The Baltimore Academy of Illustration is proud to announce the addition of our newest initiative, BAI Jr.
There will be no BAI Jr classes during the Fall 2023 semester.
PLEASE NOTE: Classes will be ONLINE and SYNCHRONOUS. All synchronous online classes are held in the Eastern Standard Time Zone
REGARDING CLASSES AND ENROLLMENT
Students may withdraw from classes and receive a full refund (less $20 processing fees) up until 48 hours before their class is scheduled to start. After that there will be no refunds for withdrawal. Please make a note of this: no refunds will be given within 48 hours of the start of the session. Instructor salaries are based on enrollment so, please, be thoughtful about last minute withdrawals. Please be aware, regardless of when the student was enrolled– even if was just before the class– no refunds will be given within 48 hours of the start of a class.
Please note that there will be no refunds due to a Covid outbreak.
We try to keep the classes open until the last minute as we don’t want to disappoint the students who have enrolled. However, if a class is under enrolled, it’s not feasible to continue. Knowing just when to close a class down can be tricky because people often like to enroll at the very last minute and it can be frustrating for parents and students who are looking forward to the class. In the event a class does not run due to under enrollment, we will notify the parents and give them the following choice: they can move their student to another class or receive a full refund (less $20 processing fees).
BAI Jr classes are for young artists ages 10-18. We will make exceptions and allow students younger than 10 if their parents believe that the workload won’t be too much for them and that they won’t be distracted or be a distraction to the other classmates.
No previous experience is required to take BAI Jr Basic classes.
PRICES
$600 per 6 week session (one 3 hours class per week for 6 weeks).
Please note:
A 6 week package means 6 weeks of one class.
There will be no refunds within 48 hours of the start of the first class of the session. This is regardless of when the student enrolls.
For Students:
The student will respect instructor
The student will respect classmates
The student will not use a cellphone during class
The student will not bring friends to class
ABOUT BAI JR
Since we opened in 2015, BAI has been asked repeatedly if we taught or would be teaching, classes for kids. Our mission and focus have always been offering a college-level illustration curriculum at a reasonable price. Unfortunately, teaching illustration to young students is akin to teaching them accounting—it’s not readily accessible unless they have an art education to use as a foundation to understand illustration which is, of course, a professional art.
However, as we continued to grow and establish BAI over the past 4 years, we felt that we’d finally come to a point where we were comfortable putting together programming to accommodate those parents who are looking for high-quality art instruction for their children ages 11-18. To that end, we’ve created BAI Jr.
Unlike some other programs, our instructors are working artists, have acquired their BFAs or teaching degrees, or will be upper-level art students in the process of pursuing their BFA at local colleges. To ensure the highest quality education, each instructor will be teaching from a curriculum created by the faculty of BAI which will reflect the school’s pedagogy and standards.
BAI Jr—Illustrators have to start somewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BAI Jr?
BAI Jr is a new initiative from The Baltimore Academy of Illustration. We’re always asked if we teach children but as an institution dedicated to teaching illustration at the college level, we aren’t able to dilute our curriculum enough to make it manageable for younger students while still keeping it at the absolute highest level required to fulfill our mission.
Illustration is an art and a profession and teaching it to young students is like teaching them accounting. They need that basic foundation of knowledge and practice (art for illustration, math for accounting) before they can progress to the level required to benefit from the BAI curriculum.
Now we’ve created BAI Jr to offer the kind of high-quality instruction in foundational art that students will need to successfully move on to upper-level illustration classes. Drawing, Painting, and Comics will introduce young artists to the basic concepts necessary to develop their skill sets and help them begin their artistic evolution.
Continuing Drawing, Continuing Painting, and Continuing Comics will be slightly more challenging and will serve as the next step in the development of those students taking the Basic courses as well as a starting point for those students who may already be a little further along in their art education and/or development.
What are the qualifications needed to enroll my child?
There are none. BAI Jr is open to all students between the ages of 11- 18. Ideally, students will be grouped by age and/or level of development. Please be advised there are no refunds on classes unless a class doesn’t run.
My kid is just starting out– will he or she feel frightened or over matched?
We expect that a lot, if not the vast majority, of students taking the Basic classes, will be new to art and may have little or no training or talent. That’s fine! We’re happy just to expose children to art. We strongly believe that art in all forms is important for the multi-dimensional maturation of every person. Unfortunately, at a time when schools are cutting back programs and galleries and museums are cutting back hours, it can be hard for young people to get that exposure. We’ll treat every student at BAI Jr the same regardless of the level of their talent. We’ll create a fun, safe environment that encourages experimentation and expression. We don’t believe anyone learns when frightened or intimidated which is why we’re offering small, intimate classes with a casual atmosphere and one-on-one attention from our instructors.
So, is this is like playtime then?
Nope! While we want to have a fun, relaxed atmosphere for our students, this is still an academic experience. They will be working during the class and there will be take-home assignments. Students will be treated with respect but will be required to give the same respect to their instructors and peers. Our intention is to give them the best art education possible while still encouraging them to have a good time.
Will BAI instructors be teaching these courses?
There may be occasions when BAI instructors are teaching these classes (as time and schedules allow) but the overwhelming number of classes will be taught by instructors who were handpicked by the ownership of BAI. BAI is very proud of the instructors we’ve assembled for this program. Unlike other art training for kids, BAI will only use working artists, artists who’ve obtained at least a BFA, and/or artists pursuing their BFA at the highest level. In addition, the instructors will be working from a curriculum created by BAI ownership. We intend for all BAI Jr courses to conform to the style and pedagogy of BAI proper to ensure that they are imbued with the same high quality as BAI classes.
Do you have goals for BAI Jr students?
Ideally, we want all of our students– BAI JR as well as BAI– to come away having enjoyed their time at the school. We hope that we can ignite a spark of interest for those unfamiliar with the world of art and that we can fan the flames of those who came in already entranced by the idea of creating images and expressing themselves visually. Everyone is different and each student has different needs and talents and while we can’t guarantee artistic success for anyone, we feel that our commitment to all our students offers them the chance to evolve. Whether they leave us having grown by miles or by inches, the idea that they learned something new and saw some evolution in their understanding of the subject or in their skill set is the goal for each person we have the honor of teaching.