Fly on the Wall Art School

Fly on the Wall Art School offers art classes, private art classes, workshops, studio art classes, summer camps, and a summer art camp where students work on drawing, classical composition, and learning basic fine art skills. Students use help-yourself materials to create both two dimensional projects and three dimensional projects, and they produce finished pieces for the once-a-year Fly on the Wall student show and occasional art shows and events displaying their artwork. Fly on the Wall Art School is an art space where youth take part in these activities in a setting arranged for studio art work.

• Ages: 6–18 years old
• Schedule: Office hours Tuesday–Saturday, 12 to 5PM

For the past twenty-eight years, since 1992, Fly on the Wall Art School has followed a model designed to honor the creative spark. The mission is to teach classic art skills in a way that protects and develops the creative voice and style of each student, and its stated mission is to provide a safe and fun environment for students to learn about art, to practice art, and discover their own unique way of expressing themselves. Instruction is individualized while providing a structured curriculum, and students may choose to work independently on their own projects.

Fly is set up like a professional art studio with open space, natural light, and help-yourself materials for both two dimensional and three dimensional projects. Franklin Hagarty and Ethan Hofmayer are the owners and teachers, carrying the torch passed on to them by Susan Carkeek, and each has ten years of educating and mentoring youth on the coast and is an artist. The program has helped many former students put together polished portfolios, and a number of alumni have gained admittance to the San Francisco School of the Arts. According to the program, ninety-eight percent of Fly on the Wall graduates complete their college education in a variety of fields, and most continue functioning creatively in their private lives.

The school highly encourages families to practice social distancing and follow quarantine guidelines for San Mateo County if a potential COVID-19 exposure occurs, and they take temperatures, wear masks, wipe down all materials, have good ventilation, and use a HEPA rated air filter. Registration for Summer 2026 is open, and the Summer Camp schedule is updated with new sessions for 2023.

Last updated March 19, 2026.