My Saturdays at the Art Academy

My Saturdays at the Art Academy

For two years I have been a student at the Southwest Michigan Visual Art Academy. To become a student at SWMVAA you need to have an interview with the director, Kirk Lowis. The prospective student brings in their portfolio of recent artwork. You then talk with Kirk and tell him why you like art, what you want to learn, and things like that.

The first class I took was called Studio Two. In this class we learned drawing techniques and color theory and design. We were taught to sharpen our visual and observational skills and learned how to see through the eyes of an artist. I have also taken a photography class at SWMVAA. In this class we not only took photos, but also learned how to develop black and white photos along with color pictures. The photography class was one of several elective classes that are offered throughout the year. The elective classes are fewer hours and focus on one topic. Other elective classes offered are set design, painting, computer graphics, animation and art history classes.

Currently I am attending the Apprentice class. In many ways this class is a repeat of the Studio Two class except that we get even more in-depth. The class lasts four hours on Saturdays. The final class that a student would take would be Intensive Arts. This class allows the student to focus on the area of art that they are most interested in. I would like to study photography.

If you are really interested in delving deeply into art I recommend taking these classes.

Southwest Michigan Visual Art Academy
132 N Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 223
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
call (616) 345-7630.

Classes begin in September and run through March.