During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, students were forced to say goodbye to the basement of North Hall and walk away from the School of Arts. Nearly two years later, UAY School of Arts has opened its doors for young students to express their creativity once again.

“It’s a mutually beneficial experience for us and the students attending, all of us at the University are very grateful for this experience,” Tyler Bubser, University of Iowa art graduate studying to become a teacher, said.

The program is a way for up-and-coming art teachers attending the University of Iowa to earn their teaching credits and deepen their understanding of teaching by working alongside students grades 7-12 for ten art sessions. The sessions are held every Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and though classes have already started this year, they welcome students from Iowa to join for upcoming years.

“School of arts [is] a great way to meet new people and try new art forms,” Yaffa Roarick ‘25, a City High Student attending the classes, said.

Like other years, classes are being held in the basement of North Hall located on the University of Iowa campus. There they’ll divide into groups and work with their preferred mediums of art as well as work on collaborative projects.

“What we’re hoping to do [at the end] is [to] have an exhibition at UAY,” Allison Rowe, Clinical Assistant Professor of Art Education at the University of Iowa, said.

Students will set up and hold an end-of-the-program exhibition at UAY’s Art Gallery where family and friends will be welcomed to see what students have been working on.