Making art is essential. It is essential to developing confidence, to trusting our innate creativity, and to discovering who we can each become.

 This is the fundamental premise of Art Scōl, where making art means having fun, discovering our individuality, and learning what it means to create.

 Art Scōl instructors celebrate individuality and work with each student to develop his or her artistic expression. Yes, we teach how to mix paints, build with clay, and other skills that lead to artistic achievement. But most importantly, we provide support and encouragement; we instill the confidence, openness, and the ability to navigate doubt and frustration—skills that are essential to creativity in art and in life.

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Our approach with middle and high school students is three-fold: 

• We encourage open-ended curiosity, experimentation, and exploration of ideas and mediums; 

• We develop students’ technical abilities; and

• We work with students to create a personal language of expression. 

 

 We do this through both assigned projects and self-directed exploration of ideas and mediums. 

 

 Assigned projects include learning to draw from direct observation (rather than from imagination or a photograph) as a fundamental tool. Other projects to help students expand their visual vocabulary might include merging three subjects together; and learning how to illustrate reflective surfaces and different textures. 

 

 Art Scōl is also the ideal place for students interested in pursuing art in higher education to develop cohesive portfolios targeted toward individual programs. Art portfolios can also be excellent additions to non-art school applications to demonstrate a student’s ability to creatively communicate their ideas and bring more depth and creative thinking to their academic and STEM-related work.