Classes Archive - Delaware Art Museum

Are you interested in taking your passion of photography to the next level? This 8-week course will include hands on photography skills such as bracketing, Panoramas, night photography, use of different types of lighting sources and more. It will include advanced processing techniques such as focus stacking, merging bracketed photographs into an HDR image, merging photographs into a panoramic image. It will also include discussion and demonstrations of different types of equipment. At the conclusion of this course, you will be able to capture photographs that you will want to hang on your walls.

Prerequisite for class or experience – Basic photography or equivalent

June 9, 6PM to 9PM – Class in Conference Room
June 14, 10AM to 1PM – Field trip TBD
June 23, 6PM to 9PM – Class in Conference Room
June 28, 10AM to 1PM – Field trip TBD
June 30, 6PM to 9PM – Class in Conference Room
July 12, 10AM to 1PM – Field trip TBD
July 21, 6PM to 9PM – Field Trip – Night photography
July 28, 6PM to 9PM – Class in Conference Room

Enjoy the pleasures of making your own useful pots. Students will explore techniques for creating beautiful ceramic pieces by hand and on the potter’s wheel. Form, function, and various surface treatments will be presented in a fun, informal setting.  

This music class, geared towards children ranging from 2-5, combines the excitement of music learning with the tranquility of mindfulness. Through interactive exploration of musical elements such as dynamics (soft/loud), pitch (high/low), rhythm (short/long), and articulation (smooth/choppy), students engage in singing, movement, and playing classroom instruments. They will explore short songs, chants, props, and poems that help them begin to understand and express musical concepts.

In addition to music, students will be introduced to simple meditation and yoga practices, including mindful breathing, body awareness, and focused listening, supporting emotional regulation and building calmness in their daily routines. This course nurtures both musical skills and mindfulness habits, fostering creativity, confidence, community, and calm in young learners.

Students will learn basic wheel thrown shapes to build a foundation on the wheel. This class will learn to wedge and center clay, which are necessary elements to wheel thrown pottery. Weekly demonstrations will focus on cups and bowls.     

In this multi-week class, students will explore a variety of approaches to character design and storytelling. A wide range of techniques and materials will be practiced based on interest and intention including pencil drawing, inking, watercolor, markers, and colored pencils. These materials will be explored congruently to create characters used to play table top games such as Dungeons and Dragons, but also comic making, paintings, and more! Students will also learn to cut and prep paper, measure, thumbnail, and sketch. Topics of discussion will include character design, setting, concept, and mark making. 

In this multi-week class, students will learn various approaches to illustration, both traditional and utilizing new techniques and technologies. Materials explored included pencil, archival inks, watercolor, gouache, alcohol markers, paint pens, and colored pencils. Students will learn various approaches to pattern-making, cross-hatching, and other forms of mark making as well as combining created imagery into collage.

This “Loper Method” class is designed to provide students with methods and techniques taught by the late Delaware artist Edward Loper Sr. Students will learn about achieving rich color through direct observation and the use of a limited palette by painting a still life while focusing on light, line, color, and space.   

Whether you are a beginner to way beyond, jump into the fun of making pastel marks reflecting the elements of nature. Pastel painting the elements this summer of water, earth, sky, and a bit of metal (architecture and sculpture) in and around the Museum grounds. Using the long summer evenings to take some photos / sketches in and around the museum then creating your painting in studio. Either explore the museum grounds, or bring your own landscape or seascape photos taken from favorite places, trips, your summer fun memories.

Instructor demos will give you tips, the how tos and take you into the steps in seeing the composition, light source, values, and mark making in showing the movement of water, sky, paths in nature, the blooms of trees and flowers. Group and one on one guidance given per level of your experience.

Painting in studio, we will use provided, your present moment photos of the museum grounds, and your own summer memory of favorite sea, landscape, and “place” source photos. Each week builds your pastel know–how confidence, by creating from nature’s elements your expression of the long days of summer sizzle, and cool shady moments.

Have some mark making fun, ignite your artistic passion using the crystalline beauty of soft pastels.

Enjoy the fun of painting “en plein air” — painting directly from nature on location using gouache (opaque watercolor). Gouache is a fun and easy to use water based medium that dries quickly to a beautiful mat finish. Unlike transparent watercolor, gouache allows for painting light colors over dark, providing greater freedom in how a painting is created and making it more forgiving than transparent watercolor.

Topics will include: finding a landscape subject and creating a composition; starting a painting; understanding value and edges; creating textures to suggest foliage, tree trunks, grasses and other surfaces; gouache paint handling; layering and adjusting the thickness of the paint; brush handling; paint mixing; understanding the color characteristics of hue, value and chroma; and mixing a wide range of colors from a simple limited palette. The class will include demonstration by the instructor as well as individual instruction at each student’s level of experience.

For artists interested in exploring their inner voice and getting in touch with their creativity, this class is for you! Students will learn the basics of acrylic painting alongside expressive brushwork and color application.  

Practice basic drawing techniques. Gesture, contour, quality of line, composition, form, and perspective will be emphasized.     

This class will offer demonstrations and lessons on painting with a limited palette and split primaries. Also, students will receive lessons on tinted watercolor paper and painting on Masa rice paper. Post-beginner to advanced-level students will continue to learn about watercolors and refine their skills as the instructor demonstrates new techniques and gives students attention for their personal projects.

Come explore the magic of precious metal clay and create your very own botanically inspired fine silver jewelry.  Students will impress nature’s beautiful elements such as flowers or leaves into metal clay which is then kiln fired, resulting in 99.9% pure silver jewelry! Each student will design and create a pair of earrings and necklace pendant. No experience necessary.

Choose from a delightful collection of colored papers to create your own everlasting paper bloom, as you cut, stretch, and form petals to mimic real–life flowers. Students are asked to bring their own paper cutting scissors with them to class. Students will leave with two completed crepe paper Iris flowers.

Please note: A materials fee of $15 is due to the instructor at the start of the class.

Come explore the magic of resin and suspend dried, pressed botanicals forever in your very own handmade jewelry. Students will be using UV–curing resin and lights, provided by the studio. Each student will make 3–4 pieces with their choice of earrings, pendants, or keychains. Plenty of jewelry settings/bezels will be provided. All levels are welcome. Adults and Teens ages 14+.

Please note: A materials fee of $35 is due to the instructor at the start of the class.

Need to work on a press? Come use the large Charles Brand etching press or the smaller Woodzilla relief press to work independently in the studio. Instructor will be on hand for assistance. Bring your own plates and paper.  

Campers will go on an epic adventure and envision their own fantastical worlds as they delve into stories from all across the globe and deep dive into the Museum’s most beloved paintings of pirates and mermaids. Projects include “far far away” landscapes, mythological sculptures and magical clay creations.

We are pleased to offer before and after care for our students and their families. Before care is from 8–9 am, $75 per camper, per week. After care is from 4–5:30 pm, $112 per camper, per week.

Landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes, and even the Museum’s outdoor sculptures will serve as inspiration for this session. Campers will capture the beauty of nature with a variety of mediums.

Students will work to create their own one of a kind place settings. They will create everything from plates and cups to bowls and saucers.

Enameling is an ancient art of fusing powdered glass to metal, resulting in colorful designs. Campers will work in our fully equipped metalsmithing studio and will use our glass kiln to create their unique works of art. Using this technique, campers will make abstract and illustrative images on pendants, pins and various other metal objects. 

Campers will go on an adventure through the Museum exploring fantastical myths and magical creatures in some of our most beloved works of art. Campers will be inspired by all kinds of myths and mythological creatures, both real and imagined! Projects include fantastical ceramic figures, cut paper designs, and creative creatures large and small.

Campers will let their creativity flourish making nonrepresentational artworks that explore the beauty of shape, line, and color. Projects include layered collages, unique spin art paintings, and impressive sculptures made with clay and other unusual materials.

Students will learn the basics of drawing and illustration. Students will create their own characters using various formats and styles, while discovering their own personal style. Portraiture and figure drawing will be taught to give students a strong anatomical foundation for drawing their comic characters and working on developing a visual narrative.

Students will work to develop acting skills through improvisation and shorts scenes, use those skills to take risks, make strong character choices, develop character relationships, and pursue acting objectives.

From the concept of an idea to premiering your finished product in front of an audience. This two-week intensive camp goes through all aspects of filmmaking. Students will learn the basics of screenwriting, directing, producing, cinematography, sound design, casting (from DelArt’s Theatre Camp) and everything else that goes into making a film. Each student will write, shoot, and edit their own short. Then, they will screen it for their friends/family/other campers in DelArt’s auditorium at the end of the summer.

Young artists explore drawing, painting, paper arts, mixed media, fibers and found objects while learning art techniques and history through engaging, inspirational projects. 

Create one of a kind treasure from ordinary materials! Campers will reconfigure everyday objects with creative twists to make unique works of art.

Aspiring young illustrators will share their stories with original carton creations! Th museum’s one of a kind illustration collection will serve as inspiration as the campers create artwork full of imagination. Projects include illustrated color cartoons and 3D characters made out of clay.

This is an opportunity for students familiar with enameling to work independently in the studio. A monitor is present for safety and to help guide students with their projects. Completion of a beginner Enameling course or permission from a museum instructor is required to attend.

Students will develop their leadership, communication skills, and creative thinking through engaging activities. From learning the fundamentals of projection, articulation, and dramatic movement to building self confidence through imaginative character building and group scenes, our class offers a fun and educational experience.

In this multi-week class, students will learn how to combine enameled forms and even flat backed stones or found objects with fabricated metal jewelry. This class will expand on introductory metalsmithing and fabrication techniques, so while acting as an advanced metals class, no prior enameling experience is required. Primary techniques demonstrated include introductions to fusing enamel, surface decoration, bezel setting, hydraulic forming, eutectic soldering, ear wires, ring making, brooches, and more. Students are expected to explore narrative and connections between the enameled forms and the jewelry created to house them, making planning and sketching an important part of the process.

Travel the world through art! Campers will learn about a variety of cultures and locales creating everything form ceramic vessels inspired by Ancient Greece to contemporary painted folk art.

Students of any background or enameling level will be able to participate in this multi-week class. For beginners, this means basic fusing to introductory techniques such as graphite drawing, glass etching and wet-packing, among others. More advanced students will be able to continue building on their projects while techniques such as luster, overglazes, underglazes, and various other surface decoration techniques are incorporated. Techniques covered: fusing, counter enameling, wet-packing graphite drawing, glass etching, under and overglazes, basse-taille, luster. 

Hours