FALL ABOARD! Art Classes at AAC

What do fantastical forests, Virginia White Oak trees, and Nick Cave all have in common? Arlington Art Center’s fall 2013 classes! Every season, AAC offers unique art classes for students of all skill levels and ages.
Here, you can catch up with our current classes and learn about AAC’s special Dia De Los Muertos, Election Day, and holiday workshops that are still open for registration.
Our fall class for youngsters, The World Around Us, allows students (ages 4-6) to ponder their environment. This class helps develop observational skills as students learn about and find inspiration from the changing of the seasons, local trees, and animals.
Students (ages 7-10) “do it all” in Celebrating Contemporary American Artists. Students build artistic skills by practicing 2D and 3D techniques including proportion, perspective, and abstraction. Demonstrations are designed to inspire children to find their own style.
For the first time in a longtime, we’re offering two offsite after-school art classes! Students at Long BranchElementary School get to explore the world around them and also let their imaginations loose as they invent whimsical environments.
In addition to the exciting classes for children, AAC also offers classes for adults of all skill levels. In Contemporary Landscapes, students are exploring differing landscapes and how to portray them using oil painting techniques like linear and atmospheric perspective and color theory. In addition to learning how to work with oil paint, students are also taught fundamental design principles.
Have you ever looked at a pencil and simply thought “pencil”? In Observational Drawing students learn to see the fundamental shapes and lines of an object. A pencil then becomes a triangular point, a cylinder with two straight lines, a shorter fragment of a cylinder, and so much more. Mark-making techniques that highlight line, shape, form, and value contribute to success in drawing what you see.

In the last multi-session class this fall, students are taught methods to aide them in finding their own artistic style. In On Your Mark, students may work abstractly, representationally, or both. To many artists, having an individual style is important. In this class, students learn to unleash their creativity to find a style that resonates with them.
Again, it’s not too late to participate is an AAC educational experience. Registration is still open for a number of our workshops and daycamps!
AAC’s annual Day of the Dead is quickly approaching (November 1). Sign up for this free workshop for 11-14 year olds today! The workshop is scheduled for 4:30 – 6 pm and will be followed by festivities open to the public from 6 – 8 pm. Celebrate life with us on this Latin American holiday commemorating loved ones and connecting our pasts with our present.

In Art’s Cool! Art School!, students will come to AAC on Election Day to learn about the work of contemporary artists. Using the techniques of these artists, students will explore materials and compositional elements. Students can register for one or two classes during the day. Students enrolled in consecutive classes enjoy a supervised lunch break and complimentary aftercare until 5 pm.
The last workshop of the season, Gift Mania!, is being offered in perfect timing with the holidays. Students (ages 4-6 and 7-10) will create a handmade gift along with personalized wrapping paper to be given in the true spirit of the season.
Sign up for the AAC newsletter or follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay informed about upcoming classes. Remember, AAC members at the Family Level and above receive up to 15% off of classes all year.
-Written by Lindsay Bullock, AAC’s Education Intern