After a cold winter, Pelham Art Center invites artists of all ages — from toddlers to adults — to spring into artful action through an eclectic mix of art classes, workshops, and school break camps. The Art Center’s programs are designed to bring together community members who seek to nurture their artistic skills and grow through the shared joy of art-making. Offering everything from traditional fine arts and digital media to intuitive experimentation and more, these programs welcome students of all skill levels.
Youth camps will take place the week of March 30 – April 3, followed by workshops beginning April 10 and semester-long classes resuming the week of April 13 through early-to mid-June. Registration is now open for members and general registration opens Thursday, February 19.
In a warm and nurturing environment, artists of all skill levels — from those with zero experience to the more highly experienced — can join weekly classes taught by Pelham Art Center’s accomplished teaching artists, who provide hands-on instruction for all ages. For example, youth can design their very own stickers starting from pencil work and ending with digital artwork in Sticker Factory! while curious kids will code, build and experiment in Computer FUN-gineering. Beyond the Brush will offer an array of mixed media techniques, Animal Collage Creations will allow for creative self-expression to run wild, and Pop-Up Paintings will raise the bar with 3D artwork in pop art style. Meanwhile, adults and high school students are invited to become more discerning and perceptive artists through interesting classes such as Color & Light in Painting, From Observation to Imagination, Figure Drawing, Botanical Illustration and Painting Foundations. Pelham Art Center’s spring semester is designed to foster self-expression, artistic exploration, and community connection.
A highlight of this spring’s youth workshops is our newly introduced, monthly Sunday offering Tiny Art Explorers, in which adults along with their 1-4 year-olds can explore side-by-side in a relaxed, playful environment. This is an excellent chance for parents and/or grandparents to bond further with their young ones in a way that values process over product and enjoyment over perfection.
Special adult and high school workshops include traditional art-making in the form of a day-long gesture drawing workshop entitled Lines in Motion: A Gesture Drawing Experience. The popular Art After Hours series will be back by popular demand, moving to Friday nights and offering adults 21+ a fun, relaxed evening of a mystery art project, refreshments, and time to mingle with fellow participants. For young teens, Friendship Bracelets are a new offering bound to bind friends together through handmade bracelets. In addition to these wonderful creative outlets, more workshops will be added to the schedule very soon.
Pelham Art Center’s ever-popular youth Spring Break Camps return this season, as well, running from 9 AM-2 PM. These programs provide engaging, immersive experiences for children; Creative Play: Spring Break Camp focuses on imaginative art-making and playful exploration, while Digital Art Intensive: Minecraft Modding gives campers valuable experience in building custom elements digitally. An early evening Portrait Intensive will enlighten adults and high schoolers on key elements of portraiture, starting with facial proportions, then drawing a likeness of a live model and coating it with shellack, and finally using oil paint to create detail and finishing touches. This is a unique opportunity for those interested in learning the foundations of portraiture and strengthening both their drawing and painting skills under the guidance of an acclaimed teaching artist.
Pelham Art Center is committed to making the arts accessible to all. Thanks to generous support from the Town of Pelham, ArtsWestchester/Westchester Board of Legislators, New York State Council on the Arts, the Uskali Scholarship Fund, the Annual Fund, Benchmark Education, and special event donors, need-based full and partial scholarships are available for students of all ages.
High school students looking to advance their skills and build college portfolios are encouraged to apply for the David Uskali Scholarship, which supports artistic talent and development. More details and applications are available here.
For full class descriptions, scholarship information, and to register, visit pelhamartcenter.org/education. Early registration is encouraged, as classes fill quickly — secure your spot for a spring filled with creativity, art, and community!
Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Pelham Art Center. The Pelham Examiner publishes press releases in the form received as a service to the community.
