Class Schedule December 2025 – April 2026

NEW! Festive Folk Art Holiday Ornaments | December 3 | IN-PERSON

Inspired by Mexican tin folk art and Alebrijes, we’ll incise and lightly tool heavy gauge aluminum to form low relief ornaments for any occasion.  Keep it simple in silver, or add a splash of color with inks to create beautiful keepsakes or holiday gifts! Instructor: Dana DuMont

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NEW! Painting Wintery Berries and Birds with Gouache | January 10 | IN-PERSON

Learn the basics of painting with gouache and render wintery scenes with birds and berries, celebrating the plants and animals that call Lewis Ginter home, even in the cold months. In this class, students will go from drawing to finalized painting as they learn the basic steps needed to work with gouache. Instructor: Grace Mae Huddleston

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Watercolor Experimentation and Card-Making | January 14, 28 | IN-PERSON

Every painting or watercolor doodle can be made into a unique and expressive notecard. On day one, experiment with a few watercolor techniques to create colorful, “not too precious” pieces. On day two instructor Shelley Row coaches you on how to use a variety of approaches to turn them into decorative and unique note cards. No matter how much social media we have at our disposal, Shelley believes everyone loves to receive a personal card through the mail. This is a true playdate workshop! Instructor: Shelley Row

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NEW! Natural Incense Workshop | January 24 | IN-PERSON

Join Conservatory Horticulturist Clare Reines for a hands-on workshop where you learn to make your own incense using natural ingredients! She will cover the science and rich history behind incense making, and teach you how to work with resins, herbs, oils, and wood to create your own unique blend. Instructor: Clare Reines

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Bold Botanicals with Oil Pastel and Colored Pencil | February 4 | IN-PERSON

Create bright, dramatic compositions with a focus on blooms and other plant life with artist Dana DuMont. By layering and blending both oil pastel and colored pencil on black paper, we’ll be developing unique images that pop with color, light and detail. Be sure to bring along some favorite flower photos and draw inspiration from seasonal hues as you stroll through the Garden before class meets. Instructor: Dana DuMont

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NEW! Glazed Ceramic Garden Critters | February 8, 22 | IN-PERSON

Design and build small, textured ceramic creatures to add to whimsy to your garden, terrarium, or potted plants! We’ll pinch, cut, roll, pierce, and form low fire clay in the first session. Our critters can be hollow or flat, realistic or fantastic, and all will be glazed to add color during the second session. Class participants should feel free to bring along color sketches and other images for inspiration. Instructor: Dana DuMont

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NEW! Playing on Yupo Paper with Alcohol Inks | February 18 | IN-PERSON

Discover the luminous world of alcohol inks! This fluid medium offers endless possibilities for both beginners and experienced artists. Alcohol inks can be used on any non-porous surface, creating a wide range of unpredictable and beautiful effects. In this workshop, we’ll focus on creative play using vibrant alcohol inks on Yupo, a smooth plastic paper. Instructor: Shelley Row

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NEW! Garden-Inspired Altered and Accordion Books | March 12 | IN-PERSON

Explore a variety of possibilities for creating accordion and altered books. Using garden imagery as a starting point, we’ll build the base structure for our accordion books, choose color palettes and begin collaging papers onto the covers and pages. We’ll also use mixed wet and dry media, collage, and cutting tools to create the first pages of our altered books. Instructor: Dana DuMont

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NEW! Whimsical Paper Birds Workshop | March 25 | IN-PERSON

Let your imagination take flight in this two-part creative workshop! In our first session, you’ll create free-flowing, colorful, abstract papers using a variety of media, primarily watercolor paints. Using simple patterns, you’ll cut pieces from your unique papers to form an array of charming paper birds. In the second session, we’ll bring your flock to life by embellishing them with paint pens and markers, adding delightful detail and design. Your finished birds can be strung together as a garland, suspended as a mobile, or displayed individually. This workshop is designed to make your imagination fly and your creativity sing! Instructor: Shelley Row

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NEW! Linoleum Printmaking: Spring Blooms | April 4 | IN-PERSON

Learn the linoleum relief printmaking process from initial design to final hand printed edition! Take inspiration from cheerful spring blooms to create an illustration that you will then carve and print via this creative and hands-on process. Leave the workshop with a series of prints and even trade prints with your classmates to expand your collection. Instructor: Grace Mae Huddleston

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NEW! Creating with Water-Based Media | April 7, 14, 21, 28 | IN-PERSON

Experiment with water-based media including liquid watercolor, water-soluble pastels, black Lyra crayons, pens, and pencils on a variety of surfaces such as handmade paper, rice paper, and vintage book pages. Along the way, we’ll practice layering, blending, and mark-making, while also touching on basic drawing skills and composition. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced painter, this class is designed to spark discovery, encourage play, and fill your creative time with joy. Instructor: Shelley Row

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Pressed Flower Floating Frames | April 17 | IN-PERSON

Cultivate creativity and appreciation for the history of the ancient pressed-flower art form with instructor Conner Parrish of Bloomistry, a local farm in Ashland. After diving into the history of pressed flower art, we’ll create a stunning pressed flower glass floating frame using a 5×7 black glass-on-glass floating frame and real pressed flowers from the farm. The floating frame you design and take home with you will be totally unique, as no two frames are ever alike! Instructor: Conner Parrish

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NEW! Writing in the Garden | April 25 | IN-PERSON

The garden in spring is a magical place for writing. This class will feature a mix of modern plant science, philosophy, and creative writing – and how a deeper understanding of plant intelligence can inform how we think and write about our shared world. We’ll begin in the classroom with an interactive lesson and writing exercises before moving outside to explore with pen and paper. We’ll learn from specific plants but also take time for writing openly in beautiful spring garden spaces. This class is open to writers of all levels and genre interests. Instructor: Sam Nelson

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Beginner Origami Butterflies | April 25 | IN-PERSON

Learn how to fold an endless variety of butterflies! We will cover the basics for success in a way that beginners and experienced folders can all enjoy. With several “species” to choose from, students have the opportunity to explore a variety of styles and learn how to create their own unique butterflies. These butterflies are both beautiful and fascinating; they are a wonderful form of art that you can use to personalize a gift, add flare and wonder to a birthday card or table setting, or simply enjoy as an exercise for your mind and hands that yields endearing and fulfilling results. Instructor: Kyle Maclaughlan

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For creative workshops where you can use live plants to make plant creations to take home, check out our Plant Play: Make and Take Workshops learning category!