Ten Reasons Why An Art Major is a Great Choice
Are you considering majoring in art? If so, you’ve made the right choice! Art can be a very rewarding and stimulating field of study, and...
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Lower Elementary Art Program
In our lower elementary art program, composed of ages 6-9, students practice and understand the effects of their artistic actions - how their hands hold a brush or pencil, how they shape clay, and also how to hone these technical skills.
The mission of our lower elementary art program is to foster visual awareness, creative expression and imaginative thinking. Students are actively taught fine-motor skills that support respect for one’s tools and a stronger product, practice language of art and design as we share with one another in a “group share” critique experience, and explore both process-based and product-based work.
Students see and understand the effects of their artistic actions - how their hands hold a brush or pencil, how they shape clay, and also how to hone these technical skills. In their group shares, children exercise the language and history they have learned, and also provide a sense of community and positive reinforcement for each other.
It is a beautiful sight to witness, as children as young as six turn to one another and share that they “love how the lines form a center of interest,” develop spatial awareness as they overlap objects to appear further back in space, or layer in the watercolor in a painting of a flower.
Classes are one hour long, run for 4 week sessions, and are weekly.
Current Courses for Lower Elementary
We are grateful to offer courses at both Cultivate and East Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation.
Courses for Spring Semester 2023 are shared below.
If you have any questions about a specific course, the registration process, or if there is anything we can do to assist you, please email education@cultivategrandrapids.org
Sculpture: Make a Diorama
In this class, we invite children ages 6-9 to make a diorama from start to finish! Each week will work through elements of set design and creation, as students make fantastical tiny worlds using a variety of boxes and paper sculpture tools.
Schedule: Tuesdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: January 10, 2023
Course Ends: January 31, 2023
Intro to Comics
In this class, we will make or do various elements of comic book and graphic novels. From lettering, panel design, drawing, and coloring, the kids will understand and do it all! We will look at different styles of drawing - whether that is anime, manga, or stylistic choices when an artist or illustrator uses pencil, marker, or even paint to make their books. Understanding these styles better, we will then practice them ourselves.
Schedule: Thursdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: January 12, 2023
Course Ends: January 26, 2023
Art Beginnings
This beginning art class teaches the elements of art and the principles of design. This course is designed as a beginning art class for students who wish to explore basic art media and techniques, such as drawing, painting, graphic design, photography, collage, ceramics, printmaking, sculpture and more!
Schedule: Tuesdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: February 7, 2023
Course Ends: February 28, 2023
Characters for Comic Books
In this class, students will understand shape concept and line as they learn how to draw characters! We will gain understanding of a variety of tools, tips, and tricks to create and think critically about movement, personality of characters, and color tones to shape their stories. We will look at different styles of drawing - whether that is anime, manga, or stylistic choices when an artist or illustrator uses pencil, marker, or even paint to make their books. Understanding these styles better, we will then practice them ourselves.
Schedule: Thursdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: February 2, 2023
Course Ends: February 23, 2023
Learn to Draw - Basic Drawing Techniques
Drawing is the foundation of so many art practices. Here we welcome students ages 6-9 to learn new skills or practice old ones. Working with a variety of drawing materials, students practice spatial, technical, and creative skills. We will learn to see like artists using observational drawing skills, exploring line, perspective, tone, proportion, value, gesture, and more.
Schedule: Tuesdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: March 2, 2023
Course Ends: March 30, 2023
Comic Book and Graphic Novel Design and Writing
In this class, students ages 6-12 are invited to take a deeper dive into comic book and graphic novel creations! Together we will explore more advanced elements of comic book and graphic novels. Students will learn from story arcs in their favorite movies and stories, how different stories are memorable, and then write their own simple stories. Learning to storyboard and make impactful panel design, they will start with a simple panel and move into more complex finished work from their own imaginations!
Schedule: Thursdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: March 2, 2023
Course Ends: March 30, 2023
Art Beginnings
This beginning art class teaches the elements of art and the principles of design. This course is designed as a beginning art class for students who wish to explore basic art media and techniques, such as drawing, painting, graphic design, photography, collage, ceramics, printmaking, sculpture and more!
Schedule: Tuesdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: April 4, 2023
Course Ends: April 25, 2023
Superhero Drawing
In this class, students will learn how to draw their characters! Students will share their favorites in the first class, and then we will move step by step to learn how to draw them! Students will gain understanding of a variety of tools, tips, and tricks to create and think critically about movement, foreshortening, perspective, color, and and color tones to understand these characters. We will look at different styles of drawing and deconstruct how the artists made their characters! Understanding these styles better, we will then practice them ourselves.
Schedule: Thursdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: April 13, 2023
Course Ends: April 27, 2023
Drawing People: The Basics
This beginning art class teaches students how to draw people! Here we teach students ages 6-9 how to draw people realistically. We will practice how to "capture" the shapes and form of a person quickly, and also how to develop a portrait or work more and make it realistic. Students can expect to focus on process and product in this course. Within this work, we will start with foundational skills in a variety of materials - graphite pencils, charcoal, and pastels, to move through guided demonstrations of anatomy, gesture, proportion, line, and value. This is a great course to segway into deeper art practices such as painting, more drawing work, ceramics, and even photography!
Schedule: Tuesdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: May 2, 2023
Course Ends: May 30, 2023
Guided Course - Make a Complete Comic Book
In this class, students ages 6-12 will start and finish a full comic book. Sharing in the art making and writing process, students will create characters and their story arcs, design and draw the comic book panels, and finish an entire book! This is one of our most popular and most fun classes, as the students learn from and inspire each other. We add professional touches to these books, as we encourage the students to add "about the author" and "acknowledgments" pages. We will publish the finished comic books and on our last evening, we will invite families/caregivers to join us for a special reading and presentation of our books. Our famous creators will be available for autographs, of course.
Schedule: Thursdays, 430-530pm.
Course Starts: May 4, 2023
Course Ends: May 25, 2023
Art Classes at East Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation
We are proud to share fine art classes at East Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation.
Sharing our courses for ages three to adult, we offer easy going introductions to art for preschoolers, lower elementary, upper elementary, teenagers, and adults, including month-long courses, spring and summer camp opportunities, and more. Young Artist Series, art classes for
Registration for the East Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department classes is done so through their website. If you would like to see, or register for our courses there, please follow the link below. If you have questions in the registration process, please email education@cultivategrandrapids.org
"I've never made anything like this before. This is so cool!"
- Seven-year-old student after doing cyanotype prints
"This is the most fun class ever!"
- Six-year old student
"It's so great to see my daughter making friends. She loves this class and I signed her up for the rest of the summer."
- Parent of seven-year-old student
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