The Basement Community Art Studio: Teaching Art

#knoxartrocks , Around the Studio , Art , Artistic Play- Kids & Art , Basement Art Studio , Choice Based Art , Classes , Creative Play For Kids , General Interest , Kids & Art , Kids Art , Reggio Inspired Art , TAB , Teaching Art

About our art clubs...

1:58:00 PM

This term we have created two art clubs for kids. These clubs are designed to engage and foster creativity in your children. We offer two different age groupings so that the activities offered are appropriate for each group. A description of both are listed below, click the club title to go directly to the registration page for each club!

Preschool Art Club is offered Wednesday and Thursday Mornings from 9:30- 11:00. This group focuses on children age 3-6 years old. The cost for this club is $85 a month if you select to come one day a week or $125 a month for both days ($85 for one day plus $40 for the additional day).

Painting with rubber bands, What happens when you pluck the band? Did you hear that sound? What did the paint do?

Description:

This art club is designed to engage the child (age 3-6) in an environment that fosters creative play, inquiry, problem solving, self expression, and exploration. For this group we are influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood.

Exploring Clay with loose parts; Bring nature indoors with nature mobiles; Exploring symmetry in leaves

Our projects will be very open ended and process based. Children will be encouraged to follow their own natural curiosity as they explore the materials and the many creative possibilities each material provides. We will incorporate many aspects of creativity including visual representation, story, dramatic play, and song each month. The focus will be on discovery and self expression. The classes will follow the interests of the children present.

A game of Simon Says with an art twist.

Parents are encouraged to drop their child off for this class and enjoy a little time for themselves! Parents who wish to stay are always welcome and they will be considered class volunteers. They my be asked to help with hand washing, basic clean up, or reading a story.

**************************************

After School Art Club: is offered on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from 4:00-5:30. This group focuses on children age 6 and up. The cost for this club is $85 a month if you select to come one day a week or $125 a month for two days or $165 for all three days ($85 for one day plus $40 for each additional day).

Paper Sculptures; Mixed Media birch trees; Fabric collage

Description:

This art club is designed to foster creative thinking and self expression in school age children age 6 up (to around 12 years old.)
*Older teens (12-18) are encouraged to join out Teen Independent Art class which will also meet during these same days and times. In this class teens develop their own projects and work with me on a consultation basis. Please click the link to find out more about this option for older kids.

After school kids working on balance sculptures.

For this After School Art Club we are influenced by the TAB model for art education (Teaching For Artistic Behavior), which incorporates a lot of choice based art. We will be using a modified TAB approach for this Art Club because I feel that a key to successful choice in art is in learning the capabilities and limitations of the various materials. Since we have constantly rotating classes and students, being able to do this in a full TAB approach is more difficult. We will instead be incorporating a variety of techniques in our art club including:

Observational skills using a still life; Complete the picture, sketchbook prompt, Exploring Pop Art

Personal sketchbook prompts
Traditional teacher led projects that focus on skill building as well as producing a finished piece of work. These projects will vary and include elements of creative choice in each project.
Artist Study
Cultural Art Study
Art Games that build creative choice and thinking.
Art Challenges
Collaborative group projects.
Each day will culminate in creative free time where students will have full access to our general supplies for their own creative projects.

2 of our favorite Art Games: TAG, a mixed media game that introduces multiple supplies and layering techniques; Roll a Monster, a fun game where the roll of the dice tells you what to draw for crazy combinations!

General Note:

These classes will all respond to the interests of the children in the group. Because it is important to build community and trust within a group we encourage you to come for multiple months to gain the full benefit of the experience. We do however understand that families and children are very busy so please feel free to come even if you can only commit to one month!

*A one time trial class is always welcome as well for those on the fence, please call to schedule your class if you are interested because we will need to make sure it is a day we are working on a new project and are not in the middle of an ongoing project.

Visit our Online Store to Register!

Basement Art Studio , Classes , Create , Cultivating Your Creative Self , General Interest , Give it a try... , Kids & Art , Kids Art , Open Studio , Studio News , Teaching Art

New Art Classes for 2018!

10:01:00 AM

Around the Studio , Art , Art and Mindfulness , Artistic Play , Basement Art Studio , Create , creative living , Creative Play For Adults , Cultivating Your Creative Self , General Interest , Give it a try... , Inspired by Pinterest , Teaching Art

Adult classes in the studio

10:22:00 AM

As promised in part 1, Curious about our kid's art classes? We mentioned the idea that many adults have, you know the,"I am not creative" idea. I can not tell you how many times I have had an adult tell me, "I don't have a creative bone in my body!" Well I do not believe that to be true. I am a big believer that all humans are innately creative beings. It is true that many of us have thrown up blocks to our creativity. It is true that not all of us will have our work featured in a museum or gallery, but it is not true that we are not creative. I believe this with my whole heart. There are many types of creativity at play in your life everyday. From the dinner you cooked, to the creative way you solved a problem in the office today. Your life is filled with creative decisions every day. I also think it is true that creativity is a practice that can be strengthened. You can learn to be more creative...

There are many studies which discuss the benefits of fostering your creativity through some sort of creative outlet. Benefits like:

Reduced levels of stress.
Improved sense of well being.
Helps to decrease your negative thoughts.
Helps you maintain focus.
Helps build connections in the brain.
Helps you process your thoughts and feelings.

Sources: Huffington Post & Be Brain Fit

Your creative outlet does not necessarily need to be "visual art" based, it could be music, or cooking, or anything really, but for our purposes we are going to focus on visual arts. Now, you might be thinking that you "can't even draw a stick figure." Well that is fine. You don't need to be able to draw a stick figure or anything representational.

Our adult classes here at the Basement Community Art Studio focus on visual self-expression and creative play. We are not teaching you to paint a particular painting... nor are we focused on teaching you fine art skills. There are many other studios around that do those things. What we offer is creative sparks, time to let go and play with art. It is our goal to help you reconnect with that child like creativity that has escaped you. Trust me you can not mess it up!

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Creativity takes bravery, you have to push through that inner critic.
It is OK to make ugly art! I make plenty of it. Not everything you make needs to be put on display. My friend T says, "Some are is meant to be filed away in the blue bin (recycle...not trash).
The important thing is to play, to have fun, to enjoy the experience of creating. Think process art for adults, lol.

So here at the studio we offer several classes that are focused on that idea of creative play and visual self expression each month:

Note: Adults 21 and over are welcome to BYOB/Wine to any of our adult classes.

Fall Term 2017
(Aug. 7, 2017-Dec. 22, 2017)

Zentangle Club is a method of creating images out of repetitive structured patterns. The method is easy to learn for beginners while offering enough variety to engage the more experienced artist as well. It is fun and relaxing to do and it promotes a meditative like state of mindfulness. Zentangle club meets each month and is led by Amy Broady, CZT. Amy teaches a new tangle each meeting and we share, socialize, and enjoy the company of each other as we create. Please see the link for specific dates.

Creative Self-Care is caring for yourself through art and meditation. For our purposes, art is anything we create and meditation is anything we reflect on.

There is no prior experience required in either art or meditation, all levels are welcome to attend any of the classes.
This fun and relaxed class will help you to look at ways to use creativity and art to enrich your life, relax, rejuvenate, express yourself, and even meditate! We are not affiliated with any religion, all beliefs are welcome.

Our Creative Self-Care classes meet monthly with occasional retreats throughout the year as well. Please see the link for specific dates.

Classes are led by, Jennifer MacIsaac, Gayle Browne, and Dorothy Verbick.

Expressive Arts Journaling is our newest class. We are offering this beginning in October on Saturdays. If there is interest we will extend this class beyond October as well. This class will meet weekly for four weeks. We will be getting in touch with our inner positive voice as we combine writing, drawing, painting, collage, and stenciling. We will experiment with supplies to explore the intuitive process of creating and layering. The goal is to get more in touch with our inner light and ways to share that with friends, family, and community.

Taught by Karen Byars

Sip n' Craft is all about creative play. This is an evening of socializing and creating interesting and fun projects inspired by Pinterest. This is a perfect event for a date night or a girls night out. BYOB! This class is monthly and projects change each month. Past projects have included: needle felted ornaments, alcohol ink bookmarks, abstract watercolors, and More. Led by Jennifer MacIsaac.

Special Events

We also offer classes featuring local artisans who wish to share their craft with you! These change all the time so the best way to find out what special classes or workshops we will be offering is to sign up for our e-mail list. You can also check our online store in the Special events section for upcoming classes.

Upcoming classes for the remainder of September and October include:

September 28th

6:30-8:30

$40

Leather tooled Key chains/Fobs with Melody Allen. Students will learn beginning leather tooling and sewing techniques to make 2 key chains/Fobs.

September 30th

2:00-4:00

$30

DIY hand cut vinyl stickers with Bud Ries.

In this class we'll teach you how to make colorful, long-lasting decals and stickers using adhesive vinyl. There is no limit to how many stickers you can make during this class and once you've learned the process here you can do it at home later.

October 5th

6:30-8:30

$40

Leather tooled coasters with Melody Allen. Students will learn beginning leather tooling to make a set of 4 coasters.

October 19th

6:30-8:30

$40

Leather tooled bookmarks with Melody Allen. Students will learn beginning leather tooling to make 2 one of a kind bookmarks.

Don't forget to check out the upcoming Kid's art classes we are offering at the studio as well! You can read more about those classes here, or visit our online shop to register for any of our kid's classes as well as the adult classes. We are also offering a special Fall Break Mini Camp for kids in October.

#knoxartrocks , Around the Studio , Art , Artistic Play- Kids & Art , Basement Art Studio , Classes , Creative Play For Kids , Kids & Art , Kids Art , Messy Baby , Open Studio , Play based art , Reggio Inspired Art , Sensory Art , Teaching Art

Curious about our art Classes for kids?

6:45:00 PM

Exploring her art projected on the wall and ceiling from the overhead projector.

It is our belief at the Basement Community Art Studio that people are inherently creative. As we grow up we tend to begin to place labels on our creativity. Many of us decide that we are in fact "not creative." (More on that in Part two, Adult Classes at the studio.) Children, however are filled with a sense of wonder and creativity that never ceases to amaze me. Please read all about our fun and exciting classes for kids this Fall below! My name is Jennifer MacIsaac and I will be the instructor for the classes unless otherwise mentioned. You can check out my thoughts on teaching art here.

"Our task regarding creativity, is to help children climb their own mountains, as high as possible. No one can do more." -Loris Malaguzzi (Founder of the Reggio Emilia educational philosophy.)

Fall Term 2017
(Aug. 7, 2017- Dec. 22, 2017)

Messy Baby Art

In our studio we begin our classes with very young children. Once an infant can sit on their own we invite them to begin exploring art through an introductory sensory experience with painting. Our Messy Baby Classes are geared to infants roughly 6 mo. to 2 yes old. At this stage we begin by spreading large sheets of paper out on the floor and the child is encouraged to explore non-toxic children's tempera paint with a variety of tools from paint brushes, to sponges, and even feathers. This becomes a full body painting experience, and true to its name we all get very messy! Care giver participation is required in this class so please dress for a mess.

A very messy baby after a fun class!

Messy Baby Class is offered through the school year on a weekly basis and reservations are required, Mondays, 11:00-11:45

$10

Messy Art

With our next class we take the idea of sensory exploration a bit further. We invite toddlers and preschoolers age 2.5-4 to explore a wider variety of art materials and tools. Our focus is still on sensory exploration at this stage. In this class we begin offering simple demonstrations of various tools and mediums including: paint, drawing materials, stamps, glue, clay, and more. These items are offered but the child is able to explore other materials as their interested. Caregiver participation is required for this class so that the instructor is able to move spend time working with each child/caregiver group to introduce the materials.

Toddlers and preschoolers exploring various artistic expression. Paining on a mirrored easel, exploring print making with found objects, painting with spray bottles and squeeze bottles.

This class is sold by the month, and prices are based on a 4 week class however some months are prorated to accommodate holidays.

Wednesdays, 11:00-11:45

$65

Reggio Inspired Process Art

For our next class we begin to work on a more structured class. This class is intended for children age 4-6. It is a very process oriented class and our projects will still be very sensory based but they will begin to involve more of a group focus. We will be exploring art through a Reggio Emilia inspired approach that uses art provocations to spark their creativity. We will begin to teach a variety of art mediums and tools which the children can use to explore their own thoughts and interests. We will work with observational art skills as well as interpretative art. We will use a variety of mediums in our exploration including: found objects, natural materials, markers, pastels, watercolor, tempera paint, clay, and more. At this stage caregivers are invited to stay but are welcome to explore the area shops and cafes during our class as well. I suggest you follow the needs of the child for this class. Some children do better when they work with the teachers one on one while others still may need a caregiver close by.

Students from our Reggio inspired summer camp, painting with natural brushes.

Various art explorations inspired by the Reggio approach. Gravity painting with an eyedropper, exploring clay, sewing on a prepared easel with yarn.

This class is sold by the month, and prices are based on a 4 week class however some months are prorated to accommodate holidays.

Mondays, 4:00-4:45

$65

School Aged Art Enrichment Classes

For our older kiddos age 7-teen we offer a variety of classes throughout the week which feature a different theme for each class. These classes attempt to mix an instructional portion of the class with an exploration portion to provide a balance between learning a skill and self expression. Our homeschool classes are one hour and tend to focus more heavily on the skill or project but the student is encouraged to explore their own creativity within the confines of the project we are working on. Creative choices are offered with every project. Our after school classes are a bit longer 1.5 hours which allows us to work on the skill or project as described above plus we are able to dedicate between 30-45 min each class to open create time. This is a time for the students to choose their own work. They will have access to the studio materials to explore their own thoughts, ideas ,and artistic passions. These are intended to be drop off classes and caregivers are encouraged to explore the area shops and cafes while we are in class. If you wish to stay that will be fine as well. Coffee and tea are onsite and there is a small lounge area for you to relax while we create. Students may also bring snacks to our after school classes if they would like. Classes are sold by the month, based on a 4 week month. Months with fewer or more weeks will be prorated. Please see the descriptions of the classes below:

Expressive Art Journaling for Teens 12-18

One of our independent study teen artists working on her Fashion illustration project.

Examples of expressive art journaling pages.

Mondays, 4:00-5:30

Teens 12-18

$110

Instructor: Karen Byars

This class teaches mixed media art journaling techniques and focuses on using the creative process to get in touch with our own inner voice.

Clay: Ages 7-11- Info and photos will be updated soon!

This is a new class that will begin October 17th for a 5 week run! We will be posting a link with all the information soon, so stay tuned!!

Tuesdays, 4:00-5:30

Age 7-11

$TBD

If you are interested and want to get on the mailing list to be the first notified when this class opens, send me an e-mail with the name and age of the child who is interested in attending. thebasementartstudio@gmail.com

Painting: Ages 7-11

Painting large.

Exploring various watercolor techniques.

This class will focus on various painting skills including watercolor, tempera, and acrylic mediums. We will explore basic color theory, composition, and techniques within each project.

Ages 7-11 we have two classes:

Homeschool Tuesdays, 12:30-1:30

$65, (1 hour)

After School Wednesdays, 4:00-5:30

$85 (1.5 hours)

2D Mixed Media: Ages 7-11

A mixed media self portrait project.

This class will explore a variety of 2D art mediums including, collage, drawing, and painting skills. We will work on ways to combine multiple mediums into our projects each week.

Ages 7-11 we have two classes:

After School Thursdays, 4:00-5:30

$85 (1.5 hours)

Homeschool Fridays, 12:30-1:30

$65, (1 hour)

3D Mixed Media: Ages 7-11

A hand built crab out of air dry clay.

Sculpture Challenge: A balance sculpture. Create a base out of wood and then balance a series of cardboard shapes without using tape or glue to attach the cardboard.

In this class students will explore a variety of hand building techniques using various 3D media including found objects, recycled materials, wood scraps, clay, and more. Students will explore their own creative interpretations of weekly challenges.

Ages 6-11

After School Fridays, 4:00-5:30

$85 (1.5 hours)

New Class, Saturdays: Meet The Masters Ages 8-12

Inspirations for our Meet the Masters Projects.

This is a new class we will be offering and it will be led by our newest instructor, Karen Byars. You can read about Karen here. In this class students will study Helen Cordero, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Paul Klee. The workshops will include a small 3D sculpture, accordion book making, drawing, and painting. Individual expressive creativity will be encouraged. This is a 4 week class beginning in October, with the possibility of extending the class if there is enough interest!

Ages 8-12

Saturdays, 9:30-11:00

$105 (1.5 hours)

Open Studio Sessions

A beautiful home collaboration designed by these two sisters during their free exploration time.

We offer a variety of open studio sessions throughout the year. These are sessions open to the public to come in and work on their own using the materials in the studio. There is no set lesson or project during this time, and children must be accompanied by an adult. Please note that there may be classes going on during some of these open sessions. Food and drink are welcome in the studio.

Sessions:

Wednesdays & Fridays

Walk in sessions $10 per artist

9:00-10:30 a.m- Coffee and Creative Play, the coffee is on us!

4:00-5:30 p.m.- All Ages Open Studio

Tuesdays-Fridays

Teen Studio $85 per month

12 & up, No need for adult supervision.

Teens may come in any afternoon, Tues-Fri to work on their own projects. This is a great time to work on portfolios! I will be available to consult, however I will be teaching other classes during these times so teens will need to be largely self motivated.

During School Holidays we often offer extended Open Studio hours for walk in artists of all ages as well as art camps like our Fall Break Mini Camp. Check our Special event section of our online store for special classes. We will also post special hours on our home page under the Studio Announcements and on Facebook. Check back often!

Fall Break Mini Camp

Thank you for checking out all of our fun and exciting Kid's Art Classes! Stay tuned for a post about our adult classes...

Older Posts

About our art clubs...

Description:

Description:

New Art Classes for 2018!

Messy Baby is Back! (Ages 6-36 mo.)

Preschool Art Club (Ages 3-6)

Save when you register for multiple days!

Kids Art Classes (Age 6 & up)

Save when you register for multiple days!

Teen Art (Age 12-18)

Adult Art Classes (18 and up)

See our online store for Special Events & Guest Artist Workshops!

Adult classes in the studio

Special Events

Curious about our art Classes for kids?

Messy Baby Art

Messy Art

Reggio Inspired Process Art

School Aged Art Enrichment Classes

Expressive Art Journaling for Teens 12-18

Clay: Ages 7-11- Info and photos will be updated soon!

Painting: Ages 7-11

Ages 7-11 we have two classes:

2D Mixed Media: Ages 7-11

Ages 7-11 we have two classes:

3D Mixed Media: Ages 7-11

Ages 6-11

New Class, Saturdays: Meet The Masters Ages 8-12

Ages 8-12

Open Studio Sessions

Join the fun!

Sign up for updates

Tabs

The Basement Community Art Studio