Summer School of the Arts

It’s time for fun, creativity and friendship! Join us at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia for a vibrant summer full of art. Get your imagination going with hands-on studio activities and explorations of the Gallery. Well-qualified and experienced artists & art educators will lead the classes. Experiment with a wide range of art materials, discover new art techniques and enjoy playing around with ideas and images!

Important details:

• Class size is limited to 13 participants unless otherwise noted and unless there is more than one instructor.
• Extended pickup is available for afternoon classes until 4:45pm for an additional fee.
• Lunchtime supervision is available for an additional fee for full-day students only, as space is limited. Students are required to bring their lunch.  
• No NUT products please!
• Some programs will take advantage of the fine weather so a hat and sunscreen are recommended.
• Art making can be messy so students remember to wear “work” clothes.

Students are to be dropped off and picked up at the Studios (accessible via the First Floor Lobby). There is no supervision before 8:30am. It is suggested that students pack a snack for mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon.

Registration & Fees

Purchase camps online or in person at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s Information Desk, or by phone with credit card payment (Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover) at (902) 424-5280 during regular Gallery hours.  

Our program continues to grow in popularity, so please register early to avoid disappointment. A limited number of sponsorships are available on a needs basis. If there is insufficient registration, a workshop will be cancelled with fees refunded two weeks prior to the start of the workshop. There is a 10% non-refundable registration fee. There are no refunds two weeks prior to the class. 

Cost: $130 per a.m. or p.m. class/week. 
Gallery members are eligible to receive a 10% discount on class fees. If you have any questions about this discount or require a discount code please contact our Information Desk (902) 424-5280.

Lunch Hour and Extended Pick-up options
We offer a lunch hour option at a cost of $15/week. Extended pick-up is offered for those attending afternoon classes until 4:45 pm for a fee of $10/week. Registration is required.
 

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Ages 5-12 

Jump to Teen Classes or classes for ages 3-4

Week 4: July 25-29

Puppetry

Artist Bess Forrestall will explore the ancient performance and craft of puppetry. Students will make their own puppets using papier mâché, paint and cloth; work together to create a backdrop for a performance; and try their hand at various other crafts such as coil baskets and wood block printing.

Wild About Rainbows

Red, yellow, blue! With artist Ted Higney students will immerse themselves in lots of colourful art-making this week. Learn more about the science and magic of colour by using paint and lots of other fun stuff to create a potpourri of art. Gallery visits will inspire students to see how different artists have used colour expressively.

Week 5: August 8-12

Abstraction in Action

Join artist Tara Grude for a busy class for the creative and curious, full of all sorts of art-making activities! From drawing with our whole bodies, exploring abstract art through fun games, painting and collage, to whimsical sculpture and colourful weaving, you’ll be sure to leave this class with lots of vibrant creations!

Everything Painting!

Paint a face – paint a still life - paint a landscape - paint an abstract with your eyes closed! Learn all about colour, composition and basic drawing techniques while using the art works in the Gallery for inspiration.

Claying Around

Join artist Therese Bombardier for a week filled with clay fun. Students will be guided through a wide variety of exercises and techniques with clay that lead them into their own exploration of materials and tools. The focus in this class is on hand-building to create both functional and non-functional art works. As a feature project the students will create musical clay animal maracas. The class will find inspiration through gallery tours, books and other fun exercises. Come clay-around and join the ceramic fun!

Week 6: August 15-19

The Tiny Town

With artist Bess Forrestall, students will work together to imagine, build and create a collaborative tiny town. They will decide what their tiny town needs to be; a wonderful place to live – a harbour? A clock tower? A park? Sketching excursions to observe buildings that make Halifax such a great place to live will be part of the class. Students will also develop their own characters to live in the tiny town.

Marvelous Mixed Media

Combine paint, charcoal, pastels, and found objects into a mixed media piece of art to create a marvelous artwork! Working with Laurel Rath, students will have fun exploring various material combinations while learning skills in art fundamentals. Students will explore basics of art and design (line, colour, shape, space, texture, scale, size, value, form) as they discover more about drawing, collage, and painting.

Week 7: August 22-26 SOLD OUT

Fun Fashion Showcase: Design, Create & Walk the Runway

Be a designer of fashions for the runway! Join Sherry Lynn Jollymore to create fun and unique upcycled clothes. Through sketching, sewing and finding inspiration for fashion in the world around them, participants will make one-of-a-kind personalized pieces. Learn basic design, re-design and embellishment to make a personalized style or fashion accessory.

Collage Party

Join in on the collage party! This class will encourage students to experiment as they explore the wild world of collage. Students will work with a variety of materials to learn about the foundations of art and spontaneity in the creative process. Students will draw, paint, sculpt, tear, cut and paste materials together – the possibilities are endless!

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