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Classes offered in Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Digital media, Glass, Color Theory, Communication Design, Product + Packaging Design, Branding, Typography, Photography, Illustration

About AEA

Artful Edge Academy provides individualized, one on one mentorship tailored to each student’s interests, skill level, and academic goals. Instruction is designed around portfolio development needs while supporting sustained creative growth and technical development. AEA works exclusively with visual arts and design portfolios and supports students at all skill levels and learning styles.

The curriculum emphasizes the relationship between conceptual development and technical skills. Students build strong, cohesive portfolios while developing confidence and clarity of creative voice, using a diverse range of materials and methods.

AEA excels in supporting students of all skill levels and provides application guidance and pathways towards future careers in the arts.

We work with students at all stages of their careers, from emerging artists to established artists who are seeking new skills or approaches to their creative work.

We offer expert art instruction within a professional art studio environment. Where students can develop their creative potential, work with new materials and techniques while learning about art history and theory.

Instruction emphasizes the relationship between conceptual development, technical skill, and exploratory studio practices. Students build strong, cohesive portfolios while developing confidence to express their unique creative voice and skillfully manipulate a wide range of materials and working methods.

Students work closely with Michelle Hinebrook, an award-winning educator and working artist committed to supporting each student’s artistic and conceptual development, and their long-term success in the arts.

AEA’s Young Artist and Portfolio Development Programs for Applications:

Portfolio Development classes and admissions support for students applying to NYC arts High Schools and BFA programs.

We help students create, refine, and present cohesive bodies of work that reflect their personal vision and meet the standards of competitive art and design programs. Through mentorship and critique, students build portfolios that are technically and conceptually strong.

Students receive structured guidance in professional documentation of artwork, portfolio sequencing and presentation, interview preparation, and application strategy. The program is designed to strengthen both artistic ability and the practical requirements of competitive admissions processes.

Application Strategy and Materials: We help students and families develop a targeted school list based on their interests and then build a portfolio that highlights each student’s individual creative vision.. We assist with assembling application materials that align with specific school requirements, assist with writing artist statements, professionally photographing artwork, and filming video interviews.

Helping Families and Underserved Students in NYC: We support families who may need additional guidance on building a successful portfolio needed to apply to arts-focused schools.
AEA provides access to high-quality art and design education classes for underserved students and aspiring students within New York. Our work responds to a current gap in art education within NYC public schools, where many students do not receive consistent arts instruction or help with portfolio preparation.

Creative Coaching and Mentoring: Students will gain clarity and confidence in their artistic direction. We help them articulate their journey through writing, interviews, and portfolio presentations. Through AEA’s Art Experiences Program, students have opportunities to connect with NYC-based professional artists, designers, and educators for portfolio reviews.

Adult Education and Skill-focused classes:

Adult classes are designed for artists, educators, and creative professionals who want to deepen their practice, expand technical skills, and strengthen their creative direction. All skill levels are welcome.

Instruction is individualized, with an emphasis on both technical development and conceptual clarity. Sessions include skill development and experimentation, critique, material exploration, and support in developing a consistent art practice.

Group Event Classes: We can host groups of 6-12 participants for an art experience of your choice

Michelle Hinebrook is a professional artist and art educator with more than twenty five years of experience in art and design education. She holds an MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in Design from the College for Creative Studies. She is currently an Associate Professor at Pratt Institute and a teaching artist with Young Audiences New York and UrbanGlass.

Her teaching is shaped by sustained artistic practice, academic research, and extensive classroom experience across secondary and higher education. The AEA curriculum is aligned with the New York City Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts and informed by her background in art history, curriculum development, and portfolio-based instruction. She regularly serves on portfolio review committees for art and design institutions and as a juror for visual arts competitions.

Michelle’s goal as a teacher is to support sustained artistic growth, strengthen confidence, and help each student develop a focused and intentional body of work. She approaches teaching with empathy, curiosity, kindness, and respect for each student’s creative process. The focus is on helping students build strong portfolios while developing technical skill, conceptual clarity, and lasting creative confidence.

Her motivation to teach comes directly from her own experience as a young artist. Without access to formal arts education in her early schooling, she taught herself to draw and built her portfolio independently to apply to art school. Those early conditions shaped both her artistic practice and her commitment to art education for all. This informs her approach to teaching, with an emphasis on access, clarity, accessibility for all learning styles and meaningful support for students developing both technical and conceptual foundations in their work.

Public School Services

In-School Portfolio Workshops

Portfolio-focused workshops are offered free of charge to NYC public middle and high schools . Workshops support existing classroom art instruction and help develop students' existing portfolios.

Teacher Workshops and Curriculum Support

Workshops and resources are available for public school art teachers through AEA. These materials are focused on portfolio development, admissions requirements, and classroom strategies. We offer curriculum support, resources and strategies for integrating contemporary studio approaches into the classroom.