Welcome to MCAD!

Thank you for choosing to participate in the annual Summer Youth Program at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. We are confident that your child will have a richly engaging experience.

There are several important details that we would like to share with you before you join us. Please read the following information and contact us with any further questions that you may have about your child’s class or any of our policies.

Studio Kids Ages 5-7

The Studio Kids 5-7 classes are led by a professional artist and are modeled to reflect a hands-on working and dynamic studio environment. Each session focuses on the exploration of images and concepts related to that week’s theme and is designed to help students develop their creative confidence and skills through fun and challenging multidisciplinary art lessons. Students expand their art vocabulary while creating with color, line, composition, dimension, pattern, form, and texture.

Lead Artists:

Jane Meyer earned her MFA at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design with a concentration in painting and mixed media sculpture. Ten years ago, she also obtained her K-12 teaching license and MEd. She now teaches art to approximately 600 K-5 students, leads a school-wide service-learning project to help feed the hungry, and organizes an annual student art show which showcases over 1,000 pieces of art in the Minnetonka Public School District. Meyer has taught with MCAD’s Studio Kids, teens, and adult Continuing Studies classes since 1997, and she has experience teaching museum-related classes through the Walker Art Center, Minnetonka Center for Arts, Minnesota Children’s Museum, and others. (MFA/MCAD, MEd/University of Minnesota)

Erika Olson Gross earned her Master's Degree from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2002 with a focus on painting. She has taught kids, teens, and adults with Continuing Studies for the past ten years. Prior to that, she taught summer art classes at St. Paul Academy for several years. Olson Gross' drawings and paintings have been exhibited across the country, including a recent show in the MAEP Gallery at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Olson Gross is a recipient of a McKnight Fellowship for her painting and sculptural work and was included in the 2011 issue of New American Paintings. She is also the mother of two little boys (her muses) and currently works out of her Minneapolis studio drawing and painting, as well as sewing hand made toys. (MFA/Minneapolis College of Art and Design)

First Day of Classes

Drop-Off and Pick-Up

Please drop off and pick up your child on the south side of the main building and enter through the south side parking lot and doors (see map at bottom of page). Short-term parking is available for drop off and pick up. We kindly request that you do not use the MCAD circle drive adjacent to Stevens Avenue as it can become rather busy. Please escort your child to his/her class every day. We also request that parents sign in their children with the instructor or teaching assistant(s). Children must not be dropped off earlier than 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the class and must be picked up immediately upon conclusion of the class. Though MCAD does employ a full-time Public Safety staff, your adherence to this policy helps ensure the safety of all youth.

NEW! Morning before-care (8:00-9:00 a.m.) and afternoon (3:30-5:30 p.m.) after-care arranged through the Children’s Theatre Company is available to students enrolled in an MCAD Studio Kids class. Register here.

For parents taking advantage of the CTC child-care option, please coordinate the drop-off or pick-up of your child and our trained Teaching Assistants will escort your children to and from the MCAD campus classrooms. They will not be left unsupervised at any time.

Art Supplies

Please review the class description for any materials that may be required for the first day. Other class information will be presented at the first meeting.

Last Day of Classes

Friday Family Day

Parents with children in the 5-7 or 8-12 year old classes are welcome to join us every Friday for a special presentation of each student’s work in the class. Other family members are encouraged to visit and support the students, as well. It is an exciting and proud opportunity for students to share all that they have learned and experienced while in the class.

Schedule:

Ages 5-7 classes: every Friday morning and afternoon at 11:40 a.m. and 3:40 p.m.

Ages 8-12 classes: every Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

Information and Policies

Clothing Recommendations

Due to the sometimes messy nature of studio art making activities, we recommend that students wear clothes that are appropriate for painting, building, and working with a variety of stain-making materials. It is also recommended that students wear closed toed shoes to protect their feet during class time as well as outdoor break time.

Snacks, Lunch, and Food Service

Each day there will be a break, outside if weather permits. Students are encouraged to bring their own small snacks and drinks, providing an insulated bag for anything to be kept cool. Students with food allergies must take care not to share snacks with other children in case of possible exposure to allergens. Children will be required to wash hands before and after snack time as a precaution.

Attendance Policy

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class. If your child will need to miss a day or will need to leave early from class, please contact Continuing Studies at 612.874.3765 or continuing_studies@mcad.edu.

Student Conduct

MCAD reserves the right to dismiss a student when his/her actions show disrespect for other people or property. Once a child starts the program week, tuition and fees cannot be refunded for subsequent dismissal, withdrawal, or absence.

Medication/Personal Items

If your child requires prescription medication (with the exception of an Epi-Pen), please bring it in the original container and give directly to the instructor at check-in. Children with Epi-Pens for allergies must keep the pen on their person at all times, either in a waist pack or on a lanyard.Please do not send: electronic games, phones, listening devices, toys, dolls, stuffed animals or any item of value, such as jewelry or money in any form. MCAD Studio Kids Program assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged personal property.

Personal Safety

MCAD employs the service of an independent firm that performs a thorough background check on all the faculty, staff, and assistants we hire. These employees are also required to read and sign our rigorous policies regarding sexual abuse. If a complaint or investigation provides knowledge or reason to believe that child abuse has occurred, MCAD will comply with Minnesota Statute 626.556, Reporting of Maltreatment of Minors. This statute states: “Any professional who has knowledge of or reasonable cause to believe a child is being…physically or sexually abused shall make an oral report immediately by phone (to the appropriate state agency) to be followed as soon as possible by a report in writing.” Contact the Director of Continuing Studies at 612.874.3778 or at lara_roy@mcad.edu if you have any questions or concerns.

Refunds

All withdrawals and transfers are subject to a $25 non-refundable registration fee. Non-attendance does not constitute withdrawal.

In addition, tuition refunds are issued according to the following schedule:

• If a student is withdrawn 14 or more business days prior to the first class meeting, tuition, less registration fee, is refunded.
• If a student is withdrawn 7-13 business days prior to the first class meeting, 75 percent tuition, less registration fee, is refunded.
• If a student is withdrawn less than 7 days prior to the first class meeting, no refund is issued.

Late registrations are not allowed for summer youth classes.

To ensure that refunds are processed promptly, students (or parents) must notify the  Continuing Studies department at 612.874.3765 immediately to withdraw from a class. All refunds are processed from the date Continuing Studies is notified, not the date the student last attended class. Please allow up to four weeks for processing.