- When
- Saturday, Sept. 29, 2026–Mar. 6, 2027
10:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. or 1:15–3:15 p.m.
Term 1: Sept. 19–Oct. 10, 2026
Term 2: Oct. 24–Nov. 14, 2026
Term 3: Jan. 9–30, 2027
Term 4: Feb. 13–Mar. 6, 2027 - Where
- Carnegie Museum of Art
- Program Fee
- $130 ($140 for ceramics), $105 ($115 for ceramics) for Carnegie Museums members per term
Register 🎟
Your ideas, your voices, your neighborhood art museum.
Young artists in grades 5–8 are challenged to create unique artworks inspired by the work in our galleries, culminating in an exhibition of their own at Carnegie Museum of Art. Each term, artists will grow their arts learning as educators facilitate a new creative experience in either painting, drawing, ceramics, or photo and film.
Schedule
Term 1: Sept. 19–Oct. 10, 2026
- Fifth Grade | Ceramics
Artists will build foundational hand building ceramic skills like slip and score, relief, and sculpture in the round construction, as well as glazing methods in their creation of a narrative sculpture on a slumped base.
- Sixth Grade| Painting
Experiments with watercolor will lead to discoveries about the unique properties of the medium. Artists will use their newly discovered knowledge to create compositions of their own design, focusing on layering, light, and mark making.
- Seventh Grade| Photo and Film
Artists will use stop motion animation to create customized film artworks. Constructing vision boards, growing character, conceptualizing narrative and designing the aesthetic of the work will be points of emphasis for the project.
- Eighth Grade| Drawing
Creating dynamic marks, mixing materials, and building techniques will be the focus for this drawing project. Artists will incorporate drawings, painted surfaces, and prints of personal photography to create narrative artwork.
Term 2: Oct. 24–Nov. 14, 2026
- Fifth Grade | Painting
Color mixing, subject and style will be in the forefront for this acrylic paint-based project. Artists will explore the science of color including the combinations that create new pigments and dark and dull tones while creating multiple images of the same subject.
- Sixth Grade| Drawing
Artists will concentrate on accurately capturing the likeness of an observed object through close looking and gesture drawing techniques using oil pastels. Color mixing, layering and building surface to create physical texture, artists will learn how to utilize this impressive medium to create their desired outcome.
- Seventh Grade | Ceramics
Artists will utilize the electric wheel to construct basin shapes and alter forms using hand building and surface design. Combining separate organic forms to construct one finished ceramic artwork, artists will explore how composition and glazing choice all add to the mood of the finished piece.
- Eighth Grade | Photo and Film
Artists will learn how to artfully document their communities and subjects that are most important to them using digital and instant photography methods. Combining photography with found objects and additional artworks, each student will curate a digital landscape that tells a story of their choice.
Term 3: Jan. 9–30, 2027
- Fifth Grade | Photo and Film
Looking to photographer Charles “Teenie” Harris, artists will explore concepts like dynamic composition, lighting, focus, and expression to create photographic portraits.
- Sixth Grade | Ceramics
Artists can expect to incorporate handmade ceramic tile and glass to create mosaic artworks. In addition to low relief tile creation, artists will focus on surface design and glass cutting as well as simplifying forms and choosing color combinations to express intention.
- Seventh Grade | Drawing
Concentrating on line, contour, visual texture and design, artists will use relief printmaking as their drawing medium. Artists will learn to carefully cut away their image and create multiples, curating a collection of prints in altering colors.
- Eighth Grade | Painting
Looking to our collection as inspiration, artists will discover that paintings can extend beyond the flat, rectangle canvas. Artists will construct new or utilize found objects as painting surfaces to contribute to artist intention, mood and expression.
Term 4: Feb. 13–Mar. 6, 2027
- Fifth Grade | Drawing
Artists will concentrate on value, mark-making, and drawing from observation through charcoal portraits inspired by their own photographs.
- Sixth Grade | Photo and Film
Merging sculpture, photography and collage, artists will create a three-dimensional artwork that will expand their understanding of the photography medium. Artists will concentrate on form, construction, and the integration of multiple mediums.
- Seventh Grade | Painting
Artists will explore painting surface and utilize unique materials in this painting with clay project. Using the oil clay medium, artists will have the opportunity to build thick and textured surfaces while also inventing colors and creating a unique composition.
- Eighth Grade | Ceramics
Artists will choose a two-dimensional work from our collection to inspire a new three-dimensional ceramic artwork. Focusing on hand building techniques, surface design and glaze application, artists will also practice wheel throwing and will decide which components should be combined to create the strongest composition.
Open Studio
Art Connection and Youth Art Studio artists are invited to attend open studio for additional time to complete projects. Dec. 12, 2026 and Mar. 13, 2027, 10:15 a.m.–1:15 p.m. in Art Studio.
Youth Exhibition
Students that participate in youth programs during the 2026–2027 school year are eligible to have their completed artwork in the Youth Exhibition which will be installed in the Hall of Architecture and open to the public Mar. 20–Apr. 4, 2027. A Youth Exhibition Opening Celebration will be held on Sat., Mar. 20, 2027.
Registration
Enrollment for the 2026–2027 year will begin in August 2026.
Scholarships are available. For general inquiries or more information, email our Program Registration team or call +1 412.622.3288.
Interpretation services for children and teens are available upon request.
