SUMMER CLASSES in each program listed below support many academic goals: portfolio development, enrichment, exploration and early advantage studies.

COLORFUL POSSIBILITIES: Cherry Court Studios offers art classes tailored for the unique developmental needs of middle school. Small classes meet Saturdays, after school, and evenings, once a week, 14 sessions per semester. Summer workshops meet for 7 weeks, offering longer sessions than during the school year. Students entering grade six are invited to try our IMAGINE program. Students explore a variety of art materials and creative possibilities. As a final project, students integrate what they have learned into an extended personal project, showcasing their distinctive creative ideas. Our summer workshops center around five themes:

1. July 12, July 19 – CHARACTERS, CARTOONS, AND CLAY. Students will sketch and explore character design, create an original character, design it in clay, and as a full-color cartoon.

2. July 13, July 20 – WILD ANIMALS AND UNICORNS. Students will use oil pastels to create a rich jungle scene or a fantasy scene with their favorite real or fantasy animals. They will create amazing 3-D lizards with tooling metal and paint.

3. July 14, July 21 – PIRATES AND MERMAIDS. Students will create an assemblage sculpture of sunken treasure, guarded by a skeleton pirate or a beautiful mermaid. Also, they will use watercolors and sea salt to paint the ocean filled with sea turtles.

4. July 15, July 22 – DRAGONS AND MONSTERS. Students will design a dragon cave with mixed media and draw the dragon who lives there, whether friendly or frightening. They will sculpt a monster using the theme "A Monster on His Day Off."

5. July 16, July 23 – ICE CREAM, PICNICS, AND AMUSEMENT PARKS. Students will craft 3-D amazing ice cream desserts, paint a cool picnic still life, and invent plans for a surreal amusement park.

Students entering grade 6, may attend a ONE-DAY FREE WORKSHOP by selecting a workshop and a date (all workshops run from 1:00 to 4:00 pm). To reserve a spot, parents should call 412 334-2567 or E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please leave the parent's name as well as a return phone number or E-mail address. You will receive a return message to let you know if the class is open or filled.

First-time students entering grades seven, eight, and nine enter our FUN-damentals of Design course called ART CHALLENGE, which expertly guides students through a sequentially arranged series of creative problems. While kids are having fun conquering new Challenges, they are gaining advanced creative, design, and vocabulary skills in the visual arts. Kids draw their way through early Challenges, paint their way through middle Challenges, and explore three-dimensional design in later Challenges. Inspiration comes from a diverse collection of artists, cultures and historic periods.

Eighth and ninth graders who have completed at least 12 Challenges can study ART & TECHNOLOGY. The fall semester dedicates seven classes to Adobe Photoshop, turning ordinary photos into fantasy images. The remaining classes explore special effects in CorelDraw. Spring semester explores animation.

Ninth graders who have completed at least 12 Challenges may choose our advanced program INTENSIVE SKILL DEVELOPMENT. Students train their eyes to observe and record, while exploring the artist's role as visual poet. Students draw and paint still life, people and environments.

Upper School for high school students in grades 10 - 12 is dedicated to PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT.

Cherry Court Studios is for kids who love to draw. Some Cherry Court students may become great artists, or enjoy long productive careers in the visual arts. But for those who don't choose art-related fields, creative skills are assets that last a lifetime.