Monthaven Art and Cultural Center

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center will be awash in new art classes and workshops this fall.

Classes in digital art, floral watercolors and creative journal-making are all part of the curriculum. In addition, new and improved software on the MACC’s website will make class registration a breeze.

Deputy Director Tonya Mirtes, who oversees the MACC’s education program, notes that the MACC has worked hard to create flexible classes to accommodate busy schedules. Mindful of the recent impact of inflation on family budgets, the MACC is also maintaining tuition at last year’s level while offering new discounts and payment plan options.

“As Sumner County’s cultural town square, the MACC is determined to make the arts available to everyone,” says Mirtes. “So, we’ve devised an affordable program that should fit into everyone’s busy schedule.”

YOUTH ART CLASSES

The MACC will offer 14 youth arts classes during the fall semester. These will include four core semester-long courses titled Beyond the Brush, Creative Fusion, Art Fusion (Tuesdays) and Art Fusion (Thursdays).

Digital art is a major focus at the MACC, with these courses meeting weekly for a month. Offerings this fall are Digital Beginner, Digital Intermediate, Digital 2D Animation, Digital Comics and Digital Anatomy Class.

MACC Arty Kids will be “Off to See the Wizard,” courtesy of a new performing arts class called Journey to Oz (Aug. 15-Oct. 24, 2024). This 8-week course will meet Thursdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and culminate with a final community performance.

For the complete list of fall youth art classes, click HERE.

ADULT ART CLASSES

Lisa Jennings

Students will have 10 adult arts classes to choose from this fall. Instructor Megan Bailey Gill will lead a series of floral watercolor classes. These include Floral Foundations, Watercolor Florals, Part 1, Watercolor Florals, Part 2, Watercolor Seasonal, Part 1 (Autumn), and Watercolor Seasonal, Part 2 (Holidays).

New art instructor Lisa Jennings, whose exhibit On the Wings of Blessings will be on display later this summer in the MACC’s Papillon Gallery, will teach classes in creative journaling and acrylics.

For a complete list of adult art classes, click HERE.

 

 

WEEKEND CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS

The MACC will be bustling with activity on weekends thanks to an eclectic mix of weekend classes and workshops. The fun begins July 27 and Aug. 3 with a Teen Watercolor workshop.

Jessica Lewis

Instructor Jessica Lewis will throw down the portrait-painting gauntlet with a pair of paint-your-partner challenges. In these two workshops, Paint Your Partner Challenge (August) and Paint Your Partner Challenge (December), participants and their partners, friends and loved ones will paint each other, and in the process create lasting memories. A master of oil painting, Lewis will also teach two other important workshops: Introduction to Oil and Essentials of Oil.

Artist Lisa Jennings is a master of working with paper and will lead a series of innovative workshops, including Pigmented Paper, Stamps, Stencils and Gellis, Homemade Journal Class, and Festive Upcycling: Transforming Cardboard into Christmas Cards.

Finally, the MACC is also offering a new Improv for Adults class. Whether you’re looking to be a more confident public speaker, strengthen your theater skills, or just step out of your comfort zone, this four-week improv class is perfect for you.

You can find a complete list of fall weekend classes and workshops HERE.

NEW SOFTWARE

Monthaven has adopted new software for its online class registration page. The software, called Active, provides users with expanded options to find the perfect art class. Parents and students can search for classes by date range, age range, name of the instructor and more. The site also provides information about payment plans and class discounts.

“This is definitely a user-friendly system,” says Mirtes, “and I’m sure our parents and students are going to love it.”

Kaylin Warden

External Affairs Coordinator

Kaylin Warden joined the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center staff in 2024 as External Affairs Coordinator. In this post, she organizes special off-site events and manages the organization’s external communications. She also works with the development department by updating the MACC’s customer relations database, and she assists the executive director in setting up exhibitions. Above all else, Kaylin is passionate about the arts. It comes as no surprise, then, that she is now pursuing a master’s degree in art history. When she’s not at the MACC, you can find her reading her favorite books (especially ones dealing with maritime mysteries), cooking, gardening, playing with her cat and two dogs, and cheering for the Nashville Predators.

Ruth Chase

Regional Arts Director
Ruth Chase is the Regional Arts Director of Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center, joining the team in 2023. For Ruth, the job is all about community, bringing people together to uplift and educate artists and art lovers alike. Her role at Monthaven is to strengthen the local artist community and build connections that will enrich Hendersonville and our surrounding communities through art exhibitions, art education, and opportunities for regional artists.
 
Prior to joining Monthaven, Ruth worked in the arts for over 30 years and is a multimedia artist and graduate of the San Francisco Art Institute. Her artistic practice is inquiry-based and engages in community bridge-building. She was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Los Angeles, curated and juried exhibitions, and has taught at the Crocker Art Museum.
 
Ruth was awarded an Artist-in-Residence for Artist Activating Communities through a grant from the California Arts Council for three consecutive years. Her film Belonging screened at both the 18th Annual Nevada City Film Festival and Wild & Scenic Film Festival. She has received the Legendary Female Artist of Venice award, and she has exhibited in The Crocker Kingsley, the Museum of Northern California Art, and the Diego Rivera Gallery at the San Francisco Art Institute. Ruth also continues her work as a Curatorial Consultant and Art director for the Californian Indigenous Research Project, where she has worked with the local tribe since 2018.