Milwaukee Art Museum | learn + play

visit calendar + events exhibitions collection

learn + play

kids + family teens adults student + teacher school tours school programs video + podcasts classes

membership support get involved museum info shop

eNews | Contact

HOT NEWS: Chipstone Foundation promotes green living at the Milwaukee Art Museum

shop | café | rentals | press

Classes

Expand your experience of the works in the Collection galleries through a variety of gallery-based classes. Our team of nationally recognized educators brings art history to life in dynamic art appreciation classes, and our studio artists are ready to equip you with the techniques used to create some of your favorite works of art—all while inspiring you to develop your own artistic style. There's something to engage all ages and interests. To register for classes, call 414-224-3803.*

Youth and Family Classes

Mixing with the Masters of Pop Art

Diane Richards and Amy Kirschke, Artists/Instructors
Bring your favorite adult along to explore some of the great American Pop artists found in the Museum’s Collection. Each month we will take a close look at a different artist and their paintings in the galleries, and then discover what it is like to create our own work of art inspired by their unique style!

Sat, 10:30 AM–NOON:

September 19 (Jasper Johns)
October 17 (Andy Warhol)
November 21 (Wayne Thiebaud)

Ages 4–8 with an adult caregiver
$30/$20 Member per session

Drawing in the Galleries for Kids

Jen Arpin and Sarah Andrews, Artists/Instructors
Learn drawing techniques in pencil, charcoal and pastel as you are introduced to famous artists through their paintings and sculptures in the Museum galleries. Emphasis will be placed on learning the elements of art and close observation of artists’ unique styles through history, as you improve drawing skills while developing your own unique artistic style.

Thursdays, October 1–November 19
4:30–6:00 PM
Ages 6–10 or 11–15
$225/$150 Member

Adult Classes: Studio

Oil Painting: Master’s Techniques

Helena Ehlke, Artist/Instructor
Spend time developing your oil painting skills in the Museum’s galleries. Students will select a Museum masterwork to copy and then proceed to learn the painting techniques used by the artist of their choice. Easels and drop cloths are provided. Call 414-224-3832 or email Helena.Ehlke@mam.org for prerequisite information.

Thursdays: September 3–October 22
12:30–3:00 PM or 3:00–5:30 PM
Ages 16 and up
$225/$150 Member

Photography’s 20/20 Vision: The Humanity of the Moment

Paul Calhoun, Artist/Instructor

“There is one thing a great photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment...realism is not enough—there has to be vision, and the two together can make a good photograph.” —Robert Frank

Explore the advanced photographer’s development of a personal vision in this special course offered in collaboration with MIAD. Held in conjunction with the Museum’s feature exhibition, Street Seen: The Psychological Gesture in American Photography, 1940–1959, this course examines important historical trends in 20th– and 21st–century photography, and how those trends have impacted individual approaches to making photographs. The class includes an invitation to the exhibition opening and private tours of the exhibition and the Museum’s prints, drawings, and photographs study center with Lisa Hostetler, curator of photographs.

Paul Calhoun, internationally exhibited photographer, will conduct studio instruction that supports and enhances the development of an individual approach to making photographs, and will provide the technical facility to implement a personal vision. Ongoing discussions with special guests (e.g., Saul Leiter) and regular critique sessions, including a final critique with Lisa Hostetler, augment instruction. Students will execute a project for exhibition at City Hall in May. Students will have Digital Darkroom access at MIAD on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. throughout the course.

Course #: PD403
15 Saturdays: January 9–April 17, 9 am–noon

Prerequisites: Pre-existing skill base and SLR Digital Camera. To complete the registration, applicants must send five images of recent work and an artist’s statement to karimcintyre@miad.edu or mail to MIAD’s Adult Learning, 273 E. Erie St., Milwaukee, WI 53202 by January 2, 2010.
Instructor: Paul Calhoun
Tuition: $675 ($595 MIAD Alumni)
Location: MIAD and the Milwaukee Art Museum

Drawing in the Galleries: Art History Inspires!

This class explores drawing techniques in pencil, charcoal and pastel as you learn about artists and their artwork in the Museum’s galleries. Emphasis is placed on increasing both observational and technical skills while you develop your own unique artistic style. No prerequisite required.

Thursdays: Feb 4 – March 25, 2010
6:15–7:45 PM
Ages 16 and up
$225/$150 Member

Adult Classes: Art History & Art Appreciation Classes

Behind the Scenes with Barbara Brown Lee

This class is full for the Fall semester

Barbara Brown Lee, Chief Educator, Milwaukee Art Museum
Join Barbara for this very special behind-the-scenes lecture series at the Milwaukee Art Museum. This class allows participants to learn about all that goes into the care, conservation and presentation of art in the Museum, through visits to the conservation lab, registrar and design offices, frame shop and the Herzfeld Foundation Print, Drawing and Photography Study Center. Register early, space is limited!

Tuesdays: October 20–November 10
1:30–3:00 PM
Ages 16 and up
$110/$75

Looking at Art

Brigid Globensky, Senior Director of Education and Public Programs
Join museum educator Brigid Globensky to more fully discover the richness in a single work of art. Similar to a book club discussion, each of the four sessions is spent experiencing an individual masterpiece in the Museum’s galleries as the group shares close observation and reflections on the painting.

Thursdays: October 22–November 12
1:30–2:30 PM
Ages 16 and up
$75/$50 Member

Registration*

To register for classes, call 414-224-3803. Class fees include supplies, unless otherwise noted. MAM’s class fees include admission to the Museum’s galleries on the day of each session. All registration closes five working days prior to class start date. If you cancel 24 hours prior to the first session of class, there is a cancellation fee of 50% of the price of the class. NO REFUNDS AFTER CLASS STARTS. Save on registration by becoming a Milwaukee Art Museum member!

Join the Milwaukee Art Museum

MAM membership includes free admission for one full year, discounts in the Museum Store and on all classes, and much more! Give the Gift of Art Class gift certificates are now available to purchase. Call 414-224-3803 for details.

Give the Gift of Art

Class gift certificates are now available to purchase. Call 414-224-3803 for details.

Sue Dunham Memorial Scholarship Fund
Scholarships are available for school-age students interested in pursuing art who are in need of financial assistance. Call 414-224-3803 for details.

Note: Enthusiastic art making can be messy, so please dress accordingly. A change into “art clothes” is a great idea. A variety of materials are used in our classes and while they are safe to handle, they do not necessarily come out in the wash. Plan ahead and get ready for making great art!