Fall/Spring Classes
Art Express
Ages 4 - 12
5 Saturdays, 1 - 3 p.m.
Fall: Sept. 12 – Oct. 10
Spring: Jan. 30 – Feb. 27
Final shows: Oct. 10 and Feb. 27, 3 p.m.
Children create original works of art in a fun and focused atmosphere. Every semester, new projects in different media open up the world to children and stretch their imaginations. Teachers guide children in a multicultural and multimedia approach. Classes are organized by age and are limited in size. Parents and children take artwork home at the end of the final show, scheduled on the last day of class. Early registration is recommended. All materials are supplied.
Teachers: Art education majors who are supervised by NIU School of Art faculty.
Fee: $40 (no discounts) The Art Express class fee is free to children and grandchildren of NIU employees and students. Students will still owe the $15 registration fee.
Seeing Art/Making Art
Ages 12 – adult
1 Saturday, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m., NIU Art Museum, Altgeld Hall
Fall: November 14
Spring: April 17
Get to know the NIU Art Museum, learn more about other artists, and work on developing your own artistic vision. These one-day classes begin in Altgeld Hall with a private tour of an exhibition. Following the tour, students enjoy a short art class (drawing in fall; photography in spring) taught by a community school art teacher. Students are asked to bring drawing materials to the fall class and a digital camera to the spring class.
November 14
The NIU School of Art Faculty Exhibition: Discover the astonishing range and breadth of work created by the more than 50 talented individuals who teach studio art at NIU.
April 17
The Art Museum showcases Art from the New Deal era in several exhibitions. On view are photographs from the Great Depression, as well as prints, photographs of murals, and novels created by Works Progress Administration (WPA) artists.
Tour Guide: Diana Arntzen
Fee: $15.00 per session, CSA registration fee waived. No discounts
Circuit Bending 101
Ages 15 – adult; children 9 and older welcome with an adult
1 Saturday, 1 – 5 p.m., AB 211
Fall: November 21
Spring: March 20
Learn to rewire battery-operated electronic toys, keyboards, drum machines, and effects pedals to find weird new sounds lurking inside. Circuit-bent devices sound radically different. A child's toy can become a strange and surprising sound synthesizer. Toys are provided or students can bring their own device to modify. Safety, soldering, electronic components, exploring circuits, typical modifications, and useful tools will be demonstrated and explained.
Teacher: Austin Cliffe
Fee: $40, no discounts
Documentary Photography Project - NEW!
Ages 12 – adult
2 Saturdays, October 17 and 24, 1 – 3 pm, AB 211
Bring your camera to class for a fun documentary project. Week 1: Start in the classroom with a short talk on the basic photography techniques for taking skillful candid (not posed) pictures. Then, travel as a group around the NIU campus with a list of places to photograph. Return to the classroom for a Q&A session. Week 2: Students are asked to have photographs printed during the week. Meet with photos for a critique session and discussion.
Teacher: Jeni Lodolce
Fee: $40, no discounts
Decorating Pysanky Eggs
Ages 13 - adult
1 Saturday, November 21, 1 – 5 p.m., AB 207
Learn to make beautiful eggs, which can be given as gifts, kept as family heirlooms, or treasured as decorations. Pysanky are Ukrainian/Polish Easter eggs, decorated using beeswax and dyes that are applied in layers. Egg decorating is a skill that has been handed down through many generations from mother to daughter. Learn to decorate eggs using two different styles of Pysanky: the Polish drop/pull folk style and the Ukrainian method, which uses the delrin kista tool. Both use hot wax applied to the egg surface and color dye baths. The fee includes the cost of materials.
Teacher: Billie Giese
Fee: $60 for one person; bring a friend and pay $50 each; no additional discounts
Drawing in Black and White and Color – NEW!
Ages 10 - 15
6 sessions, Saturdays, 1 – 2:30 p.m., AB 400
Spring: March 20 – May 1, no class April 3
Improve your drawing skills and gain skill with ebony pencils and chalk pastels. Draw using fun still lifes and outdoors, progressing from black and white, to monochromatic, to color. Registration deadline is March 8. The fee includes the cost of materials.
The schedule is:
Teacher: Lila Chavez
Fee: $70
Fall Only Classes