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What started out as a place where children could have
fun and learn to express themselves through the visual arts has become
a highly popular center for instruction and classes in a wide variety
of media for both youngsters and adults.
There are classes and programs for adults and children of all ages at
Schol-las-ti-ca Art, all taught by professional artists
Scho-las-ti-ca Art, in the rear of Dixie Belle Shops
at 12187 South Dixie Highway, offers art training for all age groups,
from pre-schoolers to adults. There are classes in fine art, pottery,
sculpture, stained glass, glass mosaics, acrylic and oil painting,
watercolors, drawing, pastels, portraiture, photography, cartooning,
animation, Chinese brush painting and clay magic.
Toddler & Me classes, where parents accompany
their little ones, are taught in the morning. In the afternoon, there
are multi-media arts classes for elementary school children, some of
whom participate with their parents. They learn a wide variety of
skills, including cartooning and animation. Evenings are devoted to
classes for teenagers and adults. Classes range from sculpture to
stained glass and from photography to portraiture. There are also
classes covering many of these subjects on Saturday for children and
adults.
Classes are conducted throughout the year and the
studio also is the site for several camps; a spring break camp,
special holiday camps and a summer Camp. Summer sessions are conducted
in six two-week segments June through August and include programs for
both elementary school children and teenagers.
The studio also is a popular place for birthday
parties and scouting troops, whose members use the facilities to work
on the projects required for merit badges in fine art, pottery and
photography. Portfolios also are prepared for magnet schools.
Scho-las-ti-ca Art was started in 1997 by Carmen
Costa, an art director, and her husband Bill, a pilot. It has
attracted so many students that it has expanded to three times its
original size. The studio is equipped with everything necessary for
students to produce projects from start to finish and recently a
complete darkroom was added to allow photography students to learn how
to make black and white prints and create special effects.
"As you would expect, the children who come here
have a wonderful time," said Costa. "But, I am especially
pleased with the studio's popularity among adults. The credit for that
must go to our truly exceptional group of artist-instructors."
Most of these instructors are professional artists and
many exhibit their work in a gallery within the studio several times a
year. Many artiststudents donate some of their work to two yearly
art sales. The proceeds go into a scholarship fund enabling young
people -- who may not otherwise be able to afford them -- to take the
art, pottery or photography courses.
The credentials of the artist-instructors at
Scho-las-ti-ca Art are indeed impressive. Christine Prive, a full time
art teacher, is in charge of the pottery program. She has a bachelor
of fine arts in pottery and painting from the University of Miami and
a master's in art education from Florida International University. She
also is a painter, a sculptor and a photographer, and is a member of
the Lowe Art Museum, Miami Art Museum, Dade Art Educators Association
and the Miami Potters Guild.
Photography instructor Edgar Muñoz has studied
photography all his life and attended the Universidad de Chile and
Universidad Católica de Chile. He is a master of darkroom and special
effects technology, has taught special techniques to other
photographers and has exhibited his work in South Florida galleries.
Muñoz dissects the photo process into understandable steps and works
individually with each student.
Ernesto Sanchez, the studio's popular oil painting
teacher, earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University
of New Mexico. He exhibits his paintings and sculpture in South
Florida galleries and in his native Columbia. He has won numerous
awards for his work.
Cartooning and animation are taught by Deborah
Schilling, an award-winning illustrator and painter. She received a
Bachelor of Fine Arts from the New York School of Visual Arts and a
master's degree in motion picture and animation production from the
University of Miami. Her work has been exhibited in galleries in New
York and South Florida. She is working on a collection of drawings for
a series of children's books.
Rossana Montoya teaches multi-media art classes,
plaster sculpture and painting. She has a fine arts degree from
Catholic University of Peru and is working on a bachelor's degree from
Florida International University. Her paintings and sculptures have
graced the walls of many galleries, banks, hotels, universities and
consulates in South Florida and in Peru.
Sheryl Dutton, the newest member of the
Schol-las-ti-ca Art team, is a talented multi-media artist
specializing in sculpture, painting and drawing. She is adept at
teaching children in the Toddler & Me class, as well as older
youngsters in the Saturday classes. Dutton attended the Atlanta
College of Art and is working on her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at
the University of Miami.
Susan Shamon teaches watercolor classes and is a
recipient of the prestigious Windsor Newton Award. She has exhibited
in many U.S. galleries, is a member of the National Museum of Women in
Arts, Florida Professional Artists Guild, American Society of Portrait
Artists and the Miami Watercolor Society.
For more information, please call (305) 235-0511.
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