Education

OXY ARTS is committed to free and accessible
community-based arts education.

At OXY ARTS we believe that arts & culture play a vital role enriching lives, inspiring imagination, and strengthening the bonds that make our community thrive. Our free programs support our goal of integrating art, creativity and collective gathering into every day life.

We offer free after-school workshops in our gallery, programs at local LAUSD schools, field trips, and online lesson plans. Discover more about our education programs below.

Occidental College students teach local LAUSD middle school students.

COMMUNITY STUDIO @ Oxy Arts

OXY ARTS hosts a series of free after school art classes for local 4-8th grade students. The workshops are held in our gallery space and taught by Occidental College students, who develop original lesson plans under the guidance of teaching artist Patricia Yossen and OXY ARTS staff. New workshops are offered every semester and each session is 6 weeks long. 4+5th grade workshops are held on Wednesdays and 6-8th grade workshops on Mondays. Past workshops include knitting, printmaking, drawing, zine-making, painting, and ceramics. Workshops are free and all materials are provided.

These workshops are only open to students who live in or attend school in Highland Park.

Registration for the next round of classes will be posted in Spring 2026. Contact us at ffleming@oxy.edu if you have any questions or would like to be added to the waitlist.

MAKING SPACE WORKSHOPS

Throughout the year we offer all ages art making workshops in our gallery space. The Making Space series is constantly evolving - our staff and undergraduate student educators develop projects inspired by the current exhibition. These workshops are open to youth and adults of all ages. Families are encouraged to attend together. Youth artists under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult guardian.

Check our upcoming events page to see the next Making Space workshops.

Teacher helping a student select natural ink.

Occidental College students teach local LAUSD elementary school students.

COMMUNITY STUDIO @ LAUSD

Our education program includes free art programs on-site at local Highland Park LAUSD elementary schools and a free field trip program. We currently work with Toland Way, Garvanza, Buchanan, Monte Vista and Yorkdale Elementary schools. You can access free lesson plans from these classes at our lesson plan archive.

You can also schedule a free field trip to OXY ARTS with a guided tour of our current exhibit and art activity! If you are a local educator interested in visiting OXY ARTS or learning more about our arts education program, please email ffleming@oxy.edu.

Community Studio @ HOME

Create your own art projects at home or in the classroom! Visit our lesson plan archive to access free lesson plan guides and artist-led videos. Students, teachers, and parents are invited to use these resources at home or in the classroom.

View all Lesson Plans

Group of people observing Mario Lewis's "Forest Notebooks"

Flesh of the Forest Activity Guide

Embossed Plantscape Lesson Plan

Patricia Yossen Community Studio video lesson

Miniature sculpture video lesson with Patricia Yossen

The OXY ARTS Community Studio programs are made possible by the generous support of the Kathryn Caine Wanlass Charitable Foundation, the Reed Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation.

OXY ARTS is committed to free and accessible community-based arts education.

COMMUNITY STUDIO @ Oxy Arts

MAKING SPACE WORKSHOPS

COMMUNITY STUDIO @ LAUSD

Community Studio @ HOME

OXY ARTS is committed to free and accessible
community-based arts education.