School Yourself, This Summer

It’s spring, maybe it would help if we think spring? March break, sunshine, getting outside to walk and bike. Let’s skip forward and talk about summer, and some  unique learning opportunities in the arts. Fall, winter and spring offer all the usual – classes, exhibitions, openings and more all over the city. But summer is different; consider taking a full week of intensive learning, in the city, or combine it with a visit to cottage country. The learning opportunities are exciting and extensive. I have listed a few below, for your consideration.

In this post you will find:

Just Do It! Experimental Painting Class

Classes will begin the first week of April at GAS in Little India and at Cedar Ridge in Scarborough. Classes are filling and registration is on-going. We will take advantage of Georgia O’Keeffe’s work being shown in Toronto to study it and learn from it during the spring session. Check out my website for details and how to register, or visit the Just Do It! facebook group to see what particpants have been creating.

Georgia O’Keeffe at the AGO

This is the show that we have been waiting for! An opportunity to go and experience Georgia O’Keeffe’s fascinating work up close. Show opens on April 22, 2017. Click here for details.

Haliburton School of the Arts

The perfect creative escape, right here in Ontario. Over 300 week-long intensive courses are offered during July and August, with options for beginners to expert. Registration opened on March 1, classes will fill quickly. Click here for the full brochure.

Haliburton School of the Arts – in Toronto

For those who want to take an intensive week-long class closer to home, check out the offerings in Toronto, located at OCAD and Neilson Park Center. Offered in June, most of these classes are for more experienced painters. You will find the Toronto listings on page 15 of their brochure. I have registered for two classes in June – both by Joanna Nash. Maybe I’ll see you there?

Loyalist College Summer Arts 2017

Here is another location offering a series of 1-week classes, located in Belleville. Loyalist provides students with the option of staying at the student residence. Click here for details.

Cedar Ridge Creative Center – Artist Residency

A two-month residency, during July and August, culminating in a gallery show in September; open to emerging and mid-career artists. For those who are not familiar with Cedar Ridge, you will be pleasantly surprised – it is a beautiful creative center, an historic house in a garden and park setting, right in the heart of Scarborough. One of Toronto’s best kept secrets! Apply before April 3, 2017; click here for information about Cedar Ridge and the residency program.

“School yourself. School is one thing. Education is another. The two don’t always overlap. Whether you’re in school or not, it’s always your job to get yourself an education.”        by  Austin Kleon, author of “Steal Like an Artist”

My website continues to evolve, the bookshelf has grown, look for David Hockney, Milton Avery and Lucian Freud. Information about my Just Do It! painting classes and Go Figure, our on-going life drawing program, has been updated. Next, I plan to add more connectivity to social media platforms, still trying to learn how to do it effectively – must keep on learning! In the meantime, thank you for coming along with me for this ride, and thank you too for reading to the bottom of this post.

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About the Author

Grethe Jensen

Artist, educator, and chief barista at Art Think Cafe.
Come visit often.