with DAVID BIESPIEL

Do you feel sometimes frustrated with the poems you write? Feel you’ll never be able to write poems you aspire to? You’re not alone. Poets at every level of experience deal with getting part-ways through a poem and stalling out, knowing something’s wrong but can’t figure it out, or don’t dare break it for fear of losing the “good parts,” then end up just reworking it over and over, and ending up with an overworked poem that doesn’t arrive at something fresh. Obviously, this is frustrating. You end up thinking you don’t have enough creativity. This workshop will attempt to combat that frustration by changing the way participants think about writing poems and experiencing the world. What’s the secret? Noticing, gesturing, and juxtaposing. By daring to notice, being attentive, and exploring arrangements, participants will learn to write poems differently, enjoy the feeling of poems, and discover a new pleasure in writing.

All skill levels welcome.

with HEINRICH TOH

Create monoprints using non-traditional printmaking processes and materials while exploring layers with color, pattern and imagery.

This hands on workshop balances process, play and content by building rich layers of color, composition and imagery. For printmakers, photographers, or mixed media artists wanting to create one off pieces, participants will discover applications for monotypes and delve into the versatile process of Paper Lithography, the transfer of imagery by inking Xeroxed/photo copies as a plate, printed on an etching press. The potential qualities inherent in this versatile process allows participants to explore and further challenge the use of imagery from their own photographs and drawings to the next level. Participants can experiment working from a photographic, painterly or collage approach with the goal of creating the layered monoprint with numerous possibilities. The class will also explore applications for monotypes with a variety of materials and methods to create depth and space between backgrounds and foregrounds with texture, mark making and brushstrokes to create dialog and narrative in your work.

All skills levels welcome. Love for puzzle solving, dry humor recommended.

with KELSEY DONAHUE

Learn and practice Visual Thinking Strategies, an inclusive approach to art-based discussions.

Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a way to facilitate inclusive discussions about art. This learner-centered approach to teaching emphasizes critical thinking, collaboration and community building. In this workshop, the skills, theory and impact of VTS will be presented. Attendees will actively participate in discussions about art and have the opportunity to practice and receive coaching on their developing facilitation skills. Practical application, including ways to expand this methodology will be explored.

Those new to VTS or with minimal experience are welcome.

with MARK KANG-O'HIGGINS

One of the major impediments to an artists ability is not lack of talent (something that we all posses with training) but rather fear of failure. During this workshop you will learn to recognize what is successful in your drawing and to do away with and recreate what is not.

In this energetic workshop you are encouraged to respond to your subject, to draw them accurately and find your own voice when doing so. Through an understanding of the fundamentals of figure composition, expressive mark making, proportion, anatomy and structure in the service of drawing, the student will learn the importance of academic drawing techniques and the importance of going beyond just technique.

All skill levels welcome.