Create your own canvas of vibrant paintings in the style of Mark Rothko. Students (ages 16 and up) learn about brushes, paint application tools, canvas construction, color theory and how to build up multiple layers using modern acrylic paint and mediums. Instructor Grant N. Jackson holds an M.F.A. in painting from Florida State University and has taught courses at the CMA since 2003.

The Columbia Museum of Art welcomes artist Mark Rothko's son, Christopher, to the Museum for a book signing and an engaging conversation with exhibition catalogue editor Dr. Brad Collins.

"Having Christopher share heartfelt insight on his father's work gives our visitors a unique and very personal connection to the artist's family," CMA Executive Director, Karen Brosius, said. "CMA visitors are responding to Christopher's involvement in the TAP multimedia tour and his introductory essay in the catalogue in a powerful way. His visit will add more depth to their CMA experience."

Christopher has lectured extensively on his father's work at museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Art, Washington; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Getty Museum, Los Angeles; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and The Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. He writes and edits numerous pieces on his father's artwork, prepares many of the Rothko exhibitions and was closely involved with the planning of the Rothko Centennial celebrations in Latvia and Russia in 2003. He is the editor of the book of his father's philosophical writings on art, The Artist's Reality.

"What the 1940s means above all for (Mark) Rothko is change. It is change on every level – artistic, technical, philosophical, professional, personal, attitudinal, aspirational – change so palpable it nearly bursts the seams of every canvas," Christopher said. "Rothko enters the decade a figurative painter and leaves it one of the most strikingly abstract. This is an exciting journey, for the viewer, as it was for the painter. Rothko is looking for something, looking intently, and we can search with him."

The book, The Artist's Reality, and the exhibition catalogue (in hard cover and soft cover) are available in the Museum Shop.

A guided tour of the exhibition, Found in Translation: The Art of Steven Naifeh, offers insight into Steven Naifeh’s artistic background and his works.

A docent-led tour provides an overview of the Museum's collection of European and American art. This tour features masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, as well as the Museum's new American galleries.

Make your own patriotic masterpieces and learn all about American history in the galleries. These Americana pieces will inspire you from “sea to shining sea!”

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

Work with your hands and learn the history and the craft of folk art as you explore mediums such as clay, fibers and more!

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

From portraits to landscapes to still lifes — learn the basics of photography. Focus on digital photography, with some classic photography thrown in for good measure. You must bring your own digital camera.

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

Learn the fundamentals of metal working as you design and fabricate wearable works of art. Teens explore tools like saws, files, drills and dapping blocks, and work with semi-precious metals like copper, brass and nickel silver.

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

Ink wash is a drawing technique that has evolved into a practical illustration technique. Students in this workshop discover how ink wash is similar to watercolor paint and learn necessary techniques to create ink wash drawings. Instructor Tonya Gregg received a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Chicago and a Master of Community Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art. This workshop is suitable for beginner and intermediate students. Students are encouraged to bring drawings or images to translate.

All supplies included.

A guided tour of the exhibition, Found in Translation: The Art of Steven Naifeh, offers insight into Steven Naifeh’s artistic background and his works.

This film introduces the appreciation of abstract art through a thoughtful deconstruction of Pollock's Summertime: Number 9A. Viewers are urged to develop a critical awareness of paintings' cultural frames of reference and sensitivity toward their artistic forms in order to genuinely experience them for themselves.

25 minutes

A docent-led tour provides an overview of the Museum's collection of European and American art. This tour features masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, as well as the Museum's new American galleries.

Join us for an exploration of ancient myths and legends. Explore artwork inspired by the stories of Greece, Rome, and Egypt. Then, complete mythology-based projects of your own.

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

Get inspired in the exhibition Picasso: Master Prints and learn different methods of print making from monotypes to linoleum cuts as you make your own masterpieces.

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

Mana Hewitt discusses how Islamic art reveals a preference for surface patterns composed of geometric forms. These complex designs create the impression of unending repetition, which is said to encourage the viewer to contemplate the unlimited nature of God. Hewitt is the current Undergraduate Director and McMaster Gallery Director at the USC Department of Art.


This program is sponsored by The Humanities Council ^SC, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities; inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture and heritage.

A guided tour of the exhibition, Found in Translation: The Art of Steven Naifeh, offers insight into Steven Naifeh’s artistic background and his works.

A docent-led tour provides an overview of the Museum's collection of European and American art. This tour features masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, as well as the Museum's new American galleries.

Explore a variety of graphic novels and learn to write, sketch, ink, and color your own. Watch as your own style emerges through these illustrations.

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

In this two-week workshop, students learn the step-by-step process of academic oil painting under the instruction of award-winning artist Letitia "Tish" Lowe. Students learn how to create an exact replica of an Old Master painting by using specific techniques and principles of the 19th century French academies and Renaissance masters. Topics covered include the stages of a painting, form, color, light, edges, and paint quality. Lowe trained at the Angel Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. She specializes in portrait, still life and figurative oil paintings in classic realist style. This workshop is suitable for advanced or beginning painters.

In the spirit of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, explore artwork inspired by the mythology of Ancient Greece and create your own artifacts.

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

Ceramics 101 provides an excellent introduction to the medium of clay. Explore a variety of techniques such as throwing on the pottery wheel, hand building, and slab building.

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

A guided tour of the exhibition, Found in Translation: The Art of Steven Naifeh, offers insight into Steven Naifeh’s artistic background and his works.

This film introduces the appreciation of abstract art through a thoughtful deconstruction of Pollock's Summertime: Number 9A. Viewers are urged to develop a critical awareness of paintings' cultural frames of reference and sensitivity toward their artistic forms in order to genuinely experience them for themselves.

25 minutes

A docent-led tour provides an overview of the Museum's collection of European and American art. This tour features masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo from the Samuel H. Kress Collection, as well as the Museum's new American galleries.

Grab your passport and travel through the galleries, discovering art from different cultures, and create works based on the places you “visit.”

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.

Be inspired by the wonderful pieces in the CMA’s collection as you learn one of the oldest forms of making art. Create a variety of three dimensional works using clay.

Please note that pre-registration is required for all programs and fees are non-refundable. Kids Plus! members receive a 20 percent discount on all summer camps and have priority registration March 1-15.