Art Education

Every artist was once an amateur.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

art education

The WSA believes art education is a lifetime endeavor that brings joy and meaning to our daily lives. Whether you are an art lover, weekend dabbler, or aspiring painter, learning more is the perfect way to explore your creative spirit.
Beyond our own WSA programs, we want to help you connect with other great educational opportunities. Below, you will find a curated guide featuring:
  • Beginner resources for those new to art instruction
  • Book recommendations to inspire your journey
  • Art classes for children and adults
  • A directory of WSA members who teach

View videos of past WSA demonstrations and critiques:

Our programs are designed to educate artists through workshops and demonstrations. We post our program schedule on the WSA Events & Exhibitions calendar and invite the public to attend. For those who can’t attend in person, we record many of these demos and critiques, then share them on our website’s Video Resources page.

Book Recommendations:

Courtesy of Dr. Ellen Winner, Professor Emerita, Dept of Psychology & Neuroscience, Boston College Senior Research Associate, Project Zero, Harvard Graduate School of Education

For doing art at home with your kids:
Art for the Family by Victor D’Amico
Assemblage: A new Dimension of Creative Teaching in Action, by Victor D’Amico
Doing Art Together, by Muriel Silberstein Storfer with Mablen Jones

And for teachers:

Bringing Reggio Emilia Home by Louise Boyd Cadwell
Integrating the Visual Arts Across the Curriculum by Julia Marshall
Studio Thinking from the Start

Learn more why art is important:

What’s the connection between art and brain development?

Follow the Mass Cultural Council:

Visit the Mass Cultural Council’s website and sign up for their newsletter to stay up-to-date with its variety of programs that show how culture works in communities across Massachusetts.

Interested in art classes?

Consider the following when looking for an art instructor:

1. What art mediums interest you?

  • Watercolors: are a type of paint that can be mixed with water to create translucent layers of color on paper.
  • Acrylic: paint is a fast-drying paint made of pigment suspended in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints are water-soluble, but become water-resistant when dry.
  • Oil: paint is slow-drying and made with pigments suspended in a drying oil, usually linseed oil. The consistency of the paint may be changed by adding a solvent or medium. Oil painting takes more time to dry so it is easy to re-do sections of a painting simply by wiping out the paint. Oil paints require more preparation and clean up time.
  • Pastels: are highly pigmented sticks that look like crayons, but are easily blended. They can be used like a crayon, but can be very soft and bright. Pastels come in many forms: soft pastels, semi-hard pastels, water-soluble pastels, and oil pastels.
  • Colored pencils: cores can be wax- or oil-based, containing varying proportions of pigments, or they can be water-soluble (watercolor) pencils. They can produce drawings in styles ranging from loose and ethereal to photo-realistic.
  • Mixed Media: is a broad definition that covers many arts and crafts including collage. It is a visual art form that combines a variety of media in a single artwork. “Mixed media” can includes paints, papers and board of all descriptions, glues, buttons, fabrics, found objects, photos, things from nature, inks, pencils, crayons, markers, or pastels to name a few.

2. What kind of art do you like?

  • Abstract
  • Realistic
  • Impressionistic
  • Traditional
  • Contemporary

3. Do you want private or class lessons?

4. Are you a beginner or someone with experience who would like a little more instruction?

WSA member artists who teach:

If you are interested in art instruction, this is a list of WSA member artists who teach. (Please note: The WSA is not responsible for any arrangements for classes or instruction. All arrangements must be made directly with the individual artist or hosting venue.)

Click artist’s name for profile and contact information:

EDDIE BRUCKNER

Contact: Visit EddieBruckner.com for more information! Email: eddie@eddiebruckner.com

Where:

Ages and levels:
• Children Ages 10 and up, all skill levels welcome
• Adults of all ages and skill levels
Type of medium:
• Acrylic Painting
• Watercolor Painting
• Drawing
• Color Pencil Drawing
• Mixed Media … and more!
Special areas of interest:
“I am dedicated to helping both beginners and experienced artists explore their creative potential. I love to inspire others to discover their innate artistic ability. With my unique hands-on style, I encourage my students to reach their own personal artistic goals, inspiring and encouraging students of all ages in a fun and informative approach. Although my own professional style for my Studio Work is pop-art/abstract, I typically work with students on the fundamentals of drawing and painting through representational landscapes, still lifes, florals, etc.”

PILAR FIGUEIRA

Contact: Pilar.figueira@gmail.com

Where: Artist studio, Wellesley Recreation Center

Ages and levels: Private or small group studio classes for all ages and skill levels.

Medium: Acrylic and/or oil painting classes designed to cater to the individual needs and abilities of each student. Explore the properties of different materials, learn about color mixing, color theory and discover a variety of application techniques.

TERESA HIGGINS

Contact: thigginsart@gmail.com

Where: T. Higgins Studio, Natick, MA
Ages and levels: Classes and private lessons for grades 4-12, and adults
Type of medium:
• All mediums for children and teens
• Graphite, pastels and oils for adults

Special areas of interest: Landscapes and seascapes

MARGOT HURLEY

Contact: Visit Margot’s website for contact information or email her at margot.hurley@gmail.com

Where: Private in-home instruction, personalized to each student
Age and levels: Adults, children ages 12 and up, all skill levels
Type of medium: Oil painting and drawing
Special areas of interest: Realism, portraiture, art history, oil painting in layers/traditional “old master” techniques, developing strong drawing abilities, plein air painting, observation/seeing accurately, composition, fine art materials and equipment, distortion/abstraction in representational painting and drawing, drawing and painting from life, drawing and painting from photo references, evoking emotion through art, creating and communicating “meaning” in art, using technology as an art-making tool, value and color theory, portfolio development.

NAN RUMPF

Contact: nanrumpf@gmail.com

Where: (schedule varies) Zoom Watercolor and Chinese Sumi brush painting, and in person watercolor workshops
Ages and levels: Adults all levels
Types of medium: Watercolor and Chinese Sumi brush painting

NAOMI WILSEY

Contact: 617-513-5499 or nwilsey@verizon.net or website: NaomiWilseyArt.com

Where: Home Studio in Needham, MA
Ages and levels: Adults and students ages 16+ who have some watercolor experience
Type of medium: Watercolor
Special areas of interest: Traditional watercolors, Japanese brush painting (Sumi-e)

Other organizations offering regular art classes: