Art Academy for Ages 9-12: Character Design & Animation (In Person) | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

Art Academy for Ages 9-12: Character Design & Animation (In Person)

Design bold characters, build vibrant worlds, and bring them to life through stop-motion animation in this unique 8-week program! Open to ages 9-12.

Course Description

Spend two weeks exploring each core topic: character design, background and setting creation, painting and drawing techniques, and cutout animation using paper.

Throughout the course, students will develop original characters and imaginative worlds, bringing them to life through colorful artwork and hands-on stop-motion animation techniques. They’ll learn about the history of cutout animation - from early black-and-white examples to modern favorites like Sesame Street - and draw inspiration from artists and animators around the world. Each class encourages creativity and self-expression while helping students build foundational and intermediate-level skills in design, illustration, and storytelling. / Materials fee of $6 is included in course tuition.

Open to students ages 9-12. Please review our complete Youth and Teen Policies as well as our General Policies prior to completing your registration.

Course meeting details

This course meets in person on MCAD's campus.

Prerequisites

None

Required materials

Supplies
The material fee for this class will cover the required supplies.

What to wear
Clothes appropriate for messy creativity.

Class savings

Register on or before August 11 and save $25.
Register for more than one class at a time and receive $25 off each additional class (same-day registrations only).
Additional savings. Are you eligible?

Questions

Contact MCAD Continuing Education at continuing_education@mcad.edu or call 612.874.3765.

Register

Title
Non-credit Tuition
$254.00
Not Yet Open for Registration

Registration opens July 28.

  • Date:
    -
  • Time:
    9:30-11:30 a.m. CST
  • Day(s) of the week:
    Saturday
  • Ages:
    Open to students ages 9-12.
  • Term:
    Fall 2025
  • Instructor: Neville McKinnie
  • Location:
    In Person
  • SKU:
    CSK 9150 01 FA25

Prerequisites:

None

Address

2501 Stevens Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55404

Contact Us

612.874.3700
800.874.MCAD (6223)
Fax: 612.874.3701

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Land Acknowledgement

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) acknowledges it is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. This is the ancestral homeland of the Dakota and Ojibwe people, who were forcibly exiled from the land because of aggressive and persistent settler colonialism. We recognize that this place has a complex and layered history. As a community dedicated to creativity, MCAD is committed to ongoing efforts to support and advocate for American Indian Nations and peoples.


Nondiscrimination Policy

MCAD admits students of any race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, or marital status to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, or marital status in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and other school-administered programs.