WINTER/SPRING 2024 ARTS CENTER PROGRAMS
BEGINNING POTTERY, BEADMAKING, SEWING, WEAVING, and WRITING all require advance registration. Scroll down for those. For GENERATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS and OPEN CLAY STUDIO, no advance registration is required. Scroll down for descriptions. We hope to see you soon!
- BEGINNING POTTERY WITH AJ ABURTO | For beginners & intermediate students 16+ | MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS 5-8 P.M., MARCH 25 – MAY 15 (8 weeks). In person at the Arts Center. New to the pottery wheel, or want to brush up on your skills? Instructor and clay studio manager AJ Aburto teaches the fundamentals of working with clay to create functional forms. No experience necessary. Content is sequential, so 100% attendance is strongly suggested. Class meets twice a week for eight weeks, in person at the Arts Center. $180. Register here.
- CERAMIC BEAD-MAKING WITH KOLLEEN JENNE (2 class meetings, 2 weeks apart) | Saturdays, January 13 and 27, 1-3 p.m. In person at the Arts Center. Minimum enrollment: 4. Maximum: 16. | Join local ceramist Kolleen Jenne for a beginner-friendly class on embellishing and glazing clay beads. Participants will have several options for creating textures, and may create pendants in addition to beads. Part I: Hand-building and carving. Saturday, January 13, 1-3 p.m. (weather contingency date: Saturday, January 20, 1-3 p.m. Part II: Glazing. Saturday, January 27 (weather contingency date: Saturday, February 3, 1-3 p.m.). All tools and materials provided by the Arts Center. Finished work will be fired and ready for pickup within three weeks of the last class meeting. $80. Register here.
- INTRO TO SEWING WITH BIANCA WILSON (8 weeks) | Wednesdays 5-7 p.m., January 24 – March 13. In person at the Arts Center. $160. Minimum enrollment: 3. Maximum: 5. Join local tailor/seamstress/costumer Bianca Wilson for some very beginner-friendly steps into the sewing world. In this course we will learn about different parts of the sewing machine, their functions, and how to troubleshoot. Also included are spotlights on basic seams and finishes, darts, zippers (don’t worry!), buttons/buttonholes, basting, and gathering. Register here.
- SUSTAINABLE SEWING WITH BIANCA WILSON (4 weeks). Wednesdays 5-7 p.m., March 27 – April 17. In person at the Arts Center. $80. Minimum enrollment: 3. Maximum: 5. Join local tailor/seamstress/costumer Bianca Wilson in creating new things from the inevitable scraps that are just part of sewing. In this course, we’ll be making a mosaic inspired scrap quilted fabric, as well as making a stuffed soft good for the home using all recycled materials. Register here.
- BEGINNING WEAVING ON A TABLE LOOM WITH DONNA HANSON, WEAVERS GUILD OF MINNESOTA (online, 7 class meetings within 3 weeks during February) | Through a partnership between the Arts Center of Saint Peter and the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, Arts Center members can enroll in this Weavers Guild course at the Guild member rate of $337. Instruction is delivered online by Weavers Guild instructor Donna Hanson. The Arts Center provides looms and all other tools and materials, and students are encouraged to gather at the Arts Center outside of class time to make progress on their projects in community. To learn more and inquire about registration, contact director.acsp@gmail.com.
OPEN CLAY STUDIO IN ENGLISH & SPANISH
OPEN CLAY STUDIO Try your hand at clay or develop your skills, with guidance and encouragement from an experienced potter! Open studio participants do not keep what they make. The focus is on the process. All materials and aprons are provided by the Arts Center. No registration required. Children must be accompanied by a participating adult (one adult per child). Every second and fourth Sunday of every month, 3-5 p.m. in the Arts Center’s clay studio. Free, with donations to the Arts Center encouraged.
ESTUDIO DE BARRO ABIERTO ¿Estas interesado en explorar el barro o desarrollar sus técnicas de cerámica con un guía y motivación de un artesano con experiencia? Los participantes no llevan lo que inventan. Se enfocan en el proceso. Todos los materiales y delantales están prestados del Centro de Arte. No requiere registración. Los niños pueden asistir con un adulto paricipante. Un adulto por niño. Cada segundo y cuarto Domingo de cada mes, 3-5 p.m. en el estudio de barro del Centro de Arte. Gratis, con fomentación de donaciones al Centro de Arte posible.
SINGLE-SESSION GENERATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS | THURSDAYS JUNE 22, JULY 20, SEPT. 7, OCT. 5, NOV. 2, DEC. 14, 6-7:30 p.m. Drop-in fee $10, no registration required. For absolute beginners and anyone looking to shake up their creative process. Teaching artists Martha Otis, Alex French, and others will provide everything you need — paper, writing utensils, and prompts. Participants will be encouraged but not required to share what they produce.
DROP-IN COMMUNITY WRITING WORKSHOPS | MONDAYS, JAN. 15-MARCH 4, 6:00-8:00 p.m. At the Arts Center (weather permitting, otherwise via Zoom). The Arts Center is offering a positive, welcoming space for writers of all levels and interests to meet and work toward their individual goals in a community setting. Free. How it works:
- The host will lead 10 minutes or so of light chat, intros, speaking about goals, etc., and an optional prompt to work toward or consider during writing.
- The next hour is given to focused writing.
- After that we will engage in a few minutes of debriefing and relaxation wherein everyone is free to share the triumphs and frustrations of their writing process (Trust the process.)
This is a place where everyone should leave feeling great about taking time to work on their craft. May we all feel energized to continue doing so. Free, with donations to the Arts Center encouraged.
WRITING WORKSHOP WITH ALEX FRENCH, MONDAYS MARCH 11-APRIL 29, 6:00-8:00 p.m. At the Arts Center (weather permitting, otherwise via Zoom). Teaching artist Alex S. French will foster discussion and craft writing lessons based around published works (and participants’ interests), while also offering a space for participants’ own writing through positive and constructive peer-workshopping. Writers of any genre and experience level welcome. $160. Minimum enrollment: 4. Maximum: 8. Register here.
Need the info in another format? Upon request, Arts Center information may be made available in alternative format such as large print or audio. To request an alternative format, contact the director at director.acsp@gmail.com, call 507-931-3630, or speak with an Arts Center staff member or volunteer.
These activities are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Community Arts Education Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
