BEVERLY - John Grace is seated in the ceramics studio of Redbrick Arts Center, focused intensely on the mound of clay before him.

A pair of feet emerge, followed soon after by a tail and a line of scales.

"It's a dinosaur," the 15-year-old Gloucester resident said.

John is a freshman at Northshore Academy, an alternative school on Cabot Street run by the Northshore Education Consortium for students with social and behavioral problems. Each Wednesday, the academy sends a handful of students to Redbrick for art lessons.

"It's a great therapeutic for them," said Doreen Bennett, a paraprofessional at the academy. "They get to use their minds and creativity. It's more hands on."

Northshore Academy is not the only alternative school in the area that takes advantage of the teachers and facilities at Redbrick, a former factory on Rantoul Street that houses artist studios, lofts, workshops and a gallery. Northshore Recovery High School, a new school for students overcoming drug addiction, sends a dozen students every Friday for ceramics, and Access Star, a group home on Echo Avenue, sends residents every other Tuesday to do multimedia projects.

"They've been fantastic," said Patrick Foley, executive director of Access Star. "We're really happy that they've reached out to the community and are reaching out to these kids."

Julia Bethmann, co-founder of Redbrick, said forging partnerships with alternative schools was an obvious move since the arts are such a valuable outlet for self-expression.

"Obviously, we're an arts center and art is about expressing yourself," said Julia Bethmann, co-founder of Redbrick. "A lot of people can't express themselves in other ways, so this is a great way to do that."

Working with alternative schools has also been a bit of a marriage of convenience for Redbrick. Because of their small size, the alternative schools' arts offerings are often limited. On the other hand, they generally have their own transportation, making it much easier to get students to and from Redbrick.

"Unfortunately, transportation is the biggest reason why we don't have more programs with the public schools," Bethmann said.

In the next room, Joey Asal, a ceramics teacher new to Redbrick, was showing Alex Jones, 13, of Gloucester how to make an armature, or a clay figurine reinforced with wire. Alex was so involved in the project, he barely lifted his eyes and responded to questions with a shrug of the shoulders.

"I really like getting to know the kids and seeing their personalities," Asal said. "In a situation where they're forced to make a creative decision, you see a glimmer of choice."

For instance, Asal said he asked Alex if he wanted a smiley face on his figurine, to which Alex replied, "No, I want his mouth to be flat."

"He made a decision and carried it out," Asal said, "which I thought was kind of fun to see."