On top of my actual job jobs, I’ve got a lot going on. The book I want to finish writing this year. The play I soon hope to direct. The monthly writers’ event I host. The board of directors I sit on. The improv class I enrolled in. Yeah, a lot of that stuff is “me standing up in front of people” stuff. All of it is fun. All of it is stressful.
Every now and again I reach the point of “total introvert fry” and wonder why the hell I am compelled to keep doing it. Every now and again I fantasize about quitting it all … and enrolling in an art class.
No people pleasing. Quiet absorption. Pencil and paper. Paint getting pushed around on a canvas. Doesn’t that sound heavenly?
Perhaps, like me, you suspect you chose the wrong major in college. Or maybe some sharky teacher, hovering parent, or snippy spouse told you weren’t an artist and snuffed out your creative muse—but all it needs is a little CPR. Or perhaps you’re simply craving some meditative moments in a new medium.
Whatever the reason, if taking yourself on a date to go make some art feels juicy to you, too, here are some easy entry points across Eastern Iowa. Do any of these create a joyful little spark for you—or a buoyant heart?
Art Center of Burlington
If you fall into the category of “I don’t need this to be my next career, but I’d enjoy sticking my toe in for an evening,” the Bad Art Club might be right up your [snake] alley. (Sorry. Burlington joke.) Every first Monday, the Art Center of Burlington hosts this judgment-free art and crafting night, featuring three different creative projects each month—so you can experiment with various mediums, materials, and hobbies without having to buy all the supplies. Charcuterie boards and cocktails can be ordered on the side. And with a name like Bad Art Club, the pressure is off to create something profound. “The goal is simple: Have fun! Who cares if it’s ‘bad’!” That said, if or when you’re ready to graduate from “bad” to “mediocre” art—there’s a whole lot more to explore among the Art Center’s array of ceramics, painting, stained glass, and fiber-art classes. BTownArt.com
Brush & Barrel
Have an amusing night out with friends or family members while making a colorful splash! Brush & Barrel in Coralville offers a rotating roster of stress-free classes and painterly parties—from walk-in splatter paint and pottery painting activities to “Date Night” diptychs (side-by-side pieces created with a partner) and “Paint Your Person” portrait nights. This month, for instance, peek through the lens of Picasso and try your hand at a Cubist-style portrait of your cutie! That’ll be a Valentine’s Day neither of you are likely to forget. Special thanks to artist Stevie Toomey, who let us feature her fantastically pop-eyed Picasso-style painting on the cover of this issue. BrushandBarrel.com
Party & Paint with Bill Teeple
Inspired by the “wine and canvas” style gathering, this festive painting class led by Fairfield art instructor and ICON Gallery Director Bill Teeple is designed to be user friendly for painters of every skill level, while offering subject matter with substance. Every month Bill picks a painting for students to copy that is in some way significant to art history—maybe a Matisse, or a Münter, or an O’Keeffe—and traces the basic design on each canvas in advance to make the process accessible and fun. Enjoy an array of beverages, savory snacks, and the signature Party & Paint cream puffs as you follow Bill’s instruction, step by step, to make your own master copy. If it’s not going well, have another glass of wine. Bill is also very cool about sending students home with extra paint if they need to add any finishing touches on their own time.
If you’re looking for deeper immersion and expert instruction, Bill also offers five-week beginner’s classes in drawing, watercolor, and oil—beginning this February, March, and May, respectively. Icon-Art.org
Public Space One
A beautiful success story in providing the Iowa City community with gallery spaces, studio spaces, media-arts and printing co-ops, grant opportunities, and even free art supplies, Public Space One also offers a full catalog of workshops. Their classes—ranging from printmaking to stop-motion animation—fill fast, so get on the mailing list or check their website often. That said, if you need a quick dose of dopamine, check out their Second Saturday All-Ages Art drop-ins, informal workshops designed to get the creativity and fun flowing with new techniques, mediums, and materials. PublicSpaceOne.com
Fairfield Art Association
Fairfield Art Association (FAA) offers a smattering of classes, many of them suitable for beginning-level artists. Try Elaine Duncan’s “Art for Your Sake” class every other Tuesday afternoon, exploring all sorts of mediums. “The main objective is to unleash your creative spirit and ride it into the sunset,” says Elaine. Or, if figure drawing interests you, drop in for the Live Model Open Studio portrait class, held every Thursday at 1:30 p.m. It’s a fully clothed affair open to any skill level.
Also keep your eyes peeled for announcements about an adventurous mixed-mediums class with Suzan Kessel, a printmaking class with woodcut artist John Schirmer, and painting classes with landscape legend John Preston. FairfieldArtAssociation.org
Stanley Museum of Art
Get back to the basics, and reserve a spot in the monthly free Drawing Salon at the Stanley. You’ll get a double dose of art in this Sunday afternoon gathering of pencil pushers who take inspiration from the artworks in the museum—with guidance from Iowa City-based painter and sculptor Robert Caputo. Each session begins with an introduction to and discussion of the selected works.
After your sketching session, make an afternoon of it and gawk at the museum’s diverse offerings on the second floor: modern art masterpieces by Grant Wood and Jackson Pollock; astounding collections of African ceramics, masks, and textiles; a newly featured exhibition of Sandra Sawatzky’s hand-stitched contemporary tapestry depicting the history of oil; and everything in between. StanleyMuseum.uiowa.edu
Beadology Iowa
I recently popped into this destination place for DIY jewelry makers. A truly inspiring spot to poke around in, this store in downtown Iowa City offers wall-to-wall beads and jewelry-making supplies—plus a regular stream of classes on metalworking, lampworking, and bead weaving—at every skill level. They also offer tempting take-home kits that include everything you need to complete a project at your own pace. BeadologyIowa.com
Iowa Ceramics Center & Glass Studio
These folks in Cedar Rapids offer a dizzying array of multi-week classes in handbuilding clay, wheel throwing, and warm glass techniques, from beginner’s and all-ages workshops to ongoing classes designed for deeper exploration.
Can I just say, browsing their list of upcoming courses makes me want to be a kid in art class again! I mean, that Animal Pinch Pot class is just killing me. Who says art-making has to be serious? And that your creation can’t be cuter than poo? Meanwhile, the techniques explored in their more skilled classes are utterly inspiring, too. IowaCeramicsCenter.org
Villages Folk School
I’d be remiss not to mention this institution in scenic Van Buren County, offering classes just about every weekend of the year. With a focus on traditional folk arts, local artists and craftspeople share their expertise in glass blowing, loom and basket weaving, plein air painting, letterpress printing, fiber arts, blacksmithing, and more. February and March workshops include leather crafting, stained glass, and jewelry making. Always tons of fun to be had down Keosauqua way! VillagesFolkSchool.com
Your New Art Addiction
These suggestions truly are just the tip of the iceberg. If you don’t see anything here in your neck of the woods, scan the websites of your local galleries, libraries, museums, nature centers, ISU Extension Offices, makerspaces, Fab Labs, community colleges, and hobby farms. Many of these fabulous organizations offer all-ages hands-on “making” workshops that you can sink your creative teeth into—or at the very least whet your appetite. And, hey, if you have a favorite local artist … ask them if they teach a class!
Who knows where you might stumble upon your new art addiction—the kind of addiction that will likely extend your life, not shorten it. Did you know that, apart from being pleasurable and relaxing, art-making has the power to improve mental health, sharpen cognitive skills, reduce stress, lower blood pressure—and even beef up your immune system?
It’s February. Take a chance. You could fall in love.
In addition to the short list above, find more resources for arts and crafts classes in the area below:
Art Domestique Gallery, Washington, ArtDomestiqueGallery.com
ArtHaus, Decorah, ArtHausDecorah.org
Big Picture Gallery & Studio, North Liberty, BPGalleryandStudio.com
Cork N Canvas Iowa, Cedar Rapids, CorknCanvasiowa.com
Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, DesMoinesArtCenter.org
DKW Art Gallery, Marion, DKWGallery.com
Eastern Iowa Arts Academy, Cedar Rapids, EasternIowaArtsAcademy.org
Figge Art Museum, Davenport, FiggeArtMuseum.org
First Street Community Center, Mount Vernon, FirstStreetCC.com
Fort Madison Area Arts Association, Fort Madison, FortMadisonArt.com
Hearst Center for the Arts, Cedar Falls, TheHearst.org
Indian Creek Nature Center, Cedar Rapids, IndianCreekNatureCenter.org
Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, IHCC.edu/crafts
Muscatine Art Center, Muscatine, MuscatineArtCenter.org
NewBo City Market, Cedar Rapids, NewBoCityMarket.org
Oskaloosa Art Center, Oskaloosa, FaceofMahaska.com
Painted Butterfly, Fairfax, The-Painted-Butterfly.com
Vesterheim Folk Arts School, Decorah, Vesterheim.org/folk-art-school/
Vinton Guild of Fine Arts, Vinton, VintonArt.com.
