Call 412.622.3288 to register for classes or download the registration form.

Scholarships

A limited number of scholarships for all children’s and adult classes are available through the generosity of the Scaife Family Foundation. Call 412.622.3288 to request an application.

The museum’s renowned collection and exhibitions spark the imagination of kids from toddlers to teenagers. Creative classes taught by artist educators develop skills and an eye for art.

Gallery Play Dates for Preschoolers

Adults and kids ages 3–4 have creative gallery fun together.
Wednesdays, 10:15–11:30 a.m.
$12 members/$18 nonmembers per adult-and-child pair

September 22: Treasure Hunt - Register Online
October 6: Tell me a Story - Register Online
October 20: Colors of Fall - Register Online
November 10: Little Architects - Register Online
November 24: Art Cat’s Book Club - Register Online
December 8: Art Detectives - Register Online

The Art Connection

Grades 5–9
Saturdays, September 25–November 20 and January 15–March 12, 2011
Choose morning or afternoon
10:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. OR 1:15–3:15 p.m.
$195 members/$215 nonmembers

Immerse yourself in art in the museum’s galleries and studios, and connect with other creative kids your age. Have fun as you build artistic skills and take on the challenge of new ideas and materials. Show your artwork in the annual spring exhibition. Classes continue for two semesters and are enrolled by grade level, 5th through 9th grade.

Saturday Art Classes for Kids

10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (4 sessions)
$49 members/$57 nonmembers

Ages 5–7

Art Stories

Saturdays, October 2–October 23
Find characters, settings, and plots in paintings, sculptures, and photography in the museum’s galleries. Create your own picture storybook to share with family and friends. Register Online

Sculpture: Big and Small

Saturdays, October 30–November 20
Inspired by miniature models of giant bridges in the Heinz Architectural Center, make miniature masterpieces and artworks that are larger than life. Register Online

Ages 8–10

Art in Motion

Saturdays, October 2–October 23
Artists show motion in many ways—from sculptures that really move to lines, colors, and shapes that make us imagine speed. Find inspiration in the museums drawings, paintings, and sculpture to capture movement in your own artwork. Register Online

Printmaking

Saturdays, October 30–November 20
Learn silkscreen and other printmaking techniques, and make multiple versions of your original compositions. Register Now

One-Day Art Camp

Experience the fun and excitement of art summer camp in December. Sign up for a single day or two days of fun. The museum campus is a field for discovery and creativity where kids investigate and make art.

Single day: $35 members/$40 nonmembers
Two days: $70 members/$80 nonmembers
9 a.m.­–3 p.m.; pre-care from 7:30 to 9:00 ($5/day) and post-care from 3 to 6 p.m. ($10/day) are available

Tuesday, December 28:

Ages 6–7

Castles, Knights, and Dragons

Lords and Ladies! Travel back in time and experience life in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Try metalsmithing, heraldry, and painting.

Ages 8–10

Time Travel

Design and build a time machine that takes you on a blast to the past or forward into the future. Draw what you might see!

Ages 11–13

Painting

Try painting for the first time or take your current skills to the next level, inspired by work of the world’s greatest artists.

Wednesday, December 29:

Ages 6–7

Imagination Installation

Make art that’s larger than life! Create murals and large sculptures using a variety of media and found objects. Take part in building an installation that appeals to the senses.

Ages 8–10

Painting My Masterpiece

Get a closer look at great art in the museum’s galleries. See the ways different artists use paint, color, and texture, and explore a variety of styles and approaches. Experiment with techniques to make your own masterpiece, complete with a fanciful frame.

Ages 11–13

Drawing

There’s much more to drawing than pencil and paper. Capture what you see in rough sketches and more polished drawings inspired by art in the museum’s galleries. Experiment with a variety of media to create works from observation and imagination.

High School Programs

Grades 9–12

Thursday Night Ceramics

Thursdays, September 16–October 7
5:30–8 p.m.
$108 members/$120 nonmembers
Get your hands in clay to make functional vessels or experimental sculpture. Learn hand building and wheel construction techniques inspired by the museum’s collections. Register Online

Thursday Night Drawing

Thursdays, October 21–November 11
5:30–7:30 p.m.
$35 members/$42 nonmembers
Sketch in a different gallery each week and try out new techniques and media. End the evening socializing while looking over each other’s work. Snacks provided. Register Online

Saturday Series

Paper/Pencil/Line

Saturdays, September 25–October 16
10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
$100 members/$112 nonmembers
Take a break from the digital to get creative with paper, pencil, and a wide variety of other drawing media. Sketch in the galleries and from the live model learning to capture the 3-D world on 2-D surfaces. Produce a portfolio of ideas and finished works. Register Online

Bridging the Gap/Spanning the Space

10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Saturdays, October 30–November 20
$100 members/$112 nonmembers
Be inspired by beautiful models of elegant bridges and sleek buildings in the Heinz Architectural Center exhibition The Art of Structure. Sketch shells, bones, and other natural forms as you develop designs and build model structures that offer elegant solutions to structural challenges. Register Online

Homeschool Program

Inspired by the museum’s world-class collections, students explore the creative process, develop their artistic skills, and experiment with art materials. Themes and projects build sequentially over time. Students connect with other homeschoolers in age-appropriate groups. Classes meet many PA Academic Standards.

Thursdays, September 2, 16, 30, October 7, 21, November 4, 18
10:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
$100 members/$110 nonmembers

Ages 5–7:   Time Travelers

Travel back in time while sketching art from ancient civilizations, the Renaissance, and historic Pittsburgh, and create a mixed-media time capsule. Fast forward to the future and your artworks will tell the tale. Register Online

Ages 8–10:   Art through the Ages: Ancient Civilizations

Discover ancient artworks from Egypt, China, India, Greece and Rome. Try your hand at relief and freestanding sculpture techniques to express your own personal symbolism and story. Register Online

Ages 11–13:   The Language of Art

Art is a language with its own vocabulary. Explore the elements and principles of art and how artists use them to communicate ideas that reflect their time and place. Register Online

Ages 14+:   Micro and Macro in Art

Discover art that challenges your notion of size and scale. Create artworks big and small using both traditional and non-traditional media, and get inspired by images produced by the Museum of Natural History’s Scanning Electron Microscope. Register Online