Classes in the Arts

Register for these programs: by phone (507-664-3700), in person at FiftyNorth, or by clicking on the title of the class
Please pre-register and check-in for all classes no matter your membership levels. It is also important to check-in at the front desk when you arrive for your class.  We use attendance data for grant applications, insurance reimbursement, space planning and determining whether or not to cancel a class.
Scholarships are available to help defray the cost of classes for those who find the cost a financial hardship

Basic Photography Shooting and Editing Tips

Wednesday, February 1
10:00-11:00am

You will learn some basic tips on how to take better photographs using your camera or cell phone, including composition, lighting, etc.  You will also learn some basic editing skills that can be done on your cell phone, or on a computer using a digital camera.  Please bring some of your own photographs that can be critiqued during the class.Instructor: Dan Rogness
Capacity: 10
Cost: $9 nonmbr, $7 mbr, $0 platinum
Space: 102

WATERCOLOR: Process, Technique and Flowing Color

Tuesday & Thursday
February 14 & 16
1:30-3:30pm

Students in this class will have an opportunity to explore the process of creating beautiful watercolor paintings using exciting techniques including wet on wet, wet on dry, blooms, push and pull, and tips like using straws, wax, pushing and pulling warm and cool colors, spattering, bleeding, resisting, blocking and many more.

Preferred Pre-requisite to this class, 2 Art Club Sessions; Wednesdays, January 25 and February 8.
In these two sessions we will look at videos about watercolor techniques, and make reference grids to use in your own work. If you cannot make it to one or both of these sessions, the links are listed below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YIpRMwJJfs
https://youtu.be/qDqpmSwyHqQ
https://youtu.be/-_hCqIZM4s0
https://youtu.be/1Fgkwcym4j4

Be prepared to have an enjoyable time ‘bonding’ with watercolors.  Most materials provided.

Please Bring: If you have watercolor sets at home, please bring them (no tubes). Your favorite brushes; we will be using lots of flat-wide (1-inch) brushes. If you have a special brush that you like, bring it but mark it with your name.

Instructor: Kate Douglas
Capacity: 10
Cost: $40 nonmbr, $30 mbr, $15 platinum
Space: 105

Fused Glass Heart Garden Stake

Monday, February 20
10:00-11:00am

Love is in the air with this fused glass heart garden stake. Perfect for any garden. Get a start on your spring gardens. Materials provided.

Instructor: Gerie Thelen
Capacity: 10
Cost: $45 nonmbr, $35 mbr, $25 platinum
Space: 104

Peg Loom Weaving

Wednesday, March 15
1:30-5:30pm

Learn basic weaving techniques using a peg loom.  During class you will learn how to determine the length of warp needed for your project, how to warp the peg loom and how to weave on a peg loom.  By the end of class you will have completed a welcome mat sized rug.
All materials provided. Peg Looms will be available for sale after class if interested.

Instructor: Roxy Smith
Capacity: Min 8, Max 15
Cost: $78 nonmbr, $68 mbr, $40 platinum
Space: 105

Calligraphy Workshop: Brush Lettering

Saturdays, March 25, April 1
9:00-12:00pm

This workshop will introduce students to Brush Lettering. This currently popular style of writing is easy to learn and could just get you hooked on the wonderful art of calligraphy. This workshop will provide step-by-step demonstration and individualized instruction to help each student produce beautiful letterforms. Proper care of tools, good practice habits, spacing and layout, resources, and other calligraphic possibilities will be presented and explored. By the end of the workshop students will be able to complete a final project of a small piece or a greeting card and envelope. Materials provided.
No experience necessary.
(2 sessions)

Instructor: Sally Wightkin
Capacity:  10
Cost: $65 nonmbr, $55 mbr, $12 platinum
Space:  Room 105

Note:  Sally Wightkin is a calligrapher with over 30 years of calligraphy and teaching experience. Sally creates art and teaches other calligraphy workshops in the studio located in the Northrup King Building in Northeast Minneapolis.

Storytelling class

Tuesdays, April 4, 11, 18, 25
1:00-2:30pm

What are the stories without books in your memory library?  Family stories?  Cultural tales? Imaginative Outer Space, or other Galaxy stories?  How do stories work in that required arc?  What do you want to do with your stories?  Tell them?  Perform them? Write them down?  Start a memoir?  Have fun? We’ll start with questions, and maybe come up with answers — some of them unexpected, and perhaps exactly correct.
(4 sessions)

Presenter: Marie Gery
Capacity: 18
Cost: $54 nonmbr, $42 mbr, $0 platinum
Space: 103

Landscape Painting

Wednesday, April 12
4:00-5:00pm

Paint along with a local artist as she shows you how to create a beautiful landscape on canvas. This class is great for beginners as well as more experienced painters. Kate will show you the simplest way to set up your landscape and then show more detailed things you can paint you can pick and choose from. Each student will get an 8×10 canvas to paint on and we will use good quality tempera paint. (It is not super washable so dress in clothes you don’t mind getting paint on.) Materials provided.

Kate Langlais holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and has been teaching art classes for 14 years. She primarily works in oil paint, charcoal, and graphite pencil as she strives to create realistic portraits and landscapes. You can see examples of her work at www.katelanglais.com

Instructor: Kate Langlais
Capacity: 10 Max, 5 Min
Cost: $30 nonmbr, $20 mbr, $10 plat
Space: 105

Fun Felted Fungi

Monday, May 22
1:00-3:30pm

From whimsical to realistic, needle felt a one-of-a-kind mushroom.  Using animal fiber, an armature, and a barbed needle, learn the fun process of needle felting.  Create your uniquely shaped and colored mushroom and adorn it with specialty fibers, tiny felted acorns, or ladybugs.   Finish your project off with a hanger to display your creation.
Materials included.

Instructor: Char Johnson
Capacity: Min 2, Max 8
Cost: $30 nonmbr, $25 mbr, $8 platinum
Space: 102