MCG Youth admits students of any race, sex, national origin, religion, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Spring 2025

MCG Youth has been dedicated to inspiring creativity, learning, and personal growth through the arts for over 50 years.

By providing opportunities to hone their creative skills alongside teaching artists, we are focused on developing personal, artistic, future-ready, and civically minded high school students.

We are committed to creating a community that fosters a sense of belonging, interconnectedness, and hope.

ENROLLMENT

Apprenticeship Training Program(ATP) enrollment will be held exclusively via our website.

Enrollment will open on March 25 at 6:00 p.m.*
Spaces fill quickly, so sign-up early!
Courses are offered at no cost to students.
Admission is on first-come, first-served basis.
Waitlists will be maintained.

*Jazz Enrollment will remain open from March 25- April 8.

Not sure which class to try? Visit our Open Studios on Mondays and Fridays and see what medium fits your creative flow!

TRANSPORTATION

There will be a van or bus at most PPS high schools going to MCG Youth.

For all other students, transit tickets will be provided or MCG staff will arrange for pick-up.

Public transit tickets will be provided to get home.

Questions?

Contact- Justin Mazzei
Email- jmazzei@manchesterbidwell.org

Phone- 412-322-1773 Ext. 193

Fax- 412-321-2120

Click Here

Registration

Spring Course Listing

Furrrpalooza

Tuesday Class: April 8 – June 3, 7 class sessions; No class April 15, May 20

Design and create a simple furry/ therian costume. Using sewing machines, we’ll craft unique tails, paws, and other accessories. We’ll also make masks to bring your character to life. All are welcome!

Street Threads

Wednesday Class: April 9 – June 4, 8 class sessions; No class April 16

Get trendy! Students will sew their own pants using a simple pattern and fabrics of their choice to make them supa fly. Next, students will design and screenprint their own graphics onto a shirt, creating a personalized outfit from head to toe.

Sketching and Painting

Thursday Class: April 10 – June 5 7 class sessions; No class April 17, May 15

Bring simple sketches to life with paint! We’ll take inspiration from subjects around the room, photographs, and even paint “en plein air”. Experiment with pencils, pens, watercolors, acrylics, and more.

Anime Appreciation

Tuesday Class: April 8 – June 3, 7 class sessions; No class April 15, May 20

This course is designed to teach students how to design, draw, and bring to life unique anime characters, from the basic principles of character creation to advanced techniques in digital and traditional art. Students will explore the art styles, anatomy, and storytelling elements that make anime characters iconic and dynamic, while also focusing on developing their own style.

PRESS START!!!

Wednesday Class: April 9 – June 4, 8 class sessions; No class April 16

Press Start !!! will explore the concepting of Art for video games and the creation of Sprites and Other video games assets with students eventually leading to students beginning production on a simple game in RPG MAKER.

Pawprints to Pixels

Thursday Class: April 10 – June 5 7 class sessions; No class April 17, May 15

This course will combine digital art melody, harmony, and rhythm. techniques for creating anthropomorphic characters (fursonas), 3D printing for making fursuit accessories, and laser cutting/engraving for crafting of various parts of Fursuits. Students will explore how to design and produce both digital and physical elements for fursuits using technology.

Specifically Sculpted

Tuesday Class: April 8 – June 3, 7 class sessions; No class April 15, May 20

We’ll be exploring figurative sculptures using a sculptural clay body. Make Figures that push the boundaries of clay can do and make ‘em weird. Go big and sculpt something that tells a story or make multiples to set a scene. We can really let our creativity run wild in this sculpture class.

A Wheel Wizard

Wednesday Class: April 9 – June 4, 8 class sessions; No class April 16

We’re going to explore the pottery wheel! Get messy and make some fun forms in this pottery wheel themed class. Don’t already know how to throw? No Prior experience necessary. We’ll guide you through all the steps from wedging to glazing.

Neato Sgraffito

Thursday Class: April 10 – June 5, 7 class sessions; No class April 17, May 15

Did you know that in ceramics there is a term which comes from Graffiti? There is and its Sgraffito! In this class it’s going to be all about creating rich multi-layered surfaces on our handbuilt ceramics. This class has it all Drawing, Painting, and Clay!

Macro-mania

Tuesday Class: April 8 – June 3, 7 class sessions; No class April 15, May 20

Discover hidden elements that are right in front of you! Use the digital cameras with macro settings to get super up-close imagery. Field trips are planned to local and regional places to help you discover even more in your world.

Holga-mania

Wednesday Class: April 9 – June 4, 8 class sessions; No class April 16

Have some fun taking black and white film images with the “Toy” camera. This camera may be made of plastic but it can create some beautiful and astounding imagery. No need to know the exposure triangle but it will be covered. You’ll get the opportunity to take images with both 35mm and 120mm film. Field trips are planned for this class too!

Darkroom Mania

Thursday Class: January 9th – March 6th (no program January 23rd), 8 class sessions

Black and white film photography is awesome! This class will primarily be in the darkroom, making your images from existing negatives. If you don’t have any negatives, we’ll have time to produce new negatives using the 4x5 film camera, 2 ¼ film camera and 35mm cameras. Come learn the process or develop creative images in one of the last darkrooms in PGH!

Tell Your Story

Two-Day Class held Tuesdays and Thursdays

Tuesday Class: April 8 – June 3

Thursday Class: April 10 – June 5

No Class April 15, April 17, May 15, and May 20

Mandatory Events:

4/8 - Masterclass with Ray Angry

5/16 - MCGI - 6 to 9pm

6/5 - Family Night - 5:30 to 7pm

Calling ALL instrumentalists! Jazz is more than music. Jazz is a way of thinking about your environment and how you interact with it. Through the study of the legacy of jazz composers from Pittsburgh, Mark Jackovic will lead high school students in creating original compositions combining melody, harmony, and rhythm.

Spring 2025

ENROLLMENT

TRANSPORTATION

Questions?

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Registration

Spring Course Listing