At the Danforth, children develop an understanding of the elements and principles of design, use high quality artists materials, explore ideas and spend time in the museum to expand critical and creative thinking. All students go home at the end of the session with a portfolio of quality work. Our weekly 2 hour classes are designed to provide opportunities for self-expression while learning foundational techniques in a variety of fineart practices. All students visit the Danforth Art Museum to enhance study.
For Teens
Our program for High School students focuses on providing more advanced instruction in drawing and painting, allowing each student to begin the process of developing a personal viewpoint. Instructors encourage students to explore ideas and content as well as refining skill with various media. Strategies for enhancing portfolios will also be explored.
For Adults
We offer five levels of study suited to everyone from absolute beginners to those developing their own body of artwork. Students may remain in any level for as long as they would like; instructors will adjust lessons to accommodate new and returning students. Our diverse faculty pool allows students to study painting, drawing and other media with instructors from many backgrounds and perspectives.
Fall Session
Dates: September 15 - December 12
Pricing for Fall 2026
Children/Teens= $396 for 12 weeks
Classes meet for 2 hours, once a week
Adults= $585 for 12 weeks
Classes meet for 3 hours, once a week
Workshops vary in pricing based on duration
* Museum members enjoy an additional 10% discount
From Art School Director, Noelle Fournier
This fall, we have made some adjustments to the pedagogy supporting our children’s studio education programming. As always, classes will provide fun and age-appropriate artistic experiences. However, we would like to more effectively integrate study with the museum, providing a more direct link to the importance of viewing art when learning to make art. Rather than offering classes in distinct media, classes through grade 5 will provide experiences in all media including painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, printmaking and so forth. These classes will be organized around a central theme found in the artwork displayed in our museum galleries. Instructional approaches will be aligned with children’s artistic development such that over time, they will have a comprehensive understanding of media, concepts, skills, and how to engage actively in a museum visit.
Fall classes
Fall classes for children include Color in the Museum, Nature in Art, I Spy in the Galleries, Games as Art, and more. Teens can choose from offerings like Portfolio Builder, Portrait Studies, and Design & Illustration. For adults, we have a full range of classes such as: Acrylic Painting, Monotype and Collage, Painting Portraits, Drawing & Watercolor, and Floriography. And our Toddler Art/Play
Through Stories will return on Thursday mornings.
New this season!
Creation Station
Drop in on a Saturday afternoon for creative time with the whole family. Enjoy a self-guided project set up in the studio as well as a trip to the Museum.
Introduction to Ceramics
Learn basic techniques (slab, pinch, coil) to create innovative hand-built works, and begin to throw on the potter’s wheel. Explore glazes, detail and finish.
Beginning Palette Knife Painting use a palette knife instead of a brush to learn how to define the planes of objects as they wrap around forms.
And so much more!
Click here or scan the code at right to visit the Art School on our website!
Danforth Instructors
The faculty at the Danforth Art School are selected very carefully for their outstanding experience as educators as well as their expertise as artists. I am proud of the breadth and depth of our team of instructors and appreciate their dedication to developing community among their students and within the larger school culture. Many of our instructors have exhibited in numerous museums here and abroad, in addition to showing in galleries and being featured in private collections. In many ways teaching is a calling, so we work hard to seek and place instructors with a background that includes teaching, in addition to a personal artistic practice. Highlights follow of several of our core faculty members who also hold degrees in art education which is particularly valuable in our children’s program as they are able to apply principles of artistic development in lessons and studio management that create elevated experiences for students.
Angela Ackerman received a B.F.A. in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and an M.Ed. in Art from FSU. She worked as a product designer at Hallmark Cards and started her own successful design firm. In addition to her Danforth classes, Angela currently teaches Design at the McAuliffe Regional Charter Public School in Framingham.
Lee Ball is an oil painter born in Raleigh, North Carolina who studied Architecture at North Carolina State University School of Design. Shereceived a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture and a BFA from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC, followed by a teaching certificate. She has taught secondary Visual Artand her work has been juried into regional and national shows
Ella Copelotti is a recent graduate of Skidmore College with a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and Studio Art. She has a strong museum education background, having worked at the Frances Tang Teaching Museum, in addition to traditional educational spaces, where she works with ages ranging from toddlers to high schoolers.
Leslie Graff holds Bachelors and Master’s degrees from Brigham Young University. She works in acrylics and mixed media, and her work has been exhibited in group and solo shows across the country in various museums, universities, and galleries and is held in many personal collections. Her work has been featured in books, magazines, and blogs including a profile on Forbes.
Paula DeSimone, artist, author, and educator is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art. Paula has over 30 years of experience in arts education and has taught at such prestigious institutions as RISD – Continuing Education, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Fuller Craft Museum, the Attleboro Arts Museum, and the DeCordova Museum.
Farzaneh Safarani is an interdisciplinary artist and works with her twin sister Bahareh. They explore the convergence of visual art, new media, and performance. They earned their B.A. degrees in painting from Tehran University and moved to Boston to pursue their master’s degrees at Northeastern University. Their fluid approach has gained national and international acclaim.
Ruth Scotch received her M.F.A. and B.F.A. at Boston University in painting, and a B.A. in Art History. Ruth recently earned her teaching license at FSU. Ruth has taught at Boston University, Kendall Center for the Arts, Montserrat College of Art, and Danforth Art as well as FSU. Ruth has exhibited her paintings throughout New England, and the current focus of her artwork is figures in interiors.
Zach Shiff has been teaching High School Visual Art for nine years and presently teaches Foundation Art and Drawing at Burncoat High School in Worcester. Zach also taught at Holliston High School for many years. Zach’s background is Illustration; he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration at RISD and his Masters of Art in Teaching at Massachusetts College of Art & Design.
The Danforth Art School Instructors
Kimberly Aaronson • Angela Ackerman • Lee Ball • Susan
DeAntonio • Paula DeSimone • Nan Hass Feldman • Erica Frisk • Lynda Goldberg • Liz Gorman • Leslie Graff • Paul
Hackett • Steve Hayes • Meaghan Kacavich • Richard
Kattman • Ron Krouk • Karen Lucy • Donna Melanson • Elizabeth Payne • Jenny Pivor • Gary Pivarov • Sylvia
Rodriguez • Anna Ryan • Farzenah Safarani • Ruth Scotch • Zack Shiff • Jenny Sorblum
Why art is important
Art was humanity’s first language. It continues to be one of the only ways for people to communicate with each other without the need for explanation. Engaging in creative activities allows us to make something simply for the joy of the act; and for some of us it is a necessary way to make sense of life’s experiences. Art provides a direct path to making meaning out of what we see, hear, feel, read, experience…even if no one ever views what is created. Art is a discipline but it also exists naturally in all of us in some form - from how we dress, to what we cook, to how we decorate our homes, to the stories we tell. It also exists everywhere you look if you are paying attention.
A large part of our job here at the Danforth Art School is creating opportunities for students to pay attention- that is where we start. Noticing. Then we add some instruction for how to use materials and the methods for applying them. We visit the museum to be inspired and look closely at what others have created. We return to the studio to practice and over time, students will learn to express an idea or create an image that is meaningful to them, and likely, to others as well.
