University of Maine at Presque Isle offers summer art classes

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) – For the first time in a few years, aspiring artists will have the chance to spend the summer learning new hands-on skills through in-person art classes at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.

The first session to begin is the clay boot camp for people interested in sculpting and ceramics. In July, a photography course will also be offered as part of the summer lineup. University officials say the classes are designed to be short, intensive, and open to learners of all ages.

“I love those classes because they’re shorter, which means they’re more intense, but they tend to pull in more community members than traditional-age students,” said Heather Nuñez-Olmstead, fine art and art education assistant professor at UMPI. “Throughout the art classes, actually, we have a lot of community members that will just come in and take classes for audit, or a lot of folks that are over age 55, so they’re able to take advantage of the statewide tuition assistance program, tuition forgiveness program for over age 25 to retirees. So it’s a great place for both traditional-age students and these retirees and community members in between to kind of come together with common goals.”

Nuñez-Olmstead said the summer session begins next week with the clay boot camp, and the photography class starts in July. In addition to art courses, other summer classes, online and in person, are available through the university. More information can be found through the admissions office: https://www.umpi.edu/admissions/.