Authentic Belly Dance, or raks sharqi, is an ancient form of dance. Raks sharqi means “dance of the east” in Arabic. Belly dance celebrates every body type and every stage of life. The dance is proud and powerful and soft and sinewy with elegant and isolating movements emanating from the core. It’s the Pilates of dance. And so much fun! This is a great refresher class for experienced dancers and suitable for dancers new to belly dance. Please wear comfortable clothing, similar to what you might wear to a yoga class that will allow for free movement and the ability to see your movement. Hip scarves make it even more fun. You can dance barefoot or in a pair of comfortable dance shoes in the studio. Zills (finger cymbals) will be used in class. Check in with the instructor before you purchase any. As an added bonus, you will also have access to a video library with instruction, drills, and ongoing choreography during the length of the session.

PLEASE NOTE:  There will be no class on Martin Luther King Day (1/17) or Presidents' Day (2/21) and class will end 3/28. 

For artists of all skill levels. Beginners welcome. No matter your artistic discipline or preferred media, developing effective sketching techniques will improve your artwork and allow you to grow creatively. Your sketchbook is the most powerful tool in your creative arsenal. The secret to sketching with confidence is learning how to “think on paper,” recording your visual ideas quickly, boldly, and with purpose. Most of the bad habits that hold artists back, can be broken easily by working more loosely and fluidly in your sketchbook, without the pressure of perfectionism. Learn sketching in a positive, supportive environment, where your personal creative ideas will come to life. A variety of sketching media will be explored. Charcoal, graphite, Conté crayon, ink, colored pencils, watercolor and more. Assembling a field kit to sketch outdoors or on the go will be part of the course. 

Preview the supply list for this class: SketchingForEveryone

PLEASE NOTE:  There will be no class on Martin Luther King Day (1/17) or Presidents' Day (2/21) and class will end 3/28. 

Let your artistic imagination run wild. If you think you’ll thrive in an environment of creative freedom and experimentation, this is the art class for you. We will explore a variety of multimedia application techniques in drawing, painting, collage, etc. to produce beautiful, expressive, and effective abstract works. If you’ve ever been to a museum and thought “I could do that!” Now is your chance to take your artwork to the next level and give it a try. 

Preview the supply list for this class: AbstractArt

For artists of all skill levels. Beginners welcome. The natural beauty of Maine has inspired landscape artists for generations. Whether you plan to sketch or paint in the field, or work in your home or studio from photographs, this course will help you learn essential techniques. Before you know it, you’ll be creating stunning landscapes that you will be proud to frame and display. We will explore the secrets of landscape composition, atmosphere and perspective, color theory, effective mark-making and brushwork. Students will be encouraged to try a variety of media, including charcoal, pencils, ink, pastels, watercolor, and oils or acrylics.

Preview the supply list for this class: LandscapesForEveryone

For artists of all skill levels. Beginners welcome. Portraiture has been the passion of many of the world’s greatest artists. Capturing likeness in the human face and head is both an inspiring and challenging undertaking. This course will explore basic anatomy for portrait artists, learning to convincingly draw the head and face by analyzing and drawing the skull and its bony landmarks. As the course progresses, we will be working both from life, including self portraits, as well as from master works and reference photographs. Students will learn to develop an individual portrait drawing style from the gesture stage to a rough sketch, and then go further toward achieving likeness through detail, value and color. A variety of media will be explored depending on individual student interest.

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Train to become a working Registered Maine Guide by learning the skills that guides use daily, including map & compass, coastal navigation, shelter building, separated client searches, cooking, canoeing, snowshoeing, SUPing, plus specialty skills for sea kayaking, fishing, and hunting future guides. This course doesn't include Maine IFW application process testing fees or First Aid. This hybrid program includes Zoom, all day workshops, and homework assignments.

In this course, we will expand upon the rich history of watercolor illustration in conjunction with literature. Students will explore watercolor techniques and experiment with introducing additional materials to their paintings. After analyzing the relationship between words and images, students will develop their own cohesive style for a book-illustrating project of their choice. To support and encourage one another’s development, constructive and positive critiques will be hosted for students’ work during the trajectory of this course.

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This six class course of instruction is designed for those that wish to become a beekeeper. The course will cover the what, why, and how of beekeeping. Topics include but are not limited to bee biology, equipment requirements and setup, seasonal management techniques, diseases, pest management, honeybee environmental benefits, and hive products. The goal of this course is to develop a foundation for new beekeepers to be prepared to keep bees. A course textbook will be provided to each student.