Cherry Court Studios is the only after-school art program in the greater Pittsburgh area to offer middle school families:

• A curriculum for grades 7 – 9.
• Goal-oriented, sequential lessons.
• Lessons that appeal to and challenge ages 12-14.
• A strong foundation in both design, drawing, and painting.
• Individualized instruction.
• Lessons oriented to the high standards of Scholastic Competition.

Our program: Kids in middle school love a challenge. That’s why video games are so popular. Cherry Court’s ©ART CHALLENGE for Middle School takes kids on a quest to complete 14 EXCITING CHALLENGES, starting with the simplest and progressing through more and more complex levels of creative problem-solving. The prize is a completed million-dollar (perhaps priceless) portfolio. Art Challenge takes advantage of students’ rapidly developing motor skills and abundance of creative energy. Spring semester begins Sunday Feb. 4. Open studio runs each Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Each student establishes a two-hour work session within this time frame suitable to their schedule. Semesters are 17 weeks long.

Our exemplary foundation program ©ART CHALLENGE for Middle School is now offered as an online course. Middle school students, as well as older students who are just beginning their art studies, are invited to begin a carefully organized, sequential course of study covering foundation design, drawing, and painting. This program now offers individualized instructional packets designed for distance learning, allowing students to proceed with study at home at their own pace.

Veteran educator Marianne C Massucci will mentor each student through weekly contact. Interaction will be flexible and suited to each student’s needs including:

• Challenging, fun, expertly designed instructional packets
• 17 two-hour work sessions per semester
• Individualized instruction at the student’s own pace
• Weekly evaluation of student artwork by instructor
• Weekly individualized progress notes from instructor
• Video chatting
• Email question and answers
• Phone availability
• End of semester report card
• Design Medal at program completion.

Program requirements for families wishing to enroll in online studies:

1. Student must be in at least grade seven and must read at a seventh-grade level.
2. Student must have access to a computer and printer.
3. Student must have a separate email address from parents for receiving instructional packets and download the Google Duo app on their phones or devices for video chatting.
4. Student must be able to email screenshots of work in progress each week.

©ART CHALLENGE for Middle School is an innovative instructional package, developed and implemented at Cherry Court Studios in 2006. It is one of the few programs on the market today that meet the developmental needs of middle school students: designed by a veteran educator, tested for years in public school classrooms, expertly crafted to build skills from basic to complex, offering individualized Challenges designed for students to work at their own pace, complete with instructional packets and richly illustrated example artwork.

Click HERE to see the complete course outline.

This course is available to those in grades 9 and up who have completed 12 Challenges of the ART CHALLENGE program.

Our exemplary foundation high school program Intensive Skill Development is now offered as an online course and open for registration spring, 2023. Semesters are 17 weeks long beginning Feb. 3. Open studio will be offered each Saturday, 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Within this time frame each student establishes a two hour work session suitable for their schedule.

This program consists of twelve expertly designed lessons building on the strong foundation of the Art Challenge program.* This program, like Art Challenge, is self-paced and individualized. The average student will complete this course in four semesters. Students will create three projects in each of four areas of focus:

• Illustration
• Observational drawing
• Painting
• Design

Students may approach this course with different degrees of urgency. Some plan to attend a top university as an art major. These students are encouraged to invest more time in assignments and complete work at a faster pace. On the other hand, students who are studying art just for the enjoyment of the subject can take a more casual approach to the course.

*First-time students, ages fifteen and older, with limited art background must register for the foundation program Art Challenge. First-time students with prior art experience may apply for acceptance into the ISD program by submitting a digital portfolio of no less than twelve works. The works must include:

• at least one drawing or painting demonstrating a mastery understanding of one-point perspective.
• at least one drawing or painting demonstrating a mastery understanding of two-point perspective.
• at least one drawing or painting demonstrating a mastery understanding of shading.

You’ve dedicated your life to family and work and now have some time for you.

You’ve always loved to draw, and long to finally explore your creative side. Your experienced instructor, Marianne C Massucci, will design an individualized program based on your current skill level, and guide you through a sequential series of lessons to advance your understanding of drawing and design, develop your skills with art materials, and mentor you on your quest to discover your personal style.

Private lessons at CCS include:

1. A free evaluation and discussion of your creative goals.
2. 17 art lessons, 2 hours per lesson.

Tuition:

Private adult lessons for age 19 and up …. $500 (welcoming college age to seniors).

• Students will supply art materials.
• Lessons are available week-day afternoons.
• You may begin adult art lessons year-round.