The New Haven Museum is pleased to announce a unique open air six-week painting course led by Steven DiGiovanni. Participants will meet at different locations in the Morris Cove neighborhood of New Haven and engage local landmarks to explore human relationships with their surroundings. The course will begin on Saturday, July 14, with each class running from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Some prior experience with drawing and painting recommended. The cost for the six-week course $185 per person, $170 per person for New Haven Museum Members. Pre-registration is REQUIRED. To register, contact Michelle Cheng at (203) 562-4183 x11 or education@newhavenmuseum.org.

The first two sessions will meet at Lighthouse Point Park; the third session will take place at Fort Hale Park; and the final three sessions will be based at the Pardee-Morris House, located at 325 Lighthouse Road. For the first session, bring a soft pencil, kneaded eraser, 9x12 or larger drawing pad or sketchbook and a camera to the first class. Please note that there may be parking fees at Lighthouse Point Park. Street parking is available close to the park, and there is no entrance fee for the park.

Steven DiGiovanni is a professional artist and instructor who lives and works in New Haven, Connecticut. His works have been exhibited throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York, and can be found in private collections, at Yale University, and at the New Britain Museum of American Art. His work and exhibitions have been reviewed in many publications, including the New York Times and Art New England. Steven currently teaches at the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven, where he is the head of the Drawing and Painting Department. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, CT. Special thanks to Creative Arts Workshop for their assistance in this program.

The Pardee-Morris House, one of the oldest surviving historic structures in Connecticut, dates from about 1780. Built by Amos Morris around 1750, the house was burned by the British during their raid on New Haven in 1779 and was rebuilt by the Morris family. In 1915, William Pardee, a descendant of the Morris family, willed the property to the New Haven Colony Historical Society, today the New Haven Museum. The Pardee-Morris House is open free of charge on Sundays from 12 pm to 5 pm through August 26, 2012.