Summer Art Camps!

New camp themes! Miniature worlds and Mushroom Madness!

Kids ages 7+ are our ART EXPLORERS!  Students in these camps explore creation through paint, paper, pencil, and clay sculpting (sometimes with a theme). Mixed ages are welcome, up to age 12 or 13.

  •  Arts Explorer, Session 1 (July 14-18) 2:30pm-5:00pm FULL
  • NEW Mushroom Madness, Session 2 (July 21-25)
  •  Arts Explorer, Session 3 (Aug 4-8) 2:30pm-5:00pm 5 spots left
  • NEW Miniature Worlds, Session 4 (Aug 11-15):

Creativity in art spills over to every day life! Sign your child up for a camp today! 

All teen camps are full, but email us to be added to a waitlist.

New Drawing & Painting classes for summer

We are welcoming a new 2-d teacher to our staff, Sami Beaton!  There are new 2-D classes on the schedule!

Jump into new morning and daytime watercolor or drawing classes with Mattea or evening Drawing or Acrylic painting classes with Sami.

View the schedule for the summer here: https://www.550arts.com/classes/adults-teens/

Spring Cleaning Pottery Sale!

Score pottery at a get-rid-of-it price! All handmade here in Manchester, NH. Pieces might have small blemishes or glaze defects.
Open 12-8PM Monday March 24 through Saturday March 29th
Three elements to the sale:
1) Discount pottery made by members and staff at Studio 550
2) Donated pottery (by students, staff, and members) where proceeds benefit the Art for All Fund.
3) $1 pottery sale! Purchase abandoned workshop pottery that has been here waiting for it’s maker to come and get it for over 8 months. Proceeds benefit the Art for All Fund (We provide scholarships to local kids and adults to attend art programming at Studio 550 at a discounted rate).

Maker’s Lounge is live!

Grab your crafting buddies! Make glass mosaics or paint handmade pottery!

Book table time and you can each choose your own project!

Save a seat at the table! https://www.550arts.com/classes/pyo/

Mosaics:

  • Make a puzzle where there are no wrong pieces and anything goes.
  • Sift through lovely and colorful glass to find what you want for your arrangement.
  • Finished projects can be wall decor or coasters.
  • Glass edges have been “softened” so the activity is open to youth as well. We’ve tested the mosaics with as young as 6 and it worked out, though we wouldn’t recommend any younger.
  • Just like PYOP projects from the MYOM (make your own mosaic) space will be left here with us to finish with grout and an optional hook in the back for hanging.

Paint your own HANDMADE Pottery:

  • Pick a pot
  • Paint your design on it with underglaze paints
  • That’s it! Leave it with us and we will clear glaze and fire it so it is food safe and ready for you to use and love again and again.

 

Fall classes start soon! Winter session registration opens mid-October!

No time like the present.

Why wait to try something new when you could jump into an art class now! Fall session begins Sept 30th and the registration for the Winter January-March session opens mid October.

Learn Acrylic Painting, Watercolors, Drawing, pottery, clay sculpting, wheel throwing and stained glass!

Beginners welcome in all classes!

Monster Hunt August 24th!

The Monster Hunt returns to Manchester August 24th

Find a Monster. Keep a Monster. Discover Downtown. 

 

Downtown Manchester, NH- On Saturday, August 24, 2024, the Monster Hunt returns to Downtown Manchester. This is the 12th year of the family-friendly outdoor art hunt, where Studio 550 makes 100 red clay monsters and hides them downtown.  

 

Studio 550 hopes that by putting art out in the streets people will find joy in walking their city in search of the unexpected. 

 

Monster Finders get the immediate reward of being able to keep the monster. All searchers are asked to keep only one, even if they see more, so the joy can be shared by as many people as possible.  

 

The public all ages hunt begins after a kick-off meeting at 10:50AM at City Hall Plaza. At the meeting you’ll get the rules, tips, and prizes before you head off on the search! The hunt goes until they are all found (which is pretty quick).  

 

Monsters will be concentrated in the heart of downtown on Elm Street between Bridge St and Studio 550 at 550 Elm. All Monsters will be placed in public places. Typically, they like to hide in places that people see every day, but normally do not have a reason to keep looking. Monsters LOVE public art. 

 

From 10:45AM-1PM Studio 550 will be hosting a number of low-cost hands-on activities at 550 Elm Street.  In addition to a medallion-for-monster trade-in and raffle to win a Studio 550 Gift Card, visitors can also make their own clay monster, try the pottery wheel, and make a plant habitat for their new found friend. There will also be sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and rock painting.

 

Monster Medallions: We are hiding reusable Monster Medallions in lieu of the actual monsters. Bring your medallion to Studio 550 at 550 Elm St that day to trade in the found coin for your one-of-a-kind monster. 

 

Kids-only Hunt: There will be a mini-hunt for little ones before the public hunt! The DoubleTree Hotel at 700 Elm has graciously allowed use of the green space in front of the Center of NH. The mini-hunt begins at 10:30AM and is for littles 5 and under.  Look for the colorful pennant flags! There will be 25 monsters available in this youth hunt, and all hunters get a free monster sticker, whether or not they find a clay monster.

 

Sweet Treats: To sweeten the deal, a handful of downtown businesses will also be offering specials or activities to those who find a monster. The Manchester City Library BookMobile will be at City Hall Plaza (no monster required!), Queen City Cupcakes will have a limited supply of monster cupcakes, and Dancing Lion Chocolate will have an artful chocolate coin for anyone who finds a monster. 

  

No purchase is necessary, but Monster-Seekers and Monster-Finders are encouraged to stay downtown to eat and to discover what our city has to offer. 

 

Questions about the hunt can be directed to 603.232.5597, info@550arts.com. More information can also be found on the Studio 550 website  https://www.550arts.com/about/monsterhunt/ and FB Event page https://www.facebook.com/events/1125846722052264

Summer Youth Art Camps & Clay for Kids Scholarships

Summer camps are available for registration online!  Scholarships can be used for after school programs or school vacation camps!

As many of you know, we sell abandoned workshop pottery for $1 each if it’s been here for over 6 months. The proceeds of these sales goes to provide scholarships so local youth can attend art programming here at half cost.

If you would like to apply for a scholarship, please download the form at the top of our Youth Programming page: https://www.550arts.com/classes/family-kids-2/

  • Teen Clay Camp Session 1 (June 24th-28th) 2:30pm- 5:00pm
  • Teen Clay Camp Session 2 (July 22nd-26th) 2:30pm-5:00pm
  • Teen Clay Camp Session 3 (August 12th-16th) 2:30pm- 5:00pm
  • Teen Illustration (July 29th- Aug 2nd) 2:30pm-5:00pm
  •  Arts Explorer Camp Session 1 (July 8-12am) 2:30pm-5:00pm
  •  Arts Explorer Camp Session 2 (Aug 5th-9th) 2:30pm-5:00pm

Summer Session Open for Registration!

Crazy enough, just as soon as they were offered, the evening pottery classes have already filled up. Please email info@550arts(dot)com to be added to the evening class waitlist. Things do shift last minute and sometimes spots open up, so let us know if you’re interested!

Other classes to choose from:

  • Stained Glass
  • Soft Pastels
  • Acrylic Painting
  • Drawing
  • Watercolor Painting
  • Clay – Pottery Wheel (daytime and saturday classes)
  • Clay – Hand Sculpting (afternoon and evenings)

Adults and teens 15yo+ are welcome to join. Learn more here. 

Spring Session Open for Registration

We are adding Soft Pastels to the class offerings!

Other classes to choose from:

  • Stained Glass
  • Acrylic Painting
  • Drawing
  • Watercolor Painting
  • Clay – Pottery Wheel
  • Clay – Hand Sculpting

Adults and teens 15yo+ are welcome to join. Learn more here. 

Winter Session Update

There is still space in Oil Painting, Watercolors, Acrylic Painting, Drawing, and daytime stained glass classes.

 

All clay hand building classes are full, and all pottery wheel classes are full.  Please email to be added to a waitlist.

 

Spring Session begins early April. Online registration opens 3 months prior.