It’s never too late to draw.
That’s the mindset that artist and Mobile Outreach Librarian Jacque Mitchell brings to her charcoal and acrylic art classes. Participants need no experience or supplies. There’s no age limit or cost. Just show up to a community center with an open mind, and you can make art.
“Most of my students come in claiming not to be able to draw at all,” Jacque noted. “I always assure them that learning how to draw from step one is what the class is for. With practice, those students are delighted with the progress they see in themselves.”
In 2025 alone, Jacque has taught art classes at over a dozen different community centers across Harris County. She sets up still life scenes wherever the centers can find space, putting out nubs of charcoal or palettes of paint for whoever stops by. A vase with a flower, a metal tea kettle, an assortment of fruit—Jacque guides her students through drawing each one, sprinkling in lessons about proportion, lighting, and perspective along the way.
Most of her students haven’t been in a traditional classroom in some time. The typical participants are older adults, retired folks looking for creative enrichment or new skills. Age doesn’t temper their enthusiasm.
“I have a student that enjoys the class so much that she enlisted a friend to help her make an apron that says ‘My Charcoal Class’ across the front,” Jacque shared of a longtime participant. “She wears it to every class.”
Public libraries have long been hubs for community education, first through literature and now through programming. Whether it’s a book club, a citizenship seminar, or an art lesson with friends, libraries encourage lifelong learning. Mobile Outreach Librarians like Jacque have the unique opportunity to bring those programs beyond library buildings and into the community. From Katy to Crosby, the Harris County Public Library Outreach Team visits people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to the programs and services that the public library has to offer.
More important than the skills learned are the bonds that are forged over the series of art classes. “I’ve also seen many friendships made in my classes,” Jacque shared. “People meet and share laughs together at their first attempts and drawing, and before I know it, they are telling me about their weekend outings together. If there is anything more valuable to me than the art, it is the bonds we develop while creating art.”
Ready to start your own art journey? Spark your creativity with one of these fun library books.
Community Centers across Harris County offer a wide range of classes and activities for seniors and people of all ages.
Art Classes at Harris County Community Centers
Precinct 1 | Precinct 2 | Precinct 3 | Precinct 4
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