Lisa Holmes is a children’s book writer, artist, and award-winning playwright. She started Whimsy City as a theatrical outreach program for underserved youth in Chicago’s Lawndale Community where she taught positive self-expression through writing, storytelling and performance.

Whimsy City has since evolved into an environmental art platform where she showcases the whimsical nature creatures she makes from the stuff she finds on walks—rocks, tree bark, flowers, nests, fossils and more.

As an animal lover, she grew up with horses, ponies, geese, cats, dogs, rabbits, a raccoon and even a monkey. And so, the artist and the writer got together with the animal lover—and Whimsy City nature creatures were born.