arts education

For those who prefer to continue classes from home, look no further than The Umbrella's virtual painting classes with popular painting teacher Kat O'Connor! These classes are for intermediate to advanced painting students in watercolor painting and oil and acrylic painting.

As the Ceramics Studio continues to re-open for our community this summer, The Umbrella will resume its month-by-month independent drop-in access to the studio to use our wheels, handbuild, or glaze. This program is for experienced ceramics students who have taken at least one ceramics class, and are automatically included for students enrolled in semester-long classes. Clay is available for purchase, and you can reserve your time slots for June, July, and August now!

As we slowly work our way back towards in-person classes and workshops again, The Umbrella is happy to announce three new and unique photography workshops with Brent Mills! 

Brent is a professional photographer and videographer, and the owner of Brent Mills Photo and Video based in Cambridge, MA. He has taught photography and videography classes both in the States and internationally, and has displayed his work in galleries around the world.

The Umbrella Arts Center is now registering for its second Spring 2021 session of virtual, hybrid and select in-person arts classes and workshops for all ages and in a variety of media.

Although The Umbrella's classrooms at 40 Stow Street remain largely closed for in-person arts instruction due to the pandemic, it has spent most of this year innovating The Umbrella @Home programming, with virtual arts instruction delivered through multiple distance-learning methods and platforms.

The Umbrella is delighted to welcome our new ceramics technician, Zachary Mickelson! Zachary is a ceramics artist and educator, with a decade’s worth of experience teaching ceramics to diverse sets of students. Mickelson has added in the development of ceramics studios and programs throughout the Boston area, and we’re lucky to have him helping to guide us as we begin the phased re-opening of our studio facilities next month.

Are your kids all Zoomed out from online classes? Do they want to learn new skills and express themselves creatively without a preset schedule? If so, then The Cartoon Animation Lab (@ Home) and The Mixed Media Animation Lab (@ Home) from The Umbrella Arts Center will be the perfect opportunity for your child to learn and create at home.

The Umbrella Arts Center is now registering for its Winter 2021 session of virtual and hybrid arts classes and workshops for all ages and in a variety of media.

Although The Umbrella's classrooms at 40 Stow Street remain closed for in-person arts instruction due to the pandemic, it has spent most of this year innovating The Umbrella @Home programming, with virtual arts instruction delivered through multiple distance-learning methods and platforms.

Are your kids all Zoomed out from online classes? Do they want to learn new skills and express themselves creatively without a preset schedule? If so, then The Claymation Lab (@Home) from The Umbrella Arts Center will be the perfect opportunity for your child to learn and create at home.

Passed by Congress in 2010, House Resolution 275 designates the week beginning with the second Sunday in September as National Arts in Education Week.

Dance Lessons Continue

By Wendy Loveland

Julia Deter teaches tap and musical theater dance classes at The Umbrella to students who’ve been with her for years. This familiarity hit a hiccup when COVID-19 arrived. Suddenly, the classes stopped, and started again, this time online via Zoom.

Dance, transposed to Zoom, brought with it some challenges. Most concerned sensory input, and aspects of studio space that both instructors and students take for granted. Others concerned the technology.