ADULT
& TEEN CLASSES

Life Drawing Open Studio

Wednesdays
9 am-Noon  |  5:30-8:30 pm

Drawing Open Studio

for Continuing and Advanced students

Click here for all Life Drawing Open Studio sessions.

Weekly monitored life drawing sessions, without instruction, open to individuals of all levels of experience. 

Introduction to Woodcarving and Whittling
ANTON PRIKAZCHIKOV

Wednesdays, Jan 21-March 11 
8 sessions

6-8 pm

Wood

for Beginning & Continuing Students

$370 / $75 materials fee

Pet Portraits
SARAH MAXELL CROSBY

Wednesdays, Jan 28-March 4
6 sessions

6-8:30 pm

Painting

for Beginning & Continuing Students

$340

Click here for a materials List

Learn acrylic painting techniques by painting pet portraits from reference photos. (Sorry, no live models in this class!) You’ll learn about composition, color, tone, texture, and application techniques. You’ll also learn about how to make artistic choices so that your portrait expresses the subject’s personality. Beginning and more advanced painters are welcome. 

Metalwork: Tendrils, Twigs, and Vines in Copper and Silver
PAULETTE WERGER

Saturday, Jan 24
1 sessions

10 am-4 pm

Metal

for Beginning & Continuing Students

$160

$55 materials fee

This one-day workshop will focus on making a variety of botanically inspired design elements that can be made into finished jewelry pieces. Whether inspired by Art Noveau botanicals or observations from the garden, learn to fuse, forge, twist and taper Argentium silver or copper to make a ring, pair of earrings or bangle bracelet and leave the studio wearing your new design!

Paulette’s morning demonstrations will include a variety of techniques including fusion, forging, tapering and clean-up to lay the basis for a finished piece of jewelry or small sculpture. This is a great class for “metal curious” and those whom want to know more about botanical design. 

Open to students from Beginner to advanced - if you have no tools, AVA is fully supplied! Experienced students can bring basic hand tools (pliers, files, saw and #4/0 saw blades.)

Spontaneous Sound Orchestra (session 2)
TAYLOR HO BYNUM

Saturday, Jan 31
1 session

11:30 am-1 pm

Performance

for Beginning & Continuing Students; ages 7 and up

$20

Spontaneous Sound Orchestra is an ensemble-based music improvisation workshop for kids and adults aged 7 and up, and all musical skill levels. Participants will learn to engage in improvisation as a listener and player through a series of musical prompts, games, and gestures. They are invited to bring their own instruments, and will also have the chance to interact with the music through visual art and craft: creating their own graphic “scores” using provided mixed media (cut-out collage, water colors, colored pencils, crayons, markers and so on) and building their own home-made instruments from household items, paper, and so on.

Spontaneous Dance Group (session 2)
RACHEL BERNSEN

Saturday, Jan 31
1 session

2-4 pm

Performance

for Beginning & Continuing Students; ages 18 and up

$25

Spontaneous Dance Group is a 2-hour ensemble-based movement improvisation workshop for adult movers (18 +) of all skill levels. Participants will learn to engage in improvisation as a mover and ensemble member through a series of games, prompts, and movement scores (loose structures for improvisation) some of which are adapted from Rachel’s current performance project, NOVEL FORMATS. Participants will also have the chance to devise their own unique movement score to be interpreted by the group. Some physical contact will be part of the dancing experience, based on individual comfort level and mutual consent. Some movement experience is helpful but not required.

Creativity Workshop: Pastels
EMILY BATTLES

Friday, Jan 30
1 session

6-8 pm

Painting

for Beginning & Continuing Students; ages 18 and up

$25/$30 at-the-door

Join Us for a Night of Fun, Creative Art-Making!

Feeling nostalgic for those carefree days of elementary school art class? Now’s your chance to relive the fun! Whether you’re a total beginner or just looking to loosen up and play with art again, our Open Studio for Novice Artists is the perfect way to spark your creativity in a relaxed, no-pressure environment.

The theme of the Jan 30 Creativity Workshop is Pastels.

Beginners welcome; no artistic experience necessary. Creativity workshop is meant specifically for adults 18 and up.

Observing Light in Charcoal and Color Mediums 
SUSAN GRAY BÉ

Tuesdays, Feb 3-March 10
6 sessions

9:30 am-12 pm

Drawing & Painting

for Beginning & Continuing Students; ages 18 and up

$340

click here for a class materials list

In this class you'll learn how to observe light as interconnected space, and how to capture it by blending and contrasting color and tone. You'll discover techniques to enhance the three-dimensional quality of form and support personal expression.  Whether your work gravitates toward delicate detail or more abstract forms, this help will help you develop a vision by using your favorite mediums.

Designed for beginners as well as developing artists at all levels of experience, this class begins in charcoal, then progresses into a color media of the student’s choice.

Composition in Oils or Acrylic
SUSAN GRAY BÉ

Tuesdays, Feb 3-March 10
6 sessions

5:30-8 pm

Drawing & Painting

for Beginning & Continuing Students; ages 18 and up

$340

click here for a class materials list

Aesthetic expression emerges as compositions in Oil or Acrylic evolve, and no matter how realistic, a painting needs to work at an abstract level. In this class you’ll be encouraged to balance your painting compositions in terms of abstract art elements on each layer of the painting - especially at the beginning and end of the process. Your compositions will evolve and be refined with contrasting color, tone, and line.  Beginning and more Advanced painters are welcome: Beginners will be given extra attention on the first day and beyond; Advanced artists will be encouraged to develop their visual ideas, improve technique, and to experiment with paint application. Students may choose to use either Oil or Acrylic paint.

Painting in the Studio
MURSAL NAZARY

Thursdays, Feb 5-March 12
6 sessions

6-8 pm

Painting

for Beginning & Continuing Students

$290

Click here for a class materials list.

In this class you'll explore an approach to painting based upon observation, and work from a range of subjects including sill-life's, interiors, and the human form. In a progressive manner, you'll learn the mechanics of matching the colors you see in a subject with paint, while utilizing a variety of tools to help grow your ability to express with color and form. Viewing paintings from an array of cultures will further open you to the limitless possibilities of the world of painting. 

This course is open for all who are interested regardless of experience level. 

Fiber Arts: Rug Hooking
JENNIFER DAVEY

Saturday, Feb 7
1 session

10 am-1 pm

Fiber Arts

for Beginning & Continuing Students

$70 / $30 material fee

This 3-hour workshop will cover the basics of how to make hooked art using the early-American craft of rug hooking. Hooked art is like painting with fiber. The technique is quite simple but takes a bit of practice and a few tools, and current practitioners use all sorts of materials. Wool strips and yarn are traditional, but old t-shirts and nylons, hand-spun yarn, and velvet can also be hooked. The class will use a pattern to get started, but you'll also be free to create what interests you.

$30 materials fee applied at check-out; all materials will be provided.

Wood Carving: Carved Animals
EVA STURM-GROSS

Friday, Feb 13
1 session

9:30 am-12 pm

Wood

for Beginning & Continuing Students

$80 / $25 materials fee

In this three-hour hands-on workshop, artist Eva Sturm-Gross will guide you through carving small animal figures from basswood, using basic hand carving tools such as knives and gauges. Designed to be approachable for beginners, the class covers tool safety, wood selection, and fundamental carving techniques, with an emphasis on hands-on experimentation. This workshop creates a supportive, focused studio environment where you can work at your own pace and leave with a finished (or well-started) carved animal and a deeper appreciation for this traditional craft.

Woodworking: Make a Cookbook/iPad Stand
MIKE HILLINGER

Sat-Sun, Feb 21-22
2 sessions

9 am-4 pm

Wood

for Beginning & Continuing Students

$280 / $55 materials fee

TIG Welding 2: Functional Objects
SCOTT GORDON

Wednesdays, March 4-April 1
5 sessions

6-8:30 pm

Metal

for Beginning & Continuing Students; ages 18 and up

$290 / $60 materials fee

This 5-week course is meant for students with some experience with welding and/or have taken TIG Welding 1. Students will continue to work safely with TIG as they learn about making concept drawings and creating parts for their self-designed functional objects. In addition to intermediate TIG welding, student will also learn about various patina methods including black and red oxide, and the art of finishing welded pieces, including how to sand, grind, and buff metal.

Beginning & Continuing Watercolor: Beautiful Brushwork
JOAN HOFFMANN

Fridays, March 6-27
4 sessions

9:30 am-12 pm

Painting

for Beginning & Continuing Students

$230

click here for a materials list

Woodworking: Make a Decorative Box with Cherry and Maple
MIKE HILLINGER

Sat-Sun, March 14-15
2 sessions

9 am-4 pm

Wood

for Beginning & Continuing Students

$280 / $55 materials fee