Unleash your child's creativity.
At CCAD, we provide the resources and mentorship for creatives to discover their true passions. But this isn’t just at the undergraduate and graduate level. An interest in art and design takes shape at a young age. We see the kids who crush sidewalk chalk and make their own paint. The ones who color outside the lines. The ones who build cardboard cities. We’re here to help unleash their creativity and watch their love of art grow. Learn more below.
Future artists, animators & fashion designers
CCAD has one of the largest and oldest youth art programs in the country. From animation and drawing to fashion design and photography, our classes connect students to hands-on projects and experienced faculty who are passionate about art education. Keep reading to learn about current and future opportunities at CCAD or sign up to receive email updates.
Give the gift of art and design
Introducing gift cards for Youth & Community Learning at Columbus College of Art & Design! Use this link to purchase a gift card. Gift cards do not expire and can be used for any future programs, including Saturday Morning Art Classes, Creative Summer Workshops, and College Preview.
Creative Summer Workshops
Columbus College of Art & Design’s Creative Summer Workshops offer the perfect way for kids, teens, and adults to explore their creativity. Classes are held weekdays; 9 a.m. to noon for the morning session, or 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. for the afternoon session, plus a Saturday session for adults!
Lunchtime childcare is available at an additional cost for students who sign up for both morning and afternoon classes. Please note that food is not provided.
Classes in: Art and design for young artists, botanical art, printmaking, fashion design, animation, 3D illustration, digital comics, painting, puppetry, game development, and much more!
Registration: Workshop admission will open on Feb. 21, 2023. Email [email protected] with any questions regarding this program.
Cost: $210 per weeklong session (includes tuition, registration, and all materials), $75 for lunchtime care. Need-based scholarships available.
Course Catalog
Refunds are granted according to the following policy:
- I understand that I may request to withdraw my student(s) from a course up to two weeks prior to the start of a class by emailing [email protected] for a refund of 100% minus a $25 administrative fee per course. There are no refunds thereafter. Nonattendance does not constitute a withdrawal.
- Please note that classes may be cancelled due to low enrollment. Registrants with cancelled sections will be offered an alternative class section for their young artist, or a full refund for their class registration. Our staff will contact registrants no later than five days before the start of the scheduled session.
- Saturday Morning Art Classes run concurrently with college semesters, with one 10-week session in the fall and spring of each academic year. Creative Summer Workshops begin in the second week of June of each year and conclude in early July.
- Each Saturday Morning Art Class and Creative Summer Workshops session will focus on the same subject for the duration of your registration.
- Registration for Saturday Morning Art Classes begins one month before registration closes. Registration for Saturday Morning Art Classes closes two weeks before the start of each session. Registration for Creative Summer Workshops begins in late March, with registration closing one week prior to each session.
- Due to the logistics of staffing, supply ordering, and class rosters, we are unable to accept new registrants past a program’s enrollment deadline.
- The grade recommendations listed with each course are present to help enrollees make the best decisions regarding the needs of their young artists and are not mandatory. Please note that we do not allow students younger than 10 in our digital classrooms.
- Refunds are granted according to the following policy: I understand that I may request to withdraw my student(s) from a course up to two weeks prior to the start of a class by emailing [email protected] for a refund of 100% minus a $25 administrative fee per course. There are no refunds thereafter. Nonattendance does not constitute a withdrawal.
- Please note that classes may be canceled due to low enrollment. There is no administrative fee or other penalty applied to registrants who need to withdraw and receive a refund due to COVID-19 or other illness.
Alumni and Veterans both receive a 10% discount and the codes can be obtained by contacting our department directly at [email protected].
- Programs within Youth & Community Learning at CCAD are enrichment-oriented classes designed to build skills and confidence in a supportive environment. Currently we do not offer certificates of completion for any Youth & Community Learning Programs. If you would like a letter of recommendation after completing a course, please contact your instructor.
- Our classes are designed to accommodate learners of all skill levels and prior experience. If you or your young artist would like increased rigor and independence while utilizing our professional studio spaces, please discuss these needs with your instructor.
- The tuition fees for all Youth & Community Learning programs are inclusive of material fees. You do not need to bring any additional materials to class, unless you have your own supplies you would prefer to work with.
- Students will often have the opportunity to take work home with them, either physically or by uploading their digital work to a USB drive or digital storage drive. For Saturday Morning Art Classes, students will take their work home with them after they visit the Saturday Morning Art Classes Exhibition.
- You will be notified of your scholarship status at least one week before the start of the program session.
- We have two options for scholarship applicants looking for a seat in our programs. You can either register and pay for the class, and you will be offered a refund if awarded a scholarship, or you can enter a wait list for the class you are interested in. However, if that class fills, your scholarship amount will be applied to a class with seats available.
- Each scholarship offer is contingent upon the class and program specified in your award email. Scholarships cannot be applied to other classes and sessions outside the specified program detailed in your scholarship offer.
- As a growing campus with frequent updates to our lab spaces, we often change where classes are held and where students should park. You will receive an email within two weeks of the start of your program with a campus map, pickup and dropoff instructions, and your classroom location.
Future Programming
CCAD College Preview
High school students grades 10 through 12 considering a future in art and design can get a taste of what college is like while also earning three college credits. During this three-week residential program, students will experience college-level instruction in their desired major in the morning, alongside closely mentored professional development, collaborative workshops, and electives taught by Columbus artists and CCAD faculty and staff in the afternoon.
Classes in: Advertising & Graphic Design, Animation, Comics & Narrative Practice, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture & Design, Photography, and Film & Video
Cost: $3,450 (includes three college credits, three weeks of on-campus residence, all meals, and all required supplies)
Film Columbus Teen Screenwriting Workshop & Competition
Are you a local teen, and do you love movies? Come learn how to write a screenplay with Film Columbus and CCAD! The 2023 Film Columbus Teen Screenwriting Competition is a free, two-part screenwriting workshop for Columbus-area teens ages 13-18 with CCAD’s Chair of Film & Video Kingsley Nyarko. The first workshop covers the basics, from plot to protagonists, followed by a big homework assignment: writing a screenplay. The second workshop gives students a chance to receive feedback on their work and hear from their peers and the instructor. After the workshops, students are encouraged to submit a 3-5 page script. Industry professionals will judge the scripts and select 2-3 winners, whose screenplays will be made into short films in Fall 2023 by CCAD students. These films will premiere publicly in Spring 2024, and you’ll be invited! To register for the workshops, please visit this link.
“When it became clear that my daughter had a passion for art, I began taking her to the CCAD Saturday morning art classes. Those classes set my daughter on her path as an artist and museum educator.” –Carrie Lacey Boerio, mom and artist
Saturday Morning Art Classes
CCAD's popular Saturday Morning Art Classes run concurrently with the college semester, with one 10-week session in the spring and fall. During the session, students will have the chance to dive into their medium of choice, with classes ranging from traditional arts to art & technology. The session will culminate in a student exhibition, where we will showcase artworks from all ages and mediums in one space! Registration for the next session of Saturday Morning Art Classes for youth and adults will open in fall 2023. Stay tuned for additional details.
Refunds are granted according to the following policy:
- I understand that I may request to withdraw my student(s) from a course up to two weeks prior to the start of a class by emailing [email protected] for a refund of 100% minus a $25 administrative fee per course. There are no refunds thereafter. Nonattendance does not constitute a withdrawal.
- Please note that classes may be cancelled due to low enrollment. Registrants with cancelled sections will be offered an alternative class section for their young artist, or a full refund for their class registration. Our staff will contact registrants no later than five days before the start of the scheduled session.
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