South Bend Museum of Art

faqs

What is the refund policy?
Students who withdraw after the first class, but before the second class will receive a tuition refund of 75%. Class fees are not refundable. SBMA retains a $10 registration fee on each class refund. No refunds or credits will be given to students withdrawing after the second class. Classes are not prorated. If you registered for the wrong class on line, please contact the office 235-9102 or email info@southbendart.org.

What is the Class Fee? Why are they different for different classes?
The Class Fee is a one-time fee (due at registration) for each class that you take that
helps to offset the cost of running a class in the SBMA’s facilities. It covers administrative costs as well as maintenance of the studios and equipment. Some Class Fees are higher because they require additional services such as providing glazes and firing kilns (Ceramics), providing development chemicals (Photography), or providing solvent and solvent disposal (Oil Painting). The tuition goes towards faculty pay.

Does the Class Fee include materials?
No. The Class Fee offsets the costs as described above. Since the requirements for each class and students' needs vary greatly–and in order to keep the cost of tuition and fees low–students are required to provide their own materials.

Does the SBMA sell materials?
At this point the museum only sells clay and tool kits for our Ceramics classes, and some materials for Jewelry. However, there are several local retailers that stock a good selection of art supplies, as well as catalog and online options. Students may call the office at 574.235.9102 to check if instructors have provided a materials list. Otherwise, students will receive a list of materials they will need at the first class meeting.

I have a wheel at home and have some ceramic pieces that I would like to have fired. What would that cost?
The SBMA only fires work from our class offerings and instructors. We maintain a closed system of clay, in that we only fire work that has been made from clay purchased from us. This reduces the possibility of damage to the work and to the kiln by clay bodies that may not perform as described. Also, museum classes generate a lot of work and there is not room or time to fire additional pieces. If you’ve already taken a ceramics class at the museum, but don’t feel the need for instruction, there are a limited number of Open Studio slots available.

Where do I park?
Parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Century Center parking lot. The first week of classes students will be given a parking pass for the session in which they are enrolled. Keep in mind that there may be times when the lot may be full or closed due to an event at Century Center. At those times, the Century Center generally provides overflow parking downtown.

I enrolled for a class, but it was canceled. Why?
The museum requires a minimum class enrollment of 6–8 students depending on the class. If that registration number isn’t met, the class is usually canceled. Occasionally, instructors are willing to still run the class with lower numbers, but that decision is up to the instructor and on a per case basis. If the museum has to cancel a class, the tuition and fee may be applied to another class of your choice, or refunded.