Taught by professors and artists, these classes are designed for adults, and cover a variety of topics. Offerings include art history subjects that complement and enrich the experience of viewing art, as well as sketching classes in the galleries.

Members receive a discount on class fees!

Adult Programs Complete Schedule – Winter 2010 »

• Lectures »
• Sketching in the Galleries »
• Third Thursday »
• Art History Seminars »

Call (612) 870-6323 or register online »

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Sketching in the Galleries: Organic Shapes

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Organic shapes are the realm of nature and are critical to its accurate representation. This class will define basic organic shapes, learn drawing techniques to easily represent them, and look at works from history that use organic shapes effectively. Start with a short lecture, discussion, and slide show, then move to the galleries to draw from works of art that are good examples of the use of organic shapes.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323, or reserve tickets online.

register online »

Sketching in the Galleries: Historic Themes

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Drawing students must spend time studying and copying successful works from the past. This class will examine some dominant historical themes and various approaches used to communicate them. Students will draw from selected works in the galleries that express these themes. Start with a short lecture, discussion, and slide show, then move to the galleries to draw from works of art.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323, or reserve tickets online.

register online »

Sketching in the Galleries: The Cube and the Sphere

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Drawing can produce the illusion of volume on the flat page. Representing complex volumes starts with an ability to see and represent the basic geometric solids. This class will look at the cube and the sphere, the first two of the five basic geometric forms, and traditional ways of lighting them to express volume. Start with a short lecture, discussion, and slide show, then move to galleries to draw from works of art.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323, or reserve tickets on line.

register online »

Sketching in the Galleries: Form to Content

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

How does form support content to communicate the meaning of a work of art? This class will discuss the intersection of form and theme and deepen students' understanding of that connection. Start with a short lecture, discussion, and slide show, then move to the galleries to draw from works of art.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323, or reserve tickets online.

register online »

Sketching in the Galleries: The Cylinder, Cone, and Pyramid

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The artist sees complex forms in nature through their underlying geometry. The cylinder, cone, and pyramid are three basic geometric solids. This class will look at forms in detail and discuss traditional ways of lighting to emphasize volume. Start with a short lecture, discussion, and slide show, then move to the galleries to draw from works of art.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323, or reserve tickets online.

register online »

Sketching in the Galleries: Finding Themes

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Copy works from the past and discover personal expression by exploring themes. Start with a short lecture, discussion, and slide show, then move to the galleries to draw from works of art.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323, or reserve tickets online.

register online »

Sketching in the Galleries--Drawing Landscape

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

While the landscape is inherently beautiful all year, spring is an especially good time to reacquaint oneself with its particular beauty. In this class students will concentrate on drawing from landscape works in the MIA's collection. Classroom discussion and slide presentation will focus on techniques for creating atmospheric perspective and implied depth.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Art History Seminar: Bronzes & Bric-a-Brac: Sculpture in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Pillsbury Auditorium

A sculptor first works on a clay or plaster model, then casts it in bronze. In this seminar, we'll examine bronze sculptures and discover precious inscriptions (foundry marks, cast numbers, and signatures). The class will discuss artistic, financial, and legal issues related to bronze casting.

Instructor Anna Tahinci, Ph.D., has worked at the Musee Rodin, the Musee d'Orsay, the Musee du Louvre, and the Harvard Art Museum. She has taught at Boston University Paris, at the Alliance Francaise, and at the University of Minnesota.

Fee: $45; $30 for MIA members.

Sketching in the Galleries--Creating Unity and Variety

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

A successful drawing must have visual unity as well as variety to maintain a viewer's interest. How does the artist use the visual elements to meet this need? You will draw from works in the MIA collection to learn how to maintain both compositional control and visual interest.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Drawing Figures from Master Paintings

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Copying master works is one of the steps in learning to draw. In this class we will focus on drawing figures from master paintings in the collection. Classroom discussion will concentrate on techniques of capturing a subject's character and completing the form through shading.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Emphasis

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Emphasis in an artwork is an area or passage that draws attention to itself. Subordination are areas or passages that are secondary, supporting the emphasis of the work. Explore compositional tools to successfully create such passages, while drawing from paintings in the MIA collection.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Drawing Figures from Master Sculptures

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Drawing real form in real space is the very definition of sight drawing, a critical step in learning to draw. In this class you will draw from real sculptures in their gallery spaces. Classroom instruction will concentrate on form representation.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Balance

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Great art "feels" right. It has an internal balance or equilibrium created by the relationships of its forms, spaces, and visual elements. This class will study the types of visual balance used in two-dimensional works, and practice by drawing from paintings in the MIA's collection.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Drawing Design Objects

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Still lifes are generally among the first subjects in learning to draw. Their great advantage is that they hold still and allow time for necessary contemplation. Using the MIA's wonderful collection of design objects, you will represent form in space while spending time in a unique area of the collection. Classroom discussion will concentrate on modeling form to create the allusion of volume and mass.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Art History Seminar: Auguste Rodin and His Collectors: from Self-promotion to an International Career

Pillsbury Auditorium

French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) worked hard to create his own legacy, to promote his work and to sell his sculptures to an international clientele. This seminar will investigate Rodin's patrons, their choices, and the taste of an entire era. The class will analyze Rodin's promotional exhibition of 1900 with an emphasis on American collectors.

Lecturer Anna Tahinci, Ph.D., has worked at the Musee Rodin, the Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre and the Harvard Art Museum and has taught at Boston University Paris, at the Alliance Francaise and at the University of Minnesota.

Fee: $45; $30 for MIA members.

Sketching in the Galleries--Sequence

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Sequence is the path or gesture in an artwork. After viewing the work as an ensemble we are drawn into its sequence. Line, both real and implied, creates this movement. Through the slide presentation and drawing from works in the MIA's collection we will study methods of using line to create directional forces and sequence.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Drawing Japanese Prints

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Japanese prints from the 19th century influenced modern French Art of that time. Their flat fields of color and space are still well worthy of study today. Classroom discussion will concentrate on shape and color, and you will draw from prints in the Japanese Galleries.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Contrast

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The juxtaposition of dissimilar elements creates contrast, an important aspect of successful works of art. Dramatic effects can be achieved by contrast, and subtle contrasts can affect the feeling of a work. You will explore various types of visual contrast in the classroom and practice by drawing from works in the MIA's galleries.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Drawing Chinese Scroll Paintings

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Chinese scroll paintings are beautiful to behold with their subtle dark and light values and expressive use of space. Classroom discussion will focus on atmospheric perspective and variations of values from rich blacks to high lights. You will draw from selections from the MIA's collection of Chinese works.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Proportion and Scale

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Scale and proportion are important principles of design. Understanding them is the first step in discovering their potential. Through slides in the classroom and drawings in the galleries we will explore and apply both.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Drawing Sculpture and Paintings of India

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The sculpture of India is noted for both gestural movement and static repose. This class will focus on capturing movement as well as depicting the weight and mass necessary to anchor a subject. You will work from pieces in the MIA's collection of Southeast Asian art.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Chinese Gardens

Pillsbury Auditorium

For over 2,000 years, people in China have linked themselves to the past through the visual and literary (and edible) fruits of their gardens. There, they admired antiquities, composed paintings, wrote poems, compiled histories, hosted drinking parties, ate banquets, and wooed lovers. Today, these early ideas reappear in diverse sites--from the MIA's reconstructed garden, to the "Lucky Bamboo" sold at The Home Depot.

Welcome spring with a virtual stroll through Chinese gardens. We'll begin with a brief history of gardens in China, the changing balance of nature and artifice, the use of plants and rocks, garden activities, and the relationship of gardens to the other arts.

Instructor Carol Brash is assistant professor of art history at the College of St. Benedict and St. John's University in Collegeville.

Fee: $45; $30 for MIA members.

Sketching in the Galleries--Rhythm and Repetition

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Rhythm is movement in time. Artists create rhythms in their work through a variety of devices, most often repetition. Creating rhythm in your own drawings is powerful. Explore ideas and applications of rhythm in this class.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Sketching in the Galleries--Drawing African Sculpture and Masks

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The African galleries at the MIA offer an opportunity to draw from both figurative sculptures and various masks. With a concentration on volume and texture, you will draw from selected works in these galleries. The classroom slide presentation will focus on three-dimensional works of African origin.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

Paris in Literature and the Visual Arts

Pillsbury Auditorium

Paris, the "City of Lights," has been a source of inspiration for writers and artists for centuries. In this multidisciplinary seminar, learn how to interpret works devoted to Paris in 19th- and early 20th-century literature (Hugo, Baudelaire, Balzac, Zola, Breton) and visual arts (painting, sculpture, decorative arts, photography).

Instructor Anna Tahinci, Ph.D., has worked at the Musee Rodin, the Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre and the Harvard Art Museum and has taught at Boston University Paris, at the Alliance Francaise and at the University of Minnesota.

Fee: $45; $30 for MIA members.

Sketching in the Galleries--Format

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Format is the shape of the two-dimensional picture plane. It is most often rectangular and influences the content of a work. The artist manipulates the visual elements using the principles of design within their specific format to create the object of expression. You will draw from works of art in the galleries, concentrating on how format affects their reading.

Fee per session: $30; $22 for MIA members.

To reserve tickets, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve tickets online.

In Pursuit of a Masterpiece

Sunday, October 18, 2009—Sunday, April 25, 2010
U.S. Bank Gallery
Free Exhibition

more »