5 art classes your kids will love this summer
Columbus College of Art & Design’s Creative Summer Workshops will have your kids learning, creating, and having fun this summer—no sunblock or bug repellant required. The college’s weeklong, half-day workshops, led by art and education professionals, provide children and teens with hands-on projects that will keep them engaged and excited.
In the workshops, students will master new techniques and approaches to art and design—and that’s just the start. “Kids gain social skills and learn creative problem solving in our inclusive classroom environments,” says Director of Youth & Community Learning Aviva Neff, PhD.
“These workshops are great for kids who love to work with their hands, who love to learn through experimentation, and who love to get messy,” says Dr. Neff. “And we hear from parents that they love that this is an in-person experience for their kids, where they can socialize and collaborate in a supportive environment without the pressure of grades.”
Here’s just a sampling of what’s available this summer at CCAD:
For the kid ready to explore art
Students in grades 1–2 can explore a variety of materials, from papier-mâché to printmaking, while they learn basic theory on shape, color, and design thinking in Young Artists Getting Started. They’ll discover and develop their unique artistic voice alongside classmates in a gently structured creative environment where art, learning, and play intersect.
For the kid who likes to bug out
Insects have excited scientists, artists, and kids (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, anyone?) throughout history, and this summer, children in grades 3–4 can continue that tradition in the workshop Creepy Crawly Insect Art. This class, which draws inspiration from the collection at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, explores insect forms and considers how they can inspire new works of art. Students study silk, wax, and dyes made from insects, and pursue projects based on their study of the creepy crawlies around them!
“It’s part science, part art,” says Dr. Neff. “They learn about symmetry in nature and how and why that happens, and they learn about symmetry in art, and how and why that happens. Students learn to see the artistic beauty in the natural world and the beauty of the natural world in art.”
For the kid who’s a character—and ready to create their own
Tweens in grades 5–6 will consider shape, expression—and even species—in Character Design. They’ll look at the world with new eyes as they create characters inspired by the world around them, and they’ll be encouraged to take a closer look at a range of media, from movies to TV to graphic novels to video games and beyond, to gain a better understanding of how the professionals create memorable characters we know and love.
For the teen who rolls with role-playing game strategy and creature design
Young artists and designers in grades 7–9 will learn about character and creature design, world-building, and game strategy in the new course Dragons, Dice, and Design. They’ll develop design thinking skills and foundational art skills as they learn—and have fun!—through game design. This workshop is perfect for fans of fantasy, science fiction, and role playing games like Dungeons & Dragons.
“This is an exciting class for students who like to put their imagination and creativity into action. It engages their love for fantasy, science-fiction, and imaginary worlds, and it teaches them the strategies to bring it all to life in fun role-playing games with their friends,” says Dr. Neff.
For the teen with a story to tell
In Art & Storytelling, teens in grades 10–12 will learn to use drawing, painting, and comic book/graphic novel-making techniques to explore visual storytelling through narrative art and visual poetry as well as solo and group story creation. Classes will include both quick and multi-session projects as participants experiment with artmaking that plays with the real and surreal and calls on them to practice such skills as asking questions, imagining narratives, thinking critically, collaborating, and taking a creative approach to problem solving.
“Through project-based learning, students get to explore big ideas in bite-sized, accessible ways,” says Dr. Neff. “It’s like Ms. Frizzle’s saying: ‘Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.’ They get to try something new and have fun without the pressure of being ‘good’ or ‘bad’ at something.”
And CCAD has art workshops for adults, too!
Why should your kids have all the fun? This summer, CCAD also is offering weekday classes for adults and older teens in subjects such as oil painting, as well as Saturday Workshops on topics like the foundations of painting. So whether you’d like to explore something new, or return to a favorite creative practice, we have great classes for you, too!
CCAD art and design classes for your family
Of course, we’ve shared just a handful of CCAD classes in this post! To check out our full slate of classes for kids, teens, and adults to explore this summer—and beyond!—visit ccad.edu/takeaclass.
CCAD’s Creative Summer Workshops for Kids and Monday–Friday Workshops (for adults and older teens) are held weekdays; 9 a.m.–noon for morning sessions, or 1:30–4:30 p.m. for afternoon sessions, with lunchtime childcare available at an additional cost. Saturday Morning Workshops for adults are 9 a.m.–noon.
