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Historic Yellow Springs

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Skill Building

in Audience

Teen Studio: Create Like an Artist (TAB-Inspired)

$300

with Lu Penrose

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 7, 2025 at 4 pm, runs for 10 weeks

In this dynamic, choice-based studio course, teens take the lead as artists, exploring their unique creative voices through the Teaching for Artistic Behavior (TAB) model. Designed to foster independence, curiosity, and confidence, this class offers students a supportive space to experiment, develop new skills, and engage in meaningful artmaking.

Each session begins with a focused technique session led by a guest artist or instructor—offering hands-on instruction in a specific medium or approach such as printmaking, collage, drawing from life, or working with alternative materials. After each introduction, students can choose to incorporate the new media into their personal projects or continue working with familiar tools.

The studio is organized into distinct work areas, with tools and materials introduced through guided demonstrations. Teens are empowered to make creative decisions about subject, materials, and process while developing skills in planning, creating, reflecting, and refining their work over time.

This is a great course for creative teens who thrive in an open-ended environment, want to try new techniques, and are ready to take ownership of their artistic journey.

No class on Monday, September 1st (Labor Day)

  • We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
  • Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Portrait Painting: Building Skills and Confidence

$360

with Rachael Vince

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 7, 2025 at 6:30 pm, runs for 10 weeks

Explore the art of portrait painting in this in-depth, multi-week course designed to guide you from foundational techniques to more advanced skills. Learn how to simplify complex forms into approachable shapes and develop a deeper understanding of facial anatomy and structure. Working from a live model, you'll practice imprimatura (underpainting), refine your color mixing abilities, and master the role of light and value to create depth and realism in your work. Step by step, you’ll build confidence in your process while discovering your personal approach to expressive, lifelike portraits. Whether you're expanding your skills or diving into portraiture for the first time, this course offers a supportive environment for growth and creative exploration. 

No Class on Monday, September 1st (Labor Day)

  • We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
  • Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Sculpting the Unexpected

$420

with Bradford Davis

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 8, 2025 at 6:30 pm, runs for 10 weeks

This 10-week intermediate to advanced ceramics course explores innovative approaches to wheel-thrown and altered forms, as well as handbuilding from thrown elements. Students will refine their technical skills while experimenting with cutting, reassembling, and reshaping thrown pieces. Surface decoration techniques, including newsprint transfers, resists, stencils, and screen printing with underglaze, will also be covered. This course is ideal for those looking to push their creative boundaries. Students must be comfortable with both throwing and handbuilding techniques.

This class is scheduled to be held in CCS, which is only accessable by stairs.

  • We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
  • Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Watercolor Foundations: An Introduction to the Medium

$288

with Brooke Steytler

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 9, 2025 at 1 pm, runs for 8 weeks

Discover the vibrant, fluid world of watercolor in this beginner-friendly course. Designed for those new to painting or looking to refresh their skills, this class introduces the essential techniques of watercolor, including washes, layering, color mixing, and brushwork.

Through guided exercises and creative projects, students will explore how to control water and pigment to create expressive, luminous artwork. Subjects may include still life, landscapes, and abstract studies to help build confidence and versatility with the medium.

Whether you're picking up a brush for the first time or returning after a long break, this class offers a supportive environment to learn, experiment, and enjoy the creative process.

click HERE for a materials list for this course

  • We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
  • Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

The Magic of Abstraction

$360

with Leroy Nunery

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 10, 2025 at 1 pm, runs for 10 weeks

Students in Magic of Abstraction will learn to experiment with concepts and ideas relating to color, depth, perception and space. Working with oils or acrylics, participants will learn to break down elements of abstraction including composition and rhythm, texture, movement, and balance. 

Students may be encouraged to work outside of their comfort zone at times, or experiment freely with new techniques with the intention of broadening knowledge of the materials (increased familiarity with various mediums can provide for more spontaneity and freedom when painting abstractly). From the Bauhaus to Basquiat, and from minimalism to surrealism, participants will review and analyze abstraction throughout history and begin to understand the choices and reasons behind painting “outside of the lines.” 

  • We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
  • Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Plein Air Perspectives: Outdoor Painting for Teens

$75

with Louise Dusinberre

Calendar Next available session starts Jul 26, 2025 at 10 am

Step outside and explore the art of landscape painting in this one-day plein air workshop designed for teens. Working in the gardens at Historic Yellow Springs, participants will learn the foundational principles of atmospheric and linear perspective while capturing the beauty of the natural surroundings.

Students will use their phones as a creative tool to crop and frame compositions, helping them focus their ideas before putting pencil or brush to paper. If the weather becomes too warm, we’ll move into the studio to continue working from reference photos taken earlier in the day.

This workshop is ideal for beginners looking to build confidence with outdoor sketching and painting, as well as for teens preparing portfolios for college applications. All materials provided—just bring your creativity and a willingness to explore!

  • We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
  • Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Printmaking for Textiles: Custom Stamps & Patterns

$65

with Laura Stockdale

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 3, 2025 at 10 am

Step into the world of handcrafted design with this immersive Block Printing on Fabric workshop. You’ll learn the time-honored art of block carving and printing, creating your own custom stamp to transfer bold, textured patterns onto natural fabric.

Explore the beauty of repeat patterns, experiment with color, and play with composition as you print onto a tea towel or tote bag—perfect for everyday use or as a unique handmade gift. With hands-on guidance throughout, you’ll leave with both your finished fabric piece and your reusable carved block, ready for future printing projects.

No prior experience is needed—just a curiosity for craft and a love of handmade artistry.

  • We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
  • Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support our mission! Learn more about it's benefits and discounts!

Capturing Character: Animal Portraits in Mixed Media

$75

with Zoungy Kligge

Calendar Next available session starts Aug 9, 2025 at 10 am

This full-day workshop is designed for artists of all levels who are interested in exploring the art of animal portraiture. We will begin by diving into foundational artistic principles that apply to a wide variety of animal subjects—focusing on form, proportion, texture, and expression. Through guided exercises and demonstrations, participants will develop observational skills and techniques that translate across species and media.  Participants are encouraged to bring a reference photo of an animal they love or find inspiring. Using a combination of water-based painting media (such as watercolor or gouache) and drawing materials (like pencil, ink, or colored pencil), each participant will work toward capturing the personality and unique features of their chosen subject.

By the end of the day, you'll walk away with a completed portrait, new techniques, and a deeper understanding of how to bring animals to life on paper.

click HERE for a materials list for this workshop

  • We believe art should be accessible to all. Scholarships are available for those who qualify.
  • Membership is one of the easiest and most effective ways to support the mission of HYS




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