Classes for Adults and Children

Adult Classes and Seminars
Classes and one day seminars focus on both the permanent collection and special exhibitions.

Young People's Programs
Classes combine studio activites in a variety of media and study the Institute's collection and special exhibitions. Programs are offered for children four to sixteen years old and include workshops, classes and Art Day Camps.

For a complete schedule of classes and tours offered each season, or for more information, call (612) 870-3131. Visitors may register at The Visitor Information Center or by mail. Send registration forms to VIC, 2400 Third Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55404.

March Adult Classes

"Good Design": The Modern Movement in America after 1945

This class examines the innovations in industrial design that affected American lives following the Second World War. Examples from the Institute's permanent collection are used to illustrate how American and Scandinavian designers shaped postwar interiors. The subject of collecting modern design is also addressed. Instructor: Jennifer Komar

Saturday, March 1
Section W130: 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Fee: $20, MIA members and seniors; $30, nonmembers
Lunch on your own
Limit 40

 

Sketching in the Galleries: The Expressionist Spirit in the Visual Arts

Through discussion and slide presentations, this class examines how color, value, content, and physical characteristics of art materials contribute to artistic expression. Students sketch from the exhibition "A Glove and Intermezzi: Max Klinger's Prints of Fantasy," and other works in the museum's collection. Instruction includes drawing techniques and the use of color. Instructor: Kennth P. Wenzel

Five Tuesdays: March 4, 11, 18, 25, and April 1
Section W160: 1:30-4 p.m.
Fee: $63, MIA members and seniors; $94, nonmembers
Limit 15

 

Contemporary Art Glass: A Midwest Perspective

This class explores the work of local, regional, and national glass artists who are part of the burgeoning contemporary art glass movement. Works by various glass artists, including some from the museum's special exhibition "Dale Chihuly: Installations 1964-1997," are discussed in slide-illustrated lectures, and students learn firsthand about glassblowing techniques from artist Dick Huss in his St. Paul studio. Instructors: Mason Riddle and Dick Huss.

Section W170: Three Thursdays, March 6, 13, and 20, 6-8 p.m.
Section W180: Two Saturdays, March 15, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and March 22, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Fee: $47.70, MIA members and seniors; $53, nonmembers
Limit 40

Cosponsored by the Compleat Scholar, Continuing Education and Extension Programs, University of Minnesota.

April Adult Classes

Palaces, Villas, and Gardens

Magnificent display was an essential part of life in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The decoration of palaces, villas, and their surroundings attested to the wealth and taste of their patrons. Through slide lectures and discussion, examine the visual and ideological content of several important sites, including the Medici palaces and villas in Italy, Vaux-le-Vicomte and Versailles in France, and Stowe in England. Instructor: Judith Akehurst

Four Wednesdays, April 2, 9, 16, and 23
Section Sp100: 10:30 a.m.­noon
Fee: $47.70, MIA members and seniors; $53, nonmembers
Limit 60

 

Northern Renaissance and Baroque Painting: Representations of the Spiritual, the Material, and the Fantastic

From richly detailed religious altarpieces by Jan Van Eyck to lush 17th-century images of fruit, lobster, and meat pies, this course explores how paintings reflect people's fears, daily lives, and festive occasions. Discussion of the drawings discovered beneath paint surfaces with infrared reflectography contributes to an understanding of critical passages in key works.
Instructor: Julie Risser

This class is cosponsored by the Rochester Friends, and will meet at the Rochester Country Club.

Four Tuesdays, April 8, 15, 22, and 29
Section Sp110: 10 a.m.-noon
Fee: $40, MIA members and seniors; $60, nonmembers
Lunch on your own
Limit 40

 

Survey of Western Art: Romanticism to Impressionism

The period from Romanticism to Impressionism provided Western art history with some of its best known masters, among them Delacroix, Géricault, Millet, Monet, and Degas. Explore the interrelationship between literature and paintings from this period, and the philosophies underlying these art movements. Instructor: Lindsay Shen

Cosponsored by the Compleat Scholar, Continuing Education and Extension Programs, University of Minnesota.

Three Thursdays, April 10, 17, and 24
Section Sp120: 6-8 p.m.
Fee: $47.70, MIA members and seniors; $53, nonmembers
Limit 40

 

Master Class: Off the Wall: Reconstructing Textile History from Visual Sources

In this first-ever master class, acclaimed scholar Elizabeth Barber uses ancient wall paintings, museum objects, and reconstructed samples to demonstrate some of the creative methods scholars use to understand early textile history. Participants become familiar with ancient practices by handling tools, examining textile structures, and considering a variety of technical possibilities.

Friday, April 11, 2­5 p.m.
Saturday, April 12, 10 a.m.­5 p.m.
Whittier Room
Fee: $85, Textile Council members; $100, nonmembers

For membership in the Textile Council, or for reservations, call (612) 870-3047.

Charles Rennie Mackintosh: The Total Work of Art

The work of Scottish architect/designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh is explored in this class. His architecture, metalwork, interiors, furniture, glass, and textiles are considered as a "total work of art." Instructor: Lindsay Shen

Two Saturdays, April 19 and 26
Section Sp130: 1-4 p.m.
Fee: $30, MIA members and seniors; $45, nonmembers
Limit 40

 

Seminar

English Colonial Silver in the 18th Century

Wynyard Wilkinson, a London dealer in English silver, explores the making and marketing of silver both in England and throughout the British Empire. Participants have the opportunity to examine objects from the museum's permanent collection.

Monday, April 21, Board Room
Seminar, 6 p.m.
Reception, 7 p.m.
Decorative Arts Council members only, $10; limited to 40

Young People's Programs for March and April

March Young People's Classes

Exploring Art I and II
Ages 4-7

Students explore the elements of art through visits to the museum's galleries followed by studio drawing and painting projects. They study line, color, shape, and composition, with emphasis on works of art in the permanent collection. Classes are held Saturdays in Classroom 111. Classes are limited to 14. Instructor: Christina Sparrow

Glass Forest
March 8, 15, and 22

Exploring Art I: Ages 4-6
Sec. Sp1: 10-11:30 a.m.
Sec. Sp2: 1-2:30 p.m.
Tuition for each section: $18, MIA members; $26, nonmembers

Exploring Art II: Ages 6 and 7
Sec. Sp3: 3-5 p.m.
Tuition: $24, MIA members; $36, nonmembers

April Young People's Classes

Exploring Art I and II
Ages 4-7

Students explore the elements of art through visits to the museum's galleries followed by studio drawing and painting projects. They study line, color, shape, and composition, with emphasis on works of art in the permanent collection. Classes are held Saturdays in Classroom 111. Classes are limited to 14. Instructor: Christina Sparrow

Cities
April 5, 12, and 19

Exploring Art I: Ages 4-6
Sec. Sp4: 10-11:30 a.m.
Sec. Sp5: 1-2:30 p.m.
Tuition for each section: $18, MIA members; $26, nonmembers

Exploring Art II: Ages 6 and 7
Sec. Sp6: 3-5 p.m.
Tuition: $24, MIA members; $36, nonmembers

 

Drawing Studio
Ages 7­16

In our studio program, students learn basic concepts of drawing and composition, including shading, contour line drawing, and perspective. Drawing Studio concentrates on glass work in the special exhibition "Dale Chihuly: Installations 1964­1997." Classes meet Saturdays in Classroom 112/113. Sections limited to 20. Instructor, Kris Edmonds

April 5, 12, and 19
Sec. Sp10: Ages 7 and 8, 10 a.m.-noon
Sec. Sp11: Ages 9-11, 1-3 p.m.
Sec. Sp12: Ages 12-16, 3-5 p.m.
Tuition for each section: $24, MIA members; $36, nonmembers