Saturday Art School

Spring 2024

Who / What: Saturday Art School is an extracurricular visual arts program for children in grades Kindergarten to 12. Local children and teens explore ideas and materials with advanced art education students (art teachers in training), under the direction of faculty and graduate assistants, each Saturday for eight weeks.

2024 Big Idea: In/Visible:

Visibility and invisibility exist on opposite ends of a continuum. To be visible means to be seen or perceived, while to be invisible means to to be hidden or passed by. Visibility garners attention, perception and often serves as a  tool for change and activism as a spotlight highlights and draws attention. Invisibility yields privacy and protection, like the secret superpowers of the Invisible Man, or Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak. Both can be powerful or painful depending upon if they are desired and sought or rendered by another. What makes someone or something in/visible? Where and when do we experience in/visibility? What needs to be visible that is currently invisible? What is something invisible to others that is visible to you? How do we render the invisible visible and vice versa? Does a lack of visibility render something null, void, or non-existent? Is everything visible, valuable?

When: February 17; March 2, 9, 16, 30; April 13, 20, 27

Time: 10:00 am - 11:30 am

Exhibition Date: April 20, 2024 
*Please note that there is one more 'class' after the exhibition.*

Join our email list: Contact us via email saturdayart@mail.naz.edu or by phone 585-389-5122 to be added to our email list, so that you get the most up to date information about registration. 

Covid-19 Protocols

Nazareth University and Saturday Art are fully open following CDC/NYSDOH Guidelines. We ask that if your young artist tests positive for COVID-19, that they follow the 5 day quarantine protocol and that they stay home the week they test positive. Masking is optional and based on your personal comfort levels. For more information please review Nazareth University's COVID-19 Policy

If you have any questions or concerns about any of these protocols please email saturdayart@mail.naz.edu

Registration

Registration for Saturday Art School 2024 is now closed.

If you would like to join our email list to receive updates for Saturday Art School 2025, please contact the Saturday Art School Office by emailing us at saturdayart@mail.naz.edu.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Curriculum

What kind of supplies does my child need?

None. We are in person and all supplies will be provided for your young artists. 

What media/materials and techniques will my child use?

Each Saturday Art School teacher uses their discretion to choose age appropriate art materials for the lessons they develop. Depending upon the age and project the teacher may decide to focus on one material, like painting, for the whole session while another might decide to use several materials in tangent, like drawing and printmaking.

What do children learn about in Saturday Art School?  

Our curriculum is thematic and rotates each session (for example: place, transformation, time). Each Saturday Art School teacher develops an age appropriate unit around the chosen big idea/theme for the session. No two classes do the same project or examine the session's theme in the same way. For example, with the idea of transformation, the kindergarten class might explore how changing our point of view transforms the world by pretending to be birds flying high above and creating land art than can only be seen from the sky, while the high school class might identify and examine labels that affect and transform us by creating self-portraits that speak back to these labels.

How many projects will my child make?

Some classes may make a series of smaller projects, other may focus on developing one larger, in-depth project. Most often younger artists create several artworks over the eight weeks, and older artists create a single, more involved, piece.  

Will my child bring a project home each week?

No, our Exhibition happens on Day 7 of Saturday Art School and we will keep the work for display at that time. Your young artists will bring home their project(s) on Day 8, the final day of Saturday Art School.

Cost and Registration Questions

How much is tuition for Saturday Art School 2022?

Tuition is $80 for the entire 8-week session.

How can I register my young artist for Saturday Art School 2022?

Register your young artist online. See the Registration block on this page for more details.

The class is full, is there a wait list?

Unfortunately, no. We do not have a wait list. Our classes are purposefully small and fill very quickly. We rarely have anyone cancel once they are registered.

Do you give refunds?

No, the class is not refundable.

Students with Special Needs

My child has an IEP (or 504 Plan). Are there accommodations and supports available to meet my child's needs?

Saturday Art School is an inclusive environment.  Instruction within the Saturday Art Program is differentiated to meet the needs of all learners. Please let the instructor know of any individualized needs that are specific to your child. Be sure to fill out the section of the registration form titled- Special Needs/Medical Conditions/Allergies. Attach any additional paperwork that will support instruction.

Students Needing 6:1:1 or 8:1:1 Environment

Saturday Art School is not able to provide a 6:1:1 or 8:1:1 environment. Our class sizes cap at 20 young artists and are almost always full.  

Additionally, while we have a classroom aid in the room, this aid is a beginning art education student and provides individualized support to all young artists across classes, but cannot be a committed 1:1 aid for any individual young artist.  

With communication with our families, we work to provide as many learning supports as possible in a general classroom environment to our young artists.  If you are not sure if your young artist will find a successful fit in our Saturday Art School context, I strongly encourage you to contact the SAS Program Director at SaturdayArt@mail.naz.edu BEFORE you register your young artist for class as we are NOT able to provide refunds.

Logistics

Is transportation provided?

No. Nazareth University does not provide any transportation for students to and from Saturday Art School.

Do I have to stay in class with my child?  

No. Children are supervised by their classroom art teacher and classroom aides depending upon age and grade level.

Do I have to stay on the premises during class time?

No. Children are supervised by their classroom art teacher and classroom aides depending upon age and grade level. Please feel free to run errands and complete other tasks during the class period from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.  We do ask that you pick up your child promptly at 11:30 a.m. as faculty and staff have responsibilities to attend to after class is over. 

How does drop off and pick up work?

The first day of class, we ask you to take an extra step to double check your contact and emergency information at a registration table in the lobby of the Arts Center.

After the first day, please drop off your young artist at her/his classroom at the start of class and sign your young artist in. At the end of class, please pick up and sign out your young artist promptly at 11:30 a.m. If you have any other concerns about pick off or pick up please communicate with your young artist's teacher ahead of time.

Can my high school student drive themselves to Saturday Art School?

Yes! If your young artist is 16 years of age or older and has their driver's license, they may drive themselves to Saturday Art School. Please complete the Sign-In and Sign-Out Permission Form and return on the first day of Saturday Art School to authorize your young artist to sign themselves into and out of class each day they drive to Saturday Art School. 

What happens if there is bad weather?

Snow days are rare, but not out of the question. If you do not receive a phone call from your young artist's teacher, there is Saturday Art School. You can also check back to this website for weather-related news.

What happens if my young artist misses the last day of class?

If your young artist misses the last day of class, you have the opportunity to pickup their work until June 1. Please email saturdayart@mail.naz.edu or call 585-389-5122 to schedule a time to pick up your young artist's work. If for some reason you are unable to make the June 1 deadline, all leftover artwork will be discarded.