Monart Drawing Center

With the arts being almost totally absent in the public schools, I have tried numerous art classes for my 10 year old over the years. I have always been disappointed until now. Mona Brookes has re-​opened MonArt in Berkeley, and my daughter LOVES these classes. I thought I would pay for a trial month of classes and end up quitting after that, but my daughter wouldn’t allow for that! When I pick her up after her 1.5 hour class, she is so disappointed to leave. I think this is because Mona is so fabulous at really meeting the students where they are. She is patient, creative, and deeply knowledgeable about child development. She uses really high-​quality materials, interesting subjects (often nature-​based, which we all love!), and has a beautiful studio/​workspace. Most importantly, she truly understands how to teach for the long-​term goals of building a life-​long love of art, cultivation of the imagination, and development of skills. I have also bought one of Mona’s books – just as fabulous – describing her unique approach to learning and teaching art. AND MonArt has summer camps, which my daughter is really looking forward to. She teaches all ages, so as soon as I am finished with my graduate coursework, I’m going to sign myself up for some classes as well! These are the BEST art classes I’ve seen. I give them my highest recommendation!

I have known about Monart since the 1990’s and recently I attended a trial class /​open house at a new Monart center in Berkeley and was so impressed with her style of teaching, so supportive and kind. We all came out with beautiful drawings and many of us signed up for a series of classes. I am so excited that the founder of Monart is actually teaching these classes.