founder and co-director of Alchemy Art Center, a non-profit community art center which offers monthly memberships, classes, workshops and seasonal artist residencies. However, her original vision had never involved meeting her future husband through the process, nor that he would be the other co-founder of the organization.