Youth Programs

The department of Art and Design Education offers many programs for the community. Whether art or design, we strive to provide exciting opportunities for young artists, families and adults to recognize and develop their creative potential in various settings. The community provides our teachers of Art and Design Education a diverse teaching experience and prepares them for their entry as teachers and artists into the professional world, while bringing art and design into the community-at-large.

For more information regarding classes, calendars and registration information, click on the program titles. Click HERE to see photos.

Featured Programs:

Saturday Art School

Ages: 3-Adult

Since 1897, Pratt Institute's Saturday Art School has been offering a broad range of classes for children, adolescents, pre-schoolers, and adults. This program continues to validate our belief that it is never too early or too late for children and adults to develop their potential as creative individuals. The program also provides us with compelling evidence that developing art ability enhances the learning and quality of work in other subjects.

Classes are held on the campus of Pratt Institute, where Saturday Art School students learn in a college environment. They are encouraged to explore a variety of media, techniques, and approaches. Projects involving new media, cartooning, illustration, printmaking, creative writing, performance, and puppetry may be included in selected classes in addition to traditional materials and methods. Saturday Art School is a teaching laboratory; all classes are taught by education students who are supervised by Pratt faculty.

DICE (Design Initiative for Community Empowerment)

Age: High School

We believe that design is not only a means of communicating, it is a means for critical thinking, researching, and problem-solving that informs all disciplines.

Established in 2005, DICE is an after school program that offers high school students a foundation in the various design disciplines, such as architecture, industrial, fashion, and graphic design. The program offers students an introduction to design, through studio work and instruction, tours of graduate-level and professional design studios, public exhibitions, and visits from accomplished designers. The goal of DICE is to introduce local youth to career and advanced educational opportunities in design and to prepare them to pursue these opportunities through a design education program to which they would not otherwise have access.

Summer Design:

Ages: 9-14

Launched in 2002 in response to requests from local parents, Pratt Institute's Summer Design Program introduces middle school students the world of design and its careers during July. The design process is central to all the classes and includes the identification of a problem, research of relevant resources, development of a plan, and the fabrication of the product and its presentation. Reading, writing, public speaking, and critical thinking skills are integrated into all phases of this process. Each year, we celebrate the work done by the children in the program with an end of term exhibition.

Research has shown that there is a significant gap in learning during the summer months that is directly related to a child or adolescent's socio-economic background. Whether it is summer camp, a trip to a different city, region or country, an extended visit to relatives, the summer can be an opportunity for growth and development. New interests can be nurtured and new relationships and skills increased.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contact:

Tara Kopp
Department of Art and Design Education
Pratt Institute, Main Building, 225
200 Willoughby Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11205
tkopp@pratt.edu
718-636-3637