Experience the arts through online classes

Celina Colby

Celina Colby is an arts and travel reporter with a fondness for Russian novels.... VIEW BIO

Artists have taken to the Internet during the COVID-19 pandemic, not only to share their art, but to teach it as well. It turns out art appreciation and art-making classes can be taken from your living room. Classes and workshops range from drawing lessons and writing prompts to information about black composers and the opportunity to curate a virtual art collection.

Newton-based artist Deb Putnoi has launched a virtual art school on her Facebook page, @TheDrawingMind. Anyone and everyone is welcome to tune in daily at 2 p.m. for her instructive but freeform videos. The only supplies you need to participate are a piece of paper and a pencil, but you’re more than welcome to experiment with your preferred media. The classes are appropriate for all ages.

Music of all kinds is being streamed online during this time, from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and others, but Castle of Our Skins is continuing its mission to educate the public about black composers as well. The Boston-based organization’s website includes a resources page where interested parties can read up on prominent black composers, listen to their music, and even find sheet music to learn those melodies on their own instrument.

For writers searching for inspiration in an anxiety-ridden time, Boston poet laureate Porsha Olayiwola is streaming poetry readings and talks on Instagram Live. She’s also writing personalized letters to individuals who purchase her book of poems, complete with writing prompts to get the creative juices flowing. Interested readers can direct-message her at her Instagram handle @porshaolayiwola for more information.

If you identify more as an art appreciator than a working artist, A R E A Gallery offers you a virtual chance to act as a curator. The continuously developing platform “Construction A R E A,” accessible on their website, allows viewers to sift through artworks online and build a simulated collection. This can be an opportunity to look seriously for art to acquire or simply to learn what goes into art curation and aesthetic development.

The Museum of Fine Arts is continuously updating its YouTube page with videos of conservationists at work and curators discussing their exhibition curation. Videos from “The City Talks” series are also available to stream, featuring episodes like “Colonialism, Enslavement and the Arts” and “Sharing Black Histories.”

Whether you’re learning a new artistic skill or gathering information about a period of art history, the Boston arts community is working hard to make sure you can do all of it from the safety of your own home.