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Instead of rushing home when the last school bell of the day rings, budding Hamilton area artists are heading to the Picker Art Gallery at 51����.

On Monday afternoons, the Picker is transformed into a classroom as inquisitive 6-to 10- year olds let their imaginations run wild while attending the gallery’s after-school art club.

The series of art workshops, designed to engage and inspire students, is doing just that.

“I love art,” exclaimed second-grader Angel Sheeley, as she jumped up and down with excitement during a recent workshop. “I know for a fact that I was born to do art. I want to be an artist when I grow up and this place [the Picker] is where I can experiment.”

From drawing and painting to printmaking and collage, “the program is an important part of reaching out to our community and allowing students to explore creative possibilities beyond the classroom,” notes Melissa Davies, the gallery’s educator.

“The energy the children bring to the room is exhilarating.”

To broaden the young artists’ experience, Davies tailors workshops around current exhibitions at the Picker.

During last week’s workshop, the Chuck Close exhibition became a learning tool for the students. Using Close’s approach to printmaking, by breaking a portrait into a grid and working on one section at a time, the students learned how to manage difficult tasks.

Davies says the lesson has implications beyond art.

“The next time they have a big math assignment, they’ll remember that they can solve it by breaking it down into smaller parts. They learn to analyze in order to come up with a solution,” said Davies.

The after-school art club is one of several 51���� outreach programs linking local students to the Picker’s resources. Through the “Go for Art!” initiative, the gallery also encourages class field trips by compensating schools for part of the transportation costs.

The efforts aren’t going unrecognized. The Empire State Partnership recently awarded the Picker a grant to help fund the Arts-in-Education program.

For Karley Belanger, a third-grader at Hamilton Central, the experience is a dream come true.

“I look forward to this all week. When my mom says ‘tomorrow is Monday,’ I say ‘oh yes!’ because it means I’m going to the art program,” said Belanger.