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

Winter 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 Dec. 10th 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 Dec. 10th- Dec. 31st.

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

Winter Course Listing

Prints Charming

Tuesday Class: January 7th – March 4th, 9 class sessions

Come explore different types of printmaking! Students will learn several methods that can be used to create a variety of works from small prints, posters, graphics, and even clothing! Develop your carving skills for linocuts and learn the basics of Adobe Illustrator to create designs for screen printing.

Franken Fashion

Wednesday Class: January 8th – March 5th, 9 class sessions

Deconstruct and combine parts of clothing to express yourself. Create a patch from an old t-shirt, sew it onto a jean jacket, add spikes or buttons, rip those sleeves off- the options are ENDLESS! We will go thrifting for clothes, or you can bring your own. Sewing experience recommended.

Cozy Crochet Club

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

Get cozy and crochet with us! We invite you to grab some yarn and a cup of tea while beginners learn the basics of crocheting, and advanced students can share their techniques. This class is student-led and will feature our talented peers & their skillz! All levels invited!

Sketch 2 Impress

Tuesday Class: January 7th – March 4th, 9 class sessions

In this dynamic digital fashion class, explore your creativity and technology by learning to create stunning virtual clothing and accessories! You’ll use this tech to sketch designs, understand fashion trends, and develop a personal style, culminating in a fashion show to show off your unique collections!

Toying with Creativity

Wednesday Class: January 8th – March 5th, 9 class sessions

Unleash your creativity by conceptualizing and crafting unique toys! You’ll explore various materials, design techniques, and storytelling elements to transform those ideas into tangible, playful creations. Celebrate your finished toys in a showcase where you can present your product and innovative designs to peers and family!

Scribbles to Stories

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

In this creative digital picture book class, learn to combine storytelling and illustration with digital tools. You’ll develop narratives, design captivating visuals, and learn about the publishing process! By the end of the course, you will produce a fully illustrated, digital picture book to share with the community.

Figure It Out

Tuesday Class: January 7th – March 4th, 9 class sessions

Jump into figurative sculpture! We’re going to create medium-large scale artworks using a coil building method and special sculptural clay! The beautiful thing with coil building besides the work you’ll create is we aren’t tied to geometric forms. So, we’ll explore how to create human or humanoid forms (figures)!

Pottery Throw Dahn

Wednesday Class: January 8th – March 5th, 9 class sessions

In this class we’ll learn to use the pottery wheel! Ever watch a throwing videos on YouTube and think, “I can do that”? Well, you can! It takes more work than you think, but with some perseverance you can master working on the potter’s wheel. Plus, if you find that the wheel isn’t your thing, we can always explore the many other ways folks make pottery

Slabtacular Slabs

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

Get into clay in a different way! Not everyone likes getting super messy on the potter’s wheel. If so, this class is for you. We’re going to be using sheets of clay to create geometric forms. Think of artwork inspired by architecture and other structures.

Dynamite Digital Photo

Tuesday Class: January 7th – March 4th, 9 class sessions

Wintertime can be void of color. Take some pictures with our cameras and pop some color into your imagery! This class will take some trips and you’ll even be able to sign out our cameras to go on your own adventures!

Documenting Video

Wednesday Class: January 8th – March 5th, 9 class sessions

Day in the life projects & other video storytelling will be made in this course! MCG Photo is collaborating with the video production company ACreativeSpace to teach you digital photography and videography. Giving you marketable skills, this could develop into opportunities for paid events or possible internship. Students enrolled in this course must show an interest in learning and be dedicated in attending.

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: January 13th – March 11th No Class January 7th

Thursday Class: January 15th – March 13 No Class January 9th, January 23rd

Mandatory Events:

2/11 - Masterclass Ray Angry

2/13 - Masterclass Ray Angry

3/6 - Family Night Concert

3/11 - Masterclass Ray Angry

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.

Winter 2025

ENROLLMENT

TRANSPORTATION

Questions?

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Registration

Winter Course Listing