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ART CLASSES

Youth & Teen Art Classes
Join us for youth and teen art classes designed to foster creativity and self-expression. Students have the opportunity to explore a range of media in a supportive environment where the experience is as important as the finished product. Classes are available for ages 5 through teen, with beginner through advanced programs.Â

Adult Art Classes
Explore art at any age with our classes for adults! Join us for a short workshop or an 8-week class as you explore your artistic potential in a creative and supportive environment where the experience is as important as the finished product. For artists of all experience levels from beginner through advanced, CREATE offers something for everyone.

No School Day Camp
CREATE offers camps on days throughout the year when school is closed, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Veterans Day, teacher conference days, spring break, winter break, and February break. Calendars align with MCPS and DCPS schedules and also include local private schools. Don’t see a date? Contact us to create a camp.
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Art Therapy
CREATE’s licensed art therapists provide confidential and compassionate support to children, teens and adults living with mental health issues, including grief, depression, trauma and addictions, as well as developmental disabilities and autism. No prior art experience needed to benefit from our treatment programs. We offer individual and group therapy for all ages.
Camp CREATE!
Camp CREATE! is a summer camp for youth ages 8-12 years with minor to moderate behavioral, emotional and functioning differences who benefit from extra attention and support. It is designed to teach campers mindfulness techniques, flexible thinking habits, healthy expression of emotions, improved social interactions, and positive self-image through artistic expression.

smARTkids Afterschool
CREATE’s smARTkids free afterschool program helps young students from low-income schools, English learners with emotional or developmental challenges, who benefit from a curriculum that builds critical thinking skills, resilience, peer skills, language and literacy skills in a highly supported setting. Since 2009, smARTkids has benefitted over 1,200 young students.
COMMUNITY IMPACT
Partnerships & Impact
CREATE works with diverse and non-traditional partners across our mental health services and art education programs, including Community Bridges, Shepherd’s Table, A Wider Circle, Montgomery County Public Schools, Linkages to Learning, YMCA, & other nonprofits and businesses.

Corporate Events
Art is the perfect inspiration for engaging and fun events. From workplace team building to unicorn birthday parties, we will customize your event to optimize fun, inspire creativity and promote bonding.

Art Gallery
Named after CREATE’s founder, the Tamar Hendel Gallery hosts art exhibitions, receptions and artist talks featuring unique artwork from diverse local artists. Exhibitions are held throughout the year and are free to the public.
CREATE ARTS CENTER NEWS
Celebrating a New Chapter at CREATE Arts Center with Clayton Evans!
We are thrilled to announce a new addition to our CREATE Arts Center family! After a remarkable 9+ years serving as Deputy Director at Arts on the Block, Clayton Evans has embraced a fresh opportunity as our Executive Director, officially starting on July 24. Clayton...
CREATE Seeks New Executive Director
CREATE Arts Center seeks a dynamic new Executive Director to oversee the management and administration of a mid-sized (and growing!) arts education and art therapy organization as it approaches its 40th anniversary. Conveniently located in downtown Silver Spring,...
Head to The Sky: Black Legacies and Futures call for entries!
CREATE Arts Center is excited to announce a call for entries for Head To The Sky: Black Legacies and Futures, hosted in the Tamar Hendel Gallery and curated by Angelica Credle. Through January 24, 2023, artists across the region are invited to submit up to three (3)...
Art Classes in Silver Spring, MD
CREATE achieves its mission through quality arts education classes that engage all ages and levels of experience in the joy of art-making. We recognize all forms of creativity and diversity in artistic expression. CREATE is committed to broad-based, inclusive partnerships that help to inform our programming and decision-making so that we can better serve the needs of our very diverse community. We believe that inclusion and equity in access to the many benefits of CREATE’s art education and mental health programs enrich people’s lives, strengthen families and build sustainable community connections.
