Welcome to a fun-filled Spring/Summer “flowers” themed card-making class. We will be creating several A2 (5 ¼” x 4 ¼”) size cards throughout our three week experience. This class is beginner’s level. Anyone who may experience mild vision and/or dexterity issues are welcome, and will have assistance in creating your pieces of art for take-home. Mixed media, such as inks-glue-watercolor-paints, may be used in class. Please bring an apron if concerned about your clothing. If you are curious and/or gifted in using your hands creatively, this is the class for you. *Please arrive a few minutes early, as to not disrupt a prompt start to class and instruction. All materials needed will be provided by the instructor. A $10 materials fee is expected at the first class (cash only please).

Do you have some mosaic experience and want to try out bigger or more complicated ideas in a supportive setting? Bring your own project idea, substrate, tesserae and tools to this mosaic workshop. Some supplies and limited tools available.

Come join the party and paint this ridiculously cute Eastern BlueBird. We’re talking rounded head, large eyes, and plump physique - this bird’s got it going on. Don’t worry if you're new to painting, Shirley Anderson will guide you through like a pro. You’ll learn to mix colors, master dry brushing and layering like a boss. Who knows you might just create a masterpiece. Canvas and paints are supplied.

Are you comfortable with your clay abilities and just looking for a place to work and improve your skills? Join us in the Morse High School Ceramics Studio and start making all those things you have been dreaming up! This is not an instructor lead class, but the instructor will be on site working in case you need something. $65 for materials and studio fee, payable to instructor, must be paid on the first night of class. *Purchasing additional clay: The fee is an additional $65 to cover the firing, glazes and other consumables used during class. Please note: If you miss a class, you cannot make-up the class at another time. The ceramics schedule is very tight and these classes are usually full. Thank you for your understanding! *No Class: 3/27.

Bring a sketchbook and pencil and join us for an afternoon of drawing in one of Maine's fabulous art museums. Forge an intimate connection with museum collections, while improving your own work by studying the techniques of the masters. Guidance and critical feedback are provided as needed. At the end of our visit, we will meet up to share our results with the group. Museum admission is included in fee. Location: Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick. Participants will meet at the museum.

Somali American playwright and performance artist, Ifrah Mansour, revisits her childhood memories during the 1991 Somali civil war to confront violent history with humor and provide a voice for the global refugee stories of children. How to Have Fun in a Civil War, is a one-act multimedia play, that explores war from an idyllic viewpoint of a seven-year-old Somali refugee girl. The play weaves puppetry, poetry, videos, and multiple oral stories taken from community interviews to tell a captivating story about resilience while pushing the audience to engage in a healing process that is still raw for survivors of the war. Toured in multiple states, the play has been instrumental in humanizing the invisible strength of global refugees and vulnerable communities on the resilience it takes to start all over in life in a new country and to build kind caring communities.

Ifrah Mansour is a Somali, refugee, Muslim, multimedia artist, and educator residing in Minnesota. Her artwork explores trauma through the eyes of children to uncover the resiliencies of blacks, Muslims, and refugees. She interweaves poetry, puppetry, films, and installations. She's been featured in BBC, Vice, Okayafrica, Star Tribune, and City Pages. Her critically-acclaimed, “How to Have Fun in a Civil War” premiered at Guthrie Theatre and is touring to greater cities in Minnesota. Her first national museum exhibition; “Can I Touch It” premiered at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Her visual poem, “I am a Refugee” is part of PBS’s online Film festival. "My Aqal, banned and blessed" is on view at Queens Museum. Her latest work is a tiny-house-sized Indigenous hut built, a “healing Hut” hosting conversations on healing and community repair within Minnesota.

 Age Recommendations: Best enjoyed by ages 6 and up

Runtime: 50 minutes, w/ post-show discussion

Watercolor Studio combines structured instruction with guided independent work. Each session features a specific theme, such as color or value, beginning with 45 minutes of instruction, exercises, and demonstrations. Students then work on individual projects with instructor guidance. If you don't have a current project, we'll help you develop one. The class concludes with a 10-minute supportive critique. This class is for those who have taken watercolor classes before—preferably a workshop with the instructor or the beginning watercolor class. *No Class: 5/26.

Unleash your creativity in the great outdoors with our "All Media Plein Air: Beginners Workshop," a four-week journey designed for aspiring artists of all skill levels! Whether you're just starting out or looking to explore a new artistic medium, this hands-on workshop offers a supportive environment to develop your skills while immersing yourself in nature. Topics will include, simplification and composition, capturing light, developing methods and techniques for painting outside. Easels and set up’s will be discussed in the first session, Students are encouraged to make due with the easel option they have until they know more about painting outside. This is a four-week class, all media welcome. Each three-hour session takes place at different locations around the Topsham and Brunswick area. First class meets at Merrymeeting. *Rain Dates: 6/3 & 6/10.