School Bell

Art for All

Fleisher Art Memorial gets the whole community into the picture.

By Hilary Young, with photos courtesy of Fleisher Art Memorial

School is back in session for arts as well as for academics.

If art is on your New Year’s resolution list, the Fleisher Art Memorial may help you achieve your goal. That’s because its mission is to “make art accessible to everyone, regardless of economic means, background, or artistic experience.” And when it comes to providing more community access to art, Fleisher’s tuition-free offerings take the intimidation factor out of creating art.

There are 20 tuition-free classes each term, including First Steps to Drawing, to Figure Sculpture, Printmaking, Ceramics, 2D Design, and film and art history seminars. “Our tuition-free classes are geared towards beginners, folks who are just starting out on their creative journey or coming back to the visual arts after a long hiatus,” says Vita Litvak, Fleisher’s director of education.

Fleisher’s Teaching Artists are encouraged to be supportive of all levels of experience and to create a non-judgmental classroom space.

So what to take? Vita helps break it down: “Do you like dance and movement? Then you might want to try a wheel-throwing class, where movement and coordination of the body is a big element of the practice.”

“Do you like small details, puzzles, and delicate materials? If so, you can find that same satisfaction in mosaics or jewelry making,” she tells us. “Are you the family photographer looking to improve your photos and compositions? Try a 2D Design class or a Portrait Photography class.” For kids, Fleisher offers low-cost classes to children aged 5 to 18 on Saturdays. “I’d also recommend our award-winning Teen Lounge program,” says Vita. “It is an awesome free, drop-in program for teens 13 to 18 that serves youth from all over the city. It focuses on lifting teen voices and supporting young people’s agency to make decisions, build community, become creatives, and make their voices heard in the world.”

To sign up for the free classes, you do have to be a Fleisher member, but students can take up to two tuition-free classes each term. Should you be interested in registering, act quickly, as classes fill up quickly. Registration for Spring tuition-based classes opens on February 14, and, for tuitionfree classes, on February 22. If you are still struggling to figure out which classes are best for you to pursue, reach out to Vita via email at vlitvak@fleisher.org.

“I love advising students on where they should begin their journey at Fleisher, so don’t hesitate to reach out to me!” ■

At the Saturday Children and Youth program, young artists paint on a large scale in a mixed media class.