Multi-media studio art courses and portfolio development—from beginning to advanced
For students entering 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade
Are you an aspiring artist? Have you always wanted to improve your artistic skills? The only prerequisite for enrollment in Cushing’s Express program is a desire to learn. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced studio artist, your vision of yourself as an artist is enhanced by this program. This course introduces you to the fundamentals of color, composition, line, and space as used in drawing, painting, pottery, and metalsmithing. During the span of this summer program, you learn the techniques that are introduced in class through hands-on practice. Not only do you gain a new appreciation for your improving talents, but you also sharpen your eye for the beauty all around you.
Offered to students with a range of artistic abilities and interests, the Express program is an intensive academic art curriculum that exposes students to a variety of media.
Students will spend the entire morning fully engaged in the artistic process, rotating through drawing and painting classes, metalsmithing classes, and pottery classes.
There are three levels of instruction in the Express program:
- If you are a newcomer, you are provided with intensive instruction in basic techniques and guided as you discover your specific interests.
- If you are an intermediate student, you refine your skills through assistance provided by our experienced faculty, who work closely with you as you develop advanced skills and diversify your portfolio.
- Advanced student? Consult with the faculty and show them examples of your work. Together, you develop an appropriate course of study that targets your specific interests and goals.
In addition to daily hands-on studio work, students at all levels study each of the art forms in context—the history, the cultural impacts, applications, traditional techniques, and aesthetics.
Trips to museums in and around Boston also enrich students’ knowledge and appreciation of particular artists and different artistic movements, as do supplemental readings of primary and secondary sources and art-related films.
The course culminates with an end-of-summer art show that brings together the unique and creative accomplishments of all Summer Session art students.