Monthaven Art and Cultural Center

Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center
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Classes

Monthaven Art Classes

Register your child for art classes in sketching & shading techniques, anime drawing, painting, sculpting, fantasy art, and more.

CHILDREN'S SEMESTER ART CLASSES

We offer a variety of fun, skill-building art classes for children and teens. Our expert instructors will help your child explore painting, sculpture, anime, digital art and more. Click the button below and enjoy!

ADULT ART CLASSES

Open to adults of all skill levels and backgrounds. Learn new artistic techniques in a fun and relaxing environment.

HOMESCHOOL ART CLASSES

Embark on a journey of artistic expression with our Homeschool Art Classes! Experience the joy of creativity through engaging lessons, personalized guidance, and a vibrant community.

MUSIC AT THE MACC

Our music classes offer a dynamic and enriching experience for individuals of all ages and skill levels. Whether you're a beginner eager to unlock the secrets of melody or an experienced musician looking to refine your craft, our classes provide a supportive and inspiring environment.

SENIOR ART CLASSES

Designed for Seniors ages 55+ of all skill levels. We strive to create a program where every participant can tap into their own creative nature while experiencing a sense of joy and empowerment through participation.
Art Classes for All Ages - Sumner County TN

SPECIALTY WORKSHOPS AND WEEKEND CLASSES

Workshops are designed to provide creative opportunities for anyone who wants to learn new skills and be energized and inspired.

SUMMER CAMP

Paint, clay, mixed media, pastels, and more! Our summer camps will introduce students to a variety of artistic mediums and build on new or existing skills. Campers will have projects each day that allow them to be creative, express themselves, and show off their new skills.

Summer Teen Art Immersive - Registration Coming Soon!

Our ALL-NEW Summer Teen Art Immersive camp for ages 13+ ignites creative passions and fosters artistic growth. Held at Nossi College of Art, these camps provide an unparalleled opportunity for young creatives. From painting to photography, graphic design to sculpture, participants delve into a diverse array of disciplines, expanding their artistic horizons and honing their skills.
Learn A New Thing

Our Classes Are For You.

We create experiences and an atmosphere where our entire community can have place to express themselves. These are some of the focuses.

"Art is the breath and
beauty of the world"

Who You Will Learn From

Our Teachers

Headshot

Jessica Taylor

Art Teacher

Jessica Taylor

Art Teacher

Heather

Heather Gorbski

Art Teacher

Heather Gorbski

Art Teacher

Jessica Duke Bio Picture

Jessica Duke

Art Teacher

Jessica Duke

Art Teacher

Sarah-Huffman copy

Sarah Huffman

Art Teacher

Sarah Huffman

Healing Arts Coordinator

Dr. Priscilla Eichler

Priscilla Eichler

Art Taecher

Dr. Priscilla Eichler

Art Teacher

brooke picture

Brooke Hammond

Art Teacher

Brooke Hammond

Art Teacher

Maria legett

Maria Leggett

Art Teacher

Mariah Leggett

Art Teacher

Jessica-Lewis copy

Jessica Lewis

Art Teacher

Jessica Lewis

Art Teacher

Gina Kelley 240

Gina Kelley

Art Teacher

Gina Kelley

Art Teacher

MACC Education Director Drew Kirk

Drew Kirk

Art Education Coordinator

Drew Kirk

Art Education Coodinator

Untitled design (4)

Derris Dabbs

Art Teacher

Derris Dabbs

Art Teacher

blake-donaldson

Blake Donaldson

Art Teacher

Blake Donaldson

Art Teacher

Sandra Kandros

Sandra Kandros

Art Teacher

Sandra Kandros

Art Teacher

Untitled design (4)

Cain & Cyle Barnes

Art Teacher

Cain & Cyle Barnes

Art Teacher

Sadie 240

Sadie Collins

Art Teacher

Sadie Collins

Art Teacher

Meghan Bailey Gill

Megan Bailey Gill

Art Teacher

Megan Bailey Gill

Art Teacher

Ekramy 240 x 240

Ekramy Maher

Art Teacher

Ekramy Maher

Art Teacher

Lily Prince

Lily Prince

Art Teacher

Lily Prince

Art Teacher

Untitled design (17)

Cole Ritter

Art Teacher

Cole Ritter

Art Teacher

Jessica Taylor

ART TEACHER

Jessica Taylor graduated from Cumberland University in 2013 with a BFA in Studio Art as well as a focus in K-12 education. She spent several years assisting in teaching elementary classes and most recently taught high school Art I and II classes for five years for Wilson County Schools. In 2021 Jessica went back to school to pursue her second love, in healthcare, and is currently working as a Sonographer at a Nashville hospital. She is excited to blend both of her passions into her daily life and teach art classes with MACC. She enjoys using a variety of mediums but finds her biggest love comes from the simplicity of drawing with graphite. Currently Jessica resides in Hendersonville with her husband and three dogs and in her free time you'll be sure to find her outside being inspired by Mother Nature. 

Heather Gorbski

ART TEACHER

Heather Gorbski graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2022 with a BA in both Art(Drawing) and in Asian Studies, concentrating on Japan, alongside a minor in Japanese Language.  She enjoys using a variety of mediums such as pen/pencil, marker, watercolor, and digital software to create works revolving around fantasy creature, character, and environmental design. When she isn't creating, Heather unwinds by playing video games, watching the "Critical Role" live-stream, and spending the majority of her time with her cats.

Jessica Duke

ART TEACHER

Jessica is an Illustrator currently based in Nashville. She studied Illustration and Painting at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. She works digitally and specializes in portraiture.

People that inspire Jessica are Vivienne Westwood, Tomoyo Kamoi, and Wes Anderson.

Some of her hobbies include cooking, gaming, and antiquing. I look forward to making art together!!! 

Sara Huffman

ART TEACHER

Sarah Ruccio Huffman is an expressive therapist and clinical chaplain who has worked in the environments of residential addiction treatment, inpatient psychiatric treatment, medical hospitalization, and hospice care. Sarah strongly believes that creativity helps the process of mental, emotional, and spiritual recovery as it empowers individuals to make choices, access buried thoughts and feelings, and share their story through a new lens. Sarah is grateful to be part of the Healing Arts Program at Monthaven as a group facilitator to bring therapeutic art to community partners and help cultivate a culture of recovery through the creative arts. “Art is the set of wings to carry you out of your own entanglement.” -Joseph Campbell

Dr. Priscilla Eicher

ART TEACHER

Priscilla Eicher is an artist/art educator from Nashville, Tennessee. She began drawing before entering elementary school, painting a few years later. She has a B.A. in Fine Arts and a master’s in special education, both from Vanderbilt University. Priscilla also earned her doctorate in developmental psychology and taught special needs children for many years. She has used her love for drawing and painting wherever her career has taken her. Now that she is somewhat retired, she is able to make more time for her passion for art. “Life is always an adventure!”

Brooke Hammond

ART TEACHER
Brooke Hammond is a Nashville based artist with a passion for painting and sculpting. She expresses herself through creating surrealist art inspired by nature and self discovery. She grew up surrounded by a family with multiple artist and has been creating since a young age. She’s taught multiple painting classes in Hendersonville and also ventured out to painting murals locally. She is enthusiastic about teaching art and helping other’s experience creative learning and pursuing their passion in art.

Mariah Leggett

ART TEACHER

Mariah Leggett is a professional artist, born and raised in Memphis, TN and moved to Nashville 7 years ago. While she dabbles in mediums from photography to sculpting, she specialized in mixed media, including watercolor, acrylic, teas, and coffees. For her, art has been a means of discovering and exploring herself, but the world around her.

Jessica Lewis

ART TEACHER

Jessica Lewis has been a professional artist for over 20 years with a focus on oil painting. She is especially known for her enchanting portraits of children and out-of-the-box thinking when approaching art. From commissioned portraits to plein air landscapes to largescale mural installations, her work is thoughtful while inspiring and delighting.

She has exhibited in numerous venues and has received a multitude of awards. In 2018 she was awarded 2nd place in the Portrait Society of America’s, Out of The Box category. Most recently, in 2020, she was awarded 10th place in the Commissioned Portrait category in the Portrait Society of America. She was also honored in 2020 to be selected for the Red Clay Survey, an exhibition showcasing the best in southern contemporary artists exhibited in the Huntsville Museum of Art.

A Nashville resident for 14 years, she recently moved to Goodlettsville and spends her time doing commissioned portraits, plein air painting as well as teaching. She is also a member of the Chestnut Group, a plein air painting group dedicated to the conservation and preservation of vanishing landscapes and historic buildings in middle Tennessee.

Gina Kelley

ART TEACHER
Gina Kelley has been an artist and art educator for over ten years, teaching in a variety of settings like private lessons, studio classes, and K-12 classrooms. Gina has been a creative spirit as long as she can remember, and grew to love painting and drawing at an early age. In her college years, Gina specialized in realistic watercolor portraits but has since discovered a love for jewelry-making and metalworking. She currently runs her handmade jewelry shop from her home studio, visiting markets and craft fairs across the Southern United States. Gina currently teaches art lessons and classes to students of all ages in Sumner and Wilson County and resides in Westmoreland, TN with her husband, Lucas. 

Drew Kirk

ART TEACHER

Drew Kirk is a multifaceted artist and Navy veteran, whose creative journey has been enriched by his diverse experiences. Holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Austin Peay State University, his passion for art blossomed into a profound exploration of mixed media, sculpture, photography, and pottery. Drew has shared his expertise and creativity as a middle school art teacher, inspiring countless students to unlock their artistic potential.

Derris Dabbs

ART TEACHER

While pursuing a bachelor's in biology, Derris studied fine arts and animation on the side to fuel a life-long love and appreciation for art. After graduating, spending time working in a laboratory by day, and doing illustrative work at night, she realized that art was her calling and began to work as a freelance digital illustrator and character designer full time. Her past clients range from news and information podcasters, TTRPG live play shows, and authors.

Blake Donaldson

ART TEACHER

Blake is an artist with a passion for drawing and animation. This includes drawing many different poses as well as characters and stories.  As a kid, he always had doodles or pictures in a notebook and as he got older, he continued this habit.  Characters are his favorite things to draw, and he wants to help others feel the same passion as he does.  Let’s create together!

Sandra Kandros

ART TEACHER

Born in Washington, Pennsylvania, Sandra started out her art teaching career in 1970 at the Junior High School level for two years in Pennsylvania and then moved to Hendersonville, Tennessee with her husband Larry, and started teaching at Hawkins Jr. High School. In 1985 she started teaching at Hendersonville High School and is currently teaching the upper-level art classes including A.P. Art. She also teaches two nights a week at Hendersonville Arts Council where she has been teaching since the mid 1970’s.She has served as a board member of TAEA, taught Arts in the Park, participated in Fall Into Art, mentors new art teachers, shown her work at Monthaven and has been a strong advocate for the Arts in Tennessee.

Cain & Cyle Barnes

ART TEACHER
Cain and Cyle Barnes were born and raised in Florence, MS. They studied painting and photography at Delta State University before moving to Nashville to pursue music as a full-time career with their band The Weeks in 2010.

In between their stints on the road, they've continued creating art over the years, through music videos, band artwork, printmaking, painting, and embroidery work. As twins, they love collaborating on works of art together and enjoy sharing this passion with others. 

Sadie Collins

ART TEACHER

Sadie Collins is a director, actor, writer, stage manager, and graduate student of Randolph College studying Theatre Directing. While pursuing her Bachelor’s degree in Theatre at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, she revitalized a student-led Shakespeare Company and was a co-creator of the Chattanooga Film Festival: The Roosties. Throughout her career in the performing arts, she has had the opportunity to work with many wonderful theatre companies including The Chattanooga Theatre Centre, The Robertson County Players, and Obvious Dad. 

A life-long theatre advocate, Collins is interested in directing performances that show the importance of the arts in our everyday lives. 

 

Megan Bailey Gill

ART TEACHER
I help people get more creative with mixed media art classes. I help women deal with anxiety and stress while exercising their intuition. I want to help people get exactly what they are looking for, the perfect gift for someone special. I hope to bring more feminine energy into their lives by classes and home décor.

I love teaching art to children and adults at my home and various other places around town.  And when I am not teaching or in my home studio, I can be found watching TV with my husband. I also like to read romance novels or young adult fiction books by the pool on my kindle.

I have a Bachelor of Fine Art in Graphic Design from the Art Institute of Atlanta. I worked as a web designer teaching and designing hospital websites. Then I decided that I needed to do what I loved and became a full-time Mixed Media Artist. You can find my work at The Artisan Hatchery in Gallatin TN and The Basement Marketplace in Mt. Julliet. 

 

Ekramy Maher

ART TEACHER
Ekramy Maher is an Egyptian director and producer. A graduate from the Nashville Film Institute, Ekramy’s goal is to share his American experience with his colleagues in Egypt, share his passion for film and production with the Nashville community and become a worldwide filmmaker. Before coming to Nashville, Ekramy worked in the film industry for 15 years. 
 
Ekramy has won 20 awards for his movies titled Test of Faith, 5 awards for Butterfly Cinema and more. In addition to filmmaking, Ekramy has taught acting in both Cairo and Nashville as well as screenwriting workshops and lectures at WIFT Academy with Nashville Women in Film & TV. 

 

Lily Prince

ART TEACHER

Lily Prince has her B.F.A. from The Rhode Island School of Design, her M.F.A. from Bard College and studied at Skowhegan. Lily participated in The Bronx Museum's Art-in-the-Marketplace Program and studied abroad on R.I.S.D.’s European Honors Program in Rome. Prince has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally, including in England, Germany, Israel, Poland, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, among many others. In 2020 Prince was awarded the prestigious Pollock-Krasner award in painting. Prince joined Littlejohn Contemporary Gallery, NY in 2017 showing her work in the Art on Paper Fair. In 2018 they had her solo exhibition Recurring Waves of Arrival. Prince was awarded an artist residency at Galerie Huit in Arles, France, summer 2019 and was awarded a sabbatical from teaching for 2019-2020. Her solo show There There was curated by Jen Dragon of Cross Contemporary Art at 11 Jane Street Gallery, Saugerties, NY, July 2019. In fall of 2021 Prince had a solo show American Beauty at Thompson Giroux Gallery, Chatham, NY. Spring 2022 Lily had a solo show Both Sides Now at the Carrie Chen Gallery in Great Barrington, MA. Her work was included in the show Mountains at Collioure, curated by Jared Quinton, spring 2022. Prince’s work was in the Sunrise/Sunset exhibition at the Albany Airport Gallery, fall 2021. Spring 2022 Prince had her solo show Both Sides Now at the Carrie Chen Gallery, Greatt Barrington, MA. Spring 2023 Prince’s solo show at Windows on Hudson opened in Hudson, NY. October 2023 Lily Prince’s solo show Making Marks opens at the Garage Gallery in Beacon, NY. Her work was included in the GarveySimon Gallery booth at the Art on Paper Fair in NY fall 2023 and at the Art Taipei Fair in Taiwan in the Carrie Chen Gallery booth. Prince’s works will be in a show at The Brattleboro Museum spring 2024 and she will be having a solo show in Nashville, TN fall 2024. Lily has been awarded commissions by numerous hotels and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. In addition to her recent residency at Galerie Huit in Arles, France, Prince was Artist-in-Residence at state historic site Olana in 2016. In 2014 Prince was chosen for Draftsmen’s Congress, a residency with international artists at New York’s The New Museum. Lily was one of only two international artists awarded a fully-funded residency at the BAU Institute’s residency in Italy, 2013.

Lily Prince’s work has appeared in the New York Times, New York magazine, The Brooklyn Rail, the Newark Star- LedgerNew American Paintings, San Francisco WeeklyThe Bloomsbury Review, Rain Taxi, Jewish Currents MagazineChronogram magazine, and the literary journal Crossborder. A catalogue of her drawings The Ten Plagues was published, with poems by David Shapiro, by The Paterson Museum. In 2021 Zephyr and Maize published her work: American Beauty with Lily Prince and Richard Klin, edited by Varia Serova and also Studio Visit with Lily Prince by Varia Serova. Lily was interviewed for ArtSpiel,in 2020 by Etty Yaniv and also by Ann Landi in Vasari21. Prince has lectured widely, including at Yale, Vassar, Cornell, RISD’s European Honors Program, Pratt and at the Artists Talk on Art series. Lily was interviewed on WVKR radio for their cultural currents show as well as on WBAI and WAMC, among others. Her book of portraits with writer Richard Klin’s profiles, Something To Say: Thoughts on Art and Politics in America, was published by Leapfrog Press, 2011. Prince was commissioned to create 100 illustrations for Klin’s book Abstract Expressionism For Beginners, published by For Beginners Books, 2016. Lily Prince lives in NY and after 30 years as an associate professor she now teaches online and offers in-person workshops.

Cole Ritter

ART TEACHER

Cole has been playing music as long as he can remember. He first fell in love with music when he picked up the fiddle at the young age of 3. He started touring at the age of 8 with a group of violinists and played all over the southeast. 

He picked up singing and playing the guitar at 13 when he was gifted his Great-Grandfather's Guitar. This was the beginning of Cole's artistry.

Cole’s favorite part about playing with his band is getting to share stories and  precious moments with friends and fans. 

No one has passion for music like Cole. His soulful, jazzy voice mixed with his country and rock and roll roots gives a unique sound of the Night Owls.

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.