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The art department at RHAP is committed to a vision of our next generation recognizing themselves as both artists and leaders who are able to expand all of our ideas of art and of leadership through their own personal, collective, and life-long creative practices. 

Sequencing and Scaffolded Learning: Growing Your Art Practice

Young RHAP artists will move through discovery (workshops) to the art collective (collaborating, innovating) to mentored studio practice (reflecting, discerning, leading).  These will be cumulative so, for example, workshops will not only be an entry point for all students, but they will always be able, invited, and encouraged to participate.  The Art Collective will decide what criteria makes the most sense for them (application/invitation) for students to “graduate” to this next level when they are ready and, finally, once students are ready to also work on self-identified and self-directed projects, they will be ready to “graduate” to add the mentored studio practice.  A capstone or culminating project will be presented to the larger RHAP community, celebrated, and invited into more leadership positions as co-facilitator and mentor for the next generation of RHAP.

Building Capacities

Throughout the curriculum at RHAP, students develop four main capacities: Contemplative Practice (Being), Studio Habits of Mind (Making), Discernment and Embodiment in Social Context (Reflecting and Connecting), and Leadership and Listening (Presenting, Publishing, Performing).  Putting “Being” at the center, we believe self care, mindfulness, mutual aid, community support and learning are central to developing the capacities to a lifelong creative practice.  This always happens within the context of our embodied, social selves and lives that give literacy and support to naming systems and narratives of domination and to building art spaces that refuse them in order to move collectively and personally more toward freedom.

  • Tuesdays 5-7pm

    This course deals with design theories and textual analysis.  Emphasis is placed on script analysis in general, as well as the investigation of design principles from a designer's perspective.  Students also refine technical skills in rendering and presentation, historical research, and analysis.

  • Wednesdays 4-5pm

    This beginning art class teaches the elements of art.  This course is designed as a beginning art class for students wishing to pursue upper level art courses as well as for those who wish to satisfy their Fine Arts requirements for graduation.  Students will explore basic art media and techniques, such as drawing, painting, graphic design, photography, collage, ceramics, printmaking, and sculpture and more!  Art criticism, aesthetics, and art history are an integral part of the class. 

  • Fridays 6-8 pm

    The goals of RHAP’s Music Program are to:

    • Introduce our students to creative freedom.

    • Assist our students in their creative expression.

    • Respect our students’ desires for certain types of creative expression.

    • Provide our students with a safe, productive, and caring environment (respect the emotional needs of our students as they are progressing).

    Most of our music lessons combine group singing, beat-making and electronic music production with recording.  We also have tutors giving one-on-one lessons in piano, ukulele and electric guitar.  As in our visual art classes, our lesson plans balance skill-building with play and critical thinking

  • Thursdays 5-7 pm

    Discover the exciting intersection of digital and traditional art forms in this immersive class. Students will learn to blend digital techniques with physical media, using tools like tablets, paint, collage, and more to create dynamic, multimedia pieces. Perfect for artists looking to expand their creative toolkit and experiment with new, innovative ways to express their vision.

  • Fridays  4-6:30 pm

    BKLYN CLAY has been happy to host RHAP students for a series of lessons in ceramics. Students have been taught the basihand-buildingilding, wheel throwing, and surface design - including glazing and using varied materials.  Through this work, students have been encouraged to put down their devices and use their hands to express themselves.

  • Tuesday through Thursday 3-4:45pm

    We offer homework help three afternoons a week during the school year.  Our volunteer tutors work with students one-on-one.  When homework is finished we work with some of the students in academic areas that need extra attention.  We follow our students’ grades and when needed we meet with parent/guardians and school guidance counselors.

  • Saturdays 12 - 3 pm & 3:30-5:30 pm

    The Artists Notebook/Studio Notes will build rituals, habits, and spaces to grow and develop our artist notebooks.  Older RHAP students talk about their notebooks with reverence and will help teach this practice to new facilitators and younger students.  Students will do reflections, inspiration boards and collage, “drawing with words” noticing practices, daily invitations to carve out time for silence and reflection.  There will be a space in RHAP for students to keep the notebooks as we build analogue personal and organizational archives.

    The Artists Conference/Studio Visits: The artist conference emerges from the artists notebook and is a periodic chance to step back and reflect on the artist practice.  Facilitators, the art director, and mentors will build a conference schedule together so that each student is having a one on one conference monthly, a small group conference (with the Artistic Director and two other artist-mentors/facilitators/alumni) twice a year and able to report back to each other, write letters of progress for their file, and think together about how best to support each young artist.

Community Workshops

  • Wednesday 5:30-7pm

    Everyone needs a little help coping with stress.  RHAP’s Stress Management workshops teach our students how to recognize stress and develop personalized self-care practices.  RHAP provides healthy alternatives to risky behaviors by supporting positive goals