Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm EXCEPT Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) and Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) with free parking and admission.

Most of the Christians who live in Africa are in the Sub-Saharan nations (nations south of the Sahara Desert), though Christians are found throughout the entire continent. According to a Pew Study in 2018, Christianity is growing the fastest within African countries than anywhere else in the world. Christianity spread into Africa as early as the first century, particularly throughout Northern Africa, and continued right up until the seventh century, when armies practicing the new Islamic faith spread into Africa.

The next era of growth began in the 15th century, when many European countries, starting with Portugal, began searching for alternative trade routes to Asia. Europeans established trade posts along the western coast of Africa and sent missionaries to spread the faith. These missionaries brought their own simple plaster crèches with them, and they later enlisted the aid of local artisans to create variations reflective of their own cultures and traditions. These local artisans used native materials that were both abundant and accessible — a tradition that continues to this day.

In recent years, Christians in several nations within the African continent have been subjected to persecution resulting in the displacement of millions and numerous deaths. Despite this, the people’s dedication to their faith is unwavering. It is in honor of their spirit and determination that the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is pleased to exhibit more than 50 works representing 23 countries across the African continent. This exhibit also explores some of the traditions and festivities that have developed throughout Africa to celebrate the season.

Overcome the mysteries of the sewing machine and discover how fun and easy it can be! Learn the basics of machine sewing including threading, operating, and troubleshooting.

Practice using the machine and then move on to simple projects for yourself or for gift-giving. Choice of projects will include a 4-patch pin cushion, Boho bags, zippered pouch, and items for the home such as pillow covers. Tips for altering clothes can also be covered. Previous students are welcome to attend and work on their own projects.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $15 for basic materials provided by CAW.

On our annual Family Day, we invite families to explore our collections and buildings with storytelling and art-making activities for all ages. Enjoy learning more about the art right here in New Haven.  

Free and open to the public. 

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

New and experienced students will focus on making pottery on the wheel.

Start by using methods of wedging, centering, hand and finger positioning for raising a vessel, and positioning one’s body for dealing with a mass of clay on the wheel. Demonstrations will cover the importance of trimming techniques and various forming processes.

Wear clothes that can get dirty.

Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Cash or check only.

Firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Learn how to make a clamshell box–a box that looks like a book, especially when set on a shelf. The design can be easily adapted in shape and size to accommodate a wide range of objects from prints, small objects, or books. Students will to the pieces and construct the two-tray cloth-covered box accented with decorative paper. Many of the basic bookbinding techniques will be taught such as measuring, cutting, and gluing.

No experience necessary. Intermediate students may work on independent box projects.

Plus receive one 3-hour monitored open bench session each week.

Develop your pottery skills as you focus on wheel-throwing techniques in stoneware and porcelain. Lessons will cover both functional and decorative pottery with emphasis on classical forms as we know them. Students will be shown how to apply glazes and/or oxide washes to achieve desired results, such as combining glaze colors and the application of wood ash to create unexpected effects on their work. Wear clothes that can get dirty. Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27 and firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only. Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Learn basic metalsmithing for making jewelry, developing new skills, or strengthen existing ones. Weekly demonstrations introduce tools and techniques required for working with nonferrous sheet metal and wire. Demonstrations may include sawing, filing, cold-connecting, soldering, surface embellishment, forging, shaping, fold forming, finishing, and patina coloring.

The tuition for this class includes a fee of $40 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Symphonia: Dialogues of Landscape, Ritual, and Resilience aims to explore the profound and intricate intersections of religious, ecological, and expressive themes through the works of four Chicago-based artists: Joanne Aono, Karen Azarnia, Jon Seals, and Michelle Wasson. Envisioned as an artistic conversation that transcends traditional boundaries, the exhibition is designed to encourage contemplation and dialogue, creating an immersive experience for the viewer to explore.

As an artist and farmer, Joanne Aono explores the intersection of nature and the cultural significance of food sovereignty across communities, drawing on humanity's historical reliance on the earth for survival. Through large drawings on agricultural fabric and small panel drawings depicting foraged foods and cultivated plants, Aono conveys themes of impermanence, the passage of time, and the interconnectedness of life, emphasizing the essential care needed for the holistic sustenance of the Earth and its elements.

Through painting, Karen Azarnia explores themes of time, home, memory, and natural life cycles. Navigating the delicate balance between abstraction and representation, works from her Verdant series are characterized by lushness and generosity – an act of care for the viewer. The work seeks to inspire renewal and resilience, drawing parallels between the meditative rhythms of nature and the painting process.

Employing a unique mixed-media approach, Jon Seals utilizes materials directly harvested from environmentally shifting landscapes. The symbiotic exchange with the soil, water, and plant life is evident in artworks created through pouring, dipping, and combining hand-drawn and painted elements. The integration of water sourced on-site deepens the artist's connection with the land and sea.

Michelle Wasson's paintings serve as a sensual refuge, intuitively created from memory and imagination. Her canvases, flowing between landscape, still life, and the figurative, portray surreal planes where divine vessels evoke the power of nature to create, destroy, and create anew, offering a reflection of our shared humanity in the natural world.

While each artist in Symphonia offers a distinct viewpoint embodied through their own uniquely built worlds, together these worlds intertwine to culminate into something much larger. It is through this simple yet powerful act of shared connection in which Symphonia ultimately seeks to inspire a renewed sense of environmental consciousness, and a commitment to preserving the sacred harmony within our world.

Free and open to the public.

Exhibition co-curated by Karen Azarnia & Jon Seals.

This exhibition will be on view at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Miller Hall at 406 Prospect Street, New Haven from January 23-March 6 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12-4 p.m.

All are welcome to join us for an opening reception for this art exhibit on Wednesday, January 22 at 5 p.m.

Sponsored by the Institute of Sacred Music’s Religion, Ecology, and Expressive Culture Initiative.

Contact: Anesu Nyamupingidza

Art credit: Michelle Wasson: Golden Lacuna, Aurea Nova Series, 2023

View event page

For those already comfortable making metal sculpture, take your practice to the next level and develop new ideas using all types of materials.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.

Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm EXCEPT Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) and Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) with free parking and admission.

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

The Gospel of St. Luke provides the only description of where Christ was born, as it mentions him being placed in a manger. This suggests that Mary gave birth in a stable. Although many stables of this region and time period were built in caves, crèches, the three-dimensional representation of the nativity scene, have a diversity of stables and settings, including the most commonly used type of stable, an open-front wood structure. However, many artisans model their crèches after buildings and landscapes that are native to their homelands.

This exhibit includes a variety of crèches that showcase different examples of stables and mangers. In addition, it also highlights the creation of a handful of crèches that have settings customized to display the figures. These crèches include, the Marcel Carbonel Santons of Marseille, France, Fontanini of Bagni di Lucca, Italy, the Neapolitan crèche by Cantone and Costabile of Naples Italy, and the newest additions to our collection by United States based Navidad Nativities: the St. Francis Nativity, with figures by Ulpe Wood Art and St. Mary’s crèche with figures by Original Heide, both from Italy.

Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm EXCEPT Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) and Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) with free parking and admission.

Most of the Christians who live in Africa are in the Sub-Saharan nations (nations south of the Sahara Desert), though Christians are found throughout the entire continent. According to a Pew Study in 2018, Christianity is growing the fastest within African countries than anywhere else in the world. Christianity spread into Africa as early as the first century, particularly throughout Northern Africa, and continued right up until the seventh century, when armies practicing the new Islamic faith spread into Africa.

The next era of growth began in the 15th century, when many European countries, starting with Portugal, began searching for alternative trade routes to Asia. Europeans established trade posts along the western coast of Africa and sent missionaries to spread the faith. These missionaries brought their own simple plaster crèches with them, and they later enlisted the aid of local artisans to create variations reflective of their own cultures and traditions. These local artisans used native materials that were both abundant and accessible — a tradition that continues to this day.

In recent years, Christians in several nations within the African continent have been subjected to persecution resulting in the displacement of millions and numerous deaths. Despite this, the people’s dedication to their faith is unwavering. It is in honor of their spirit and determination that the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is pleased to exhibit more than 50 works representing 23 countries across the African continent. This exhibit also explores some of the traditions and festivities that have developed throughout Africa to celebrate the season.

You decide – explore multiple printmaking techniques and processes or deepen your practice in one area. Use etching, drypoint, woodcut, linocut, monotype, transfer prints, paper lithography, polymer plate lithography, collagraph, silk aquatint, transfer prints, or Chine-collé. Learn new techniques or connect printmaking to other artistic media.

Includes one 3-hour practice session per week during monitored practice hours.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Symphonia: Dialogues of Landscape, Ritual, and Resilience aims to explore the profound and intricate intersections of religious, ecological, and expressive themes through the works of four Chicago-based artists: Joanne Aono, Karen Azarnia, Jon Seals, and Michelle Wasson. Envisioned as an artistic conversation that transcends traditional boundaries, the exhibition is designed to encourage contemplation and dialogue, creating an immersive experience for the viewer to explore.

As an artist and farmer, Joanne Aono explores the intersection of nature and the cultural significance of food sovereignty across communities, drawing on humanity's historical reliance on the earth for survival. Through large drawings on agricultural fabric and small panel drawings depicting foraged foods and cultivated plants, Aono conveys themes of impermanence, the passage of time, and the interconnectedness of life, emphasizing the essential care needed for the holistic sustenance of the Earth and its elements.

Through painting, Karen Azarnia explores themes of time, home, memory, and natural life cycles. Navigating the delicate balance between abstraction and representation, works from her Verdant series are characterized by lushness and generosity – an act of care for the viewer. The work seeks to inspire renewal and resilience, drawing parallels between the meditative rhythms of nature and the painting process.

Employing a unique mixed-media approach, Jon Seals utilizes materials directly harvested from environmentally shifting landscapes. The symbiotic exchange with the soil, water, and plant life is evident in artworks created through pouring, dipping, and combining hand-drawn and painted elements. The integration of water sourced on-site deepens the artist's connection with the land and sea.

Michelle Wasson's paintings serve as a sensual refuge, intuitively created from memory and imagination. Her canvases, flowing between landscape, still life, and the figurative, portray surreal planes where divine vessels evoke the power of nature to create, destroy, and create anew, offering a reflection of our shared humanity in the natural world.

While each artist in Symphonia offers a distinct viewpoint embodied through their own uniquely built worlds, together these worlds intertwine to culminate into something much larger. It is through this simple yet powerful act of shared connection in which Symphonia ultimately seeks to inspire a renewed sense of environmental consciousness, and a commitment to preserving the sacred harmony within our world.

Free and open to the public.

Exhibition co-curated by Karen Azarnia & Jon Seals.

This exhibition will be on view at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Miller Hall at 406 Prospect Street, New Haven from January 23-March 6 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12-4 p.m.

All are welcome to join us for an opening reception for this art exhibit on Wednesday, January 22 at 5 p.m.

Sponsored by the Institute of Sacred Music’s Religion, Ecology, and Expressive Culture Initiative.

Contact: Anesu Nyamupingidza

Art credit: Michelle Wasson: Golden Lacuna, Aurea Nova Series, 2023

View event page

Explore and create your own series of linoleum prints in this engaging class.

The instructor will guide students in developing original designs and preparing a linoleum block for inking and printing. The process of carving and printing a 4” x 6” block will be demonstrated, along with a variety of inking and printing techniques. Examples of linoleum prints will be available for inspiration.

This course welcomes both beginners and advanced students. All inks are water-based and easily cleaned with soap and water. Students may purchase their own paper or additional blocks after the first session.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.

Learn the basics of preparing and operating a loom. Participants will weave a sampler piece combining a wide range of useful weaves. Beginning students will complete one or two simple projects of their choice by the end of this term. Intermediate and advanced students will weave projects with more complex structures using multi-harness looms.

Beginning students have a materials fee of $18 payable to the instructor.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.

Veteran book arts expert Gisela Noack brings her many years of skill and experience in restoration and conservation to students working on their own advanced bookbinding or restoration projects.

Enrollment in this class includes one 3-hour monitored open bench session per week.

This class will take place in a studio accessed by a flight of stairs. For any accommodations please send a confidential email to registrar@creativeartsworkshop.org

Want to try something new? Build your existing skills to grow ideas in a stimulating group of intermediate and advanced potters. Individual projects are encouraged, with demonstrations designed to inspire new ways of looking at throwing, hand-building, and overall design.

Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Cash or check only.

Firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Dive into the creative process of monotype printmaking using direct drawing, stencils, and masking techniques.

This hands-on class introduces innovative approaches to printmaking, allowing students to create bold, dynamic images with clean lines and striking contrasts. Whether you’re an artist looking to expand your skills or a hobbyist seeking a new creative outlet, this class provides the tools and knowledge to make stunning prints.

Students will design and customize stencils from a variety of materials and explore layering techniques in inking to create complex, multi-colored prints. Topics include working with gel plates, screen printing, and plexiglass monotypes. No prior experience is required.

Includes one 3-hour practice session per week during monitored practice hours.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm EXCEPT Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) and Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) with free parking and admission.

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

The Gospel of St. Luke provides the only description of where Christ was born, as it mentions him being placed in a manger. This suggests that Mary gave birth in a stable. Although many stables of this region and time period were built in caves, crèches, the three-dimensional representation of the nativity scene, have a diversity of stables and settings, including the most commonly used type of stable, an open-front wood structure. However, many artisans model their crèches after buildings and landscapes that are native to their homelands.

This exhibit includes a variety of crèches that showcase different examples of stables and mangers. In addition, it also highlights the creation of a handful of crèches that have settings customized to display the figures. These crèches include, the Marcel Carbonel Santons of Marseille, France, Fontanini of Bagni di Lucca, Italy, the Neapolitan crèche by Cantone and Costabile of Naples Italy, and the newest additions to our collection by United States based Navidad Nativities: the St. Francis Nativity, with figures by Ulpe Wood Art and St. Mary’s crèche with figures by Original Heide, both from Italy.

Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm EXCEPT Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) and Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) with free parking and admission.

Most of the Christians who live in Africa are in the Sub-Saharan nations (nations south of the Sahara Desert), though Christians are found throughout the entire continent. According to a Pew Study in 2018, Christianity is growing the fastest within African countries than anywhere else in the world. Christianity spread into Africa as early as the first century, particularly throughout Northern Africa, and continued right up until the seventh century, when armies practicing the new Islamic faith spread into Africa.

The next era of growth began in the 15th century, when many European countries, starting with Portugal, began searching for alternative trade routes to Asia. Europeans established trade posts along the western coast of Africa and sent missionaries to spread the faith. These missionaries brought their own simple plaster crèches with them, and they later enlisted the aid of local artisans to create variations reflective of their own cultures and traditions. These local artisans used native materials that were both abundant and accessible — a tradition that continues to this day.

In recent years, Christians in several nations within the African continent have been subjected to persecution resulting in the displacement of millions and numerous deaths. Despite this, the people’s dedication to their faith is unwavering. It is in honor of their spirit and determination that the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is pleased to exhibit more than 50 works representing 23 countries across the African continent. This exhibit also explores some of the traditions and festivities that have developed throughout Africa to celebrate the season.

Learn the various approaches to creating metal sculptures, including welding (oxyacetylene and MIG), brazing, cutting (torch and plasma cutter), hammering, and more.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.

Students should wear 100% cotton long sleeves, jeans or work pants, and closed-toe boots. No synthetic mesh, plastic, or cloth.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $40.

Explore the modern and popular craft of memoir writing. Every person has a story to tell. No matter your age, education, family, or location, your life is filled with tales big and small.

Through workshopping and class critiques, students will explore how to shape their memories into cohesive and compelling narratives. Topics will include character development, setting a scene with vivid descriptions, authentic dialogue and emotion, building your story arc, and compelling opening sentences.

Bring a laptop, iPad, or pen and paper to each session. Participants will share short writing assignments each week.

Symphonia: Dialogues of Landscape, Ritual, and Resilience aims to explore the profound and intricate intersections of religious, ecological, and expressive themes through the works of four Chicago-based artists: Joanne Aono, Karen Azarnia, Jon Seals, and Michelle Wasson. Envisioned as an artistic conversation that transcends traditional boundaries, the exhibition is designed to encourage contemplation and dialogue, creating an immersive experience for the viewer to explore.

As an artist and farmer, Joanne Aono explores the intersection of nature and the cultural significance of food sovereignty across communities, drawing on humanity's historical reliance on the earth for survival. Through large drawings on agricultural fabric and small panel drawings depicting foraged foods and cultivated plants, Aono conveys themes of impermanence, the passage of time, and the interconnectedness of life, emphasizing the essential care needed for the holistic sustenance of the Earth and its elements.

Through painting, Karen Azarnia explores themes of time, home, memory, and natural life cycles. Navigating the delicate balance between abstraction and representation, works from her Verdant series are characterized by lushness and generosity – an act of care for the viewer. The work seeks to inspire renewal and resilience, drawing parallels between the meditative rhythms of nature and the painting process.

Employing a unique mixed-media approach, Jon Seals utilizes materials directly harvested from environmentally shifting landscapes. The symbiotic exchange with the soil, water, and plant life is evident in artworks created through pouring, dipping, and combining hand-drawn and painted elements. The integration of water sourced on-site deepens the artist's connection with the land and sea.

Michelle Wasson's paintings serve as a sensual refuge, intuitively created from memory and imagination. Her canvases, flowing between landscape, still life, and the figurative, portray surreal planes where divine vessels evoke the power of nature to create, destroy, and create anew, offering a reflection of our shared humanity in the natural world.

While each artist in Symphonia offers a distinct viewpoint embodied through their own uniquely built worlds, together these worlds intertwine to culminate into something much larger. It is through this simple yet powerful act of shared connection in which Symphonia ultimately seeks to inspire a renewed sense of environmental consciousness, and a commitment to preserving the sacred harmony within our world.

Free and open to the public.

Exhibition co-curated by Karen Azarnia & Jon Seals.

This exhibition will be on view at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Miller Hall at 406 Prospect Street, New Haven from January 23-March 6 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12-4 p.m.

All are welcome to join us for an opening reception for this art exhibit on Wednesday, January 22 at 5 p.m.

Sponsored by the Institute of Sacred Music’s Religion, Ecology, and Expressive Culture Initiative.

Contact: Anesu Nyamupingidza

Art credit: Michelle Wasson: Golden Lacuna, Aurea Nova Series, 2023

View event page

Using both hand-building techniques and the potter’s wheel, participants learn the foundational skills needed to create basic ceramic cups, bowls, and floral containers. As students refine these skills, they will work on more complex projects. This will enable them to combine techniques, push their creativity, and practice creative problem-solving.

Glazing, slips, and other surface treatments will be explored. There will be instructor demonstrations and individual consultations. Wear clothes that can get dirty.

Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Cash or check only.

Firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.

In celebration of the Yale University Art Gallery’s acquisition and installation of Maren Hassinger’s Monument (Pyramid) (2022), the artist joins Margaret Ewing, the Horace W. Goldsmith Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, in a conversation about her groundbreaking work. Underrecognized until recently by museums, Hassinger has worked steadily in sculpture, installation, and performance, becoming one of the leading artists of our time. Her career spans five decades and two coasts, beginning in the context of the Black Arts Movement in Los Angeles in the 1970s and continuing in New York, where she lives today. Employing natural, industrial, and found materials, she explores connections among the environment, community, politics, and identity. Hassinger is Director Emeritus of the Rinehart School of Sculpture at Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, and the 2024–25 Happy and Bob Doran Artist in Residence at the Gallery. 

In this class, you will learn how to knit your first hat in the round using circular needles. We will be covering fundamental skills, including casting on, knitting in the round, fixing mistakes like dropped stitches, casting off, and blocking your work. If you can knit a hat, you can knit almost anything! This is the perfect class for beginners and those looking to refresh their knitting skills.

Etching, a classic intaglio printing technique, involves incising lines into copper through a protected surface and then “etching” them in acid—a method dating back to Dürer and used from the Renaissance to modern times.

This class introduces environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional etching featuring different types of water-based inks, Baldwin’s Ink Ground (B.I.G) and Lascaux grounds, and coffee-lift techniques.

Some products used in this class may be irritating to highly sensitive people.

Includes one 3-hour practice session per week during monitored practice hours.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

If you are interested in making ceramic pieces for the home, this class is for you.

Making functional pots is important to all levels of students, whether you throw pots on the wheel or prefer to build by hand. Students will learn ways to modify forms to create pieces uniquely their own.

Classes will include various techniques for pot making as well as considerations pertaining to each form. Surface treatments including engobes, stains, and glazes will also be covered.

Both teacher demonstrations and one-on-one student instruction will occur each week.

Wear clothes that can get dirty.

Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Cash or check only.

Firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only.

Learn basic metalsmithing for making jewelry, developing new skills, or strengthen existing ones. Weekly demonstrations introduce tools and techniques required for working with nonferrous sheet metal and wire. Demonstrations may include sawing, filing, cold-connecting, soldering, surface embellishment, forging, shaping, fold forming, finishing, and patina coloring.

The tuition for this class includes a fee of $40 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm EXCEPT Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) and Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) with free parking and admission.

Most of the Christians who live in Africa are in the Sub-Saharan nations (nations south of the Sahara Desert), though Christians are found throughout the entire continent. According to a Pew Study in 2018, Christianity is growing the fastest within African countries than anywhere else in the world. Christianity spread into Africa as early as the first century, particularly throughout Northern Africa, and continued right up until the seventh century, when armies practicing the new Islamic faith spread into Africa.

The next era of growth began in the 15th century, when many European countries, starting with Portugal, began searching for alternative trade routes to Asia. Europeans established trade posts along the western coast of Africa and sent missionaries to spread the faith. These missionaries brought their own simple plaster crèches with them, and they later enlisted the aid of local artisans to create variations reflective of their own cultures and traditions. These local artisans used native materials that were both abundant and accessible — a tradition that continues to this day.

In recent years, Christians in several nations within the African continent have been subjected to persecution resulting in the displacement of millions and numerous deaths. Despite this, the people’s dedication to their faith is unwavering. It is in honor of their spirit and determination that the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is pleased to exhibit more than 50 works representing 23 countries across the African continent. This exhibit also explores some of the traditions and festivities that have developed throughout Africa to celebrate the season.

Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm EXCEPT Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) and Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) with free parking and admission.

She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7

The Gospel of St. Luke provides the only description of where Christ was born, as it mentions him being placed in a manger. This suggests that Mary gave birth in a stable. Although many stables of this region and time period were built in caves, crèches, the three-dimensional representation of the nativity scene, have a diversity of stables and settings, including the most commonly used type of stable, an open-front wood structure. However, many artisans model their crèches after buildings and landscapes that are native to their homelands.

This exhibit includes a variety of crèches that showcase different examples of stables and mangers. In addition, it also highlights the creation of a handful of crèches that have settings customized to display the figures. These crèches include, the Marcel Carbonel Santons of Marseille, France, Fontanini of Bagni di Lucca, Italy, the Neapolitan crèche by Cantone and Costabile of Naples Italy, and the newest additions to our collection by United States based Navidad Nativities: the St. Francis Nativity, with figures by Ulpe Wood Art and St. Mary’s crèche with figures by Original Heide, both from Italy.

The Peabody Museum in New Haven is one of the oldest and largest university natural history museums in the world . And it can be your children’s classroom!

Join us for an inspiring art class in the newly expanded museum. This is a fantastic opportunity to draw a variety of natural artifacts, including plants, animals, and fossils, while enhancing your observational drawing skills. Participants will learn to notice finer details and improve their ability to draw from life, unlocking a whole new world of artistic expression. The Peabody’s expansive collections—featuring dinosaur bones, plant matter, reptiles, and much more—provide the perfect backdrop for this exploration.

Please note that drop-off and pick-up will take place in the museum lobby. 

Wednesday morning session is perfect for home-school families.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for materials provided by CAW.

Explore the creative possibilities of clay by shaping and molding it into one-of-a-kind works of art. Working with clay helps young people develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and emotional expression through hands-on activities. Above all, clay sparks imagination, encouraging children to think creatively and express themselves in new ways. The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW. School Policies Students who withdraw 48 hours prior to the first class are eligible for a refund or credit toward another class, less a $25 registration fee. Please click here for more details. 

Feelin’ Good is by far the finest Michael Bublé tribute band. Backed by a 17-piece band, Anthony Bernasconi perfectly emulates the effortless class that Bublé famously exudes. This show focuses on who Michael Bublé is today. Steering away from the Sinatra influence and incorporating more of his modern song choice adaptations to appeal to a larger audience while still paying tribute to the classics of the great American song book. Including many songs from his Grammy Award Winning Album "Higher." this show is very entertaining and appeals to Bublé fans.

Paws and Pixels is an exciting new course designed for young artists who want to create animal drawings using Procreate. Starting with the basics, we’ll guide students through sketching techniques and gradually move on to more advanced, realistic animal illustrations.

Throughout the course, students will learn how to observe and analyze animal shapes and proportions, replicate different textures like fur, glossy skin, and more, using Procreate’s powerful features. As they advance, students will explore techniques like blending modes, clipping masks, and blur effects to add depth and realism to their art.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW

No typical sand or slides at this playground!

CAW’s playground has colored sand, wood, clay, tempera and watercolor paints, markers, tissue paper and more items than we have space to list here. Students will use all these supplies to create projects including masks, paper dolls, animals, birds, insects, portraits, and imaginary creatures.

How will they do all this? By cutting, folding, stomping, splashing, blending, texturing, painting, and coloring (after they mix their own unique colors).

Bet you wish you could stay too!

Wednesday morning session is perfect for home-school families.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for materials provided by CAW.

Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm EXCEPT Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) and Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) with free parking and admission.

Most of the Christians who live in Africa are in the Sub-Saharan nations (nations south of the Sahara Desert), though Christians are found throughout the entire continent. According to a Pew Study in 2018, Christianity is growing the fastest within African countries than anywhere else in the world. Christianity spread into Africa as early as the first century, particularly throughout Northern Africa, and continued right up until the seventh century, when armies practicing the new Islamic faith spread into Africa.

The next era of growth began in the 15th century, when many European countries, starting with Portugal, began searching for alternative trade routes to Asia. Europeans established trade posts along the western coast of Africa and sent missionaries to spread the faith. These missionaries brought their own simple plaster crèches with them, and they later enlisted the aid of local artisans to create variations reflective of their own cultures and traditions. These local artisans used native materials that were both abundant and accessible — a tradition that continues to this day.

In recent years, Christians in several nations within the African continent have been subjected to persecution resulting in the displacement of millions and numerous deaths. Despite this, the people’s dedication to their faith is unwavering. It is in honor of their spirit and determination that the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is pleased to exhibit more than 50 works representing 23 countries across the African continent. This exhibit also explores some of the traditions and festivities that have developed throughout Africa to celebrate the season.

Mokulito (Lithography on wood) is a form of lithography printmaking that uses wood as a printing matrix instead of metal or limestone. After the plate is prepared, marks are drawn with a greasy substance, etched with gum arabic, and then printed. This process produces detailed prints that differ from traditional lithography due to the uniqueness of the wood grain and texture. In this class you will learn the basics of lithography and how mokulito differs from traditional lithography. Students will learn about different types of wood choices, how to prepare the wood for drawing, try out a variety of drawing materials, prepping the plate for printing and inking. Options to carve into the woodblock print can also add another level of surface manipulation. This class is appropriate for all printing levels and is open to teens and adults. Note: Lithography processes use oil based inks, but require no harsh solvents. One 12 x 12in plywood block is provided and you are welcome to bring

Show up for your creative self in 2025 with the Saturday Drawing Club.

Explore weekly prompts and materials combined with a mix of conversation, creative time, and feedback. Bring an ongoing project or start from scratch.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $10 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Would you like to explore watercolors? Feeling unsure or out of practice? You can do it!

Watercolors are a whimsical and simple way to explore ideas, make memorable sketches of your travels or daily life, and develop visual self-expression.

Students will learn about materials, look at examples, create color studies, make thumbnail sketches to generate ideas and compositions, and develop sketches and paintings that explore color, line, shape, texture, and more.

Whether you enjoy landscape, still life, abstract, or contemporary art, you will have the space and support to develop your style and learn helpful techniques to help you on your creative journey.

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Do you love keeping a journal or planner? My Digital Diary is a fun and creative class where you’ll learn how to make your own stylish digital journal! Using digital sketching techniques on Procreate, you’ll create beautiful illustrations to capture your thoughts, hobbies, and habits.

In this class we’ll create graphics, illustrations, and character designs that reflect your personal style – making your diary fun to look at and use.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Explore and develop designs for relief, intaglio, and monotype printmaking in this hands-on course. Class time will focus on creating original designs and concepts as students experiment with print plate substrates, including Corian®, Tetra-Pak®, vinyl records, and various recycled and found materials. Examples of different print styles will be shared to illustrate these techniques. This course is suitable for beginners and advanced students alike. The inks used can be cleaned up with soap and water, and students will need to bring their own paper for the first session. Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours. Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW including Linoleum blocks and black and white ink. 

Explore, learn, and practice drawing exercises and techniques in a supportive environment. Increase visual perception, skills and confidence, and develop your unique style. Work with drawing pencils, charcoal, pastels, watercolor and ink/pens. Weekly demos and exercises include mark-making, line, value, form, texture and shading. Subjects include animals, everyday objects, portraits, autumn and nature inspirations, as well as students’ interests. We draw from observation, references and imagination. All materials provided. Join us!

For returning students, the class will include both new projects and some review.

The tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

In this magical experience, students will bring a forest fairy tale to life using markers and colored pencils. They’ll create a series of six enchanting illustrations united by a common theme, with a focus on color, composition, and texture.

As they delve into the world of fairy tales, students will learn how to combine markers and colored pencils to produce vibrant and imaginative artwork. This class will spark creativity, enhance drawing skills, and introduce new techniques for using these materials to capture the magic of the forest!

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Families can work together or side by side to experiment with printmaking techniques without a press.

Instruction will be given for relief, monotype, and collagraph printmaking techniques. Combine multiple techniques to create unique prints on paper or combine plates to make multiple color prints.

Try making a small edition of six prints to share, and spend quality time with your family member!

Tuition includes a spot for one child (recommended 7-11 years old) and one adult.

The tuition for this class includes a fee of $40 for basic materials provided by CAW.

See objects and space in a new light while discovering creative techniques to bring your drawing style to life.

Explore how to add depth, light, shadow, and perspective to your drawings with colored pencils.

Focus on beginning your art journey and achieving impressive results along the way!

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Exhibition open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm EXCEPT Thursday, November 28 (Thanksgiving) and Wednesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) with free parking and admission.

Most of the Christians who live in Africa are in the Sub-Saharan nations (nations south of the Sahara Desert), though Christians are found throughout the entire continent. According to a Pew Study in 2018, Christianity is growing the fastest within African countries than anywhere else in the world. Christianity spread into Africa as early as the first century, particularly throughout Northern Africa, and continued right up until the seventh century, when armies practicing the new Islamic faith spread into Africa.

The next era of growth began in the 15th century, when many European countries, starting with Portugal, began searching for alternative trade routes to Asia. Europeans established trade posts along the western coast of Africa and sent missionaries to spread the faith. These missionaries brought their own simple plaster crèches with them, and they later enlisted the aid of local artisans to create variations reflective of their own cultures and traditions. These local artisans used native materials that were both abundant and accessible — a tradition that continues to this day.

In recent years, Christians in several nations within the African continent have been subjected to persecution resulting in the displacement of millions and numerous deaths. Despite this, the people’s dedication to their faith is unwavering. It is in honor of their spirit and determination that the Blessed Michael McGivney Pilgrimage Center is pleased to exhibit more than 50 works representing 23 countries across the African continent. This exhibit also explores some of the traditions and festivities that have developed throughout Africa to celebrate the season.

Overcome the mysteries of the sewing machine and discover how fun and easy it can be! Learn the basics of machine sewing including threading, operating, and troubleshooting.

Practice using the machine and then move on to simple projects for yourself or for gift-giving. Choice of projects will include a 4-patch pin cushion, Boho bags, zippered pouch, and items for the home such as pillow covers. Tips for altering clothes can also be covered. Previous students are welcome to attend and work on their own projects.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $15 for basic materials provided by CAW.

We invite families to join us for folktales, myths, and exciting stories from around the world that highlight objects in the collection and inspire children of all ages to view art in new ways.  

Meet by the couches in the Gallery lobby.  

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

New and experienced students will focus on making pottery on the wheel.

Start by using methods of wedging, centering, hand and finger positioning for raising a vessel, and positioning one’s body for dealing with a mass of clay on the wheel. Demonstrations will cover the importance of trimming techniques and various forming processes.

Wear clothes that can get dirty.

Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Cash or check only.

Firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Learn how to make a clamshell box–a box that looks like a book, especially when set on a shelf. The design can be easily adapted in shape and size to accommodate a wide range of objects from prints, small objects, or books. Students will to the pieces and construct the two-tray cloth-covered box accented with decorative paper. Many of the basic bookbinding techniques will be taught such as measuring, cutting, and gluing.

No experience necessary. Intermediate students may work on independent box projects.

Plus receive one 3-hour monitored open bench session each week.

Develop your pottery skills as you focus on wheel-throwing techniques in stoneware and porcelain. Lessons will cover both functional and decorative pottery with emphasis on classical forms as we know them. Students will be shown how to apply glazes and/or oxide washes to achieve desired results, such as combining glaze colors and the application of wood ash to create unexpected effects on their work. Wear clothes that can get dirty. Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27 and firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only. Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Learn basic metalsmithing for making jewelry, developing new skills, or strengthen existing ones. Weekly demonstrations introduce tools and techniques required for working with nonferrous sheet metal and wire. Demonstrations may include sawing, filing, cold-connecting, soldering, surface embellishment, forging, shaping, fold forming, finishing, and patina coloring.

The tuition for this class includes a fee of $40 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Symphonia: Dialogues of Landscape, Ritual, and Resilience aims to explore the profound and intricate intersections of religious, ecological, and expressive themes through the works of four Chicago-based artists: Joanne Aono, Karen Azarnia, Jon Seals, and Michelle Wasson. Envisioned as an artistic conversation that transcends traditional boundaries, the exhibition is designed to encourage contemplation and dialogue, creating an immersive experience for the viewer to explore.

As an artist and farmer, Joanne Aono explores the intersection of nature and the cultural significance of food sovereignty across communities, drawing on humanity's historical reliance on the earth for survival. Through large drawings on agricultural fabric and small panel drawings depicting foraged foods and cultivated plants, Aono conveys themes of impermanence, the passage of time, and the interconnectedness of life, emphasizing the essential care needed for the holistic sustenance of the Earth and its elements.

Through painting, Karen Azarnia explores themes of time, home, memory, and natural life cycles. Navigating the delicate balance between abstraction and representation, works from her Verdant series are characterized by lushness and generosity – an act of care for the viewer. The work seeks to inspire renewal and resilience, drawing parallels between the meditative rhythms of nature and the painting process.

Employing a unique mixed-media approach, Jon Seals utilizes materials directly harvested from environmentally shifting landscapes. The symbiotic exchange with the soil, water, and plant life is evident in artworks created through pouring, dipping, and combining hand-drawn and painted elements. The integration of water sourced on-site deepens the artist's connection with the land and sea.

Michelle Wasson's paintings serve as a sensual refuge, intuitively created from memory and imagination. Her canvases, flowing between landscape, still life, and the figurative, portray surreal planes where divine vessels evoke the power of nature to create, destroy, and create anew, offering a reflection of our shared humanity in the natural world.

While each artist in Symphonia offers a distinct viewpoint embodied through their own uniquely built worlds, together these worlds intertwine to culminate into something much larger. It is through this simple yet powerful act of shared connection in which Symphonia ultimately seeks to inspire a renewed sense of environmental consciousness, and a commitment to preserving the sacred harmony within our world.

Free and open to the public.

Exhibition co-curated by Karen Azarnia & Jon Seals.

This exhibition will be on view at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Miller Hall at 406 Prospect Street, New Haven from January 23-March 6 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12-4 p.m.

All are welcome to join us for an opening reception for this art exhibit on Wednesday, January 22 at 5 p.m.

Sponsored by the Institute of Sacred Music’s Religion, Ecology, and Expressive Culture Initiative.

Contact: Anesu Nyamupingidza

Art credit: Michelle Wasson: Golden Lacuna, Aurea Nova Series, 2023

View event page

Join us to draw or paint from a live nude model. The 3-hour session includes mixed-length poses. These are monitored “open drawing” sessions; there is no instruction.

The course runs monthly on the first Tuesday of the month. Session Dates: 1/7/25, 2/4/25, 3/4/25

For those already comfortable making metal sculpture, take your practice to the next level and develop new ideas using all types of materials.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.

You decide – explore multiple printmaking techniques and processes or deepen your practice in one area. Use etching, drypoint, woodcut, linocut, monotype, transfer prints, paper lithography, polymer plate lithography, collagraph, silk aquatint, transfer prints, or Chine-collé. Learn new techniques or connect printmaking to other artistic media.

Includes one 3-hour practice session per week during monitored practice hours.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Symphonia: Dialogues of Landscape, Ritual, and Resilience aims to explore the profound and intricate intersections of religious, ecological, and expressive themes through the works of four Chicago-based artists: Joanne Aono, Karen Azarnia, Jon Seals, and Michelle Wasson. Envisioned as an artistic conversation that transcends traditional boundaries, the exhibition is designed to encourage contemplation and dialogue, creating an immersive experience for the viewer to explore.

As an artist and farmer, Joanne Aono explores the intersection of nature and the cultural significance of food sovereignty across communities, drawing on humanity's historical reliance on the earth for survival. Through large drawings on agricultural fabric and small panel drawings depicting foraged foods and cultivated plants, Aono conveys themes of impermanence, the passage of time, and the interconnectedness of life, emphasizing the essential care needed for the holistic sustenance of the Earth and its elements.

Through painting, Karen Azarnia explores themes of time, home, memory, and natural life cycles. Navigating the delicate balance between abstraction and representation, works from her Verdant series are characterized by lushness and generosity – an act of care for the viewer. The work seeks to inspire renewal and resilience, drawing parallels between the meditative rhythms of nature and the painting process.

Employing a unique mixed-media approach, Jon Seals utilizes materials directly harvested from environmentally shifting landscapes. The symbiotic exchange with the soil, water, and plant life is evident in artworks created through pouring, dipping, and combining hand-drawn and painted elements. The integration of water sourced on-site deepens the artist's connection with the land and sea.

Michelle Wasson's paintings serve as a sensual refuge, intuitively created from memory and imagination. Her canvases, flowing between landscape, still life, and the figurative, portray surreal planes where divine vessels evoke the power of nature to create, destroy, and create anew, offering a reflection of our shared humanity in the natural world.

While each artist in Symphonia offers a distinct viewpoint embodied through their own uniquely built worlds, together these worlds intertwine to culminate into something much larger. It is through this simple yet powerful act of shared connection in which Symphonia ultimately seeks to inspire a renewed sense of environmental consciousness, and a commitment to preserving the sacred harmony within our world.

Free and open to the public.

Exhibition co-curated by Karen Azarnia & Jon Seals.

This exhibition will be on view at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Miller Hall at 406 Prospect Street, New Haven from January 23-March 6 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12-4 p.m.

All are welcome to join us for an opening reception for this art exhibit on Wednesday, January 22 at 5 p.m.

Sponsored by the Institute of Sacred Music’s Religion, Ecology, and Expressive Culture Initiative.

Contact: Anesu Nyamupingidza

Art credit: Michelle Wasson: Golden Lacuna, Aurea Nova Series, 2023

View event page

Explore and create your own series of linoleum prints in this engaging class.

The instructor will guide students in developing original designs and preparing a linoleum block for inking and printing. The process of carving and printing a 4” x 6” block will be demonstrated, along with a variety of inking and printing techniques. Examples of linoleum prints will be available for inspiration.

This course welcomes both beginners and advanced students. All inks are water-based and easily cleaned with soap and water. Students may purchase their own paper or additional blocks after the first session.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.

Learn the basics of preparing and operating a loom. Participants will weave a sampler piece combining a wide range of useful weaves. Beginning students will complete one or two simple projects of their choice by the end of this term. Intermediate and advanced students will weave projects with more complex structures using multi-harness looms.

Beginning students have a materials fee of $18 payable to the instructor.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.

Veteran book arts expert Gisela Noack brings her many years of skill and experience in restoration and conservation to students working on their own advanced bookbinding or restoration projects.

Enrollment in this class includes one 3-hour monitored open bench session per week.

This class will take place in a studio accessed by a flight of stairs. For any accommodations please send a confidential email to registrar@creativeartsworkshop.org

Want to try something new? Build your existing skills to grow ideas in a stimulating group of intermediate and advanced potters. Individual projects are encouraged, with demonstrations designed to inspire new ways of looking at throwing, hand-building, and overall design.

Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Cash or check only.

Firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Dive into the creative process of monotype printmaking using direct drawing, stencils, and masking techniques.

This hands-on class introduces innovative approaches to printmaking, allowing students to create bold, dynamic images with clean lines and striking contrasts. Whether you’re an artist looking to expand your skills or a hobbyist seeking a new creative outlet, this class provides the tools and knowledge to make stunning prints.

Students will design and customize stencils from a variety of materials and explore layering techniques in inking to create complex, multi-colored prints. Topics include working with gel plates, screen printing, and plexiglass monotypes. No prior experience is required.

Includes one 3-hour practice session per week during monitored practice hours.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Learn the various approaches to creating metal sculptures, including welding (oxyacetylene and MIG), brazing, cutting (torch and plasma cutter), hammering, and more.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours.

Students should wear 100% cotton long sleeves, jeans or work pants, and closed-toe boots. No synthetic mesh, plastic, or cloth.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $40.

Explore the modern and popular craft of memoir writing. Every person has a story to tell. No matter your age, education, family, or location, your life is filled with tales big and small.

Through workshopping and class critiques, students will explore how to shape their memories into cohesive and compelling narratives. Topics will include character development, setting a scene with vivid descriptions, authentic dialogue and emotion, building your story arc, and compelling opening sentences.

Bring a laptop, iPad, or pen and paper to each session. Participants will share short writing assignments each week.

Symphonia: Dialogues of Landscape, Ritual, and Resilience aims to explore the profound and intricate intersections of religious, ecological, and expressive themes through the works of four Chicago-based artists: Joanne Aono, Karen Azarnia, Jon Seals, and Michelle Wasson. Envisioned as an artistic conversation that transcends traditional boundaries, the exhibition is designed to encourage contemplation and dialogue, creating an immersive experience for the viewer to explore.

As an artist and farmer, Joanne Aono explores the intersection of nature and the cultural significance of food sovereignty across communities, drawing on humanity's historical reliance on the earth for survival. Through large drawings on agricultural fabric and small panel drawings depicting foraged foods and cultivated plants, Aono conveys themes of impermanence, the passage of time, and the interconnectedness of life, emphasizing the essential care needed for the holistic sustenance of the Earth and its elements.

Through painting, Karen Azarnia explores themes of time, home, memory, and natural life cycles. Navigating the delicate balance between abstraction and representation, works from her Verdant series are characterized by lushness and generosity – an act of care for the viewer. The work seeks to inspire renewal and resilience, drawing parallels between the meditative rhythms of nature and the painting process.

Employing a unique mixed-media approach, Jon Seals utilizes materials directly harvested from environmentally shifting landscapes. The symbiotic exchange with the soil, water, and plant life is evident in artworks created through pouring, dipping, and combining hand-drawn and painted elements. The integration of water sourced on-site deepens the artist's connection with the land and sea.

Michelle Wasson's paintings serve as a sensual refuge, intuitively created from memory and imagination. Her canvases, flowing between landscape, still life, and the figurative, portray surreal planes where divine vessels evoke the power of nature to create, destroy, and create anew, offering a reflection of our shared humanity in the natural world.

While each artist in Symphonia offers a distinct viewpoint embodied through their own uniquely built worlds, together these worlds intertwine to culminate into something much larger. It is through this simple yet powerful act of shared connection in which Symphonia ultimately seeks to inspire a renewed sense of environmental consciousness, and a commitment to preserving the sacred harmony within our world.

Free and open to the public.

Exhibition co-curated by Karen Azarnia & Jon Seals.

This exhibition will be on view at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music’s Miller Hall at 406 Prospect Street, New Haven from January 23-March 6 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 12-4 p.m.

All are welcome to join us for an opening reception for this art exhibit on Wednesday, January 22 at 5 p.m.

Sponsored by the Institute of Sacred Music’s Religion, Ecology, and Expressive Culture Initiative.

Contact: Anesu Nyamupingidza

Art credit: Michelle Wasson: Golden Lacuna, Aurea Nova Series, 2023

View event page

Using both hand-building techniques and the potter’s wheel, participants learn the foundational skills needed to create basic ceramic cups, bowls, and floral containers. As students refine these skills, they will work on more complex projects. This will enable them to combine techniques, push their creativity, and practice creative problem-solving.

Glazing, slips, and other surface treatments will be explored. There will be instructor demonstrations and individual consultations. Wear clothes that can get dirty.

Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Cash or check only.

Firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Consisting of brief presentations and tours, this event celebrates the 10-year anniversary of Making the Invisible Visible: Art, Identity, and Hierarchies of Power, a workshop required of all first-year students at the Yale School of Medicine (YSM) that draws on the collections of the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art (YCBA). Bringing together friends and supporters of the program, as well as anyone interested in learning more about it, the evening reviews its history, reaffirms its goal and mission, and highlights the ways the mission will be advanced through the creation of a new Critical Health Humanities concentration at YSM, dedicated to the further development of student museum facilitators.  

Featured speakers include Robert Rock, M.D., M.H.S., senior advisor to the YSM Critical Health Humanities concentration; Anna Reisman, M.D., Professor and Director of the YSM Program for Humanities in Medicine; and Cyra Levenson, Ed.M., senior advisor to the YSM Critical Health Humanities concentration, Deputy Director and Gail Engleberg Director of Education and Public Engagement at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, and former Curator of Education and Academic Outreach at the YCBA. Welcome by Stephanie Wiles, the Henry J. Heinz II Director of the Gallery. Following the presentations, attendees have the opportunity to take part in abbreviated versions of Making the Invisible Visible, led by medical-student facilitators.  

Generously sponsored by the Gallery’s John Walsh Lecture and Education Fund; the YCBA; the YSM; the YSM Program for the Humanities in Medicine; and the YSM Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Community Engagement, and Equity. 

Etching, a classic intaglio printing technique, involves incising lines into copper through a protected surface and then “etching” them in acid—a method dating back to Dürer and used from the Renaissance to modern times.

This class introduces environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional etching featuring different types of water-based inks, Baldwin’s Ink Ground (B.I.G) and Lascaux grounds, and coffee-lift techniques.

Some products used in this class may be irritating to highly sensitive people.

Includes one 3-hour practice session per week during monitored practice hours.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

In this class, you will learn how to knit your first hat in the round using circular needles. We will be covering fundamental skills, including casting on, knitting in the round, fixing mistakes like dropped stitches, casting off, and blocking your work. If you can knit a hat, you can knit almost anything! This is the perfect class for beginners and those looking to refresh their knitting skills.

If you are interested in making ceramic pieces for the home, this class is for you.

Making functional pots is important to all levels of students, whether you throw pots on the wheel or prefer to build by hand. Students will learn ways to modify forms to create pieces uniquely their own.

Classes will include various techniques for pot making as well as considerations pertaining to each form. Surface treatments including engobes, stains, and glazes will also be covered.

Both teacher demonstrations and one-on-one student instruction will occur each week.

Wear clothes that can get dirty.

Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Cash or check only.

Firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only.

Learn basic metalsmithing for making jewelry, developing new skills, or strengthen existing ones. Weekly demonstrations introduce tools and techniques required for working with nonferrous sheet metal and wire. Demonstrations may include sawing, filing, cold-connecting, soldering, surface embellishment, forging, shaping, fold forming, finishing, and patina coloring.

The tuition for this class includes a fee of $40 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Join us on the first Friday of the month for a one-hour, in-person tour of the Leslie P. and George H. Hume American Furniture Study Center at the Collection Studies Center, Yale West Campus. See more than 1,300 examples of American furniture and clocks from the 17th century to the present in this facility, which opened in 2019, as well as an outstanding collection of contemporary wood art.  

Registration required.

The Peabody Museum in New Haven is one of the oldest and largest university natural history museums in the world . And it can be your children’s classroom!

Join us for an inspiring art class in the newly expanded museum. This is a fantastic opportunity to draw a variety of natural artifacts, including plants, animals, and fossils, while enhancing your observational drawing skills. Participants will learn to notice finer details and improve their ability to draw from life, unlocking a whole new world of artistic expression. The Peabody’s expansive collections—featuring dinosaur bones, plant matter, reptiles, and much more—provide the perfect backdrop for this exploration.

Please note that drop-off and pick-up will take place in the museum lobby. 

Wednesday morning session is perfect for home-school families.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for materials provided by CAW.

Explore the creative possibilities of clay by shaping and molding it into one-of-a-kind works of art. Working with clay helps young people develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and emotional expression through hands-on activities. Above all, clay sparks imagination, encouraging children to think creatively and express themselves in new ways. The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW. School Policies Students who withdraw 48 hours prior to the first class are eligible for a refund or credit toward another class, less a $25 registration fee. Please click here for more details. 

Paws and Pixels is an exciting new course designed for young artists who want to create animal drawings using Procreate. Starting with the basics, we’ll guide students through sketching techniques and gradually move on to more advanced, realistic animal illustrations.

Throughout the course, students will learn how to observe and analyze animal shapes and proportions, replicate different textures like fur, glossy skin, and more, using Procreate’s powerful features. As they advance, students will explore techniques like blending modes, clipping masks, and blur effects to add depth and realism to their art.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW

No typical sand or slides at this playground!

CAW’s playground has colored sand, wood, clay, tempera and watercolor paints, markers, tissue paper and more items than we have space to list here. Students will use all these supplies to create projects including masks, paper dolls, animals, birds, insects, portraits, and imaginary creatures.

How will they do all this? By cutting, folding, stomping, splashing, blending, texturing, painting, and coloring (after they mix their own unique colors).

Bet you wish you could stay too!

Wednesday morning session is perfect for home-school families.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for materials provided by CAW.

Show up for your creative self in 2025 with the Saturday Drawing Club.

Explore weekly prompts and materials combined with a mix of conversation, creative time, and feedback. Bring an ongoing project or start from scratch.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $10 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Would you like to explore watercolors? Feeling unsure or out of practice? You can do it!

Watercolors are a whimsical and simple way to explore ideas, make memorable sketches of your travels or daily life, and develop visual self-expression.

Students will learn about materials, look at examples, create color studies, make thumbnail sketches to generate ideas and compositions, and develop sketches and paintings that explore color, line, shape, texture, and more.

Whether you enjoy landscape, still life, abstract, or contemporary art, you will have the space and support to develop your style and learn helpful techniques to help you on your creative journey.

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Do you love keeping a journal or planner? My Digital Diary is a fun and creative class where you’ll learn how to make your own stylish digital journal! Using digital sketching techniques on Procreate, you’ll create beautiful illustrations to capture your thoughts, hobbies, and habits.

In this class we’ll create graphics, illustrations, and character designs that reflect your personal style – making your diary fun to look at and use.

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Join us for our family program Getting StARTed, where we offer engaging activities to guide families in looking at art together. The 30-minute sessions focus on a range of works from the collection and build in time for participants to try the month’s activity on their own.  

Meet by the couches in the Gallery lobby.

Explore and develop designs for relief, intaglio, and monotype printmaking in this hands-on course. Class time will focus on creating original designs and concepts as students experiment with print plate substrates, including Corian®, Tetra-Pak®, vinyl records, and various recycled and found materials. Examples of different print styles will be shared to illustrate these techniques. This course is suitable for beginners and advanced students alike. The inks used can be cleaned up with soap and water, and students will need to bring their own paper for the first session. Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours. Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW including Linoleum blocks and black and white ink. 

Explore, learn, and practice drawing exercises and techniques in a supportive environment. Increase visual perception, skills and confidence, and develop your unique style. Work with drawing pencils, charcoal, pastels, watercolor and ink/pens. Weekly demos and exercises include mark-making, line, value, form, texture and shading. Subjects include animals, everyday objects, portraits, autumn and nature inspirations, as well as students’ interests. We draw from observation, references and imagination. All materials provided. Join us!

For returning students, the class will include both new projects and some review.

The tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

In this magical experience, students will bring a forest fairy tale to life using markers and colored pencils. They’ll create a series of six enchanting illustrations united by a common theme, with a focus on color, composition, and texture.

As they delve into the world of fairy tales, students will learn how to combine markers and colored pencils to produce vibrant and imaginative artwork. This class will spark creativity, enhance drawing skills, and introduce new techniques for using these materials to capture the magic of the forest!

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Families can work together or side by side to experiment with printmaking techniques without a press.

Instruction will be given for relief, monotype, and collagraph printmaking techniques. Combine multiple techniques to create unique prints on paper or combine plates to make multiple color prints.

Try making a small edition of six prints to share, and spend quality time with your family member!

Tuition includes a spot for one child (recommended 7-11 years old) and one adult.

The tuition for this class includes a fee of $40 for basic materials provided by CAW.

See objects and space in a new light while discovering creative techniques to bring your drawing style to life.

Explore how to add depth, light, shadow, and perspective to your drawings with colored pencils.

Focus on beginning your art journey and achieving impressive results along the way!

The tuition for this class includes a materials fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Overcome the mysteries of the sewing machine and discover how fun and easy it can be! Learn the basics of machine sewing including threading, operating, and troubleshooting.

Practice using the machine and then move on to simple projects for yourself or for gift-giving. Choice of projects will include a 4-patch pin cushion, Boho bags, zippered pouch, and items for the home such as pillow covers. Tips for altering clothes can also be covered. Previous students are welcome to attend and work on their own projects.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $15 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Are you ready for Valentine’s Day? Join fellow undergraduate students at the Yale University Art Gallery to craft your own art-related valentines in the lobby. Give yourself some time to unwind, too, by enjoying tasty snacks and drinks. Post your picture on Instagram and tag @yaleartgallery to share art that you love and that loves you back! Come dressed in pink, red, purple, or white and receive a free postcard. All are welcome. 

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

Creativity meets skill development for young artists!

Students will learn representational drawing and painting through observation of real objects and images. They’ll explore color theory, texture creation, and value with pencils, pastels, watercolors, and tempera. The focus is on developing eye-hand coordination, drawing skills, and fostering creativity in a supportive environment.

Tuition for this class includes a fee of $20 for basic materials provided by CAW.

New and experienced students will focus on making pottery on the wheel.

Start by using methods of wedging, centering, hand and finger positioning for raising a vessel, and positioning one’s body for dealing with a mass of clay on the wheel. Demonstrations will cover the importance of trimming techniques and various forming processes.

Wear clothes that can get dirty.

Pottery tool kits are available for sale in the studio for $27. Cash or check only.

Firing fees are $3/pound. Cash or check only.

Includes one 3-hour weekly practice session during monitored practice hours on a first-come, first-served basis.

Learn how to make a clamshell box–a box that looks like a book, especially when set on a shelf. The design can be easily adapted in shape and size to accommodate a wide range of objects from prints, small objects, or books. Students will to the pieces and construct the two-tray cloth-covered box accented with decorative paper. Many of the basic bookbinding techniques will be taught such as measuring, cutting, and gluing.

No experience necessary. Intermediate students may work on independent box projects.

Plus receive one 3-hour monitored open bench session each week.