Classes
Find your next creative outlet at the DAC School!
We offer classes, workshops, and camps throughout the whole year in just about every arts category you can imagine: ceramics, painting/drawing, printmaking, mixed media, bookbinding, photography, graphic design, literary arts, theatre, dance, music, and more! Courses are available for beginning and experienced artists, alike. And, from one-time workshops to weekly courses, we have a variety to fit every schedule. Click here for more info about School Break & Summer Camps for ages 5-17.
Registration required for all DAC classes/camps. No drop-ins. More answers to Frequently Asked Questions found here.
Registration opens for each session at 10am on the following dates:
December 6 – Winter 2025 Click here for Winter 2025 Catalog
February 28 – Spring 2025 Click here for Spring 2025 Catalog
May 9 – Summer 2025
July 25 – Fall 2025
December 5 – Winter 2026
More dates coming soon!
Class Updates
Scholarships
Partial scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need for adult and youth students interested in classes and camps, as funds are available. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. To request a scholarship application, please email Arts Education Assistant Manager, Wendy Leigh, at wleigh@durhamarts.org. Please allow 2-3 weeks for application processing.
Scholarships for youth camps are generously provided by support from the Fox Family Foundation, the Durham Merchants Association Charitable Foundation, Sheetz, and individual donors.
Scholarships for visual arts classes for adults and youth are generously provided by the Arlene Hyman Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, established in 2014 following her passing. The fund is intended to help others — whether children or adults — discover or advance their love of the visual arts. Arlene Hyman, always a lover of the arts, was a member of the Pastel Societies of New Jersey and North Carolina and her work had been juried into numerous exhibitions. After relocating to Chapel Hill in 2011, Arlene continued her studies at the Durham Arts Council and elsewhere in the region. Additional support provided by individual donors.
Scholarships for other activities are generously provided by individual donors.
Donate to our scholarship fund here and designate your gift ‘In Honor of DAC Scholarship Fund’.
Get Involved!
Opportunities to teach, volunteer, intern, or do work-study will be posted here as available.
DAC Instructors
DAC School is always open to new talented instructors! Contracted instructors enjoy teaching in beautiful and well-equipped studio spaces. Class instructors share a 50/50 split of all revenues collected per course. Classes take place during the day, in the evening and on weekends. Classes are booked on a seasonal basis, and you may propose a course at any time during the year by completing a Course Proposal Form.
Camp instructors are contracted per School Break and/or Summer session within a budget of $27/hour. Camps take place during the weekday, and opportunities are available to teach elementary/middle aged kids, 5-12 years old, as well as teens, 13-17 years old. Interested instructors can reach out with a cover letter and copy of their resume to Arts Education Assistant Manager, Wendy Leigh, at wleigh@durhamarts.org
Volunteers
Volunteer opportunities may be available on a project basis. Those interested in volunteering with the DAC School can email Arts Education Assistant Manager, Wendy Leigh, at wleigh@durhamarts.org. The DAC School has a Summer Arts Teen Volunteer Program for ages 14-17. Click here for more information and to apply.