6 Accelerated Art Schools For Developing Your Craft

6 Accelerated Art Schools For Developing Your Craft

The Impact Of Harlem School Of The Arts

9 Notable Films About Artists

1. "Frida" (2002)
2. "Pollock" (2000)
3. "Lust For Life" (1956)
4. "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (1965)
5. "Surviving Picasso" (1996)
6. "Basquiat" (1996)
7. "Exit Through the Gift Shop" (2010)
8. "Mr. Turner" (2014)
9. "Loving Vincent" (2017)

Take A Tour Of Arrowmont

In Depth

Whether it's adding beauty to a public area or inspiring people to see and think about the world in new ways, art is a critical component in any well-functioning society. Although funding for arts programs is under increasing threat in the U.S., there are a number of great, affordable institutions that are devoted to teaching people of all ages a plethora of creative disciplines. Offering programs in everything from theatre and music to dance and painting, here, in no particular order, are six accelerated art schools that can introduce you to a new craft or help you hone one you already practice.

For #1 we have Harlem School of the Arts. Located at The Herb Alpert Center in New York City, HSA is committed to providing cost-efficient and high-quality arts training to those between the ages of two and eighteen. With a social justice sensibility, the organization is especially dedicated to using art to empower the socioeconomically underprivileged, offering a large portion of its students some form of financial aid. To further foster an engagement in the arts, enrollment is open to people of all skill levels regardless of former experience or training.

HSA's list of programs encompasses dance, music, theatre, and art and design. Striving to expose students to a full spectrum of creative possibilities, the school looks beyond traditional categories to offer a diversity of classes within these disciplines. Its design classes, for instance, teach drawing and painting as well as filmmaking, printmaking, and digital art. Terms are divided between sixteen-week fall and spring semesters, with a shorter session during the summer. To support HSA's efforts, consider giving a matching gift or donating through its website.

Its design classes, for instance, teach drawing and painting as well as filmmaking, printmaking, and digital art.

Arriving at #2 is The Clay Studio. Founded in 1974 by four female art students and their teacher, this Philadelphia-based group has since expanded into a non-profit educational organization that engages the public in the art of ceramics. Driven by a belief in the social benefits of communal creativity, it offers top-notch facilities, equipment, and inexpensive, shared studio space to artists from around the world. Its programs are available to all ages, interests, abilities, and economic backgrounds, and the majority of its many hosted events and exhibitions are open to the public.

The Clay Studio offers classes, workshops, and camps that teach everything from wheel-throwing to casting and glazing, as well as general lessons in clay techniques. The classes, which are for adults, run for ten weeks, while the kid-friendly workshops and summer camps take place over one day to a week. To nurture both established and emerging creators, the institution also has programs for resident, guest, associate, and student artists. The popular Claymobile Program, meanwhile, brings a mobile pop-up studio to schools and community centers. Give back by buying something from the studio's shop, where all proceeds help support its artists and operations.

For #3 we come to Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. A globally-recognized non-profit craft school, Haystack is devoted to educating beginning and advanced adult artists in a wide array of disciplines. With an award-winning, forty-acre campus situated in the island community of Deer Isle, Maine, it nurtures fine craftsmanship and encourages creativity and discovery within an inspiring, serene natural environment. Students live and work on campus as they partake in two-week residencies and studio-intensive workshops, exploring a range of media such as glass, wood, metal, and paper.

With an award-winning, forty-acre campus situated in the island community of Deer Isle, Maine, it nurtures fine craftsmanship and encourages creativity and discovery within an inspiring, serene natural environment.

Designed to cultivate a supportive creative community, Haystack's Open Studio Residency program takes around fifty people twenty-one or older, who attend free of charge. Participants are given unimpeded studio time to work across six disciplines, with extra time allotted to share their art. Summer workshops are open to those of all skill levels eighteen or older, with sessions in clay, fiber, blacksmithing, and more. The Fab Lab, a digitally-oriented program that provides educational outreach during the winter, is another significant resource. Donations are crucial to funding the school's scholarships and facilities, and you can make them through Haystack's site.

At #4 is Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. Beginning in 1912 as a settlement school in a once-isolated Appalachian community, Arrowmont is now an art education center that offers a variety of programs to creators from all over the country. Located near the Great Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the institution provides an enriching creative atmosphere for both new and experienced artists. Its classes and workshops, which range from weekend to two-week sessions, are built to immerse students in a stimulating environment that fosters experimentation across a wide breadth of media practices.

Arrowmont offers over 130 classes and workshops in clay, enamel, jewelry, textiles, and wood, among many other media. Its workshops, which include studio space and professional equipment, accommodate ten to twelve students eighteen and up, and are open to artists of varying skill levels. The school also has community classes for local residents, as well as courses designed for kids of different ages. An artists-in-residence program, meanwhile, gives creators opportunities to develop their work and gain valuable professional skills. By giving a small cash gift, you can join the Friends of Arrowmont group and support the school's initiatives.

Arrowmont offers over 130 classes and workshops in clay, enamel, jewelry, textiles, and wood, among many other media.

For #5 we get Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Housed in an Art Deco-style armory that was saved from demolition, this not-for-profit organization was formed in 1986 with the goal of perpetuating art education in Palm Beach County. With twelve cutting-edge studios and a large catalog of classes, exhibitions, lectures, and camps, the Armory works to inspire both the local community and other domestic creators through engagement in the arts. Among the myriad disciplines it cultivates are printmaking, sculpture, painting, and ceramics.

The Armory offers eight-week adult and youth classes, as well as some four-week courses and short workshops. Its Visiting Master Artist workshops, which last from three to five days, invite veteran creators from across the nation to teach participants new techniques in everything from painting to sculpture. More competitive is the nine-month residency program, which offers teaching and exhibition opportunities and a monthly stipend to artists with college degrees. Reflecting its humanitarian nature, the organization also runs programs that provide art therapy to military veterans and young victims of human trafficking. You can donate to these on its website.

Finally, landing at #6 is Craft Alliance Center of Art and Design. Founded in 1964, this non-profit art center commits itself to enlightening people about the aesthetic and cultural relevance of crafts. With two locations in St. Louis, Missouri, it offers courses, residencies, and free community programs, all of which offer experience with a range of materials in a studio setting. Community-focused, the center partners with local organizations and schools to expose a variety of people to the practice of contemporary craft-making.

Community-focused, the center partners with local organizations and schools to expose a variety of people to the practice of contemporary craft-making.

Most classes at Craft Alliance last six weeks, while workshops take place over a day or two. They cover techniques in clay, metal, wood, and glass, among other materials, and are open to all ages and skill levels unless otherwise noted in the course catalog. The institution also runs numerous outreach programs for young creators, such as Crafting-A-Future, a mentoring program for teenagers. Artists in residence, who are supplied with private studio space, are given the opportunity to teach in these programs. Give to Craft Alliance through AmazonSmile, or send a tribute gift in the form of a scholarship fund.