Children's art classes currently enrolling for:
Our goals for learning within the children/teens program include:
- presenting classes focused on developing foundational concepts and skills within distinct media which are aligned with the stages of artistic development
- providing individualized attention to each student encouraging the representation of unique creative perspectives and the development of the portfolio
- providing opportunities for students to talk about their perceptions, their experience, their own work and the work of others reinforcing vocabulary specific to art making
- incorporating gallery learning in the museum in order to create opportunities to respond to the original work of other artists and to enhance student awareness of art, artists, and context
- providing an end of session synopsis outlining projects produced, references used, and skills and concepts covered
No class on 4/16
Students will explore how artwork and storytelling come together in the form of Comics and Illustration. Develop a comic strip with your own invented characters; learn how to draw a variety of facial expressions, animate objects, imply motion, and use background space in your story.
Register For ClassesNo class 4/17
Join us for this fun drawing class which takes place both in the museum and the studio. Students will learn a variety of drawing techniques as they study artwork on display at the museum, practicing shading, different types of lines and how to look carefully in order to capture correct proportions and shapes. The instructor will explain how different types of pencils and materials can make drawings look very unique. Each student will go home at the end of the 8 week session with a portfolio of sketches and finished works.
Register For Classesno class on 4/18
Our Art Studio classes offer an exploration of art making in all its forms. Students will have fun experimenting with the basic materials and techniques all artists use and will be encouraged to express their own individual viewpoint. Some of the materials that will be used include collage, colored pencil, oil pastels, watercolor and acrylic paint, air-dry clay, wire and papier mâché. Students will visit the museum to get inspiration and learn about other artists’ work. Students may take the same level class more than once; lessons will not repeat. All supplies provided.
Register For ClassesNo class on 4/18.
In this fun experimental class, students will have the chance to play with paint in new ways. Using watercolor, acrylic paint, liquid watercolor and other paint media, the instructor will lead a series of lessons designed to allow students to get a new understanding of how to use paint to express different ideas as well as how to use paint to make realistic images. Students will go home at the end of the 8 week session with a portfolio of experiments and finished works.
Register For ClassesNo class on 5/25
Join us for this fun drawing class which takes place both in the museum and the studio. Students will learn a variety of drawing techniques as they study artwork on display at the museum, practicing shading, different types of lines and how to look carefully in order to capture correct proportions and shapes. The instructor will explain how different types of pencils and materials can make drawings look very unique. Each student will go home at the end of the 8 week session with a portfolio of sketches and finished works.
Register For ClassesIn this two-day mixed media workshop, students will have fun exploring art materials while being inspired by Art in the Museum. Our workshops are designed to allow students to express their own ideas while learning a little about art and having fun with friends. There are two 3-hour classes each day with a 1-hour lunch break.
Register For ClassesIn this two-day mixed media workshop, students will have fun exploring art materials while being inspired by Art in the Museum. Our workshops are designed to allow students to express their own ideas while learning a little about art and having fun with friends. There are two 3-hour classes each day with a 1-hour lunch break.
Register For ClassesIn this two-day mixed media workshop, students will have fun exploring art materials while being inspired by Art in the Museum. Our workshops are designed to allow students to express their own ideas while learning a little about art and having fun with friends. There are two 3-hour classes each day with a 1-hour lunch break.
Register For ClassesIn this two-day mixed media workshop, students will have fun exploring art materials while being inspired by Art in the Museum. Our workshops are designed to allow students to express their own ideas while learning a little about art and having fun with friends. There are two 3-hour classes each day with a 1-hour lunch break.
Register For ClassesIn this two-day mixed media workshop, students will have fun exploring art materials while being inspired by Art in the Museum. Our workshops are designed to allow students to express their own ideas while learning a little about art and having fun with friends. There are two 3-hour classes each day with a 1-hour lunch break.
Register For ClassesIn this two-day mixed media workshop, students will have fun exploring art materials while being inspired by Art in the Museum. Our workshops are designed to allow students to express their own ideas while learning a little about art and having fun with friends. There are two 3-hour classes each day with a 1-hour lunch break.
Register For Classes
Important Information for Children's Classes
Yes! Danforth provides everything students need to experiment with materials and practice techniques. Students learn to select from various sized brushes and types of paint, different types of drawing pencils and a variety of other drawing materials. Our studios are equipped with easels, stools, painting tables and specialized lighting to enhance the learning experience.
In our programs, we have noticed that mixed peer groups can often support learning as they approach lessons differently. Younger artists can emulate techniques of older artists, and the older students can appreciate the exuberance and fearlessness of the younger students. Our small class sizes allow instructors to provide individualized instruction to all our artists in the studio.
Not usually. Our classes maintain a portfolio of artwork which allows students to keep collect all process pieces such as sketches together with finished works. It also allows them to go back to revisit ideas or to keep working on pieces if needed over time.
Lessons in the Children’s Program at the Danforth are designed to build upon each other throughout the session, reinforcing concepts and techniques which allows for growth over the period of the class.
We hold an informal exhibition of artwork on the last class so that students can have practice experiencing showing their work, and discussing what they learned.
Yes! At some point during the session, teachers will take a “field trip” to the museum to view works on display. Students will often have the opportunity to sketch in the museum as they learn how to actively view artwork in a museum, and to think critically about what they see and notice. We emphasize visual literacy skills during these visits so that children learn how to understand techniques, genres, content, and the elements and principles of design which are the building blocks of art making.
Teaching here is such a joy Angela Ackerman, instructor—Learn more about Angela
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