Community Corner

Free Art Class For You and Your Child

A local artist is offering an opportunity for people to brush up on their painting skills.

It’s the perfect opportunity to make your kid the next Monet — while also brushing up on your own skills.

A local artist and art teacher is offering a free drawing and painting class for families this Saturday — and she says both parents and their children will learn plenty.

“Kids learn best by modeling how their parents learn, and most parents don't know how to draw,” said Leah Kohlenberg. “So both the young and older participants should find the class equally edifying.”

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The Clinton Hill resident said that she’s noticed that her students — both young and old — tend to have about the same artistic skill level. As the parents catch on, their kids tend to imitate them, spurring both parties’ improvement.

“The class can solve a lot of problems for parents: they have a lot to do, and they want their kids exposed to a lot of things,” Kohlenberg said.

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The one hour “Family Art” class will be held at the Co-Op School on Irving Place and will be divided into sections for 4- to 7-year olds and 8- to 14-year-olds.

And if the kids get negative about going to “school” on the weekend, parents can point to Kohlenberg’s resume to pique their interest.

She only recently moved to Clinton Hill after five years in Eastern Europe studying under artists in countries like Hungary and Croatia. She even had an exhibition in the US embassy in Armenia.

“In Croatia I taught a whole group of parents who each had three children. They wanted to learn art and be with their kids!” Kohlenberg said. “It was remarkably successful.”

The free "Family Art" class will be held at the Co-Op School at 87 Irving Place between Putnam Avenue and Irving Place on Saturday, April 9. Email artistholidays@gmail.com or call 347-251 1984 for info.


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