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We're Tonya and Emmie, the mother-daughter team behind Hope Creek Studios. Together, we bring our backgrounds in art, education, graphic design, photography, and curriculum development to create art resources for teachers and students. We believe art education should be about more than completing a project. Students deserve opportunities to learn real artistic skills, study great works of art, explore different techniques, and develop their own creative ideas.​
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Our Story
Hope Creek Studios grew out of our shared love of art and education. With more than 45 years of combined experience, we bring different strengths and perspectives to the work we do. Tonya brings her experience in art education, photography, and classroom teaching. Emmie brings her background in graphic design and studio art. Working together allows us to combine those skills to create resources that are thoughtfully designed, clearly explained, and practical for the classroom.
Meet the Artists Behind Hope Creek Studios
45+ Years of Teaching
Between Tonya
& Emmie
Over
1000 Classroom Resources Created
Family Owned
A Mother-Daughter team!
Professional
Graphic Design
Experience
Emmie A Cooper
Graphic Designer • Art Teacher • Artist
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Emmie has a background in graphic design and studio art, with experience in drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, and digital art. She enjoys exploring different materials and techniques and finding ways to bring ideas to life through art and design. She brings her experience as a designer and artist into her work at Hope Creek Studios and her teaching as a pre-K teacher
Tonya LS Cooper
Art Teacher • Designer • Photographer
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Tonya has a background in graphic design and photography and found her way into teaching about 17
years ago.
She loves teaching art with an emphasis on art history, the great masters, observation, and learning real artistic skills. She brings her experience as a designer, photographer, and teacher into the lessons and resources we create at Hope Creek Studios.
How We Approach Art Education
We believe good art lessons have a purpose. Students should learn techniques, understand the ideas behind their work, and have opportunities to study artists and make their own creative decisions.
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Our approach is rooted in classical education, with an emphasis on observation, art history, foundational skills, and learning that builds over time. We want students to understand the elements of art and principles of design, practice techniques, and grow in confidence as they develop their abilities.
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We also know that teachers need resources that work in real classrooms. We consider the materials, instructions, learning goals, and practical details that help make a lesson useful. Not every project needs to be big or complicated. Sometimes a focused activity that teaches one skill well is exactly what students need. Our goal is to bring together meaningful instruction, thoughtful design, and opportunities for creativity.
Take A Look Around
We're happy to share the lessons, ideas, and resources we've developed through our work as artists and educators. We hope Hope Creek Studios helps you bring art history, skill-building, and plenty of creativity into your classroom.
