Back to Windgate Art School Spring Youth Classes
AMFA offers children a variety of playful educational experiences exploring the visual and performing arts.
Explore our available offerings by grade level below, and please review our guidelines and policies before registering for a class.
Spring Break
Spring Break at the Windgate Art School is March 24 - 28, 2025! Give your budding artist an exciting, weeklong experience with the arts by selecting a half-day or full-day option that fits your schedule:
- For a half-day experience, sign your student up for either a morning session (9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.) or an afternoon session (1:00 - 4:00 p.m.).
- For a full-day experience, sign up for both a morning and afternoon session. Your student will bring their lunch and enjoy a supervised lunch break each day from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
Classes will also take a snack break during the morning and afternoon sessions. Students are encouraged to bring snacks from home and a refillable water bottle with a lid.
All supplies are included. Registration closes on March 23, 2025.
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Grades K-2
MORNING SESSION A
Seuss on the Loose: Acting and Improv GamesExplore the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss through theatre play. Fun acting and improv games themed around characters and worlds created by Dr. Seuss will strengthen confidence and creative thinking while students play improv and acting games. Learn to express emotions on stage and work together to create believable moments. Theatre builds life skills in self-expression, collaboration, and empathy.
This class includes a live performance of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat and the Hat.
Price: $210 ($168 for Members)
Location: Drawing Studio (L48)
Instructor: Lanie Carlson
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.MORNING SESSION B
Cat-tastic CreationsExplore the magical world of Dr. Seuss. In this playful, hands-on class, children will create magical scenes and become a storyteller by building cardboard sculptures and tempera paintings and imagining their characters to life through their artwork. This class develops fine motor skills by using art-making tools, builds confidence through creating and visual storytelling, and encourages curiosity through creative problem-solving.
This class includes a live performance of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat in the Performing Arts Theater.
Price: $210 ($168 for Members)
Location: Flex Studio I (L49.1)
Instructor: Lily Warren
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.AFTERNOON SESSION
Mini Masters: Painting in ParisEmbark on an artistic journey through people, places, and sights of Europe! View the Rivera’s Paris exhibition to see how the artists of Deigo Rivera’s time created their works and then create your own masterpieces in the studio. Paint a self-portrait, draw a landscape in pastel, and make expressive ink and brush drawings.
This class uses watercolor paints, inks, brushes, and drawing pastels to engage in creative problem-solving, develop fine motor skills, and spark imaginations to become a "Mini Master" and create inspired artworks, as you build new friendships in the studio.
Price: $210 ($168 for Members)
Location: Flex Studio I (L49.1)
Instructor: TBA
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. -
Grades 3-5
MORNING SESSION
Oh, the Art You'll Create!Dive into the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss through making art. Students will design, inspire, and make imagined characters into sculptures using found objects, and invent and paint colorful, patterned landscapes that become imagined worlds for their rhymes and stories. Students will build written and visual skills as they explore with creative expression in poetry, storytelling, and problem-solving with art materials.
This class includes a live performance of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat in the Performing Arts Theater.
Price: $210 ($168 for Members)
Location: Flex Studio I (L49.1)
Instructor: Sharon Boyd-Struthers
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.AFTERNOON SESSION
Play the Seuss Way: Acting and Improv GamesTheatre play the Seuss way! Strengthen confidence and creative thinking while playing improv and acting games that are inspired by the characters and worlds created by Dr. Seuss, learn to express emotions on stage, and work together to create believable moments. Theatre builds life skills in self-expression, collaboration, and empathy.
This class includes a backstage tour with the theatre professionals from AMFA’s production of Dr. Seuss’s The Cat and the Hat in the Performing Arts Theater, giving students an inside look into how theatre is created for the stage and a chance to meet some of the professionals behind the scenes.
Price: $210 ($168 for Members)
Location: Drawing Studio (L48)
Instructor: Theatre Staff
Time: 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. -
Grades 6-8
MORNING SESSION
Crafting Connections: Exploring Wood, Clay, and MetalStudents will view the Studio Time + Studio Practice exhibition and see artworks created with the materials they will be working with during this week-long arts experience. They have hands-on experiences in the ceramics, wood, and metals studios that include wheel throwing with clay, learning to use hand tools in the woodshop, and an introduction to shaping and adding color to metals in the metals studio.
This is a great introduction to a variety of mediums that will be sure to spark a newfound interest in these specialized art forms while creating space for new friendships and building critical thinking skills and confidence through art making.
Price: $230 ($184 for Members)
Location: Metals Studio (L39)
Instructor: Myriam Saavedra
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Reduced Tuition Program
The Windgate Art School is generously supported in part by the Windgate Foundation with additional support from Sherry Worthen in memory of George Worthen.
Windgate Art School’s Reduced Tuition Program is supported by Michael Laughter. Reduced tuition is automatically applied to all classes through 2025.
After School & Weekends
Spark your child's creativity outside of the classroom! After-school and weekend classes at AMFA are a great way to encourage artistic imagination and growth.
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Draw, Paint and Explore | Grades K-5
Your child will embark on an exciting creative journey filled with drawing and painting, where they will explore a variety of techniques and materials to bring their artistic ideas to life.
Using pencils, charcoal, watercolor, acrylics, and tempera, they will build confidence and skill while creating artwork inspired by both observation and imagination. Students will have the unique opportunity to sketch and paint from real-life masterpieces in the AMFA galleries.
Throughout the class, students will receive step-by-step instruction on essential techniques, including how to draw with accuracy, mix vibrant colors, and apply expressive brushstrokes to create stunning works of art.
Price:
$150 ($120 for Members)$126 ($100 for Members)
Location: Flex Studio (L49)
Instructor: Sharon Boyd-Struthers
Length: Six Weeks
Dates: Wednesdays, April 16 - May 21, 2025
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. -
Construction Zone | Grades K-5
Children will explore the world of sculpture, while being inspired from the AMFA collection. Students will visit the galleries and create their own sculptures using wood, paper, cardboard, and unconventional materials like spray foam and found objects.
Along the way, they will develop problem-solving skills, build confidence, and spark their imaginations in a fun and creative environment.
Price:
$144 ($115 for Members)$120 ($96 for Members)
Location: Flex Studio (L49)
Instructor: India Childress
Length: Six Weeks
Dates: Thursdays, April 17 - May 22, 2025
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. -
Art for Homeschool Students | Grades K-5
Each student will explore a variety of techniques in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. Through hands-on projects in drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture, they will experiment with different media and develop their artistic skills in each studio.
In addition to creating their own work, students will engage with art history and deepen their appreciation for the arts by visiting the AMFA galleries and collections.
Price:
$144 ($115 for Members)$120 ($96 for Members)
Location: Flex Studio (L49)
Instructor: Lily Warren
Length: Six Weeks
Dates: Thursdays, April 17 - May 22, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. -
Clay Creations | Grades 3-5
Discover the exciting world of clay in this hands-on class designed for young artists! Handbuilding is a fun and accessible way to explore the art of ceramics, allowing students to transform their ideas into three-dimensional creations using their hands and a few simple tools.
Students will learn fundamental techniques such as pinching, coiling, and slab construction to shape clay into unique forms and expressive sculptures.
Whether new to clay or looking to expand their skills, students will enjoy a fun, supportive environment where they can design in their minds and create with their hands!
Price:
$120 ($96 for Members)$100 ($85 for Members)
Location: Ceramics Studio (L40)
Instructor: Chris Swasta
Length: Five Weeks
Dates: Saturdays, April 12 - May 10, 2025
Time: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. -
Young Playmakers: Improv Explorers | Grades 3-5
Create scenes, characters, and dialogue on the spot—without a script!
Through improv games and acting exercises, students develop quick thinking, strong collaboration, and communication skills. Students build confidence, make new friends, and have tons of fun!
Price:
$96 ($77 for Members)$80 ($65 for Members)
Location: Flex Studio II (L49.2)
Instructor: Emily Swenskie
Length: Six Weeks
Date: Mondays, April 14 - May 19, 2025
Time: 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. -
Drawing, Painting, Sculpture | Grades 6-8
Expand your creative skills in drawing, painting, and sculptural materials by exploring form, shape, and volume in both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional making.
You will use the elements and principles of art, and be encouraged to experiment with visual learning techniques and with materials such as charcoal, pencil, watercolor, acrylic, cardboard, and foam.
In addition to developing new artistic skills, you will have the opportunity to connect with new friends of similar interests.
Price:
$150 ($120 for Members)$126 ($100 for Members)
Location: Drawing Studio (L48)
Instructor: India Childress
Length: Six Weeks
Dates: Tuesdays, April 15 - May 20, 2025
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. -
Metalsmithing & Jewelry: Middle and High School | Grades 6-12
Express your style and creativity by crafting one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces in this hands-on metalsmithing class. Whether you're a total beginner or already have some experience, you'll learn essential techniques like sawing, filing, fusing, and soldering to transform raw materials into wearable art.
Work in the fully equipped Metals Studio as you experiment with textures, finishes, and unique design elements to create statement pieces. From bold rings to delicate pendants, this class is all about making jewelry that’s as individual as you are.
Join us and turn your creative vision into reality—because the best accessories are the ones you make yourself!
Price:
$200 ($160 for Members)$168 ($134 for Members)
Location: Metals Studio (L39)
Instructor: Myriam Saavedra
Length: Four Weeks
Dates: Tuesdays, May 6 - 27, 2025
Time: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Making Together
Through Making Together, grown-ups and children of all ages can discover the joy of creating art together with a one-day workshop experience in the Windgate Art School.
One ticket covers the cost of admission for one adult and one child.
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Clay Vases | Ages 8+
Image courtesy of Jason Masters. Make a pair of vases inspired by the art on view in Rivera’s Paris during this engaging hands-on workshop!
Participants will explore the artworks of Rivera’s Paris by visiting the AMFA galleries to gather inspiration from the colors, textures, and shapes seen in the exhibition. Guided by expert instruction, participants will learn essential ceramics techniques, including how to shape and form their vase, apply underglazes for vibrant color, and use carving tools to create surface designs.
Once complete, AMFA staff will apply a clear glaze to enhance the details and brighten the colors. After kiln firing, the finished vases will be ready for pickup in three weeks.
No prior experience is necessary—just bring your creativity and get ready to sculpt, carve, and design in clay!
Price: $65 ($52 for Members)
Location: Ceramics Studio (L47)
Instructor: Lily Warren
Date: Saturday, May 10, 2025
Time: 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.
Member Discount
Become an AMFA Member to enjoy 20% off all offerings in the Windgate Art School. Memberships start at just $70 per year.