Looking for a new pastime this summer? Ready to indulge in a little art making under sunny skies?
Whatever your age or skill level, there's a workshop or class happening in New Westminster this summer that's bound to suit you or someone in your household. We've rounded up this list of 10 highlights to get you started on your artistic adventures.
(Note that all registered courses had availability as of the writing of this post; if any of the City of New Westminster's courses fill up, you can sign up for waitlisted spaces.)
For preschoolers: Doodle Bugs
Four- and five-year-olds are invited to a week of artistic fun that will give them a chance to enjoy pastels, chalks, charcoals and tempera and watercolour paints. It runs from 9 to 10 a.m. all week from July 17 to 21 at the Anvil Centre, Room 413. You can sign up through the city’s online registration site.
For kids: Pottery classes
The City of New Westminster’s summer offerings include a couple of themed pottery classes for kids in the week of July 17 to 21. Six- to 12-year-olds can enjoy Mermaids and Pirates Pottery at Centennial Community Centre (10 a.m. to noon) or Fairies and Fortresses Pottery at Queensborough Community Centre (2 to 4 p.m.). Later in the summer, you can find Fairies and Fortresses Pottery again from Aug. 28 to Sept. 1 at both Centennial and Queensborough community centres. You can find details and sign up through the city’s online registration site.
For kids: Sculpture classes
The Anvil Centre is home to Sculpture for Children classes, running for five sessions from July 24 to 28 (with groups for six-to eight-year-olds and nine- to 12-year-olds). Young artists will use found, recycled and traditional materials to make sculptures and mobiles. You can find details and sign up at the city’s online registration site.
For kids and teens: Summer art club
Arietta Art Studio is hosting a Kids and Teens Summer Art Club, with weekly arts and crafts workshops for a wide range of ages, from three years old to teens. Tickets are $10 to $30, on a sliding scale, to help make classes accessible to all. The studio provides all supplies, and class sizes are kept small (minimum of two students, maximum of eight). Your young artist will be able to try out crafts, painting, clay sculpture, papier-mâché and more, between July 11 and Aug. 29.
You can find full schedule details at the Arrieta Art Studio website or sign up at Eventbrite.
For kids and teens: Summer art day camps
If you have an arty kid in the house who’s looking for a way to pass the summer days, Douglas College has some summer camps that may be just the ticket. You can sign up for week-long camps in July, including Young Artists & Writers, Cartooning, Animation and more.
For the full list of camps, prices and availability, check out the Douglas College summer camps webpage.
For teens and adults: Printmaking
Participants aged 16 and up can sign up for Park Prints: Collagraphs, Rubbings and Monoprints, which runs four Thursdays in August from 6 to 8 p.m. (Aug. 10 to 31) in the Anvil Centre Cultural Studio (Room 411). It costs $64.76 for the four sessions — sign up at the city’s online registration site.
For teens and adults: Handmade Pop-Up Books
Participants aged 16 and up are welcome to this weekend course that’s set for July 15 and 16 at the Anvil Centre (Room 413). You can learn basic paper folding and cutting techniques to bring book illustrations to life, and bring your pages together with a simple bookbinding technique. It’s suitable for beginners. Find more information and sign up at the city’s online registration site.
For adults: Art workshops
Interested in linocut printmaking? Needle felting? Acrylic paint pouring? Paint and sip nights? You can find something to your liking at Arrieta Art Studio, which has programs running throughout July for $40 a session (or you can get a five-class bundle for $130). Check out the full schedule and sign up at the Arrieta Art Studio website.
For older adults: Art in the park
If you’re 50-plus, you’re invited to join in live art sessions in Moody Park. Folks of all levels and abilities are invited to join in sessions, guided by an instructor, on four Tuesdays from 1 to 3 p.m. There’s basic printmaking on July 18, collage on Aug. 1, sculpting on Aug. 15 and wet felting on Aug. 29.
For more information, call Century House at 604-519-1066 or see the New Westminster city events listings.
For older adults: Century House courses
Century House, New Westminster’s centre for 50+, offers a number of summer painting courses, including Creative Watercolour Practices, Acrylic Painting Summer Studio, Summer Sketch Studio and more. You can find the full list of courses in the New Westminster Summer Active Living Guide and sign up online.
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected]
