Classes for Children

All Cantor Arts Center classes include gallery discussions corresponding to studio activities.

All classes are $140 for members and $180 for non-members. Fees include all equipment and supplies.

For more information on summer studio art classes, please contact cantorfamilyprograms@stanford.edu.

Week 1, June 3-7
Paint!
9 am–noon, grades 1–3
Learn the basic concepts of color and paint mixing using acrylic paint and watercolor on canvas. Be inspired by the museum's permanent collection as you create your own work.
Instructor: Michael Pauker

Brainstorming Buildings
1–4 pm, grades 4–7
Explore some of the ways that buildings are dreamed up! Take sketching trips to architectural landmarks on the Stanford campus, including Hoover Tower and Memorial Church, and think about what the buildings are used for and how their function influences their form. Back in the studio, design and build a model for a new structure.
Instructor: Michael Pauker

Week 2, June 10–14
Draw!
9 am–noon, grades 1–3
Use lots of different media like charcoal, chalk, and oil pastel to learn the basics of line, shadow, color, and composition. Turn doodles into finished drawings!
Instructor: Laura Hale

Exploring the Figure
1–4 pm, grades 1–3
A fascinating journey to the Ancient Americas, the islands of Oceania, and the African continent awaits. Explore different versions of the human figure in these galleries; then use a variety of fun materials to create drawings and sculptures. Instructor: Juan Luna-Avin

Week 3, June 17–21

Sculpt!
9 am–noon, grades 1–3
Squish, squash, pinch, pull! Create in clay, wire, and recycled material, explore surface design with glazes and other finishes, and learn slab,coil, pinch, and glazing techniques. Instructor: Laura Hale

Line and Color
1–4 pm, grades 1–3
Investigate the endless possibilities of painting and drawing throughlines, shapes, colors, and scales using the Cantor’s modern and contemporary collections as inspiration.
Instructor: Juan Luna-Avin

Week 4, June 24-28
Print...Press...Yes!
9 am–noon, grades 1–3
Be inspired by More Than Fifteen Minutes: Andy Warhol and Celebrity and learn about all kinds of printmaking, including relief, intaglio, and serigraphy. Try blotted line drawings and create a variety of colorful prints to take home.
Instructor: Stephanie Crowell

Sculpturama
1–4 pm, grades 4–7
Discover many different ways to create sculptures and experiment using wood, papier-mâché, clay, and cardboard. Be inspired by the exhibition Wood, Metal, Paint: Sculpture from the Fisher Collection.
Instructor: Juan Luna-Avin

Week 5, July 8–12
Explorations in Color
9 am–noon, grades 1–3
Do you wonder how colors are made? Find out in this class! Learn the basics of color mixing and formulas and create natural dyes while investigating a mix of visual art, chemistry, performing arts, and poetry.
Instructor: Stephanie Crowell

Book Arts: Around the World in the Museum
1–4 pm, grades 4–7
Visit ancient and modern worlds, from Africa to Europe, and record observations about objects that dazzle and intrigue you. Create an artist’s book with hand-colored sketches that serves as the official guide for your journey around the world.
Instructor: Jim Tantum

Week 6, July 15–19
Writing Pictures, Painting Words
1–4 pm, grades 4–7
Start in the galleries to see how images and words are used
in artwork from around the world. Finish in the studio by filling a book with drawings, paintings, and thoughts about the week’s adventures.
Instructor: Jim Tantum

Week 7, July 22–26
Storytelling with a Digital Camera
1–4 pm, grades 4–7
Focus on what it means to document your surroundings. Combine words with images in various ways to explore the possibilities of storytelling using the museum’s galleries and the surrounding area. Basic camera operations will be covered. Bring a compact (or DSLR) digital camera and a USB cord, or card reader, to export photos.
Instructor: Jim Tantum

Week 8, July 29–August 2
Collage
9 am–noon, grades 4–7
Take the old and make it new with collage! Pull apart and combine objects and images to transform them into art. View collages in the galleries as inspiration and use paint, text, stamping, and other embellishments to enhance your work.
Instructor: Sanaz Mazinani

Printmaking
1–4 pm, grades 4–7
Learn about traditional Japanese printmaking techniques by looking at prints in the galleries and see hands-on demonstrations of registration, cutting, and printing. Create several small editions of prints using linoleum blocks and impress your designs on a variety of papers and fabrics.
Instructor: Sanaz Mazinani

RELATED LINKS
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Studio Classes for Stanford Students