Winter 2023 Schedule
Scarves and Mittens for Stuffies! (Ages 6+) with Talia Lefton
Also… Stuffy Sleepover at High Five Books Feb 10-11
Bring your kiddo and their stuffed animal to the shop by 6pm Friday, Feb. 10 to fill out a name tag, read a bedtime story, and kiss their stuffy goodnight. Then we’ll take pictures of the mischief they get into overnight!
Pick up that stuffy by 5:30pm Saturday, Feb. 11. (Register for Art Always’ Scarves & Mittens for Stuffies Workshop that morning separately). No registration necessary for the sleepover. FREE!
Sculpture (Ages 6-11) with Lindsay Fogg-Willits – Full, register for waitlist
Mondays, January 23 – March 6 (no class 2/20)
6 weeks
3:00-4:00pm
$125
A great workshop for children who have big imaginations and a love for building! We will work with clay, wood, cardboard, wire and more to create small and large-scale sculptures. Projects will explore a variety of themes and will occasionally be inspired by sculpture artists working locally and abroad. Come ready to get your hands messy!
Sculpture (Ages 6-11) with Lindsay Fogg-Willits – Full, register for waitlist
Mondays, January 23 – March 6 (no class 2/20)
6 weeks
4:30-5:30pm
$125
A great workshop for children who have big imaginations and a love for building! We will work with clay, wood, cardboard, wire and more to create small and large-scale sculptures. Projects will explore a variety of themes and will occasionally be inspired by sculpture artists working locally and abroad. Come ready to get your hands messy!
Photographing People (for Grown-Ups!) with Sara Lasser Yau
Mondays, January 23 – March 6 (no class 2/20)
6 weeks
7:00-8:30pm
$130
Develop your digital photography skills as we focus on taking pictures of people! Exploring essential elements of photography like light, composition, and perspective, we will view examples of ways that other photographers have approached portraiture and tease apart a different theme or technique each week. You will take most pictures outside of class (when you can photograph whomever and wherever you choose), but while in the supportive environment of our class sessions, we will discuss the images we have made during the week. This class is geared toward beginning and intermediate photographers and will focus on the process of taking pictures, rather than manipulating or printing them. Please bring your camera to the first class. Point-and-shoot cameras, camera phones, or any other digital camera will work!
Sara Lasser Yau grew up looking through her camera’s viewfinder, looking for new perspectives of the world. She earned a BA in Photography and History of Photography from Bard College and an MA in Arts Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is now an arts and museum educator, which means that she gets to help viewers and makers of all ages to connect with works of art. She has taught photography in several arts and museum programs for adults and kids across Massachusetts and lives in Florence, where she takes oodles of pictures of her husband and two sons
Observational Drawing and Painting for Teens (Ages 11-15) with Lindsay Fogg-Willits – Full, register for waitlist
Tuesdays, January 24 – March 7 (no class (2/21)
6 weeks
4:00-5:00pm
$125
This class is for “tweens” and teens who are wanting to delve into observational drawing and painting. We’ll work from still life, the figure, reference photos, and our imaginations as we explore painting on canvas, drawing with charcoal and graphite, perspective, and a variety of other skills and materials. This will be a fun hour each week for this age group to develop their skills and do some experimenting with materials. ** Projects do not repeat from session to session.
Yep! You Can Draw (for Grown-Ups!) with Matt Anderson – Full, register for waitlist
Tuesdays, January 24 – March 7 (no class (2/21)
6 weeks
7:00-8:30pm
$140
Kids are master observers—and they’re not as inhibited as us grown-ups when it comes to drawing what they see. Yep, You Can Draw is a six-week drawing course for adults that focuses on learning the fundamentals of drawing and meditative observation. The process of transforming what you see into a drawing requires that you stop and look with intention and attention. You will learn to take little moments out of your day to stop and observe—and who knows, you may even find the world a little more interesting! No previous art-making experience necessary.
Matt Anderson moved to the Pioneer Valley from Brooklyn, NY, in 2006 and has spent the last decade teaching kindergarten and art, working in restaurants, and installing solar panels. Matt has a MFA from Washington University in St. Louis and is a painter. Check out his work at mattspaint.com.
Art Exploration (Ages 5 – 10) with Lindsay Fogg-Willits – Full, register for waitlist
Wednesday, January 25 – March 8 (no class 2/22)
6 weeks
3:00-4:00pm
$125
This class is perfect for children who want to try a little bit of everything! Students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of materials and techniques. Throughout the session we will experiment with painting, printmaking, drawing, fiber arts, sculpture, collage, and more!
Art Exploration (Ages 5 – 10) with Lindsay Fogg-Willits – Full, register for waitlist
Wednesday, January 25 – March 8 (no class 2/22)
6 weeks
4:30-5:30pm
$125
This class is perfect for children who want to try a little bit of everything! Students will have the opportunity to explore a variety of materials and techniques. Throughout the session we will experiment with painting, printmaking, drawing, fiber arts, sculpture, collage, and more!
Fun with Fiber Arts (Ages 8-12) with Talia Lefton – Full, register for waitlist
Thursdays, January 26 – March 9 (no class 2/23)
6 weeks
3:30-5:00pm
$140
Explore making art with fabric, thread, yarn, and wool! Students will get hands-on experience with embroidery, sewing, felting, and weaving as they work to create tapestries, pillows, and more. In addition to these hand skills we will learn about making, embellishing, and shaping cloth, and will look at examples of fiber art throughout history. All levels of experience are welcome. (Projects are different each session. New & returning students are welcome.)
Talia Lefton has been a maker and daydreamer for as long as she can remember. She hot glued everything until she finally learned how to sew. Since graduating from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2011, Talia has developed her fiber art and teaching practice with a focus on community building and facilitating welcoming art making spaces. TaliaLefton.com
Fun with Fiber Arts for Grown-Ups! with Talia Lefton
Thursdays, January 26 – March 9 (no class 2/23)
6 weeks
7:00-8:30pm
$140
Why should the kids have all the fun?!! Give *yourself* the gift of a weekly evening for creative play in a relaxed and welcoming environment as you explore making art with fabric, thread, yarn, and wool! Get hands-on experience with embroidery, sewing, felting, and weaving as we work to create tapestries, pillows, and more. In addition to these hand skills we will learn about making, embellishing, and shaping cloth, and will look at examples of fiber art throughout history. All levels of experience are welcome and projects differ from session to session.
Talia Lefton has been a maker and daydreamer for as long as she can remember. She hot glued everything until she finally learned how to sew. Since graduating from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in 2011, Talia has developed her fiber art and teaching practice with a focus on community building and facilitating welcoming art making spaces. TaliaLefton.com
Art Inspired by Artists (for homeschoolers ages 8-12) with Lena Garcia
Fridays, January 20 – March 10 (no class 2/17 or 2/24)
6 weeks
1:00-2:00pm
$125
Come explore a variety of materials in this fun and encouraging class! Students will start each class with a warm-up and will then move into learning about an artist or art piece. The techniques used by the artist will inspire a drawing, painting, sculpture or collage project as we create unique works of art exploring shape, line, form and color. This class is all about experimentation and trying something new!
Lena Garcia loves creating things with kids, teens and adults. She has taught drawing, watercolor, acrylic painting, puppetry, sculpture and found object creation. When not teaching, she creates oil paintings in her home studio, does lots of cooking, and parents two kids with her husband.
Photomontage! (Ages 8-14) with Sara Lasser Yau
Fridays, January 20 – March 3 (no class 2/24)
6 weeks
4:00-5:00pm
$130
Take photographs in the studio or outside of class, then transform the prints into mind-bending collages!! Looking to artists like David Hockney and Hannah Höch for inspiration, we will cut up our photographs, recombine them up, weave them together, and experiment with other techniques to create surprising new images. **Please bring a camera if you have one – simple point-and-shoot cameras or camera phones are preferred, but other cameras will work, too! Let us know in advance if you need to borrow one.
Sara Lasser Yau grew up looking through her camera’s viewfinder, looking for new perspectives of the world. She earned a BA in Photography and History of Photography from Bard College and an MA in Arts Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is now an arts and museum educator, which means that she gets to help viewers and makers of all ages to connect with works of art. She has taught photography in several arts and museum programs for adults and kids across Massachusetts and lives in Florence, where she takes oodles of pictures of her husband and two sons
NEW! Knitting Club (Ages 7+) with Talia Lefton
Sundays, January 22 – March 12 (no class 2/5, 2/19)
6 weeks
10:00-11:30am
$125
Gather in a relaxed, social setting to learn knitting (and other yarn crafts like pom pom making). New knitters and those with some experience can learn to make a stuffed toy, and a headband or a pair of hand warmers!
Upcoming Events! Mark Your Calendar!!
Saturday, December 10th 9:30-5:30 – Print Your Own Wrapping Paper & Cards!
Drop-In Art Party! $10 per artist
Summer Camp Registration Opens in mid-January!!
Lots of Adult Craft Nights, Drop-In Art Parties, and Weekend Workshops – Info coming soon!!
The COVID nitty-gritty
- Masks are optional for students, teachers, and all bookstore patrons.
- We ask that children eat snack before coming to class as we will not be allowing eating during class time.
Birthday Parties
Art Always offers fun and personalized art parties on Sundays! Learn more about Birthday Party Options.
Private Lessons $45/hour
Lindsay Fogg-Willits holds private lessons for students ages 5 and above. Time slots are limited. Contact Lindsay directly at lindsay@art-always.com for availability.
Parking!!
One of the many FABULOUS things about this new space is that there is plenty of on and off street parking! There is street parking up and down both sides of N. Maple, or pull onto Depot Ave and park along the side of the building during drop-off and pick-up time. There is also a parking lot at the Benjamin Moore paint store which is available anytime after 2pm, a lot behind the diner and JJ’s, and a lot behind the building housing Maple and Main Realty and Artifact Cider (directly across the street from our space).