Studio Programs
Studio Programs offer access to creative learning opportunities for children, teens, and adults in the Las Cruces community. Classes are for people of all skill levels, and students have the chance to learn a new skill or enhance existing knowledge while guided by local, experienced, and qualified professional artists.
Discover the artist within through various classes including:
- Ceramics
- Drawing
- Mixed media
- Painting
- Much more
Registration
Please note that classes are subject to cancellation if they do not meet minimum enrollment. Registration for all classes and programs closes at 4pm the Wednesday before the first day the session begins.
Registration is now open for the spring sessions!
Session Dates
- Session 1: January 9 - February 15, 2020
- Session 2: February 20 - March 28, 2020
See calendar of events for times and program fees.
Adult Classes
Ceramics 1
This class is designed for beginner students to learn and practice basic techniques for building functional ceramic forms. Begin by exploring handbuilding techniques such as coil and slab building, then move on to creating forms such as bowls, cups, and mugs on the potter’s wheel. Learn about glazing techniques and bring home functional pottery.
Ceramics 2
Whether you prefer throwing on the potter’s wheel or handbuilding, this class will refine your making and decorating skills. This is intended for students who are ready to expand upon the basic skills and ideas gained in an introductory course. Starting with a quick overview of the materials used in the MoA studio and a review of the techniques from Ceramics 1, the class then moves to more complicated Instructor-led projects intended to help students practice and expand their skills. Prerequisite: Ceramics 1 or permission of the Studio Program Coordinator.
Bookmaking
In this class, artists will create their own handmade books from cover to cover. Participants are introduced to bookmaking techniques, such as stitch binding and stab binding, as well as pop-up and accordion bookmaking. Fill your creation with poems, sketches, recipes, or found materials-the possibilities are endless! Supplies provided—but participants are encouraged to bring in their own recycled & decorative papers!
Printmaking
Students learn basic and safe non-toxic methods of printmaking which incorporate texture, surface, color, and design in works of art while exploring a variation of etching, intaglio, relief, collagraph, and monotype techniques. Projects allow students to explore color, composition, form, and personal imagery. They will learn to develop an original image for prints, engage in creative exercises to build an understanding of the medium, and integrate black and white and color into their graphic works. They will build confidence, apply new knowledge, and explore artistic experimentation and discovery while creating a variety of prints!
Drawing
Drawing is the most important foundation course of all the visual arts! In this inspiring & informative class, participants will learn the essentials of proportion, line, shading, perspective, and composition. Use basic drawing techniques to create realistic drawings of still life, landscapes, and more, with natural and man-made textures, subjects, or personal subject matter (favorite photographs etc.). Participants will work with various media including pencils, charcoal, pen, and ink to define their own artistic styles.
Portrait Drawing
Drawing is the most important foundation course of all the visual arts! In this fun and informative class, students will expand on their drawing skills and focus on portraiture! This class will focus on tricks and techniques to make portraiture simple and easy using grid technique, color blocking, and line transfer. Students will work from photos and mirrors and may bring in photos of personal family members or friends to create meaningful gifts. Participants will use various mediums such as graphite, pen, ink, markers, and pastels.
Oil Painting
In this class, students will be using water-based oil paints to learn about the properties and techniques of oil paint. Students will learn techniques such as various application techniques, scrubbing, wet on wet, washes, color mixing and more. Using reference photos and working from life, students will start with material studies and then create multiple finished paintings and leave with a greater confidence in working with oil paint.
Intro to Acrylic
Acrylic paint is one of the most versatile mediums and one of the least toxic. This fast-drying medium allows for a lot of forgiveness while working with it, which makes it one of the more popular paint choices. In this class, students will be using acrylic paints and learning about the properties and techniques of them. Students will learn techniques such as application, wet on wet, washes and layers, color mixing and more. Using reference photos and working from life, students will start with material studies and then create multiple finished paintings and leave with a greater confidence in working with acrylic paint.
Kids / Teens Classes
Clay for Kids (ages 6-8)
Students will get to have fun and get messy with clay in between their fingers. Students will learn about clay and ceramics while being led by the instructor to create ceramic artworks such as ice cream bowls, bird houses, animal faces and more. Each student gets to paint their work at the end and go home with multiple works of art.
Through the Wheel (ages 13-17)
Learn the ancient art of wheel-throwing pottery. In this class, teens are introduced to the potter’s wheel to learn the tricky yet extremely fun and tactile skill of wheel throwing. Students will learn how to create bowls, plates, mugs and more, which will then be glazed and taken home at the end of class.
Drawing and Painting (ages 9-12)
Students will get creative and messy creating works of art using a variety of skills techniques and mediums. This hands-on class will allow students the freedom to explore and create while also developing drawing and painting skills. Learning about color, value, proportion, line, and process students will leave the class with multiple finished works of art and a deeper knowledge of the arts.
Watercolor (ages 13-17)
This class focuses on building the foundation skills of watercolor painting. Participants will receive detailed instruction and training for mastering watercolor materials and techniques. Students will practice effective brush handling, working with wet-on-dry and wet-on-wet paper technique, and mixing colors successfully. Throughout the class, students develop paintings of their own design, either from life or photograph, and leave with multiple finished paintings, as well as greater confidence in working with watercolor.
Messy Mixed Media (ages 6-8)
Students will get to create personalized pieces of art using a variety of techniques and materials. This hands-on class will allow students freedom to explore, blend color and texture and play with action art. Be prepared to get messy and have fun while learning a newfound appreciation for art. Fun projects will combine collage, acrylic painting, layering and found object to create masterpieces! Come ready to paint, draw, sketch, splatter, sculpt and more!
Fantastic Creatures (ages 9-12)
Students will spend this class drawing and painting all kinds of animals! They will work in multiple mediums such as charcoal, pastel and paint to create realistic images of animals. This course focuses on developing drawing and painting skills while creating images of horses, lions, dragons, mermaids, dogs and more!