Classes & Workshops

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

We are currently limiting the number of participants to 8 per session.

Participants may register in advance for individual sessions on the registration page. Individual session are $20 regardless of membership. 

Participants are also welcome to "drop-in" to a open studio session and pay in the AVA office, but we cannot guarantee that a spot will be available. 

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

We are currently limiting the number of participants to 8 per session.

Participants may register in advance for individual sessions on the registration page. Individual session are $20 regardless of membership. 

Participants are also welcome to "drop-in" to a open studio session and pay in the AVA office, but we cannot guarantee that a spot will be available. 

Learn to throw the natural way, using techniques like rhythm, mechanical advantage, fingertip sensitivity, and collaring to center clay on the potter's wheel and make vases, mugs, bowls, pitchers, casseroles and much more. Complete beginners to experienced potters can gain ease and control and have fun. Gain mastery through group exercises that break throwing down to discrete skills. Receive personal instruction tailored to your skill level.  This class meets in-person in AVA's Sculptural Studies Building and is limited to 6 students. 

Paint what’s around you and embrace all things familiar and everyday. Sometimes the most seemingly mundane, everyday things can make the most interesting paintings. In this two-day immersive painting workshop, you'll create paintings based on their surroundings as well as places, people, or scenes close and familiar to them. Using a combination of photo reference, still lives and plein-air work on-site, students will be guided through various representational painting techniques to accurately express what they’re seeing. Students will also explore how things like memory can play a role in bringing a painting to life, or how choices in color palette and lighting affect the mood of a painting. 

Short walks in the downtown area surrounding AVA will allow outside work on-site to capture the light and colors from life to help inform paintings worked on in the studio. Basic drawing, color mixing and other painting techniques will also be covered, so all skill levels are welcome. 

Explore the joy of painting outside this summer in this outdoor watercolor Plein air class. Emphasis will be on gathering an outside painting kit for easy travel, finding a focus in the outdoor landscape, and capturing a sense of place. Each class will begin at AVA, and then take walks, exploring the nearby landscapes. Make sure to wear good walking shoes!

Create inflated steel forms using our plasma cutter, welders, sheet metal and compressed air. You'll design patterns and trace-cut them with the plasma cutter. Two or more matching shapes are then welded together, heated in our whisper forge, and made ready to inflate. Like magic, using compressed air, the flat welded pieces expand into delightful three-dimensional forms. Add some simple forged rod and these forms can become flowers, wands, or whimsical garden ornaments. Some welding experience helpful, but not required. This class meets in-person in AVA's Sculpture Building. $85 materials fee applied at check-out.

Expand your knowledge of  photography and use your camera to engage with and interpret the world around you. In-class work will combine technical instruction, viewing examples from photography's history, and class critiques. While some photography will happen during class, students should expect and be prepared to spend time out of class making photographs to be critiqued during class. This workshop assumes a basic knowledge of how a camera works, but is open to all levels and abilities. Basic photography experience suggested. Students should own a digital camera with manual controls (DSLR or Mirrorless preferred.)

Expand your knowledge of  photography and use your camera to engage with and interpret the world around you. In-class work will combine technical instruction, viewing examples from photography's history, and class critiques. While some photography will happen during class, students should expect and be prepared to spend time out of class making photographs to be critiqued during class. This workshop assumes a basic knowledge of how a camera works, but is open to all levels and abilities. Basic photography experience suggested. Students should own a digital camera with manual controls (DSLR or Mirrorless preferred.)

Paint what’s around you and embrace all things familiar and everyday. Sometimes the most seemingly mundane, everyday things can make the most interesting paintings. In this two-day immersive painting workshop, you'll create paintings based on their surroundings as well as places, people, or scenes close and familiar to them. Using a combination of photo reference, still lives and plein-air work on-site, students will be guided through various representational painting techniques to accurately express what they’re seeing. Students will also explore how things like memory can play a role in bringing a painting to life, or how choices in color palette and lighting affect the mood of a painting. 

Short walks in the downtown area surrounding AVA will allow outside work on-site to capture the light and colors from life to help inform paintings worked on in the studio. Basic drawing, color mixing and other painting techniques will also be covered, so all skill levels are welcome.