Children’s Art Classes of Cary Named a 2026 Reader Favorite Arts Educator by KidsOutAndAbout.com

An Award Given by Parents

Places are nominated and voted on by parents, so the vote comes directly from families in this community.

The honor also came early in the studio’s life. Children’s Art Classes of Cary opened at 409 Emissary Drive in November 2025. Winning a reader vote in a region as rich in family programming as the Research Triangle, in the studio’s first year, says less about marketing reach than it does about what is happening inside the classrooms.

What Parents Were Voting For

“Parents can tell the difference between an afternoon craft project and real art instruction. That difference is a structured curriculum that builds year after year, and the teachers who bring it to life,” says Krysta Black-Mazumdar, owner of Children’s Art Classes of Cary.

Children’s Art Classes was built on the conviction that children do not learn foundational art techniques in a single class or a short series of projects.

Real artistic skill develops the way any serious skill develops, through sustained practice guided by someone who knows what comes next. Over time a child develops competency in line, value, and texture, and gains confidence from watching their work improve through their own effort.

Children’s Art Classes offers a nine-year progressive program in drawing, painting, design, printmaking, sculpture, clay, mixed media, and more, with each year deepening the skills developed before it. Instruction begins with Tiny Hands, for ages 3 and 4. Any student older than 9 starts with Art 1, a foundational course that teaches drawing fundamentals predominantly in black and white. Students begin using color again only once they have developed the visual judgment and techniques to use it well. By the time they reach Art 3, students are producing work at an early college level. Portfolio building begins with Art 1, and student work is preserved and refined over the years.

At the Cary studio, most classes are capped at 10 students, and Tiny Hands classes are capped at 6 students. Teachers move from student to student throughout each class, so every child receives individual guidance rather than a set of instructions delivered to the group.

The studio environment is deliberate as well. Classrooms are calm and quiet, with classical music playing. For many students, it may be the only hour in their week that asks for that particular kind of sustained, unhurried attention. Parents notice the calm, and the skills their children develop in it.

What This Means for Triangle Families

Recognition from KidsOutAndAbout.com is meaningful because of who granted it. Parents in the Triangle were asked to name an arts educator, and they named this one.

For families still deciding, the takeaway is obvious. Students coming to the studio are not just filling an hour of free time. They are building skills that carry from one year into the next.

Enrolling for the 2026-2027 Year

Enrollment is open now at Children’s Art Classes of Cary for students ages 3 and up. Alongside the after-school classes, a homeschool class meets Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings, open to students ages 5 and up who study at their own curriculum level. Art 1 for Adults meets Friday and Saturday mornings, with no previous experience needed. The studio serves families across Cary, Apex, Morrisville, Holly Springs, and beyond.

Families are welcome to visit the studio, meet the teachers, and see student work in person before enrolling.

Visit nc-cary.childrensartclasses.com to learn more and view the class schedule.