The Museum Art School offers gallery- and studio-based classes for youth ages 4-18. Works from the permanent collection and special exhibitions provide focus and grounding for a curriculum developed and taught by artists and art educators. Through thoughtful, sequential activities students use a wide range of media to discover their creative capacities. The Museum's resources provide an enriched environment that helps students place their own efforts in a larger cultural context. Classes fill quickly. Please register early.

Saturdays, April 19–May 17 (no class on May 10)
Ages 13–18
1:00–4:00 p.m., $50/$65
Instructor: Mary Carin

Transform simple everyday objects into fascinating works of art. Learning from artists such as Rauschenberg, Johns, and local artists in SDMA’s exhibition Inside the Wave, explore the many undiscovered uses for materials and objects.

Saturdays, April 26–May 17 (no class on May 10)
Ages 7–9
9:30–11:30 a.m., $40/50
Instructor: Mary Shannon Heinzelmann

Back by popular demand, this class explores how portrait painters have created images of themselves, family, friends, and the famous. Students will be introduced to facial proportions and color mixing and will visit SDMA’s permanent collection of European and American art.

Saturdays, May 17–June 7
Ages 4–6
10:00–11:30 a.m., $40/50
Instructor: Danielle Pfeifer

Celebrate color, shapes, and images that make the arts and crafts of Mexico so festive. A variety of materials will stir your imagination to create playful and unexpected works of art.

Saturdays, June 7–28
Ages 4–6
12:30–2:00 p.m. (June 7), 10:00–11:30 a.m. (June 14–28), $40/50
Instructor: Danielle Pfeifer

Explore work by artists such as Georgia O’Keeffe, Charles Demuth, Stuart Davis, and others. Learn about realism, abstract painting, stenciling, geometry, shape, and design.

Saturdays, June 7–28
Ages 10–12
10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., $40/50
Instructor: Patrick Meehan

Learn to paint landscapes outdoors in beautiful Balboa Park. Each class will explore a new location while painting nature. Learn about space, color, and composition, as well as personal expression.

Back to Top