Leone Cooper

Leone Cooper was born on March 30, 1902, in St. Louis, Missouri. She attended Harris Teachers College, and after graduating, she taught art in the St. Louis Public Schools. She was a part of the art faculty at Webster College from 1947 to 1948.

In 1948, she opened the Leone Cooper Art School at her home in Webster Groves, Missouri. Cooper taught more than 5,000 art students at her school throughout its years of operation. She offered classes for adults and for school-aged children. Many of her students had not studied art previously, but some of her students were art school graduates who were taking refresher classes with Cooper. The children were students in St. Louis Public Schools and from the Central Institute for the Deaf.  She also developed new techniques for teaching art to students. Her students won awards at the National Hallmark Scholarship Competition in 1955, 1956 and 1958. They also won awards at the Missouri Federation of Women’s Clubs State-Wide Art Talent Competition in 1955-1956 and in 1958-1960.

Cooper also was a lecturer at women’s clubs. Her favorite topic was watercolor sketching demonstrations. She did her lectures for clubs in Missouri and Illinois. The lectures were titled “The Value of an Art Education,” “Water Color Sketching” and “You can Paint.” 

Cooper exhibited her work frequently at local and national exhibitions.

Leone Cooper died on July 12, 1981, in Webster Groves.