Glassell School of Art

Exceptional place! I can’t imagine a better art school (junior school) for children. My children take art classes here which they enjoy a lot. We drive 45 minutes each way which is totally worth it. It seems our children will take classes here until they graduate from high school!

I’m happy to be in a city that offers these kinds of things. My daughter attended every Thursday for almost the entire school year. The price is affordable and it’s nice for my daughter to be around other kids who enjoy art also. She was inspired and always had a good time in class. Great environment~

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! the Glassell School of Art. I took two photography classes here in high school through the junior school (Glassell for kids ages 4 – 18). My instructor for the intro class was none other than Amy Blakemore, currently exhibited at the MFAH, and she was great. I think I spent almost every day in the darkroom that summer, and I loved it. The mix of junior school and adult students allowed collaboration and sharing of techniques, almost like mini-​apprenticeships. And I can’t tell you how many times people gave me fiber paper or other stuff to try out.
Tuition back then was $ 150, now its $ 220. Still pretty cheap for top-​notch instruction in top-​notch facilities.

I was a Glassell student thanks to a program at University of St. Thomas which allowed me to earn a minor in photography as part of my BA. Though the degree plan for St. Thom’s art major is screwy, which is why I decided not to double-​major, I honestly believe that I couldn’t have received better instruction anywhere else in town. Glassell is a largely underground institution to those who aren’t in the know, but if you want excellent teachers and university-​level classes without the price tag, Glassell is a fantastic community resource.
Classes are offered in jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, drawing, photography, painting, design… the list goes on. My experience is mostly with the photography program, whose jewel is their very active film program. The facilities for wet darkrooms here are probably the finest and most well-​stocked in the city. Most, if not all of the instructors at Glassell, have terminal degrees in their field, so you are, in fact, getting university-​level instruction. I had to take two semesters of drawing for my minor, which, as a photographer, just about killed me, but I have to admit I learned a lot, even though I’ll never be a prodigy. All teachers are also actively exhibiting artists.
Even if you’re not taking classes for credit here, Glassell has its own program which includes a «Certificate of Acheivement» for taking a specific number of courses within your specialty, along with required foundation classes. You can stop in here during business hours and check out the student shows at the end of each academic year – though some students at Glassell are more recreational, others utilize the courses as upper-​level instruction without the accompanying university price tag. You’ll definitely see some work that inspires you. During the year, core fellows (artists with their Master’s degrees who receive a stipend from the MFAH as they transition to being working artists) also exhibit their work intermittently.
I would love to start at Glassell again – they have a digital darkroom class which I curiously wasn’t allowed to take as part of my degree plan, though it was taught by an instructor with an MFA – but I’m slapping myself on the hand and making myself resist until I have my student loans paid off. Until then, I’ll fondly remember the peaceful moments in the zen-​like quiet of the darkroom.

I wholeheartedly approve of this part of the MFAH. All of my experiences with the Core fellows (graduate students/​post-​graduates who are transitioning from school to the «real art world») have been educational, and there’s at least one fellow each year who’s up to something great. The Glassell school offers all sorts of art classes for all ages, from jewelry-​making to figure drawing and portfolio preparation. The school also brings art to the general public through its outreach programs — check the website for more info. This isn’t the kind of place to visit necessarily, though you can tour the Core fellows’ studios on occasion.