ART CHALLENGE: Saturday, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Students meet once a week for 14 weeks, 1½ hours per class, optional 45 minute open studio from 9:15 a.m. to 10 a.m.

This course is designed for middle school artists entering grades 7, 8, & 9. Kids in middle school love a challenge. That’s why video games are so popular. Cherry Court’s ART CHALLENGE for middle school takes kids on a quest to complete 18 exciting Challenges, starting with the simplest and progressing through more and more complex levels of creative problem solving. The prize is a completed million-dollar (perhaps priceless) portfolio. ART CHALLENGE takes advantage of students’ rapidly developing motor skills and abundance of creative energy.

A personal journey: Young artists receive their empty portfolios on the first day of class. Students begin the first Challenge, working at a pace comfortable for them. The average student will complete six Challenges in a semester. Some with busy academic and extracurricular schedules may complete less. Others may find the time to finish seven or eight Challenges. Teachers and classmates provide inspiration, encouragement, and feedback. But within this supportive environment, each student progresses in a direction suited to his/her personality, aspirations, and unique world view.

Sample Challenge: ART CHALLENGE 7 is called: A Surreal Experience. Students take pencil in hand to create a surreal dreamscape in the style of Salvador Dali. Part of the Challenge is to sketch three-dimensional cubes, cylinders, and spheres using perspective, a source of light, shading, highlights, shadows, and cast shadows. Beyond that point, students must engage their imaginations to consider the creative possibilities. Should they create a mysterious board game, a room in another dimension, or something intergalactic? Below are project examples representing 9th grade work. Click HERE to see the complete course outline.

View our student ART CHALLENGE gallery.