If you were lucky, your high school not only had art class staples such as painting and drawing, but also the funds to offer photography and ceramics (and if you were me, you started the first creative writing elective at Greensburg Salem High School in 1997). We’ve rounded up a bunch of art classes you can take this fall. Get messy; get creative.
The Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media could pretty much be summed up as the high school art experience I wish I had. Some classes are in-person but lots are offered via Zoom with a take-home kit or a supply list where applicable. Highlights on the schedule include:
Collograph and Monotype/Relief prints. Printmaking can seem like the sort of thing you can only do with lots of space and materials. These classes offer a fun way to explore small-scale printmaking at home without a press. Make yourself some new refrigerator art or some prints for all those letters you’ve been sending to friends.
This Handbuilding for the Home class has its priorities straight. Make your own pottery soap dish, a new planter for your new favorite houseplant or a lantern for a candle to illuminate our long, dark winter evenings.
Who knows what Halloween will look like this year, but regardless, you can spend your October learning how to make fanciful, expressive mushroom friends. Tuck them on your shelf, in between the leaves of your houseplants, give them to a friend.
Speaking of friends, there’s been a huge surge of family and friends taking virtual classes together. The PCA&M offers a Clay at Home: Date Night class where you can make a mug with a friend. After it is fired, fill with beer, wine or a very large cocktail — perfect for those virtual happy hours.
At Very Local, we love Pittsburgh history (so much so we devoted an entire day of this back-to-school week to it). This collage class transforms notable Pittsburgh landmarks into art.
And no roundup would be complete without the cursory nod to creative writing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEFT2flDjUD/
The North Hills Art Center is conducting in-person classes with COVID-19 modifications. I have been sending lots of snail mail lately (and you should too in order to support the USPS). Make your mail the best in the mailbox with this hand lettering class.
Are all these classes too much of a commitment? Some low-pressure alternatives include: a take-home mosaic kit from the Pittsburgh Glass Center and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Creative Course Club, where they share weekly creative challenges and free class resources.
Got a class we should know about? Let us know. Wanna share your finished product with us after your lessons are complete? We want to see it. Share your photos with hashtag #verylocalBTS.
📸 Header photo: Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash.
