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The Suffolk Art League is adding new classes in the new year, along with some great scholarship opportunities for young artists.

Starting Wednesday, Jan. 11, the Art League has added a Homeschool Art Class with certified art teacher, Sofia Dakos. This will be a six-week art course that meets every Wednesday from 1-3 p.m. for ages 8-14. The intent of this course is to incorporate art and art history lessons during each session planned in correlation around a centralized theme. This course will expand students’ knowledge in art education, while developing fine motor skills, problem solving skills and creative thought processing.

Beginner Oil Painting, with local artist Kirk Dice, is another six-week course that meets Saturdays starting Jan. 14, from 10 a.m.-noon. This beginner level course is open to ages 13 and up, and no experience is necessary. In this class, students will learn the basics to oil painting as well as color theory, composition, materials and discovering your personal style. This is a great opportunity for young art students to expand their artistic skills as well as continue to harness their creativity.

The Art League introduces a two-day Charcoal Figure Drawing workshop, with artist Krista Bennett Saturday March 25 and April 1 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m, for ages 13 and up. This workshop focuses on visually articulating the gesture and posture of the human figure. Instruction includes the difference between contour drawing, gesture drawing and mass drawing, as well as how to combine those methods in a single piece of work with the help of a live clothed model. Students of this workshop should have a basic understanding of the formal elements of art for example, line, shape, form, value, space, texture and color.

Continuing the art education presence within the Suffolk schools, the Art League also hosts events at the Suffolk Art Gallery in partnership with Suffolk Public Schools. TEAMS (talented art) students within the Suffolk Public Schools have the opportunity to tour the art gallery Feb, 6, 7 and 9 and participate in educational activities. In cooperation with the Suffolk Fine Arts Commission, “Artistic Verses: A Lesson in Ekphrastic Poetry” led by Nathan Richardson, March 27-30 invites a selection of language arts students from each high school to participate in a writing workshop at the Suffolk Art Gallery.

The Visiting Artist program with the Suffolk area schools continues this spring with specialty workshops for elementary and middle schoolers. Anyone interested in teaching with this program should contact Hillarey Breedlove suffolkartleague.education@gmail.com with a workshop proposal, cover letter, resume and at least five images of your work.

Suffolk Arts League looks forward to the summer with its Summer Art Days and Summer Camp programs. Kicking off the summer break we will have an Art Intensive Camp for young artists 13-18 years of age or eighth-12th graders. This camp will be a four-day camp from June 20-23 at the Suffolk Art Gallery from 9:30 a.m-3:30 p.m. This concentrated art camp focuses on the fundamentals of art as well as building their art portfolios for furthering art education and creative expression. Summer Art Days meets once a week on Thursdays for two hours for age groups 5-7 and 8-14 for just $1 a day starting June 29. Summer Art Camp is a week-long camp for ages 7-11 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. starting July 10, where students will work on many forms of creative expression.

The Suffolk Art League is offering two scholarships available for Suffolk youth in the arts. Both scholarships are intended for students entering grades 6-12 in the 2023-2024 school year, and available for all students who live in or attend school in Suffolk. The Sharon Picot and Chip Picot Memorial Scholarship is for students interested in a wide range of creative endeavors, including but not limited to visual, performing and the literary arts. The John R. Taylor Memorial Scholarship is available to students interested in pursuing the visual arts. Visit www.suffolkartleague.com/apply-for-2023-2024-scholarships.html or contact Hillarey Breedlove for application or questions pertaining to our scholarship opportunities at suffolkartleague.education@gmail.com or call 757-925-0448. All scholarship applications should be submitted by April 20.

Suffolk Art League officials said they are proud to provide arts education enrichment to Suffolk youth as well as opportunities for professional development for local artists. These programs are supported by the Suffolk Fine Arts Commission and the Suffolk Foundation as well as the generosity of Suffolk Art League Members.

For more information about this and other programs offered by the Suffolk Art League, visit www.suffolkartleague.com, email suffolkartleague.education@gmail.com or call 757-925-0448 Tuesdays-Thursdays.