Santa Cruz Art League Classes

Santa Cruz Art League Classes offer instruction in pastels, watercolors, oil painting, acrylic painting, drawing, and sketching. The program also includes a monthly artistic discussion group where participants receive constructive feedback on their art.

• Schedule: Office hours and open gallery hours are available Wednesday–Saturday, generally between 11am and 5pm.
• Price: SCAL members enjoy a 12% discount on classes.

The Santa Cruz Art League was founded in 1919 and is described as one of California’s most historic and enduring arts organizations. Its gallery, classrooms, gift shop, and blackbox theater are part of the same facility. The organization’s mission is to inspire creativity and community through visual and performing arts, and to support these arts and artists through art education, exhibitions, and theatre. The Santa Cruz Art League is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization and is community-funded, relying on individual contributors, membership dues, and class tuitions to fund operations. It notes that it is located on the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe, where the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band is working to restore traditional stewardship practices and heal from historical trauma. Exhibitions at the Santa Cruz Art League are always free and open to the public to view, and First Friday Receptions and Artist Talks are also free and open to all. The classroom welcomes all levels of students, from complete beginners to experienced artists. The building was constructed in 1951 with funds raised through clothesline art sales of Art League members’ work. The 68th Annual High School Show has provided a professional gallery space for emerging artists across Santa Cruz County since 1955, and the Annual Statewide Landscape Exhibitions began in 1928, continued through the Depression, and were paused only briefly during the COVID-19 pandemic. SCAL members receive discounted classes, higher commission rates, access to an exclusive member’s exhibition, and other member perks.

Last updated June 10, 2026.