smARTIST in Residence: Stencil, Spray & Street Art with Brent Houzenga
Explore stencil making, painting, and spray art with New Orleans artist Brent Houzenga. In this four-week residency, participants will experiment with cutting stencils, abstract painting, wearable art, and spray painting while exploring the artist’s influences in street art, abstraction, portraiture, and experimentation. No prior experience is necessary; come ready to make, experiment, and get a little messy.
October 6: Introduction to Stencil Making
Learn the basics of stencil making using an X-Acto knife while exploring abstract designs, portraiture, and lettering. Participants attending all four sessions can develop more complex layered stencils throughout the series.
October 13: Indoor Abstract Painting with Stencils
Use handmade stencils, tape, and intuitive mark-making to experiment with abstract shapes, intersections, color combinations, and geometric forms.
October 20: Put It on a T-Shirt
Transform stencils into wearable art by creating designs on T-shirts using spray dye on white shirts and bleach on black shirts.
October 27: Outdoor Spray Painting
Bring your stencils and masking tape outdoors to create spray-paint masterpieces on canvas, combining the techniques explored throughout the residency.
5-6:45PM
ages 18+ | $30 a class
Drop in for one class or join us for all four!
Beyond Realism: Self Portrait through Printmaking
Go beyond the traditional self-portrait and explore how identity can be expressed through line, shape, texture, and symbolism. Over four weeks, learn the foundations of linocut printmaking while transforming your own image into a bold, personal print. Experiment with abstraction, pattern, exaggeration, and visual storytelling to create a self-portrait that captures more than what you see in the mirror.
November 5: Beyond the Mirror
Students will learn the basic process and vocabulary of linocut printmaking while exploring blind contour drawing, expressive line, shape, pattern, texture, and symbolism as ways to communicate identity.
November 12: Distort & Discover
Students will use a photographic reference to experiment with different materials and ways to explore simplification, exaggeration, distortion, and symbolism while developing a personal composition for their final linocut.
November 19: Cut & Carve
Students will develop carving skills and use line, texture, positive and negative space, and contrast to translate their self-portrait design into a printable linoleum block.
December 3: Self Prints
Students will refine their printing techniques, create a final edition of their self-portrait prints, and reflect on how their use of imagery, symbolism, and mark-making communicates personal identity.
Thursdays, 5-6:30PM
ages 16+ | $100 for 4 week course
FREE this fall with code FREEFALL at checkout
Mastering the Scene: Technique Unlocked!
This 4-part series will be a crash course in some of theatre's most foundational techniques: Stanislavski (Psychological realism), Meisner (Repetition & Interconnection), and Hagen (Object Exercises & Transference). We'll go over these techniques to build believable behavior, collaborating with scene partners through instinct and active listening, and bringing high-stakes reality to the stage in a scene!
November 5: Stanislavski
Students will be introduced to Konstantin Stanislavski and the foundations of his approach to acting. Rather than treating Stanislavski as a list of complicated acting rules, students will explore how actors use imagination, circumstances, objectives, and personal connection to create believable behavior onstage.
November 12: Meisner
Students will learn the basics of Sanford Meisner's approach and explore how listening, responding, and staying present with a scene partner can create truthful acting.
November 19: Hagen
Students will learn the basics of Uta Hagen's approach to acting and explore how personal experience, imagination, and everyday behavior can help create believable characters.
December 3: Putting it all together
Students will choose a scene and use the techniques explored throughout the month to develop a deeper understanding of their character, circumstances, objectives, and relationships
Thursdays, 5-6:30PM
ages 16+ | $100 for 4 week course
FREE this fall with code FREEFALL at checkout
Jazz Funk / Hip-Hop
High-energy, sassy, sharp, and full of attitude. November brings a fun combination of Jazz Funk and Hip-Hop, giving dancers the opportunity to push their performance quality and individuality. Expect bold choreography, dynamic movements, strong musicality, and plenty of personality. Dancers will explore different textures and rhythms while working on precision, confidence, and stage presence. This month is all about letting loose, taking up space, and having fun with movement.
November 5: Jazz Funk
High-energy, sassy, and full of attitude. Dancers will explore sharp jazz-funk choreography, musicality, and performance quality while building confidence and learning to bring their own personality to the movement.
November 12: Hip-Hop
Groove, bounce, and attitude take center stage. This class focuses on rhythm, musicality, texture, and individuality through fun, dynamic hip-hop choreography designed to get dancers moving with confidence.
November 19: Jazz Funk
Bold movement meets big personality. Dancers will work on precision, strong lines, dynamic transitions, and performance quality while exploring choreography that encourages them to take up space and truly perform.
December 3: Jazz Funk x Hip-Hop
A high-energy fusion of jazz funk and hip-hop with plenty of style and personality. Expect dynamic choreography, musicality, sharp details, and room to let loose, have fun, and make the movement your own.
Thursdays, 5-6:30PM
ages 16+ | $100 for 4 week course
FREE this fall with code FREEFALL at checkout
Creative Classrooms
Bring creativity into your classroom. Join KID smART Teaching Artists for hands-on professional learning that equips educators with practical arts integration strategies to engage students and enrich everyday learning.
Select Wednesdays
October 14 – Art for ALL: Make-N-Take Sensory Boards
October 28 – Creating with Electricity
November 4 – Layers with Levees
November 11 – Everyone Is an Artist: Social Practice and Teaching Through Process, Interaction, and Connection
December 2 – S.T.E.A.M - Playing with Light
December 16 – Mindfulness in the Classroom
5-6:30PM (Dinner and networking provided at 4:30PM)
for educators | $20
Creative Clubhouse
It’s back! Create, explore, and make art—free every Saturday! Creative Clubhouse is a welcoming, hands-on studio experience where artists of all ages can experiment, connect, and create without judgment.
Saturdays beginning September
Visual Art, Drama, Dance!
9AM, 10AM, 11AM
all ages | FREE
Creativity x Community
brings people together through free, hands-on art experiences led by KID smART's incredible community partners. Join us on Saturday afternoons to create, connect, and discover local organizations offering inspiring programs for families across New Orleans. Open to all ages—children must be accompanied by an adult.
Saturdays - check our calendar for who we are collaborating with!
1PM
all ages | FREE
smARTIST in Residence: Figurative & Collage Works of Art with Cypher
In this four-week residency, participants will explore figurative and collage-based art while experimenting with image transfer, composition, and mixed-media techniques. You’ll learn how to select an image, transfer it onto canvas, and build it into a finished collage using wet media, acrylic paint, and found materials. No prior experience is necessary; come ready to experiment and create with local artist Cypher!
November 3: Introduction to Figurative & Collage Art
Explore figurative and collage-based works of art while learning about the techniques and approaches you’ll use throughout the residency.
November 10: Selecting & Transferring Your Image
Choose an image to work from and learn how to transfer it onto canvas as the foundation for your piece.
November 17: Collaging & Building Your Composition
Layer your transferred image with collage materials, experimenting with composition, texture, and mixed media to develop your artwork.
November 24: Wet Media, Mixed Media & Finalizing Your Work
Bring your piece together using acrylic paint, wet media, magazine materials, and other mixed-media techniques to add color, texture, and dimension.
5–6:45 PM
Ages 18+ | $30 a class
Drop in for one class or join us for all four!