MENU
MENU
Five Points Arts Center offers a variety of instructed workshops for all ages, skill levels and abilities across a wide range of media and techniques.
Before registering for a workshop, please review our policies here
Taken a workshop?
Tell us about your experience in this brief survey
Short workshops on practical skills for artists
Offers essential skills for beginners
Offered by well-known artists, followed by a public lecture
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
with Ellen Massee
Saturdays, Feb. 28, Mar. 7, 14 & 21, 2026
10 AM – 2 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $270 / Non-members: $300
Explore the concepts and techniques used to join hand-built ceramic components into unique composite forms. Students will play with ideas starting with loose sketches and learn pinch and coil techniques to create “building blocks” in multiple shapes and sizes. These components will be joined together using hand-made scoring tools and a “magic slip.” Composition, proportion and expression will be explored throughout the process.
with Brooke Toczylowski
Thursdays, Mar. 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2026
1 – 4 PM
Ages: 16+
Members: $171 / Non-members: $190
Participants will experiment with analog methods for making screenprinting negatives— including stencil making, ink drawing, drawing fluid, and more—as well as considering play during printing itself, in order to achieve dynamic and layered prints. In this workshop, we will also touch on the full screenprinting process including coating screens, burning negatives, registration, color mixing, washing and reclaiming screens, and more.
with Thad Kubis
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Mar. 6, 7 & 8, 2026
9 AM – 12 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $207 / Non-members: $230
Join professional photographer and film enthusiast, Thad Kubis, for a three-day practical darkroom workshop. During this analog workshop, you will learn the essential steps to select film, shoot film, process the film, and print your negatives.
INTRO WORKSHOP
with Margaret Liljedahl
Saturdays, Mar. 7 & 14, 2026
9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $202.50 / Non-members: $225
This two-part workshop is an intensive, hands-on introduction to floor loom weaving, covering the full process from winding a warp to weaving and finishing cloth. On the first day, students will measure and wind two-color warps and dress their looms in preparation to weave. On the second day, students will focus on weaving their project and explore finishing techniques.
with Diane Cadrain
Saturday, Mar. 14, 2026
10 AM – 4 PM
Ages: 16+
Members: $108 / Non-members: $120
Learn to use the softest of materials, wool roving, and with a special barbed needle, create a landscape image on a background of raw silk. Award-winning fiber artist, Diane Cadrain, will demonstrate how the natural world can inspire your work by offering constantly refreshed images of arresting loveliness.
with Mark Guglielmo
Saturday & Sunday, Mar. 14 & 15, 2026
10 AM – 3 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $148.50 / Non-members: $165
Demystify the creative process and make it fun, relaxing, and satisfying! Students will create collage-based images built from reference photos that will be made up of cut-up and glued pieces of magazine images. To do so, we’ll briefly touch on fundamentals of composition, collage, color and value.
with Marianne Petit
Snow Date: Sunday, Mar. 15, 2026
10 AM – 12 PM
Ages: All ages
Members: $40.50 / Non-members: $45
This two-hour workshop is designed for children and families and will take participants through the basics of making pop-up cards. Learn the simple mechanics to make cards magically pop, spin, and delight.
with Marianne Petit
Snow Date: Sunday, Mar. 15, 2026
1 – 4 PM
Ages: 14+
Members: $58.50 / Non-members: $65
This immersive, three-hour hands-on workshop introduces participants to the fundamentals of paper engineering. Explore basic techniques including folds, layers, and pull-tabs, and learn how to transform a flat sheet of paper into a dynamic, three-dimensional structure that pops.
Uninstructed (moderated)
Sunday, Mar. 15, 2026
2 – 4:30 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $13.50 per session / Non-members: $15 per session
Practice your figure drawing skills in this monthly uninstructed workshop. Each session will begin with warm up gesture drawings and will include a variety of longer poses. Artists bring their own preferred materials.
MINI-SHOP
with Plamen Petkov
Saturday, Mar. 21, 2026
10 AM – 1 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $54 / Non-members: $60
Are you often asked to do “work for hire” as a photographer but are unsure about invoicing, copyright issues, model releases and more? In this practical “mini-shop,” you will learn from a professional commercial photographer all the joys and challenges of operating a small business professionally and profitably.
MINI-SHOP
with Sarah Paolucci
Tuesday, Apr. 7, 2026
10 AM – 2 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $72 / Non-members: $80
Draw hands with clarity, confidence, and structure! Students will learn how to break down the hand into simple forms, understand proportion and movement, and build volume so hands feel dimensional and proportional.
with Anthony Kirk
Tuesdays, Apr. 7, 14, 21 & 28, 2026
10 AM – 3 PM
Ages: 16+
Members: $228 / Non-members: $320
Carborundum aquatint is a painterly intaglio process achieving a wide tonal range without acid, rosin or toxic chemicals usually associated with traditional aquatint. The instructor, in a long career as a master printer, has introduced this technique to artists such as Joan Mitchell and Emily Mason.
INTRO WORKSHOP
with Ellen Massee
Wednesdays, Apr. 8, 15, 22 & 29, 2026
10 AM – 2 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $270 / Non-members: $300
Explore the unique possibilities of hand-built ceramics using the ancient methods of pinch and coil. We will address form, texture and surface finishes with an emphasis on creativity and self-expression, introducing the use of oxide washes to personally enhance our glazes.
with Terry Donsen Feder
Thursdays, Apr. 9, 16, 23 & 30, 2026
1 – 3:30 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $144 / Non-members: $160
Explore the creative potential of drawing with color! Using colored pencil and pastels, participants will practice drawing shape, value, proportion and space in the creation of a still life.
with Leslie Watkins
Fridays, Apr. 10, 17, 24 & May 1, 2026
11 AM – 3 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $223.20 / Non-members: $248
Learn the foundations of traditional watercolor through materials, limited palette color mixing, and essential techniques including wet-in-wet, dry brush and glazing. Working from life, students will develop strong observational skills while exploring value, form, atmosphere and multi-layered washes.
with Kathleen Schroeder
Saturdays, Apr. 11 & 18, 2026
10 AM – 4 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $207 / Non-members: $230
This workshop is an introduction to the possibilities that polyester plate lithography offers. Participants will learn how to print a one-color polyester plate lithograph using both a lithography and etching press. The process involves using simple drawing materials to make prints that can then be further enhanced using watercolor or other media.
with Leo Hein
Saturdays, Apr. 11, 18, 25 & May 2, 2026
10 AM – 4 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $324 / Non-members: $360
A Bellamy Eagle is a historical carving by John H. Bellamy, a very famous artist who worked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard around the turn of the century. Honor the 250th anniversary of our nation by carving your own Bellamy Eagle under the guidance of a master woodcarver!
with Thad Kubis
Saturdays, Apr. 11, 25 & May 9, 2026
2:30 – 4:30 PM
Ages: 16+
Members: $81 / Non-members: $90
Go beyond in-device editing and revolutionize your practical editing skill set with Lightroom and Photoshop. Join professional photographer, Thaddeus B. Kubis, for this informative workshop introducing you to the creative and basic aspects of photographic editing.
with Sarah Paolucci
Wednesdays, Apr. 15, 22, 29 & May 6, 2026
10 AM – 4 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $324 / Non-members: $360
This hands-on still life workshop focuses on teaching participants how to build and stage their own compelling still life from scratch. Students will explore how to create depth, structure, and visual interest through thoughtful composition.
INTRO WORKSHOP
with Mary Beth Sasso
Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 18 & 19, 2026
10 AM – 2 PM
Ages: 16+
Members: $121.50 / Non-members: $135
Join us in the exciting world of pastel painting! This workshop is perfect for beginners and those with some experience. You will learn the basics, including how to create the soft blends and bright colors that pastels are famous for. We will cover essential skills like layering, mixing colors, and making marks.
MASTERCLASS
with Peter Waite
Saturday, Apr. 25, 2026
2:30 – 5:30 PM
Ages: Adult
Members: $63 / Non-members: $70
If you saw Peter Waite’s exhibition, Social Memory: Paintings 1987 – 2025 at the Wadsworth Antheneum (November 2025 – March 2026) you might find yourself wondering how to draw or paint on such a large scale. Join Peter in a three hour drawing class to experience first-hand the challenges, techniques, and subtleties that can impact your practice in remarkable ways.
This workshop is offered in tandem with a free public lecture by the instructor as part of the Masterclass Lecture Series. The lecture will be held the same afternoon prior to the workshop. More details available here.
INTRO WORKSHOP
with Karen Wolf
Sunday, Apr. 26, 2026
1 – 4 PM
Ages: 12+
Members: $54 / Non-members: $60
Using a standard sewing machine with zig-zag capabilities, you can turn ordinary cotton clothesline into a beautiful bowl or basket. Enhance the piece with scraps of fabric or complementary thread colors and finish them with simple zig-zag stitches and wooden beads.
MINI-SHOP
with Victor Leger
Saturday, May 2, 2026
9 AM – 4 PM
Ages: Adults
Members: $126 / Non-members: $140
Back by popular demand! Turn strips of wood into a beautiful frame for your artwork under the guidance of Vic Leger. Beginning with 5/4” x 4” poplar wood, participants will learn how to create a finished floating frame.
INTRO WORKSHOP
with Virginia Zimmermann
Thursday and Friday, May 7 & 8, 2026
2 – 5 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $81 / Non-members: $90
Basket making is as old as humanity, and is an essential craft and art form. In this workshop, you will learn to make a small reed woven basket from beginning (bottom) to rim (border).
with Leslie Watkins
Fridays, May 8, 15, 22 & 29, 2026
11 AM – 3 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $223.20 / Non-members: $248
Learn the foundations of traditional watercolor through materials, limited palette color mixing, and essential techniques including wet-in-wet, dry brush and glazing. Working from life, students will develop strong observational skills while exploring value, form, atmosphere and multi-layered washes.
INTRO WORKSHOP
with MaryPat Leger
Saturday, May 9, 2026
9 AM – 4 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $126 / Non-members: $140
The “Carpenter’s Star” is a great pattern to get a new quilter going! It looks very complex, but is made out of two simple blocks; one being a square, the other a “half-square-triangle” – a square made up of two triangles.
with Fruma Markowitz
Saturday, May 16, 2026
10 AM – 4 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $114.30 / Non-members: $127
Open to all levels of experience, this workshop explores the process of cyanotype; known for producing rich blue and white prints on paper. Using an assortment of botanical specimens and household objects, you will experiment with mark-making and composition.
INTRO WORKSHOP
with MaryPat Leger
Saturday, May 23, 2026
9 AM – 4 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $126 / Non-members: $140
This workshop will guide you step-by-step through the process of preparing a quilt top and constructing a finished quilt. Learn about basic plans for quilting designs, setting up your machine, and techniques for binding your quilt.
INTRO WORKSHOP
with Joan Kunsch
Saturday and Sunday, May 30 & 31, 2026
1 – 3:30 PM
Ages: 15+
Members: $67.50 / Non-members: $75
This workshop will provide a prompt-by-chance using watercolors; a practice of observation, developing images out of abstraction, for those of any skill level.
with Victor Leger
Saturday, Jun. 6, 2026
10 AM – 1 PM (Session 1)
1:30 – 4:30 PM (Session 2)
Ages: Adults
Members: $31.50 / Non-members: $35 (per session)
Bring your framing projects to the David Marks Woodworking Lab to get expert advice and assistance in furthering your frame building skills. These studio sessions are designed for those who have completed the “Building a Floating Frame” workshop with Vic Leger. Others with woodworking experience are welcome to enroll with the instructor’s approval.
ONGOING WORKSHOPS
(Registration has closed)
with Heather Neilson
Thursdays, Feb. 5, 12, 19 & 26, 2026
10 AM – 12 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $112.50 / Non-members: $125
Explore the playful, layered world of gel plate printing and discover how this versatile process can bring new life to your mixed media work. During the first two sessions, you’ll learn how to use a gel plate, brayer, acrylic paint, and a range of tools. In the final two sessions, you’ll transform your prints into unique abstract collages to create finished pieces that feel spontaneous, yet refined.
with Leslie Watkins
Fridays, Feb. 6, 13, 20 & 27, 2026
11 AM – 3 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $223.20 / Non-members: $248
Learn the foundations of traditional watercolor through materials, limited palette color mixing, and essential techniques including wet-in-wet, dry brush and glazing, Working from life, students will develop strong observational skills while exploring value, form, atmosphere and multi-layered washes.
with Kathleen Schroeder
Saturdays, Feb. 21 & 28, 2026
10 AM – 4 PM
Ages: 18+
Members: $180 / Non-members: $200
Learn this simple process involving creating a collage on a rigid background surface that is then inked and printed. Participants will learn the basics of collagraph printmaking while they create their own imagery using a variety of textured materials.
GIFT CERTIFICATES
Gift certificates can be used for Arts Center memberships, workshops, events and artwork purchased from Five Points Gallery
FIVE POINTS ARTS CENTER
BECOME A MEMBER
TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES
USE THE ART LABS