Prior to opening the aptly named Emma’s Art Studio earlier this year in Bethesda, local mom Emma Cowan worked as an art teacher for more than a decade. Having grown up locally and graduated from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Montgomery County, Cowan settled back in Bethesda after college and began teaching art at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart. She and her husband, Alex, share two children, Carter Rose (9) and Pierson (7). With the kids as her personal arts research squad, she is ready to introduce more art to more kids in more ways.
What led you to open Emma’s Art Studio?
I taught at Stone Ridge in the upper school for nine years, and then while I was there, I started a summer camp at Glen Echo Park in 2019. After nine amazing years at Stone Ridge, I followed my kids to their school, which is Washington Episcopal School, and I worked there for a year. Once they were settled, I decided that I was going to be brave and do my business year-round, and it was really scary … Besides Glen Echo, I also started a few contracts with different schools like Stone Ridge and Bannockburn Elementary, Bradley Hills [and] Bannockburn Nursery School, and I started offering after-school classes to those places, too. It went well enough that I felt confident that I could open my own place in Bethesda. That was another scary leap, but I was excited about having a little more flexibility in my scheduling.
How did you take what you know as a mom and translate what you know to make this an approachable and accessible business?
Well, my kids helped me. When I first got the space, they came with me to look at it. They gave me suggestions. They helped me paint a bit. They didn’t do any heavy construction obviously, but they helped me pick out where some things would go and some of my choices, like the books in my library are books that I’ve really enjoyed reading to them. It’s really fun being a mom, and I think it’s really fun being a teacher, especially an art teacher, because I get to tell kids, “I trust you to make good choices.” And this is a space, unlike my house, where I’m allowing loose glitter, and kinetic sand, and slime and gobs of paint and all those things you might not get to do at your own house.
How else has your family helped you?
I’ve tested a lot of my art projects on my children to see if they’re age-appropriate or fun or doable and feasible. I have two guinea pigs that live with me. It’s really great … My amazing husband and partner has experience with carpentry and construction, so he helped with a lot of the painting and assembling. It really is a family business.
After all the excitement in getting the art studio off the ground, do you and your family have any downtime planned?
So, we didn’t leave town at all while we were setting up the studio. We didn’t get to see a lot of friends and family because we were very busy. And so, to keep us going, we booked a trip to Costa Rica with our extended family … to a kid friendly resort on the west coast of Costa Rica in December.
Family Favorites
Dinner at Home: Tacos made by Dad.
Restaurant: Altari Bros. Pizza
Vacation Spot: Cape Charles
Family Book: “Bathe the Cat”
Family Board Game: Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza
