The Cleveland Museum of Art offers an opportunity for children, ages 3 to 17 to learn about the museum’s treasures while developing their own creativity. We learn by looking at real art in the galleries and then making art in the studio.
Classes meet for six Saturdays during the school year in fall, winter, and spring. Summer classes meet for four or five Saturdays in July, or children can take classes on both Tuesdays and Thursdays during that month. Most classes are held both in the morning (from 10:00-11:30 a.m.) or in the afternoon (from 1:00-2:30 p.m.).
Also note that we offer the following special classes for preschoolers: My Very First Art Class Littlest Learners (ages 1½–2½ ), and My Very First Art Class Siblings (ages 2–4½). These classes are for children and their favorite grown-up, and they meet for four Fridays per session (dates vary).
Summer Sessions
Two choices for more summer fun!
8 Weekdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, July 2–30, (no class July 4) mornings, 10:00–11:30 or afternoons, 1:00–2:30
OR
4 Saturdays, July 6–27, mornings, 10:00–11:30 or afternoons, 1:00–2:30
Your child can discover the wonders of the CMA collection and unearth his or her creativity in the process. Each class visits our galleries every week, then experiments with different techniques based on masterpieces they’ve discovered. Students learn by looking, discussing and creating.
Most classes are available mornings and afternoons, except for Parent and Child and Teen Drawing. Most classes are available on both Saturdays and weekdays except for Claymation, Teen Drawing, and Printmaking.
Art for Parent and Child (age 3 only)
Weekday and Saturday mornings ONLY. Four hands are better than two! Parents and children learn together while creating all kinds of art inspired by gallery visits. Limit 12 pairs.
Mini-Masters: Color (ages 4-5)
Exploration and discovery are encouraged as younger students learn about color and artworks and make their own colorful renditions.
Summer Breeze (ages 5-6)
Paint, draw, and construct with the energy of summer in kinetic forms, from kites, and waving flags to things on the wing.
Inside Out (ages 6-8)
Explore what is on the inside as well as the outside; from interiors to landscapes to what’s inside a mechanical device, and how our skeletons are constructed to what we wear outside to protect ourselves.
Made in America (ages 8-10)
Explore the art of Native Americans, settlers and explorers, turn-of-the-century decorative arts, and modern day artists. What will you make?
Nature Study (ages 10-12)
Young artists study and recreate both the beautiful and the unusual in nature using paint, colored pencil, and other media.
Printmaking for Teens (ages 12-17)
Weekday afternoons ONLY. Create one-of-a-kind monotypes, and multiple linoleum cut prints and even silk-screened images. Study various types of prints in our collection and learn how to print with and without a press.
Teen Drawing Workshop (ages 13-17)
Saturday afternoons ONLY. Teens use perspective, contour, and shading to create expressive drawings and linear experiments. The class will learn from observation in the galleries as well as exercises in the classroom.
Animation and Claymation: Bringing Art to Life! (ages 11 and up)
Weekday mornings ONLY. Experiment with scratch film animation, etching, and coloring directly onto film with X-acto knives and markers during the first few days. We’ll post the finished products on YouTube. Spend the remaining days designing sets and learn how to create characters from armatures and polymer clay. Then use our editing equipment to produce stop-action animation shorts. Instructor: Dave Shaw. Limit 10. $160, CMA family members $120.
Fees and Registration
8 Weekdays, Tuesdays/Thursdays, Most classes $112, CMA family members $96. Art for Parent and Child $128/$112, Claymation $160/$120. 4 Saturdays, most classes $56, CMA family members $48, Art for parent and Child $64/$56.
Museum members have priority registration beginning May 1. Non-members may register beginning May 16. Register in person or call the Box Office at 216-421-7350. $10 late fee per order beginning one week before class starts.
Cancellation: Classes with insufficient registration will be combined or canceled three days before class begins, with enrollees notified and fully refunded. Refunds are issued any time before the beginning of the session. After the first class, consideration is given to refunds on an individual basis.
Save the Dates!
Fall Sessions My Very First Art Class: 4 Fridays, September 6-27
Museum art Classes 6 Saturdays, October 19-November 23, Mornings or afternoons