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<\/a>These courses are an opportunity for people to experience the Art Institute\u2019s facilities, test out a career path, fine-tune a creative passion or develop a professional skill, all with the guidance of an industry professional excited about teaching, said Sexton, who is now the program coordinator.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of great people with a lot of great knowledge to share,\u201d Sexton said. \u201cThe idea is you don\u2019t have to quit your job. You can come and do 15 hours and know enough to design a poster, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program just started in September, so school administrators are still experimenting with course offerings and formats. The culinary arts happen to be the most popular discipline for degree-seeking students at the San Diego campus, so many of the GETCreative courses focus on food and drink.<\/p>\n
One recent course offering was \u201cRed Velvet Cupcakes and More.\u201d Students had a chance to practice their baking skills with an expert chef using the equipment in the school\u2019s professional teaching kitchen.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had everyone in there from a high school senior who is just kind of finding her way, to a woman who already had her own cake business,\u201d Sexton said.<\/p>\n
In another recent offering, Groundswell Brewing Company President Kevin Rhodes led a course on pairing craft beer with gourmet food. Rhodes, who teaches beverage and culinary classes at the Art Institute when he\u2019s not perfecting beer recipes at Groundswell\u2019s brewery in Grantville, gave students a brief overview of the flavor dynamics of beer and how to complement various combinations of malt and hops with gourmet dishes.<\/p>\n Rhodes talked about how the extra-bitter, super-hoppy beers that have become popular in San Diego are often a poor choice for pairing with food.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not gonna spend $20 or $30 on a steak and pair it with a double IPA,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a reason there are beers out there called \u2018Palate Wrecker\u2019 and \u2018Tongue Buckler.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Another tip Rhodes offered: Keep bitter beer away from spicy food. Malty beers are a better choice for such dishes.<\/p>\n As Rhodes lectured, students were treated to multiple pairings: a blonde ale paired with dried apricots and bread; a ginger saison paired with a spring mix salad dressed in a ginger-orange-mango vinaigrette; a tropical hefeweizen paired with honey sriracha popcorn chicken; and a mocha milk stout paired with cheesecake in a stout reduction.<\/p>\n Tuition for the three-hour course, with all food and drink included, was $125.<\/p>\n That\u2019s about average for the one-session courses. Courses with multiple sessions tend to have higher tuition. The \u201cBasic Drawing Techniques\u201d course, which meets every Thursday night for five weeks, has a tuition cost of $260.<\/p>\n The Art Institute of California\u2019s San Diego campus is part of a larger network of more than 50 schools throughout North America under the Argosy University umbrella. Only two other campuses \u2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. \u2014 were selected for the pilot program.<\/p>\n<\/a>