I’m so glad you found us at The Arthaus!
My name is Liz Monaghan. I’m a 3rd generation San Franciscan. Lover of anything creative for as long as I can remember, and it’s been a long time! I was that little girl who relentlessly carried around a box of art supplies everywhere I went. I had a particular fondness for red glitter, so much so, that I’m sure it still lingers in the cracks of my childhood home!
I was also the teenager who only cared about English and Art classes. Proud to say that I excelled at both but, sadly squeaked through the rest. Given my grades were not up to academic snuff, it seemed obvious that a traditional college was not in my future so off I went to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco to major in Interior Design.
Fast forward many years, and my passion and need for creating hasn’t left me, although I never pursued it as a career. Instead, I’ve been plugging away in corporate America for MANY years while dreaming of one day pursing my passion for art. Most recently I have been planning for the next chapter of my life, which brings me to the story of The Arthaus…
The Arthaus was born out of the desire to connect…
After the 2020 pandemic I found myself, like many others, evaluating every aspect of my life…my personal relationship, my friendships & the overall quality of my life. What I determined was, connection to others had become really dismal; my close network of friends had moved to other states, my chosen sister and childhood best friend of decades tragically passed away and I was working from home exclusively, which further fed the disconnect. To top it off, the many art classes and retreats I had once looked forward to all ceased to exist. The fulfilling social life I once enjoyed, had become completely non-existent.
Fast forward a few years and my life has changed in many ways. My son went off to college and I married my high school sweetheart and moved from the East Bay in California to Santa Rosa, CA. While those things are very positive, the need for creative connection especially in community, still lingered.
Late 2022, my soon-to-be husband and I located the property in Santa Rosa where The Arthaus stands today and we embarked on a journey to remodel the house, as well as build my dream, an art studio of my very own!
What started out as a 600 square foot Tuff Shed garage was customized into a full-fledged art studio. After lots of blood, sweat & tears cursing, my husband and I completed the final interior build out with the help of my son from time to time. The work consumed every waking hour, mostly on weekends, for months & months. We officially finished in June 2024. You can find more about the build on Instagram.
While The Arthaus is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream to have my own studio, it’s so much more than that now; it’s really a safe space for creatives to gather in community, to connect and create, free from the digital unsteady world we live in today. As an added bonus, The Arthaus is now also home to my Meetup Groups: North Bay Ladies Game Night & Social Hour and Santa Rosa Creative Circle.
If you crave Connection Through Creativity, join me and others just like us at The Arthaus! I hope to see you there!
Happy Creating,
Liz
