My oldest did the same art class, Xtreme Week, at Mass College of Art and Design a few years ago. She thought her little brother would like it so I got him to agree and signed it up. Secretly, it was also to help regulate his bedtime. He’s been staying up way too late this past year and struggling through the week with as little as three or four hours of sleep. His father and I thought that five days of all day art class would help him keep a regular school schedule.
The tricky part of MassArt Xtreme Week is that it starts on Boston’s Marathon Monday and we live near Heartbreak Hill so our neighborhood is blocked off and getting to Brookline to MassArt is tricky. I was also a little concerned that my son is young for this class. It’s supposed to be for high school students working on their portfolios. It turned out that everyone thought he was little and cute and included him all week. He made 16 new arty friends which is really nice! Phew!
My son’s instructor is the same one as my daughter’s when she took this class. He’s an excellent teacher so I was really happy about that. His class is challenging, and really teaches kids technical drawing skills like shading and perspective.
When we went to MassArt for their “graduation” ceremony, we were able to see MassArt student art on the wall as part of a silent auction. It was fun to see the wide range of art from so many talented artists!
My son really liked his week at art school which surprised me because it was a 9 am to 5 pm class and my son really likes his unscheduled time. It helped that there were vending machines and a cafeteria so he could eat like a college student!
My daughter said that Xtreme Week really shook her up. At this time, she wasn’t very interested in school and did not have a direction in life. Xtreme Week made her realize that 1) she wants to go to art college, 2) she needs to work on her technical drawing skills, and 3) she has a lot to learn and it’s best to listen to the teacher even though it’s hard and frustrating versus doing what she normally does.
I think my son might have found his direction as well. It might not be art school but it seems headed in a direction that includes art and design.
My Son’s Drawing Class at MassArt Xtreme Week!
p.p.s. More about Art Colleges from our college tours:
Visiting California College of the Arts
Visiting California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
Visiting Emily Carr Art + Design University in Canada
Applying to Art School: School of Visual Arts
Applying to RISD: Advice from Antonio Peters in Admissions
Tips for National Portfolio Day
Visiting West Coast Art Schools with Foodie Stops Along the Way
Xtreme Week at Mass College of Art
and some fun stuff …
If you are visiting New York City, here are our cheap foodie finds.
45 Art Gifts for Seriously Arty Kids (by my arty daughter)
Art Competitions for Kids and Teens
Our Art Gift Kits for Arty Kids
10 Inspirational Art Books for Arty Kids
My books:
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
Wow, that’s great. Something I miss about living near Boston is how you have everything at your fingertips. We have a lot of great things in New Orleans, but not everything. No art colleges, for one. My son would’ve enjoyed something like this.
He’s definitely got talent!