MC offers summer art camps for youths, community classes for adults

Adult students can learn how to 'throw' pottery on a wheel during upcoming ceramics classes taught by Mississippi College Department of Art faculty.

Faculty in the Department of Art at Mississippi College are inviting children and adults to explore their creative side this summer during community art classes in the Aven Fine Arts Building and at the Gore Arts Complex on MC’s Clinton campus.

Nate Jarnagin, administrative assistant in the MC Department of Art, said the classes help MC Art stay connected to the community.

“These camps and classes provide community members an opportunity to learn art skills,” said Jarnagin, who taught community classes in pastels and woodworking in March.

“Each day, participants have the opportunity to make art and learn something about art in a hands-on, practical way. It’s not a bunch of lectures: MC art faculty demonstrate how to do a technique, then the students put it into practice. It’s a great way to develop artistic skill.”

Jarnagin said the camps are a great recruiting tool for the department.

“The camps plant the seed that, if art is something a student wishes to pursue, MC is the place to do it,” he said. “Teenagers who learn digital illustration or photography at camp discover that MC is a great place to continue learning after they finish high school.”

A “Young Artists Camp” for rising second-to-sixth-graders is scheduled from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday to Thursday, June 22 to 25, at the GAC. The youngsters will make art each day using a variety of materials and processes, from ceramics and sculpture to painting, drawing and printmaking. The weeklong classes cost $150 and include all art materials, insurance, and an apron.

Older students who want to explore a specific artistic medium will enjoy the “Teen Summer Art Camp,” scheduled from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Aven and from 1 to 4 p.m., Monday to Thursday, June 22 to 25, at the GAC. Rising seventh-to-twelfth-grade students can choose between digital illustration and photography in the morning sessions, and acrylic painting, ceramics or pastels in the afternoon classes. Registration costs $200 for either the morning or afternoon sessions or $350 for both sessions, and includes all art materials, insurance, and an apron.

Adult art classes are also offered at the GAC. Each month, Art Department faculty host a class for adults in a variety of disciplines. The classes are scheduled on three successive Saturdays and typically last four hours.

Ray Gregory, MC associate professor of art, will teach a class on wheel-thrown ceramics from 9 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. on June 6, 13 and 20 at the GAC. Students will learn how to “throw” pottery on the wheel or improve their current throwing skills. Some pieces will be fired and glazed. Students of all skill levels are welcome. The class costs $150 and includes all art materials.

Watercolor enthusiasts can learn a variety of techniques or improve their painting skills during classes taught by Anthony Thaxton, adjunct faculty in the Department of Art and an award-winning painter, from 9 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. on July 11, 18 and 25. By the end of the classes, participants will create a painting suitable for framing. Students of all skill levels are welcome. The $150 fee covers all art materials.

The adult classes will continue throughout fall 2026. Elisa Payne, MC assistant professor in the Department of Art, will teach printmaking classes on Sept. 12, 19 and 26; Randy Miley, MC professor of art and chair of the department, will teach papermaking classes on Oct. 3, 10 and 17; Albert Smathers, MC professor of art, will teach oil painting classes on Nov. 7, 14 and 21; and Chase Quarterman, MC assistant professor of art, will teach drawing classes on Jan. 9, 16 and 23, 2027.

For more information or to register for the Young Artists Camp, the Teen Summer Art Camp or Adult Community Classes, visit art.mc.edu/events.