Courses & Workshops
Summer 2025 @ Marwen
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Spring term is currently in session and runs through Saturday, May 3.
Returning student? You’re first in line to select classes! Online registration for Summer courses is open April 24 - June 17 at marwen.org/registration.
New to Marwen? Welcome! To get started, sign up for a New Student Open House & Registration events on May 17 or June 7. RSVP HERE You will get a tour of our galleries and studios, meet staff, and register on the spot.
Key information:
1. Summer term runs July 7 - August 8, 2025. There are 2 sessions: July 7-18 and July 28-August 8.
2. Summer term offers 25 unique classes. PREVIEW COURSES! Each class meets five days a week, Monday through Friday, either in the morning (10 AM - 12:30 PM) or afternoon (1:30-4 PM) and runs for two weeks.
3. Young people can register for up to 2 classes per term.
Marwen’s free programs exist for young artists in Chicago who want to explore visual arts, can commit to a multi-week art class, are in 6-12th grades during the 2025/26 school year, and do not have access to arts programming due to financial and systemic barriers. Learn more about our values and how we invest in the power of young artists.
Have questions? Reach out to us anytime at registrar@marwen.org.
The courses below reflect Summer term offerings.
Enter a tiny world full of big imagination! Sculpt miniature film sets complete with small-scale furniture and props. Explore set design, composition, and forced perspective, then bring your scenes to life through creative photography. This mini studio adventure is all about building, storytelling, and capturing your creations from a whole new point of view.
Mini Worlds: Sculpture & Digital Media
Sydney Walters
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 7 - Jul 18
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Got a favorite snack or sweet treat? Turn it into art! Sculpt delicious-looking creations using air-dry clay, paint, paper, and more. From giant burgers to sushi, learn how to shape, build, and decorate realistic or wacky food sculptures. Warning: It might make you hungry—but no nibbling the art!
Make it Yummy: Food Sculptures
Alex O’Neill
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 7 - Jul 18
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Get ready to go big, bold, and colorful! Dive into Pop Art, doodles, comics, and creative drawing. Use bright colors, strong lines, and your own favorite symbols to turn everyday stuff into eye-catching masterpieces. Experiment with different materials, large artwork, and fun techniques to create your own comics and drawings.
Make it Pop! Drawings and Comics
Griffin Goodman
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 28 - Aug 8
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Capture the world in black and white! Explore street photography using analog 35mm film cameras and darkroom techniques. Learn how to shoot, develop, and print photos while drawing inspiration from legendary street photographers—especially Chicago-based artists. Discover how light, shadow, and everyday moments can turn into powerful images.
Darkside of the Room: Darkroom Photography
Brendan Meara
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Jul 7 - Jul 18
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Get ready to take the wheel for a spin! Learn the art of wheel throwing and create bowls, mugs, and vases. Shape the clay and experiment with glazes to make your creations unique. Whether you're a beginner or have dabbled in ceramics before, this class is for you.
Keepin’ it Wheel: Ceramics
Miseal Loera
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Jul 28 - Aug 8
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Whether you’ve never touched a sewing machine or you already love to stitch, this class will teach you skills to create your summer-ready bucket hat and tote bag. Try out machine sewing, hand stitching, patchwork, and more! Dive into upcycling and creative ways to reuse old textiles. Get ready to design, sew, and show off your handmade style.
Sew Cool! Intro to Sewing & Stitching
Jennie Harned
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 7 - Jul 18
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Jump into the world of car culture photography! Focus on basic camera techniques, composition, and lighting to photograph cars, including lowriders. Learn to edit digitally with Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. Develop your portfolio highlighting new creative skills, and come away understanding this vibrant cultural art form.
Start Your Engines! Photography
Joselyn Corona
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 28 - Aug 8
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Get ready to create colorful art…one piece at a time! Learn how mosaic artists turn tiny bits of glass and tile into colorful creations. Use flat colored glass and other materials to design your own bold patterns and images on flat surfaces or even 3D objects. Work solo or team up to build a truly spectacular mosaic piece!
Mosaic Masterpieces
Cassandra Schifano
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 28 - Aug 8
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Get your hands messy and your creativity spinning! Learn the basics of wheel throwing and handbuilding to create your own picnic-inspired pottery. Think cups, plates, bowls, and fun extras—all handmade by you! Whether you're shaping the perfect snack dish or a funky ceramic piece, this class is all about experimenting with clay and glazing techniques, and creating a collection of art perfect for your dream picnic spread.
Pottery Picnic Party: Wheel Throwing
Ari Karafiol
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Jul 7 - Jul 18
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Dive into the world of illuminated sculptures. Create glowing, eye-catching pieces for the popular Arts In The Dark Parade on State Street. You'll craft wearable art and props that shine bright in the dark using various materials, like neon paints and glow-in-the-dark elements. Showcase your glowing masterpieces and march with Marwen in Chicago’s premier arts parade. Note: the parade is after class on October 18.
ARTS IN THE DARK: Glowing Sculptures
Jesus Gonzalez Flores
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Jul 28 - Aug 8
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Want to learn how to animate your own story? Design your own characters, create thumbnails, and storyboard for your animation in Procreate. Bring your ideas to life as you learn the secrets behind your favorite animated films and shows.
Storyboarding & Animation
Griffin Goodman
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 7 - Jul 18
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Get ready to make your own custom shirts and cool patches! Learn awesome fabric-dyeing techniques, including tie-dye and stitch resist. Experiment with different dyes and patterns. Take what you've learned and design your own one-of-a-kind shirts and patches to show off your unique style.
To Dye For
Brianna King
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 7 - Jul 18
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Bring your original characters to life! Repurpose discarded materials to build a new world with sculpture and animation. Explore stop-motion animation, puppetry, figurative sculpture, and cinematic techniques. Work in a group to complete a short animated film that features your handmade puppet, props, and backdrops.
Sustainable Stop Motion
Eliza Fernand
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 7 - Jul 18
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Capture your summer in colorful drawings! In this portfolio-level course, learn how to sketch with confidence and experiment with a variety of drawing tools like pencils, pens, pastels, and more. Dive into the world of color by exploring how different hues can express mood, tell stories, and make your artwork pop.
Drawn to Color: Pathways
Mel Cook-White
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 7 - Jul 18
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Step into the world of oil painting and learn how to capture the true essence of a person with your brush! Create portraits from sketching facial features to adding depth with rich oil paints. Learn how to blend colors, create realistic skin tones, and capture emotions. Whether you’re painting a self-portrait or a friend, develop the skills to bring life to a canvas.
Oil Painting Portraits
Gabriel Mejia
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Jul 7 - Jul 18
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Discover the endless possibilities of painting with watercolors! Learn how to use watercolor paints through various foundational techniques. Use materials like salt, rice, bleach, and more to create amazing watercolor effects. Experiment, layer, and let the colors flow as you discover your unique style. By the end of the course, you’ll create a series of one-of-a-kind watercolor pieces.
Splash of Color: Watercolors
Jimena Hernandez
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 28 - Aug 8
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Explore the power of color in photography. Learn color theory, lighting, and composition to create amazing images. Capture vibrant photos and learn digital editing techniques in Photoshop and Lightroom. Leave with a strong understanding of how color impacts storytelling.
Picture This: Color Photography
Joselyn Corona
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 7 - Jul 18
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Step into the world of old-school photography! Snap black-and-white photos with film cameras and bring them to life in the darkroom using chemicals and glowing red lights. Learn how to turn your negatives into prints, and watch the magic happen right before your eyes. No filters, no phones—just classic photo fun.
Lights Out!: Darkroom Photography
Alex Mendez
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 28 - Aug 8
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Build a strong foundation in drawing! Explore techniques like shading, perspective, proportion, and gesture as you work with pencils, charcoal, and ink. Draw from observation and imagination while learning the elements of art and principles of design.
Drawing FUNdamentals
Mel Cook-White
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Jul 28 - Aug 8
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Ready to give your old clothes a fresh new look? Through hand sewing and fabric distressing, learn responsible fashion and empower yourself to transform old clothes into new pieces! Whether it's turning a t-shirt into a trendy tote or adding custom patches to a jacket, gain the skills to make fashion that’s both stylish and sustainable.
Upcycling Fashion with Stitch Gawd
Emma “Stitch Gawd” McKee
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Jul 28 - Aug 8
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Get ready to explore clay through all five senses. In this playful ceramics class, explore hand-building techniques while creating three vessels inspired by memories and senses. From building with your eyes closed to making a ceramic flute, each project is a fun sensory adventure connecting to how we experience the world!
Clay & Play: Sensory Ceramics
Julie Potratz
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 7 - Jul 18
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Bring life-like movement to animation! Learn core principles of animation and apply these techniques to animated shorts. Jump into the world of animation frame by frame. Create original characters, build storyboards, and bring your ideas to life using both hand-drawn and digital techniques while learning to use Adobe Animate with Wacom graphics tablets.
Perfect Motion: Intro to Animation
Nefertiti Abdulmalik
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Jul 28 - Aug 8
1:30 PM - 4 PM
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Ready to stitch up some serious style? In this cozy-meets-cool sewing class, learn how to read patterns and create your very own pajama pants and hoodie. You will also remix an old hoodie with a fresh fit or funky flair and add your own fashion label. This class is about creativity, sustainability, and designing clothes that are so you.
Slumber Party: Sewing with Patterns
Jennie Harned
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 28 - Aug 8
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Learn the fundamentals of filmmaking and video editing, and use those new skills to create your very own movie trailer. Get comfortable capturing footage, working in Adobe Premiere Pro, and understanding the video production pipeline. No previous experience is required!
“Coming Soon” Movie Trailers
Grade: 6, 7, 8
Jul 28 - Aug 8
10 AM - 12:30 PM
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Dive into the deep blue world of cyanotypes! Make prints from objects, drawings, and photos using this alternative photo printing method that uses sunlight. Use this unique process to make blueprints, maps, and artwork that represent you and your community.
Blueprints of Us: Cyanotypes
Grade: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Jul 7 - Jul 18
1:30 PM - 4 PM
Show Course Description
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New Student Open House & Registration [Summer 2025]
May 17 & June 7
Marwen, 833 N. Orleans Street
Become a Marwen student and take classes in Summer 2025!
