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!

Call (612) 870-6323 or register online »

download registration form »

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing Vessels, Form, and Volume

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Concentrate on creating the expression of three-dimensional objects on the flat page. Class discussion will focus on shading techniques used in drawing to represent form and volume. Draw from the objects in the exhibition "Basins, Baskets, and Bowls--Women Explore the Vessel."

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Drawing Fundamentals--Exploring Line

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Line is the first visual element in drawing. Discuss various types and uses of line and look at examples in the visual presentation. In the galleries, draw from selected works, exploring and applying various uses of line.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing Objects of Design

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Representational drawing requires one to see the relationship between three-dimensional forms and spaces in nature and the flat shapes drawn on the paper. Class discussion and slide presentation will explore this transformation and approaches to use in applying it. Draw from the exhibition "Chairevolution!"

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Drawing Fundamentals--Exploring Shape

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The flat drawing is in fact a compilation of interconnected shapes representing both form and space. It is critical for the artist to see and represent shapes accurately. Discuss various types of shapes, focusing on the underlying geometry of forms. Draw in the gallery to explore these concepts.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online »..

Seeing through Sketching--The Role of Subject

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Art involves the interrelationships among subject, form, and content. Subject is the starting point for the viewer, and often for the artist as well. Discuss and define subject matter and its role in the creative process. Draw from the prints in the exhibition "Beware Her Wiles: Woman as Temptress in the Renaissance Tradition," which explores female roles from the Bible, mythology, and contemporary life.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Drawing Fundamentals--Exploring Value and Shading

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The value scale is the range of dark to light the artist uses. It is a basic expressive element in drawing, critically important to understand and apply. Explore the value scale and apply it to your own drawings.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing Master Prints from the Collection

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The broad variety of printmaking techniques allows for a wide range of expressive potential. By looking at and drawing from prints, you will learn the strengths of both linear and tonal approaches to the drawing process. Class discussion will cover the basic printmaking methods and drawing techniques.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Drawing Fundamentals--Exploring Volume and Mass

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The magic of a drawing is often found in its clear representation of forms with a strong sense of volume. Explore techniques the artist uses to create this illusion of both object and space. Draw in the galleries from historic works that use these approaches.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing Native American Art

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Concentrating on works from the museum's permanent collection of Native American art, you will explore and draw the various visual characteristics notably found in these works. Class discussion will focus on the process of blocking in a form through identifying its underlying geometric shape.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Drawing Fundamentals--Exploring Texture

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Many people have had the experience of wanting to touch a work of art. Texture is an important visual property that draws one into a work of art. The types of texture we find in the visual arts and the important qualities for their accurate representation will be the focus in the galleries.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Seeing through Sketching--Expression in Color

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Draw from the early 20th-century Expressionist paintings from the permanent collection. This rich artistic movement allows for free and open use of color. Concentrate on the expressive use of color and some of its most important manifestations.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Drawing Fundamentals--Exploring Color, Color Terms, and Properties

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

This class will define the basic terms and properties of color. View slides illustrating these properties and use what you've learned as you draw in the galleries.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing American Art of the 19th and 20th Centuries

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Focus on 19th- and 20th-century America's historic embrace of realism and learn drawing techniques helpful in accurate representation. Draw from the museum's permanent collection of American paintings and sculpture from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Drawing Fundamentals--Exploring Color, the Color Wheel

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Working in color requires an understanding of the color wheel and how to find one's way around and through it. Learn how to use spectral color. Draw in oil pastel or colored pencil, and explore the use of optical mixing through broken color.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

To register, call (612) 870-6323, or register online ».

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing African Art

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth Wenzel

Want a deeper relationship with the MIA's collection? Sketch it! These sessions complement special exhibitions and lectures at the MIA to build your knowledge of best-loved artworks in multiple ways. In November and December, try your hand at drawing Native American art, the art of the Expressionists, American art from the 19th and early 20th centuries, and art from Africa.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

Fee per session: $30; $22 MIA members. To register, call (612) 870-6323 or go to artsmia.org.

Drawing Fundamentals--Exploring Color, Color Schemes

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth Wenzel

Expand your potential while going back to the basics. Focus on the elemental vocabulary of two-dimensional art, and explore of texture and color. Whether you're just starting out or have an impressive portfolio of work, these sessions offer something for everyone.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

Fee per session: $30; $22 MIA members. To register, call (612) 870-6323 or go to artsmia.org.

Seeing through Sketching--Natural History Prints

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Nature is filled with organic forms of beauty and substance. In this class students will draw from artworks on view in the collection rotation, "Natural History." Students will focus on approaches to successfully representing organic shapes and forms using blocking.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Creating Beauty

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

While attitudes about beauty may change over time, the artist's job has always been to find and reflect beauty. Students will discuss the idea of beauty and how to communicate it using art materials.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing Venice on Paper

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Capturing the quality of light on and around any subject is critical to artistically representing the subject. Students will discuss the importance of understanding various lighting circumstances and how to depict them. Drawing practice in the galleries will be from the special exhibition "Venice on Paper."

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Enhancing Our Environment

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

We are surrounded by art in our daily lives, in places we work and live and through pubic art. Students will discuss the significance of art appreciation and draw from works in the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing the Love of the Gods

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Creating a sense of movement in a drawing gives the work life and substance. Gesture is the key to this expression. Students will practice gesture drawing, copying works from the exhibition "Love of the Gods."

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Elevating the Commonplace

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Artists see things in different ways, which is one of the joys of viewing their art. Finding unique beauty in commonplace objects and events is possible through seeing them differently. Students will discuss this process and learn ways to enhance and develop it.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Contemporary Works on Paper

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The range of recent and contemporary art is amazing. Drawing from works on paper in Gallery 263, students will explore ideas of representation and abstraction.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Reflecting on Nature

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Nature is the source of much art and design, reflecting our connection to the world. Students will discuss this idea and view examples of art that communicates the sublime. Participants will draw from landscapes in the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing Objects from the Pacific Islands

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The Pacific Islands Gallery (276) includes a range of fascinating objects from which to study and draw inspiration. Concentrating representational techniques, students will draw from sculptures in this gallery.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Expressing Religious Beliefs

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Art has expressed spiritual and religious beliefs throughout time. Students will discuss this purpose of art, look at notable examples, and draw from religious themed works in the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing African Art

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Texture often draws people into works of art. The African Galleries (250-254) offer a wonderful opportunity to study and draw textures and patterns. Students will discuss and employ techniques for representing textures in the galleries.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Creating Harmony and Order

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Harmony is created through visual relationships in a work of art; it engages the viewer by creating order and meaning in the work. Students will discuss the importance of harmony, look at successful examples, and draw from works in the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Drawing Works from Southeast Asia and India

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The Southeast Asia and India Galleries (second floor) offer a unique opportunity to explore rhythm and movement in the three-dimensional works on view. Schematic symbolism is found in the wall arts of this region. Students will discuss rhythm as a principle of design, and define symbolism and iconography in the visual arts.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Immortalizing Individuals

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

A great portrait captures and communicates the character of a subject. Students will discuss and practice drawing the human head from paintings and sculptures in the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Two-dimensional Art of China, Korea, and Japan

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The MIA has a broad selection of hanging scrolls, hand scrolls, and album pictures from Asia, on view in the second-floor galleries. These works offer an opportunity to study subtle gradations of line and tone. Students will discuss the use of these visual elements and draw from works in the collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Revealing Truths

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

One sees the world in his or her own unique way; to communicate that vision to others is a powerful aspect of art. Students will look at examples of art whose truths have stood the test of time. Draw from such works of art in the museum's Modernism collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Creating Implied Space

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Drawing represents form and space, in both exterior and interior works. Students will discuss ways to create successful representations. Draw spaces from the museum's Period Rooms on the third floor and other open areas in the galleries.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Expressing Fantasy & Invention

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Every work of art involves imagination. Invention is key to the connections made in great art. This class will look at historical examples of fantasy and invention in the visual arts. Students will draw from modern and contemporary works in the new wing of the museum.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Representing Drapery

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Studying draperies is a longstanding tradition in representational drawing. Students will draw draped figures from works in the third-floor European galleries, and class discussion will cover the "anatomy" of drapery and how to successfully represent it.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Enhancing Daily Life, Functional Art

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Think about all the objects around you that are both beautiful and functional. Students will look at slides of functional objects, discuss their beauty, and draw from such objects in the museum's permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Realist Expression

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Drawing volumetric objects accurately requires an understanding of the five basic geometric solids that underlie all forms. Learn how the artist sees them within more complex forms and use them to begin the drawing process. Draw from realist works, including the fine examples of Dutch still lifes in the MIA's collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Telling Stories, Art as Narrative

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Art can visually tell stories based on a narrative structure. Students will look at examples of narrative art and draw from works in the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Blocking and Mass

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Drawing three-dimensional complex forms such as the figure requires an artist to understand the process of blocking to create a sense of mass. Discuss techniques and practice drawing works from the exhibition "Beauty and Power: Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Collection of Peter Marino."

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Recording Life Experiences

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Artists start from their unique life experiences in their journey to communicate and express themselves. Their works become records of those experiences. Students will look at such work and talk about specific examples. Draw from the works in the MIA's permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Shape

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The draftsperson distills the three-dimensional world into the two dimensions of the flat page primarily through shape. Students will discuss and define the major shape categories and learn helpful ways to see them more clearly. Draw from works in the MIA's permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Protesting Injustice

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

"The pen is mightier than the sword" suggests the power of art as a tool of societal change. Students will look at historic examples of art that protested injustice, and draw form works in the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Using the Gray Scale

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

The value, or tonal, scale is one of the major tools for drawing volume, mass, and space. This class will define the scale and demonstrate its use. Draw in the Renaissance and Baroque galleries, concentrating on the gray scale.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Reflecting Social Context

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

Some artists skillfully pose questions through their work; viewers can contemplate them without a preconceived point of view. This type of reflective work can be subtle and powerful without being didactic. Students will discuss this idea, view historic examples, and draw from the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Seeing through Sketching--Converting Color to Value when Drawing

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

In drawing with tone, one of the challenges is translating the colors in nature to the grays of the value scale. Specific techniques and tools can help. Students will explore these techniques and apply them by creating monochromatic sketches of paintings from the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Sketching Themes and Purposes of Art--Reflecting on the Human Condition

Classroom 114 and museum galleries

Instructor: Kenneth P. Wenzel

All aspects of the human condition are potential material for artistic expression. Looking at examples from history, students will discuss this theme and draw from the permanent collection.

Sketching in the galleries classes are offered on Saturday mornings and afternoons from September through April.

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

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

Art of the Native Americans: The Thaw Collection

Coming Soon!

Sunday, October 24, 2010—Sunday, January 9, 2011
Target Gallery
Ticketed Exhibition (FREE for members!)

more »