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
Fridays, January 16, 23
3:00-5:00pm
Capacity: 12 maximum – 6 Carleton students and 6 FiftyNorth members
Cost: $50
Registration deadline: January 9
FiftyNorth and Carleton College are offering an intergenerational hat/headband knitting class.
Students who take this class should be able to knit and purl.
To support local and sustainable farming and animal husbandry, you’ll be knitting with yarn from The Layzee Farmer, LLC owned by Jennifer Therbold near Clear Lake, MN.
In the first class you will review the knit and purl stitch and begin the hat or headband. In the second session you’ll finish the hat, complete with pompom, or the headband. There will be two weeks between classes for you to knit the bulk of the project.
In the second class you will also have the opportunity to talk to Jennifer Therbold via Zoom about her experiences as a shepherdess.
The instructor will supply the yarn and needles. She will even cast on your project for you, which will make it easier to get started.
(2 sessions)
Instructor: Diane Pearsall
Space: Weitz Center for Creativity Room 131 – 320 3rd St. E, Northfield. Use the 3rd St. entrance.
Monday, January 26, 2026
1:00-3:00pm
Capacity: Minimum: 3, Maximum: 12
Cost: $30 nonmember, $26 member, $10 platinum
POUR YOUR HEART INTO CREATING ZENTANGLE INSPIRED VALENTINES.
The ZENTANGLE art form will be taught using the heart shape as the focus for patterned compositions on paper. The small papers created will then be repurposed into your personal valentines. We will make traditional style cards and a fun “message in a box” which will contain a pop out accordion folded valentine message.
Joyce Francis, a Certified Zentangle Teacher, will lead you step-by-step, in designing striking papers and constructing spectacular valentines. No previous experience with Zentangle is required to join this class. It’s simple. It’s fun. It’s relaxing. You will leave class inspired and with valentines ready to pop into the mail.
WHAT IS ZENTANGLE? The concept of Zentangle is a way to practice focus and meditation through drawing repetitive lines, marks, circles, and shapes. Patterns, called tangles, are chosen from the vast collection to be found in books and on the internet. Each tangle pattern is broken down into 3-5 simple steps.
Joyce Francis is a calligrapher and paper artist living in Northfield, Minnesota. A maniac for color, she has a lifetime love of paper, ink, paint, and letters. Over the years her work has expanded beyond calligraphy into development of a line of Zentangle-inspired cards. In October of 2011, Joyce became a “CZT”, Certified Zentangle Teacher. She has been “tangling” ever since!
All handouts, supplies, and tools will be provided.
Instructor: Joyce Francis
Space: Room 102
Wednesday, February 11
1:00-2:00pm
Capacity: 30
Cost: Free
Registration deadline: February 4
Ross Sutter will bring a set of easy to play one-string dulcimers so that every participant will have the opportunity to play their own instrument. In the course of just a short 45-minute workshop every participant will learn to play simple tunes on the instrument using a number system so that even those who can’t read music will be successful.
This is a project that has been developed over the past twenty-seven years with some of the finest music teachers and classroom teachers in Minnesota. In fact, two of the people who were most instrumental in developing this workshop with Ross are retired music teachers who live in Northfield: Dr. Elizabeth Olson and Nancy Huppert. Both had long and stellar careers teaching in Minneapolis and Farmington School districts.
For the past three years Ross has been giving monthly workshops at the Schubert Club Music Museum teaching participants of all ages, from five to eighty-five years old, how to play the one-string dulcimer. This year the staff at the Schubert Club Music Museum have decided to take the workshop on the road and will be doing workshops in Northfield and Farmington.
To learn more about this project and see some of the instruments follow this link to Ross Sutter’s web site: https://rosssutter.com/the-dulcimer-project
This workshop is presented in partnership with Schubert Club.
Instructor: Ross Sutter
Space: Room 103
Thursday, February 12, 2026
1:00-4:00pm
Capacity: 5 minimum, 8 maximum
Cost: $40 nonmember, $34 member, $10 platinum
Registration Deadline: February 5
Bring along a photo of a beloved home, cabin, church, or other meaningful place and learn how to transform it into a personal watercolor keepsake.
In this class, we’ll begin by loosely sketching the structure’s design, focusing on capturing its unique character and charm rather than precise perfection. Then we will bring the scene to life using watercolor paint.
Guided step-by-step, you’ll learn approachable techniques for architectural sketching and watercolor layering. By the end of class, you will have created your own loose watercolor 5”x7” “architectural portrait” that celebrates a special place close to your heart.
Instructor: Allison Albright
Space: Room 105
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
10:00-11:30am
Capacity: 8 minimum, 15 maximum
Cost: $40 nonmember, $35 member, $10 Platinum
Registration deadline: February 17
Bring a piece of handcrafted light into your home with this beautiful, four-inch, fused glass suncatcher.
Crafted from carefully selected art glass, this piece features a floral design, bursting with color. When hung in a window, it captures the sunlight, casting vibrant and shimmering reflections across the room.
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Technique: Each piece of glass is hand-cut by the instructor and you’ll arrange it before being fired in a kiln at temperatures exceeding 1400°F (760°C). This creates a durable, smoothly finished surface.
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Perfect For: Brightening a kitchen window, adding color to a sunny porch, or giving a unique, meaningful gift for a birthday, housewarming, or other special occasion.
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Hanging: Includes a secure wire loop for easy hanging.
Instructor: Geralyn Thelen
Space: Room 105
Wednesday, March 11
1:00-3:00pm
Capacity: 5 minimum, 12 maximum
Cost: $40 nonmember, $34 member, $10 platinum
Registration deadline: March 6
Rocks are common canvases for mandala artists to paint on. In this class we will paint a mandala on a rock using dots, swooshes, teardrops and other techniques.
I will supply the rocks (which I cast myself), paint, tools and glaze and other materials for finishing your rock. (If you were part of our first mandala class, please bring your tools.)
It will be helpful to have taken the first class but newcomers are also welcome.
Instructor: Caroline Jones
Space: Room 105
