AVA Gallery and Art Center offers a vibrant, year-round art education program for individuals of all ages and ranging in ability from novice to professional. Adult and teen classes introduce participants to the creative process, teach basic drawing skills, offer students exposure to media ranging from watercolor to sculpture, and encourage the pursuit of advanced study in areas like oil painting, printmaking, and digital photography.

Evening Basic Drawing

Thursdays, July 9 through August 27, 6:30 to 9pm

Robyn Whitney Fairclough will introduce adults and teens with parental approval to observational drawing, focusing on line, shape, value, and spatial perception to bring the three-dimensional world to the two-dimensional page in satisfying and surprising ways. During the final three classes, students will be drawing a live model.

Materials list provided. $40 model fee included.

Tuition: $290 for AVA members; $315 for non-members.

Learn the Fine Art of Giclée Digital Prints

Friday, July 10, 10am to 4pm

Using Photoshop Elements and AVA’s Epson r2880 archival printer, Adam Blue will guide participants in this one-day workshop to transform digital files of their own art and photography into gallery-quality prints that last a lifetime. Instruction will cover file types, color management, and other practical aspects of the software.

$25 Digital Arts Media Lab fee included. Materials list provided.

Tuition: $95 for AVA members; $120 for non-members. Class is limited to 8.

Nightscapes in Pastel

Saturday, July 18, 9:30am to 4:30pm

Whether they are working on bustling city streets, moonlit townscapes, or pastoral country scenes, Robert Carsten will guide participants in creating mood-filled nocturnal scenes that explore a high-contrast palette of colors built from rich darks to luminous lights. Painters of all levels are invited to work from their own photos or sketches. Demonstration, critique, and lots of painting time are integral to this one-day workshop.

Materials list provided.

Tuition: $95 for AVA members; $120 for non-members.

Copperplate Calligraphy

Wednesday, July 22 and Thursday, July 23 from 9am to noon

Copperplate calligraphy is a pointed-pen hand developed in 17th century England. Laura Di Piazza will help participants work with an oblique penholder, pointed pen nib, India ink, and practice pads with grid and slant lines. The initial focus will be on the amount of pressure applied to pens to produce thick and thin strokes. Then, participants will begin practicing with minuscules and later majuscules, which will be grouped according to similar letterforms.

All materials will be supplied. 

Tuition: $105 for AVA members; $130 for non-members.

Christmas in July – Making Glass Ornaments

Saturday, July 25, 10am–4:30pm

Genevieve C. Cole will help participants learn a variety of glass-fusing techniques while creating an assortment of ornaments for the holidays in this one-day workshop. Not ready to think about winter just yet? The set of ornaments can be used to make wind chimes.

$30 materials fee included.

Tuition: $125 for AVA members; $150 for non-members.

Introduction to Digital Photography (S15A20)

Saturday, August 15, 10am to 4:30pm

Brian Miller leads participants in a one-day introductory photography workshop to gain an understanding of how cameras work, become familiar with the settings available on contemporary cameras, and how to select them for desired effects.

Tuition: $95 for AVA members; $120 for non-members.