Still have questions?

Adults – professional interest:

Tabitha Schmidt at tschmidt@kcai.edu

Adults – personal interest:

Krystal Kuhn at kkuhn@kcai.edu

High school:

For questions related to the Pre-College Art Lab programs contact Tabitha Schmidt at tschmidt@kcai.edu. 
For questions related to regular classes and summer intensives, contact Leila Hybl at lhybl@kcai.edu.

Youth:

Leila Hybl at lhybl@kcai.edu

Not sure what to take?

The School for Continuing and Professional Studies has many offerings and choices for our customers. Below is a handy tool to help you self-identify and find the right class for you or your child.

 

CPS advising FAQs

"I’m a good artist but I want to be better. I want to be challenged."
While there are many ways to grow as an artist, there are a few easy ways to challenge yourself right now. 
  • Push beyond your comfort zone by taking a class in a medium in which you are not comfortable.  
  • Challenge yourself  to take a course in a medium in which you are comfortable but at a more advanced level.
  • Take a class with an instructor that you’ve never had before. Each instructor has a different methodology and teaching style. 
  • Talk to your instructor and let him or her know you want to be challenged, and they will work with you.
"I took classes a long time ago and want to return (and/or) learn something new."
We highly recommend you start with one of the following courses if it’s been a long time since you were in an art classroom. These classes offer a good foundation for a beginner or a good refresher for a returning student to art.
  • Elements and Principles of Design
  • Color Theory
  • Beginning Drawing
  • Discover Painting
"I need a creative outlet."

 

Art-making is therapeutic and can be an excellent outlet for people who don’t naturally think of themselves as creative or who in their “other” life don’t get to exercise their creative talents.
 
If you’re hesitant as to whether the visual arts are the right outlet for you, we recommend taking a short one-day or two-week class. This is a great way to “dip your toe in the water” and find out.
 
If you know you want to take a class that meets more than once or twice, then we recommend taking one of the courses listed below. The first two courses are excellent fundamentals and will give you a good base from which to grow.
  • Elements and Principles of Design
  • Color Theory
 
The below two courses will allow you to experiment with different mediums and build knowledge in two-dimensional subject matter.
  • Beginning Drawing
  • Discover Painting

 

"I’ve always had an interest but was discouraged from following my passion for art."

It is never too late to start! Grandma Moses started in her 70s! Try one of the four classes below, they’re a great foundation for any artist.  

  • Elements and Principles of Design
  • Color Theory
  • Beginning Drawing
  • Discover Painting
OR,  pick a medium you like and start with the introductory course.

 

"I’m not very good, but willing to learn."

We pride ourselves on being able to give our customers great tools and teaching that will get you started on your creative journey.   Start with a fundamentals class such as Elements and Principles of Design or Color Theory and then choose a Beginning Drawing course. After you take these basic courses you’ll be on solid footing and ready to tackle the other amazing offerings we have at KCAI.

 

 

"I am an art teacher and need professional development units."

The last week in July, KCAI sponsors a one-week residency program for high school art educators. The Educator Art Lab is funded through a grant and is free to those who are selected into the program. For more details and the application go to our online EAL application form

 
We also offer non-transferable grad level courses just for art educators. These courses are offered on a Friday night, Saturday and Sunday and are worth two graduate level credits. During the summer, courses might be offered during the week. They cover many topics from photography to drawing to jewelry and are always connected back to the classroom. View our current listings. Remember if you need  graduate credit for your school district, get prior approval.

 

"I am an art teacher and want to be inspired."

CPS has some wonderful options for you! The last week in July, KCAI sponsors a one-week residency program for high school art educators. The Educator Art Lab is funded through a grant and is free to those who are selected into the program. For more details and the application go to our online EAL application form.

 
We also offer non-transferable grad level courses just for art educators. These courses are offered on a Friday night, Saturday and Sunday and are worth two graduate level credits. They cover many topics from photography to drawing to jewelry and are always connected back to the classroom. Go to course listings  to see our current listings. Remember if you need graduate credit for your school district, get prior approval.
 
 
"I’m interested in building my art and design skills to further my career."

KCAI-CPS offers  two credit-based certificates: one in Graphic Design and one in Multimedia Studies. Those interested in print mediums often take the Graphic Design while those wanting more web and interactive multimedia choose the Multimedia Studies program. Courses are offered throughout the year, evenings and weekends in fully-equipped Mac labs.

 
We also offer a non-credit Fine Arts Certificate. This is a great way to expand your art knowledge and skill. You can choose Drawing, Painting or Mixed Media as an emphasis.

 

 

"I want to learn more about digital art-making."

The world of art and design has moved into the world of technology. KCAI-CPS offers several options for those wanting to learn digital art.

For those serious about using it for a career change or enhancement, we recommend our certificates in Graphic Design or Multimedia Studies.
 
Those interested in Photoshop or Digital Photography can take one of our regular continuing  studies courses. CPS publishes three course listings per year (fall, spring, summer).
 

Finally, for those who think they might want to learn more but aren’t sure, we recommend our one-day seminars in things such as Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and PowerPoint. These are great introductions to these very popular programs and a great way to warm up to the idea of learning more.

 

"I want to do something creative with my colleagues at work as a team-building exercise."

We have two great options for you.

The Art of Team is what you need! This unique workshop is a three-part activity that relates the elements and principles of design to the workplace; encourages individual talent and ideas; and ties everything together at the end into a work of art created by the whole group. The activity can be held at KCAI or at your place of business. Additional facilities are available for rent at KCAI. For more details click here.

 

 

 

"My high school student wants to learn more about a career in art and design"

KCAI-CPS has several opportunities for burgeoning young artists that will develop artistic ability and their portfolio.

 
The most intense and beneficial experience is through our Pre-College Art Lab program. Held the last three weeks of July each summer, high school students from across the country come to KCAI. They live in the dorms, eat in the cafeteria and make art for three weeks. Students choose a studio course, but they also take life drawing and a liberal arts course. All supplies, lodging and food is included in the price. Limited scholarships are available. Students successfully completing the program receive three college credits (I think this sounds more important), a Living Center grant if they come to KCAI as a degree student and create artwork to enhance their portfolio. To learn more go to our PCAL page.
 
CPS also offers a weekend intensive version of the PCAL program. Scheduled the weekend before spring break each year, students pick a studio and work at KCAI from Saturday through Sunday.
 
Throughout the fall and spring sessions, CPS offers Portfolio Preparation classes as well as other important classes like Figure Drawing for high school students. In the summer, we offer studio intensives. Students come every day for a week and focus on a particular discipline such as painting, computer animation, photography and others. Click here to see our offerings.
 

 

"I want to learn how to draw realistically."

Drawing is the foundation for the visual arts. We recommend you take a beginning drawing class followed by a figure drawing class. If you are well-versed in drawing consider an intermediate course as well.  

High schools students have the option of taking a high school course, or they can choose to take an adult course with their parent’s permission. Please note that in a figure drawing course, the model is nude. This can be a bit disconcerting at first, but is an important component of learning if a student is interested in pursuing art and design as a career or growing their own personal skills.

 

"My child’s teacher said he/she should take more art classes outside of school."

Your child’s teacher recognizes your child’s passion and skill and understands that there is more beyond the walls of your school. You have a great teacher! Just like any interest, the only way to get better is to practice, practice, practice! We recommend becoming a regular student in art classes and continuously creating. The more comfortable and versed a person becomes in the visual arts, the better artist they will be.

For our elementary and middle school artists any of our offerings would enhance their art and design skills. You can choose to enhance skills in a medium in which he or she is comfortable or you could branch out into something new, such as a digital art medium.
 
We recommend having your child complete the Artist in Training Certificate. This is a great way to work towards a goal and encourage the passion and desire for the visual arts.
 
We offer summer camps in June and July in many different areas. Your child can come for each day for a week and really dive into a medium or subject. Perhaps they want to learn photography or how to draw manga. Maybe they want to paint nature or sculpt. Our summer offerings have something for everyone.
 
We also have some great one-day workshops throughout the year. Examples include Day of the Dead and Maskmaking for Halloween. Some of our workshops are offered so that parents AND kids can take them together. Check here for our most recent options.
 
For our high school students the most intense and beneficial experience is through our Pre-College Art Lab program. Held the last three weeks of July each summer, high school students from across the country come to KCAI. They live in the dorms, eat in the cafeteria and make art for three weeks. Students choose a studio course, but they also take life drawing and a liberal arts course. All supplies, lodging and food is included in the price. Some scholarships are available. Students successfully completing the program receive three college credits, a Living Center grant if they come to KCAI as a degree student and create artwork that is portfolio-worthy. To learn more go to www.kcai.edu/pcal.
 
CPS also offers a weekend intensive version of the PCAL program. Schedule for the weekend before spring break each year, students pick a studio and work at KCAI from Saturday through Sunday.
 
Throughout the fall and spring sessions, CPS offers Portfolio Preparation classes as well as other important classes like Figure Drawing for high school students. In the summer, we offer studio intensives. Students come every day for a week and focus on a particular discipline such as painting, computer animation, photography and others. See our current offerings.

 

"My child is interested in painting and drawing."

Your child favors two-dimensional art. Consider classes like drawing, painting, printmaking, cartooning and photography. We encourage those interested in two-dimensional art to take at least a basic drawing course or two as drawing is the key to strong paintings, cartoons and even designing a photoshoot.

"My child is interested in making things with his/her hands."

Your child is drawn to three-dimensional art  like clay, jewelry, collage, and sculpture. We encourage those interested in three-dimensional art to take at least a basic drawing course as drawing is the key to designing strong art. Even Michelangelo sketched out his sculptures first.

"I'm a beginner artist and I'm still learning art vocabulary. What do the class names and descriptions mean?"

You can find a full glossary of art terms here.

 

Color Theory – the study of color mixing, including the properties of hue, saturation and value

Fiber Art – any type of fine art that uses textiles, yarn, natural or synthetic fibers, often focusing on materials and processes as significant

Figure Drawing Open Studio – the opportunity for artists to paint, sculpt or draw live models.

Plein Air – paintings done outside directly from the subject, popularized by Impressionists

Printmaking – the design and manufacture of images on paper, fabric, parchment, plastic or other material. Common processes include engraving, etching and screen printing.

Relief – a number of printmaking processes where ink is rolled over high areas and printed; included woodblock and linoleum block printing

 

 

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