Classes & Workshops
The Old Town Art Center
About the Old Town Art Center
Small class sizes allow students of all skill levels to take part in any given class. Instructors provide each individual student the amount of attention required. The focus is entirely on the visual arts – through drawing with pencils/charcoal and painting with oils, watercolor, pastels or acrylics. Figure Studio is open to all (these are drop-in classes and no advance registration is necessary). Sessions typically begin the first week of January, the last week of March and the first week of September. Short sessions are offered in the summer and toward the end of the year. Workshops are added periodically. Classes are offered during the day, at night and on weekends. A full class schedule will return in the Fall with studios, pastels and more.
Register Soon for WINTER 2024 Art Classes!
Oil/Acrylic classes will be available for 10 weeks beginning in January. Registration is required. Scholarships are available. If you plan to pay for a class at the first session, please call the office (312.337.1938) to place a registration hold for the class you would like to attend – this will help us to ensure minimum/maximum attendance.
Art Class FAQs
- OTTA membership is open to all
- Up to two art classes can be made up within a session
- There are no refunds after the 1st class
- Classes with fewer than five students may be cancelled – class size is limited to sixteen students.
- Students provide their own supplies
- Scholarships are available – please scroll down for complete information
- If you would prefer to pay by check or in person, please call the office (312.337.1938) to reserve your space.
Suzanne Flavin Scholarships
The Old Town Art Center offers financial aid through the Suzanne Flavin Scholarship Fund. Financial assistance is provided for the complete cost of a class and is offered for each full session – any media. To apply, please complete the application found here or visit the OTAC (1763 N North Park Avenue) to pick up a copy. Recipients will be announced two weeks prior to the start of the next session.
Promotions
Representatives from OTTA may take photos of participants and/or their artwork during class sessions. These pictures are for OTTA use only and may be used in publications and/or website. Please notify us if you would not like photos to be taken of you.
Art Classes
Please note: If you have any questions or run into any problems attempting to register, please send an email to info@oldtowntriangle.com or call us at 312.337.1938. Those 65 and older – use code “senior” for additional $10 off!
Foundational Drawing with Morgan Lyons 
Sundays | Oct 20 – March 16 | 3 to 5 PM | 15 Weeks
Oct 20, 27. Nov 3, 17, 24. Dec 8, 15. January 5, 19, 26. Feb 2, 16, 23. March 2, 16.
Fee: $300 non-members/$290 members
The mission of this class is to provide you with a strong drawing foundation. Welcome are experienced artists, beginners, and anyone interested in learning a new discipline. The goal is to copy historical drawings by master artists, but this is far from a step-by-step class. Instead, you’ll find the process to be a creative one as you find your unique way, learning to better trust your eye and intuition.
The methods that you will be introduced to will help you to better see and represent distances, lengths, angles, and the effects of light on a surface. With this kind of practice, you will start thinking in a different way and improve your sensory and motor skills.
We will go back to basics; pencil on paper. You can expect patient, focused guidance and valuable insight to take with you outside of class. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to see just how much you are capable of.
Figure Drawing with Morgan Lyons 
Sundays | Oct 20 – March 16 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM | 15 Weeks
Oct 20, 27. Nov 3, 17, 24. Dec 8, 15. January 5, 19, 26. Feb 2, 16, 23. March 2, 16.
Fee: $300 non-members/$290 members
Welcome to Foundational Figure Drawing. The mission of this course is to further, or provide you with, an understanding of the structure and rhythms within the human figure that have made it the favorite subject of artists for millennia. Additionally, you can expect a weekly opportunity to exercise your skill of representing anything you see through drawing. We’ll be working with Charles Bargue’s beautifully simplified figure drawings to accomplish these goals. I’m excited to share my knowledge of human anatomy and familiarity with academic figure drawing with you. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to see just how much you are capable of.
Oil & Acrylic Painting with Joe Taylor
Tuesdays | Jan 7 – March 11 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | 10 Weeks
Wednesdays | Jan 8 – March 12 | 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM | 10 Weeks
Fee: $300 non-members/$290 members
Students take on projects of their own choosing. Joe provides support in difficult areas; whether color, mass, shadows or any other technique that fails. His level of instruction is dependent on each individual student’s needs. This class is as challenging for experienced painters as it is exciting for those expanding their knowledge.
Pastel Painting with Kathleen Newman
SOLD OUT
Wednesdays | Jan 15 – March 12 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | 8 Weeks
**No class Jan 29**
Fee: $245/$235 members
Kathleen Newman studied at Chicago’s American Academy of Art and the School of the Art Institute. She has been awarded the International Association of Pastel Artists Master’s Circle Gold Medal status. She has earned her signature letters in the Pastel Society of America, American Society of Marine Artists and the American Transparent Watercolor Society. Her work can be found in many private and corporate collections.
Watercolor Painting with Kathleen Newman
Thursday | Jan 16 – March 13 | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | 8 Weeks
**No class Jan 30**
Fee: $245/$235 members
Kathleen Newman studied at Chicago’s American Academy of Art and the School of the Art Institute. She has been awarded the International Association of Pastel Artists Master’s Circle Gold Medal status. She has earned her signature letters in the Pastel Society of America, American Society of Marine Artists and the American Transparent Watercolor Society. Her work can be found in many private and corporate collections.
Watercolor Painting Tom Francesconi 
Saturdays | Jan 11 – March 15 | 10 AM – 1 PM | 9 Weeks
*No Class Feb 15**
Fee: $275/$265 members
Tom’s energetic teaching style and passion for painting combine to create a class that is enjoyable and informative. Any artist looking to break free of a careful, timid painting process will find Tom’s direct and representational approach very inspirational. Within this process, students learn how to create stronger, more effective visual statements. Expect discussions and demonstrations that allow you to see how Tom approaches work from start to finish. Ample opportunity is provided for everyone to paint with individual direction/guidance a priority. Students at every stage of experience are welcome.
Watercolor Painting Portrait Tom Francesconi 
Saturdays | Oct 26 – Dec 14 | 1:15 PM- 4:15 PM
*No Class Feb 15**
Fee: $275/$265 members
Tom’s energetic teaching style and passion for painting combine to create a class that is enjoyable and informative. Any artist looking to break free of a careful, timid painting process will find Tom’s direct and representational approach very inspirational. Within this process, students learn how to create stronger, more effective visual statements. Expect discussions and demonstrations that allow you to see how Tom approaches work from start to finish. Ample opportunity is provided for everyone to paint with individual direction/guidance a priority. Students at every stage of experience are welcome.