Creative Classes

*Price includes a $30 Studio Fee for all materials provided.

Class Description:

This 1-day workshop combines art history and experimentation to explore the emerging movement of Bio Art. Rooted in environmental concerns and science, Bio Art can range from working with natural materials to manipulating DNA. Participants will learn new ways to look at art, represented in the DAM’s collection by artists like Ernesto Neto and Karen Kitchel.

No prior technical knowledge or specific experience is required, though a sense of curiosity and willingness to experiment will be richly rewarded. The DAM’s Sensory Garden will be a focal point, and the class will feature a lecture along with hands-on experimentation and artmaking.

What to Expect:

The class will begin with an introduction to a material or way of making with a brief lecture meant to inspire and inform. Then students will be invited to explore materials, with time saved at the end to share our work. Experimentation is greatly encouraged. This is a class with no real rules except for safety.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

All materials will be provided for this workshop and are included in the Studio Fee of $30.

Educator:

Lauri Lynnxe Murphy is a bio artist, sculptor, curator and writer living in Denver, Colorado. She received her MFA from The Ohio State University on University Fellowship in 2012 and has spent her life building community and DIY gallery spaces and advocating for artists alongside her own robust studio practice. Her work is research-driven and science-based, and focuses on insect extinction, mutation, climate change and biophilia. Much of her work is made by collaborating with endangered species and the systems they employ, such as building sculptures with bees or making drawings with snails.

www.laurilynnxemurphy.com

*Price includes a $30 Studio Fee for all materials provided.

Class Description:

Students will learn the history of Cherokee basket making materials from pre-european contact through to contemporary Oklahoma Cherokee weaving. Following Sarah H. Hill in her book, Weaving New Worlds: Southeastern Cherokee Women and Their Basketry, we will meet some notable weavers and touch on different material traditions. The DAM Indigenous Arts of North America has a small selection of basketry from the Original Peoples of the Southeastern US and their descendants, and this class will both expose students to more examples of these traditions, and give them an opportunity to weave their own round reed Oklahoma style Cherokee basket.

What to Expect:

The first 60-90min will be a presentation providing a close look at Cherokee basket weaving traditions and weavers, students are welcome to move around as needed during lecture and discussion. Instructor will spend 20-30min providing a demo of starting, shaping/forming, and finishing a basket, and the remainder of the class, provide step-by-step instruction to the group, followed up with one-on-one support. After the demos, students are expected to take breaks, including lunch, as needed. Every student will be able to finish at least one basket, possibly more than one.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

All materials will be provided for this workshop and are included in the Studio Fee of $30.

Educator:

Salix is a 35-year-old two-spirit, multiracial creator and educator of Muscogee/Cherokee descent. Salix recently relocated from Indian Country, Norman, Oklahoma, to Cheyenne/Arapaho/Ute territory, so-called Denver, to help Indigenize Iliff School of Theology. They hold a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Oklahoma and a Master's in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh. Their fine art journey began with serigraphy and studio photography during their BFA studies, and since then, Salix has continued to express their creativity through photography, collage, writing, and weaving. In 2017, they learned Oklahoma-style Cherokee basket weaving from mentor Kathy Haney, a prominent Oklahoma American Indian artist.

 *Price includes a $60 Studio Fee for all materials provided.

Class Description:

In this class, students will use red rock clay from Colorado and reconnect with the earth. Focus will be on the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), with time for exploring one’s own ancestral relationship to cultural holidays. Bring your imagination and voice to the medium of clay while learning sculptural techniques.

What to Expect:

We will start with looking at objects in the museum’s collections on display, researching, and sketching. Students will plan a vision for their Dia de los Muertos sculpture and build a paper armature. Remaining time will be spent on working with clay, sculpting, and finally painting.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

All materials will be provided for this workshop and are included in the Studio Fee of $60.

Educator:

Cal Duran is an artist and art educator focusing on connecting with his ancestors from an Indigenous and Latinx background. His work often explores parallels between hybrid identities found in myth, religion, and ritual. Duran has shown altars, installations and artwork in museums and galleries throughout the Denver Metro area and beyond. He continues to honor his ancestors and recently created a room at Meow Wolf in Denver, honoring the indigenous tribes of Colorado and the Americas.

https://www.artbycal.com

*Price includes a $90 Studio Fee for all materials provided.

Class Description:

This class uses inspiration from the DAM’s artworks on view to inspire contemporary floral design. The approach is very out-of-the-box: breaking down an existing artwork into shapes and colors, then recreating a mixed media 3D version with fresh floral elements. Students will learn flower care and handling, as well as the mechanics and various applicable philosophies of floral design. This class is suitable to beginners or advanced floral designers.

What to Expect:

Pulling inspiration from the DAM's collections, students will create collages interpreting artworks for form and color. Next, students will be use wire, middollino and yarn to create flexible armatures as

bases to add our fresh materials to. Lastly, students will use their collages as a map of placement, form, and line for our finished floral designs.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

All materials will be provided by the teacher and are included in the price for this workshop.

Educator:

Arthur Williams AIFD, EMC, CFD, CPF is known for his floral headdresses and the use of natural tension in his work. With a background in gardening, sculpture, and photography, he entered the floral industry in 1996, and opened his own business, Babylon Floral Design, Inc., in 2004. One of the first seven people in Colorado to become a Certified Professional Florist, he is also a Certified Floral Designer at the national level. Arthur was inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers in 2015 and just completed EMC, the European Master Certification program Cycle 3 in 2016. Arthur has been featured in International Floral Art, Nacre, Florists’ Review, 50-Mile Bouquet, and many other publications. In 2018, Arthur took home a Bronze Medal for his work for the annual World Flower and Garden Show in Japan. He is a past Creative in Residence at the Denver Art Museum and has been on the selection committee for the program.

www.arthurwilliamsflowerart.com

www.babylonfloral.com

*Price includes a $30 Studio Fee for all materials provided.

Class Description:

Whether using paper or fabric, collage has long been practiced by women, people of color, and those without access to a formal art education. In this class, we will examine the history of collage as an outsider art – how women and people of color used material at hand (paper and fabric scraps, for example) to create visual expressions that resonate powerfully today. Students will be asked to channel the spirit of these artists (many of whom remain unidentified) in creating their own works of art from the materials of daily life. The instructor will bring her expertise in history and collage to help students explore this vibrant and accessible art form.

What to Expect:

This class begins with a short presentation of the history of collage as an outsider art, and will include a visit to the Art of the Ancient Americas gallery for inspiration. Students will be asked to find three elements from pieces in the collection to inspire their collage composition. We will examine Enrique Chagoya's Borders of the Spirit in the Art of the Ancient Americas gallery as a way to consider how collage is a powerful medium for exploring identity.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

All materials will be provided for this workshop and are included in the Studio Fee of $30.

Educator:

Teresa Cribelli started her art career in the archive; inspired by the historical documents she used in her academic research in Brazil, she became interested in the ways that collage can bring the past and the present together. While living in Brazil she was also inspired by the wheat paste street art of Rio de Janeiro. Part of Rio’s vibrant street art culture, wheat paste posters (graphic art printed on paper and pasted to walls) became a type of open-air collective collage she watched for on her daily commute. Inspired by the outsider artists who make street art, she began collecting and then experimenting with vintage papers to make her own collages. Bringing her training as a historian to her practice (she taught Latin American History at the University of Alabama for 11 years) Teresa uses her small-scale analog collages to make visual statements about power, gender, and the environment told through the lens of history. Her work has been shown at Kolaj Fest in New Orleans and Paperworkers Local in Birmingham, Alabama among other venues. Her pieces are held in private collections and in the Doug and Laurie Kanyer Art Collection. Street art pieces based on her collages can be seen in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama; Denver, Colorado; Barcelona, Spain; and São Luís, Brazil.

Class Description:

This class will focus on sound as a healing force through cross-cultural perspectives. Students will learn about meditation and sound bathing with the use of various musical instruments. Breathing techniques and body movements for healing will also be explored. Students will investigate how sound can be used in everyday life to release stress and to calm the body and mind.

What to Expect:

Students can expect to find a deeper understanding of how sound can help to heal the body and mind. No prior knowledge needed. The beginning of class will focus on discussion of the musical instruments used to help us heal. Then, we will experience sound bathing and meditation as a group. Time in galleries will explore instruments used in ceremonial practices and as healing tools by our ancestors. Lastly, students will be led through yoga positions, breath work, and mantras for healing.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

n/a

Educator:

Cal Duran is an artist and art educator focusing on connecting with his ancestors from an Indigenous and Latinx background. His work often explores parallels between hybrid identities found in myth, religion, and ritual. Duran has shown altars, installations and artwork in museums and galleries throughout the Denver Metro area and beyond. He continues to honor his ancestors and recently created a room at Meow Wolf in Denver, honoring the indigenous tribes of Colorado and the Americas.

https://www.artbycal.com

Class Description:

This class will focus on sound as a healing force through cross-cultural perspectives. Students will learn about meditation and sound bathing with the use of various musical instruments. Breathing techniques and body movements for healing will also be explored. Students will investigate how sound can be used in everyday life to release stress and to calm the body and mind.

What to Expect:

Students can expect to find a deeper understanding of how sound can help to heal the body and mind. No prior knowledge needed. The beginning of class will focus on discussion of the musical instruments used to help us heal. Then, we will experience sound bathing and meditation as a group. Time in galleries will explore instruments used in ceremonial practices and as healing tools by our ancestors. Lastly, students will be led through yoga positions, breath work, and mantras for healing.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

n/a

Educator:

Cal Duran is an artist and art educator focusing on connecting with his ancestors from an Indigenous and Latinx background. His work often explores parallels between hybrid identities found in myth, religion, and ritual. Duran has shown altars, installations and artwork in museums and galleries throughout the Denver Metro area and beyond. He continues to honor his ancestors and recently created a room at Meow Wolf in Denver, honoring the indigenous tribes of Colorado and the Americas.

https://www.artbycal.com

 *Price includes a $30 Studio Fee for all materials provided.

Class Description:

In this class, students will experiment with different watercolor techniques to make a set of 10 postcards. We will practice wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry techniques to make mini paintings. Subjects for these paintings include DAM-inspired artwork, landscapes, flowers, and abstract designs. I will demonstrate and have examples of each of these styles.

What to Expect:

Students will roam the galleries for a set period to look for inspiration. They will be challenged to re-create a loose, watercolor version of at least one chosen art piece for one of their experimental designs for their postcards. Participants will experiment with different techniques and subject matters, and walk out with several (10 or more) finished watercolor postcards that they can mail or display.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

All materials will be provided for this workshop and are included in the Studio Fee of $30.

Educator:

Elizabeth Truskin is a Denver artist and instructor who specializes in community-driven public art, portrait painting, and multimedia artwork. She shows at galleries in the Santa Fe Art District and Next Gallery in the 40 West Arts District.

https://www.nextgallery.org/elizabethtruskin-1-1

*Price includes a $30 studio fee for most materials that will be provided by the teacher. Students will purchase some of their own materials and should expect to spend $10-30.

Class Description:

This 4-week class combines art history and experimentation to explore the emerging movement of Bio Art. Rooted in environmental concerns and science, Bio Art can range from working with natural materials to manipulating DNA. Students will be introduced to “Agar Art” which involves cultivating bacteria, to working with foraged and harvested materials from nature, and will be encouraged to explore mediums through a conceptual and research-based lens. Participants will learn new ways to look at art, represented in the DAM’s collection by artists like Ernesto Neto and Karen Kitchel.

No prior technical knowledge or specific experience is required, though a sense of curiosity and willingness to experiment will be richly rewarded. Students will experiment with a new material each week, that may culminate in a finished artwork. The DAM’s Sensory Garden will be a focal point, and each class will feature a lecture along with hands-on experimentation and artmaking.

What to Expect:

Each class will begin with an introduction to a material or way of making with a brief lecture meant to inspire and inform. Then students will be invited to explore that week's materials, with time saved at the end to share our work. Experimentation is greatly encouraged. This is a class with no real rules except for safety.

Timeline:

Week 1: Lecture on “what is bio art?” with a focus on agar and bacterial art. We will make collages with Ernst Haeckel images, and “draw” on agar plates with swabs to cultivate bacteria for use in week two.

Week 2: After a lecture on bacteria art, students will use their phones and small microscopes to create images with the bacteria they cultured the week before.

Week 3: After our inspirational lecture on materials, we will explore the sensory garden and learn about its creation, gently gathering deadheads, seeds and materials to use in our work. This class focuses on "nature shopping" - looking at the materials that we can forage from the wild and ways to use them.

Week 4: After an inspirational slide show of artists working with mushrooms, we will use spore prints that I have collected to create collages and drawings utilizing the prints themselves. A demonstration of taking a spore print will be included, along with a short introduction to Colorado's mushrooms and where to find them.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

*Price includes a $30 studio fee for most materials that will be provided by the teacher. Students will purchase some of their own materials and should expect to spend $10-30.

A materials list will be provided to all students at least 4 weeks prior to the start of this class. All organic materials need to arrive to classroom in sealed containers or bags. Please plan accordingly.

Educator:

Lauri Lynnxe Murphy is a bio artist, sculptor, curator and writer living in Denver, Colorado. She received her MFA from The Ohio State University on University Fellowship in 2012 and has spent her life building community and DIY gallery spaces and advocating for artists alongside her own robust studio practice. Her work is research-driven and science-based, and focuses on insect extinction, mutation, climate change and biophilia. Much of her work is made by collaborating with endangered species and the systems they employ, such as building sculptures with bees or making drawings with snails.

www.laurilynnxemurphy.com

*Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

Class Description:

This 4-week class will meet at the intersection of alternative process photography and paper collage. Students will learn the basics of exposing their own cyanotypes on paper and then will use that material as the basis for a unique paper collage. The cyanotype exposures will range from simple textured photograms of plant material, to the use of a negatives. Touching on paper weaving, repeated motifs, surface design, and elements of composition, these collages would project through layers of time aesthetically and thematically. This class will activate the Museum’s rich photography collection with focus on alternative photo processes.

What to Expect:

In this class, we will be either outside exposing cyanotypes, or in the studio integrating these exposures into collage. This class will be more focused on techniques through small experiments, but there will be opportunities to work towards a larger finished piece. We will be using paper source material but students could include paint, colored pencil, ect. No prior experience necessary. This class will be exploratory, fun, fast paced and a source of inspiration and empowerment to easily continue this work at home.

Timeline:

Class 1 - Intro to cyanotype exposures, collage material sources, gathering material.

Class 2 - Cyanotype exposures and exercises in Scale, Contrast, Composition.

Class 3 - Cyanotype exposures and Repeats, Motifs and Color.

Class 4 - Cyanotype toning, Additives and Bringing it all together finishing a work.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

GET THE MATERIALS KIT AT MEININGER’S ART SUPPLY or purchase the below items individually.

Art Boards or Acid Free rigid boards for final product Golden State Art, 11x14 White Backing Board, Backer Boards for Frame, Picture (10 Pack)

Pre-sensitized cyanotype paper 48 Sheets Sun Print Paper Kit Cyanotype Paper A4 A5 White, 8.3 x 11.7 Inch, 5.8 x 8.3 Inch

Glue - preferably rubber cement Best-Test Premium Paper Cement 8OZ Can

cutting knife Fiskars SoftGrip Detail Craft Knife - 8"

Exposure materials like flowers, textured objects, negatives Up to you!

Collage materials: Magazines, books, maps, colored/decorated paper to cut, Scissors, Rulers, a variety of colored papers, etc. Up to you!

Educator:

Eileen Roscina is an artist, experimental filmmaker and naturalist from Denver, Colorado. She holds an MFA from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a BFA from Emerson College in Boston, MA, and also trained at the School of Botanical Art and Illustration in Denver. Through biomimicry and the study of biophilia, her work examines human’s spiritual and social (dis)connection with nature, and seeks to raise questions about realizing a radically different metaphoric mapping of time, space and our place in the world. She has exhibited film internationally, and visual art at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, Denver Art Museum, Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (Boulder), Museo de Las Americas (Denver), Vicki Myhren Gallery at University of Denver (Denver), Center for Visual Art (Denver), Arvada Center (Arvada), Dairy Art Center (Boulder), University of Colorado (Boulder), Salina Art Center (Kansas) and was the 2019 Resident Artist for the National Western Stock Show, a 2018-2020 resident at RedLine Contemporary Art Center, Denver. She is represented by Walker Fine Art Gallery in Denver, CO.

www.eileenroscina.com

*Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

Class Description:

This 4-week class will introduce students to techniques that will elevate their use of color pencil. Students will learn how to burnish the paper, mix colors, and see and match colors. The class will look at the instructor’s drawings, the works of CJ Hendry, as well as Neil Gall's "Ruin" as inspiration.

What to Expect:

During this class, we will mostly be learning and making. The instructor will show you inspiration drawings, demo technique, and then allow time, guidance, and support to create on your own. This class is for beginners as well as artists who have never been taught colored pencil technique before. No previous experience required. We will mostly be making small experiments, but the last couple of classes will allow you time to begin creating your own works based on what you've learned.

Timeline:

Class 1: Look at inspiration drawings, practice burnishing and value, and color studies inspired by Wes Anderson color palettes.

Class 2. Practice matching colors, blending, and burnishing using Colorado's autumn leave colors as inspiration and guidance.

Class 3: Defining a form using colored pencil and color theory and begin personal artworks.

Class 4: Work day for your own drawings.

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Educator:

Charis Fleshner is a conceptual artist who lives and works in Loveland, Colorado. She earned her Masters of Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico and teaches art a community college as well as the Denver Art Museum. Her work has been show at the University of New Mexico Art Museum, the Fort Collins Museum of Art, and the Emmanuel Gallery in Denver. She has also spent two artist residencies at the amazing Elsewhere Museum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her current art practice focuses on colored pencil drawing, craftivism, soft sculpture, and feminist art.

www.charismakesart.com

Materials:

Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

GET THE MATERIALS KIT AT MEININGER’S ART SUPPLY or purchase the items individually.

*Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $20-40.

Class Description:

Craftivism is simply craft + activism. In this class, we will use textiles to create our own soft sculptures, protest tapestries about a cause that matters to you, and positive affirmation embroideries. Students will learn sewing and embroidery techniques to create works about things you care about. The textile collection of the Denver Art Museum has several works of craftivism and we will also look at those to understand what craftivism is and how simple it is to do! Beginners are welcome. Don't be intimidated by sewing. This course will make it simple and meaningful.

What to Expect:

During class, we will mostly be creating. We will be making 3 different artworks: soft sculptures of the word "No" to help remind us to keep healthy boundaries in our lives, fabric tapestries about a cause or topic that matters to you personally, and hand embroidered positive affirmations. After this class, you will know 3 new ways of creating work that is personal and meaningful to you using fabric and sewing techniques. Beginners are welcome. No prior experience necessary.

Timeline:

Class 1: introduction to soft sculpture and creation of our own soft sculptures

Class 2: Look at the work of Aram Han Sifuentes in the textiles collection of the Denver Art Museum, and begin creating our own protest tapestries

Class 3: Finish tapestries and begin embroidery

Class 4: Finish embroidery

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Educator:

Charis Lillene Fleshner is a conceptual mixed media artist who completed her MFA in studio art at the University of New Mexico. Fleshner currently teaches art at Aims Community College and shows work nationally. Before starting graduate studies, Charis Lillene Fleshner used her BFA in art education from University of North Texas to teach junior high and elementary art for seven years. Her studio practice currently focuses on painting, soft sculpture, Craftivism, and the intersections of Feminism and art.

charismakesart.com

 *Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $60-100.

Class Description:

In this class, we will explore oil painting fundamentals in an accelerated form. We will use the fundamentals to explore within the museum as we sketch from art within the galleries. We will conclude with creating individual pieces from the skills built and research sketches. The intent of this class is to bring each artist through the entire process of researching and creating a completed piece of work.

What to Expect:

Artists will learn or in some cases relearn fundamental skills mixed with some tricks of the trade to help them work within the museum to sketch and generate ideas as well as take those ideas in to the studio to complete a finished project.

Timeline:

Week 1 – Focus on oil painting fundamentals

Week 2 – Gathering sketches and ideas in the museum’s galleries

Week 3 – Painting in the classroom

Week 4 - Painting in the classroom

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

GET THE MATERIALS KIT AT MEININGER’S ART SUPPLY or purchase the items individually.

Educator:

Born in Denver in 1972, Michael Dowling spent much of his early life as a typical kid apart from being an obsessive drawer. It wasn’t until the age of 25, and after several years studying various subjects as well as working in many fields, that Michael started painting. With that late beginning, Dowling dove full in and began studying extensively. At 28, he decided to sell a burgeoning art sales company and moved to Florence, Italy to focus on painting. He has since returned to his native Denver where he lives and works.

Michael Dowling's work has been characterized as a combination of traditional practices in realism and his explorations of mark, pattern, and color to disrupt that reality. In many compositions, figures presented as portrait, morph into their surreal self, and lone objects tell stories through their subtle positioning. These objects and characters sit in bizarre spaces with intentionally disrupted atmospheres in order to find further meaning within the imagery.

https://m2lr.com/artists/72-michael-dowling/

*Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $50-100.

Class Description:

In this course, students will explore both expressive and representational techniques in watercolor, ink, and gouache. Using seasonal, botanical subjects such as branches and flowers, students will complete drawings that include texture, color, and depth. Students will learn a variety of water media techniques including stretching paper, creating washes, and building transparent vs. opaque layers. We will make connections to work in the DAM’s Asian Art Collection, including the use of value to create depth in the ink painting Bamboo by Chinese artist Zhou Zhenyue, or the use of texture and brushwork in the piece White Herons and an Old Willow by Japanese artist Kikuchi Hobun. We will also look at contemporary uses of watercolor in the Denver Art Museum collection, including watercolor drawings by Enrique Martinez Celaya and Laura Ball.

What to Expect:

This class welcomes both beginners as well as students who have some drawing or painting experience. We will visit the galleries together to discuss water media work in the DAM's collections, and then spend time learning new techniques in small studies in the classroom. Students will then use these new approaches in a larger, finished drawing from observation of botanical subjects. We will have the option to work outdoors from life in the Sensory Garden or focus indoors on our favorite houseplants or branches.

Timeline:

Class 1:

Gallery Visit to the Asian Art Collection

B&W Mark making in Ink

Stretching Paper

Class 2:

Look at images from the exhibition "Drawings from Vicki and Kent Logan Collection"

Expressive Washes in Watercolor

Layering Washes to Create Depth

Class 3:

Observational Drawing and Composition

Opacity Vs. Transparency with Gouache

Saving Whites

Class 4:

Studio Time to Finish Larger Drawing

Reflection and Conversation

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $50-100.

GET THE MATERIALS KIT AT MEININGER’S ART SUPPLY or purchase the items individually.

Educator:

Mindy Bray is a painter and muralist based in Denver, CO. Her works examine the intersection of natural and built environments. The images are reduced and transformed to create complex visual fields of shape and pattern. Based on photographs of locations such as city parks, wilderness trails and residential landscapes, the works present liminal places that trace the complex relationship between people and their habitat. Mindy earned her Master of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Iowa in 2005 and has taught drawing and foundations at the University of Denver and Metropolitan State University. Her work has been exhibited nationally at galleries including Goodwin Fine Art, Rule Gallery and Ironton, and her work has been featured in New American Paintings, The Denver Post, Modern in Denver magazine, art ltd., and Luxe Interiors and Design. Mindy’s public commissions include permanent works at the Westin Hotel at Denver International Airport and the Colorado Convention Center, and her private commissions can be found in commercial and residential spaces throughout Denver.

www.mindybray.com

*Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

Class Description:

In this 4-week class, students will be introduced to the techniques of tapestry weaving. They will learn about the basic elements of weaving (the loom, warp, and weft) and how to set up a frame loom for hand weaving. We will cover the fundamental weaving patterns and tapestry design techniques, such as plain weave, color block design, and methods for creating texture in the weave. The course will engage with the many examples of woven works from the museum’s Indigenous Arts of North America and Textile and Fashion Collections as well as the work of contemporary weaving artists. Through this class, students will gain a deeper understanding of the textiles that we engage with in our everyday clothing, homes, and lives and become familiar with one of our oldest technologies: weaving.

What to Expect:

The first half of the class will focus on loom set-up, weave basics, and skill building. This class will offer a mix of hands-on making, art viewing, discussion, and designing. We will look at images of the work of contemporary tapestry weavers and students will be offered reading material to add context to the skill-based class. We will then take a group visit to the galleries to look at works from the museum’s collection as inspiration for designing a final tapestry project. As students develop their skills, they will be encouraged to experiment with the materials they use in their weavings, using non-traditional wefts and found materials. Students will leave the class with one sampler weaving and one final piece and a tapestry loom for future weaving. Students do not need any prior knowledge for this course.

Timeline:

CLASS 1 – Introductions and Basics

• Introductions and community agreements

• Slide lecture/demonstration: Weaving basics

• Demonstration/activity: Setting up the tapestry loom

• Demonstration/Activity: Basic weave structures

• For next time: bring a found material to weave with

CLASS 2 – Texture Play

• Re-introductions, questions/reflections from last class

• Slide lecture: Contemporary Weaving Artists

• Demonstration/Activity: Texturing Techniques

• Demonstration/Activity: Finishing Techniques

• For next time: begin thinking about final design; optional reading

CLASS 3 – Designing

• Welcome and gather, introduce final project/check-in

• Gallery visits to woven textile objects

• Designing and beginning final weaving

• For next time: finish setting up loom and begin weaving, if you can; optional reading

CLASS 4 – Project

• Welcome and gather

• Project weaving

• Share work and wrap-up

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Educator:

Etta Sandry is an artist, educator, and facilitator from the midwestern United States, currently based in Boulder, Colorado. Her material-focused research is rooted in weaving and spans media through sculpture, writing, and installation. Etta completed her MFA in the Fibre & Material Practices program at Concordia University in the spring of 2021. She has exhibited her work in the United States and Canada and was the 2022 Experimental Weaver in Residence at the Unstable Design Lab in Boulder, Colorado. Her work as an educator has recently included positions teaching fibre structures and critical thinking & writing at Concordia. Etta has over ten years of experience working as an organizer and administrator in arts communities. Most recently, this has included roles as a board member at the artist-run centre articule in Montreal and as a volunteer staff in ACRE Residency’s fibre studio in Wisconsin.

www.ettasandry.com

*Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

Class Description:

In this class we will explore drawing fundamentals in an accelerated form. We will use the fundamentals to explore within the museum as we sketch from art within the galleries. We will conclude with creating individual pieces from the skills built and research sketches. The intent of this class is to bring each artist through the entire process of researching and creating a completed piece of work.

What to Expect:

Artists will learn or in some cases relearn fundamental skills mixed with some tricks of the trade to help them work within the museum to sketch and generate ideas as well as take those ideas in to the studio to complete a finished project.

Timeline:

Week 1 – Learning the fundamentals

Week 2 - Learning the fundamentals

Week 3 – Gathering sketches and ideas in the museum’s galleries

Week 4 - Gathering sketches and ideas in the museum’s galleries

Week 5 – Drawing in the classroom

Week 6 - Drawing in the classroom

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

GET THE MATERIALS KIT AT MEININGER’S ART SUPPLY or purchase the items individually.

Educator:

Born in Denver in 1972, Michael Dowling spent much of his early life as a typical kid apart from being an obsessive drawer. It wasn’t until the age of 25, and after several years studying various subjects as well as working in many fields, that Michael started painting. With that late beginning, Dowling dove full in and began studying extensively. At 28, he decided to sell a burgeoning art sales company and moved to Florence, Italy to focus on painting. He has since returned to his native Denver where he lives and works.

Michael Dowling's work has been characterized as a combination of traditional practices in realism and his explorations of mark, pattern, and color to disrupt that reality. In many compositions, figures presented as portrait, morph into their surreal self, and lone objects tell stories through their subtle positioning. These objects and characters sit in bizarre spaces with intentionally disrupted atmospheres in order to find further meaning within the imagery.

https://m2lr.com/artists/72-michael-dowling/

*Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

Class Description:

In this 6-week class, students will learn acrylic paint techniques and the use of found image collage. Emphasis will be placed on combining traditional painting approaches with contemporary collage to create meaning in students’ work. The museum’s art collection will be used as a point of inspiration for students to create their own artwork.

What to Expect:

Students should expect to be experimental in this class and to try new techniques that may challenge their initial ideas about what a painting is or isn't. Students should have a foundational understanding of the color wheel, primary and secondary colors. The class will culminate in a series of small studies/experimental paintings that can serve as inspiration for future and larger works.

The flow of the class will be:

-Introductions/check-in

-10 Minute Warm Up

-Gallery walk and talk

-Independent work time

-Group discussion

Timeline:

Week 1 - Exploring Materials

Week 2 - Color Studies

Week 3 - Mark Making, Patterns, Textures, and Layers

Week 4 - Found images and Unique self-made materials

Week 5 - Work Day 1

Week 6 - Work Day 2/Final work sharing

Class Cancellation Policy:

If a class or workshop needs to be cancelled due to inclement weather or teacher illness, a “make-up” day will be scheduled on a FRIDAY or SATURDAY as the educator’s schedule allows.

Materials:

Students will purchase their own materials and should expect to spend $30-70.

GET THE MATERIALS KIT AT MEININGER’S ART SUPPLY or purchase the items individually.

Educator:

Moe Gram is a multidisciplinary artist living and working in Denver, CO and works on a diverse array of mediums that include painting, mural, collage, and installation. Gram graduated from California State University Bakersfield with a major in Visual Arts and a minor in Cultural Studies, during which she participated in a 6-month museum studies and studio art program in Florence, Italy. Currently, Moe's art can be seen in murals throughout Colorado, an installation at the Denver Art Museum's Creative Hub, the Arvada Center, Empower Field at Mile High, and at various locations throughout the Denver metro area and state of Colorado. Moe Gram’s work is distinctive, engaging, and thoughtful. Through her playful color palette, messaging, and juxtaposition of unique embellishments and found objects, Moe’s work encourages the viewer to absorb and reflect- for the betterment of oneself and collectively for us all.

www.moegram.com