PURSUIT Art Classes
2023 PURSUIT Schedule
PURSUIT is a new series of classes and workshops at Artisan Gallery. All classes will be held in the Broome County Arts Council classroom, Artist Studio, or Artisan Gallery, located at 223 State Street, Binghamton, NY 13901. Prices vary by class. Classes at BCAC require minimum registration to proceed as well as maximum participant capacity. Class schedules are subject to change. If you are interested in a class, early registration helps us plan accordingly. Thanks for your understanding!
Luanne Redeye, Lecturer in the School of Art and Design at Binghamton University and our current Artist in Residence, will be teaching a number of workshops.
Pre-registration required – see classes below. For questions, contact us at 607-723-4620 or information@broomearts.org
Give the gift of art!
Purchase a gift card today that can be used towards BCAC membership, PURSUIT Art Classes, Artisan Gallery exhibition artwork and local arts retail.
Poetry Workshop
Second Tuesday of every month, starting in March
Free class
6:30-7:30 PM
Presenter: Joshua Lewis
No registration required; walk-ins welcomed! Drop in for a monthly poetry workshop led by Joshua Lewis, Binghamton University.
Comedy Improv FunShop
MARCH 30 – MAY 4 | Thursday from 6:15 PM to 8 PM
6 sessions | $150
Presenter: Russ the Big Guy
Learn to improvise and feel comfortable speaking in any situation! No acting experience necessary.
Improv is a great way to learn and practice many life skills like creativity, adaptability, collaboration, teamwork, persuasion, and decision making. Your FUNshop is a fun, dynamic, interactive, and energizing event with engaging scenes and funny Improv games. As a lifelong entrepreneur and experienced improviser, Russ is uniquely suited to share the benefits of applying Improv techniques.
Collage Workshop
APRIL 1-2 from 11 AM – 3 PM
2 classes | $45 fee
Presenter: Luanne Redeye
Have fun creating compositions using photographs, interesting papers, painted or drawn papers, construction paper, magazines, fabric, thread, etc. Bring old artworks to recycle and turn into new imagery. Various techniques in collages will be covered and students will complete the workshop with a finished piece.
Materials will be provided. Please bring scissors, personal materials you would like to collage, and ideas to explore.
Branding for Black-Owned Businesses
APRIL 8 – MAY 5 (OFF APRIL 15) | Saturdays from 11 AM to 2 PM
4 classes | FREE
Presenter: Da Vontae J. Heath
“Branding for Black-Owned Businesses” is an in-depth workshop that aims to serve as a crash course for branding, specifically tailored for Black-Owned Businesses in the Broome County Area. Across five weeks and four seminars, participants will learn what a brand is, and how its execution is critical to the relevance and longevity of a business. Each session will cover the assets that form a sufficient branding package, such as: Name, Logo, Color, Typography, Voice/Tone, Packaging, and etc. Framed through a lens of authenticity and empathy; participants will learn how to best represent themselves by visually articulating their story, and connecting with their target audience.
Through hands-on activities, participants will get the opportunity to put their newfound knowledge into action with active guidance & feedback. By the end of the workshop, attendees will know how to ask themselves the right questions to discover the hidden strength of their brand, and develop the assets that will lay the foundation for their full branding package. Participants will have full access to BCAC’s Digital Art Lab and will utilize Adobe Creative Suite as part of this class.
Creative Writing
APRIL 15 – JUNE 10 (OFF MAY 27) | Saturdays from 1 PM to 3 PM
8 classes | $140 fee
Presenter: Christopher Origer
An intensive creative writing workshop for adults, introducing techniques to develop effective narrative, overcome writer’s block, and craft lively works of fiction for an audience. The workshop meets eight Saturdays 1:00 – 3:00 pm April 15 to June 10 with a final reading by participants on June 17. Limited to 12 participants with a minimum of 6 to run. Instructor Christopher Origer is a writer and editor who has taught college-level fiction workshops for the past three decades.
Introduction to Mindfulness & Meditation
APRIL 12 – MAY 3
Wednesdays from 12 PM to 1 PM
4 classes | $50 fee
Presenter: Wendy Neuberger
Everyone can learn to meditate! Meditation can help reduce stress and improve your physical and emotional well-being. This four-week class teaches skills of mindfulness and meditation and helps build the habit of using it in your daily life. Each session includes instruction, practice, and discussion. Wendy’s teaching style is open and relaxed. She teaches a variety of ways to meditate (one size does not fit all!) and how to find what works for you.
Wendy started her daily meditation practice in 2015 to help manage stress and the results were life changing. She loves to share her experiences to help others learn how to quiet our busy minds and relax. She earned her teaching certification from the Koru Mindfulness Center, an evidence-based curriculum designed at Duke University.
A Class in Tatting
APRIL 27 – MAY 18 | Thursdays from 6 PM to 8 PM
4 classes | $55 fee
Presenter: Heather Bryla
Class price includes a supply kit with all materials needed. This class will introduce shuttle tatting, a form of lace making. In addition to learning about the supplies that are needed, participants will learn hands-on techniques of how to tie the double stitch or knot, how to make rings and chains, as well as the different types of picots. Also learn how to read a pattern and create a small project.
Notion of Motion
MAY 11 – 25 | Thursdays from 6 PM to 8 PM
3 classes | $90 fee
Presenter: JW Johnston
This workshop is about how best to capture and create motion in your photographs, technically and aesthetically. Whether photographing a simple landscape, a runner, a moto-cross rider in mid-air or maybe just the hands of a piano player, there are creative decisions – technical & composition adjustments – to be made. Do you pan with, freeze in motion, or deliberately blur your subject? How can you use simple elements of design and camera placement to create a sense of movement? How can you best capture a stream’s flow into something mystical? How can you MOVE your camera to create abstracted swirls of line and color? Photographic studies of motion are a very large way our cameras expand our perceptions. With field exercises between class sessions and reviews of your work in a small-class setting, this workshop shows you how.
Needle Felting
MAY 13 – JUNE 30| Saturdays from 11 AM to 1 PM
Per session – $50 fee
All 4 sessions – $160 fee* (*bundle discount)
Presenter: Angelina Blasich
In this series, participants will create needle felted art on felt canvas. (This series will not focus on needle felted sculpture, but will provide the skills necessary to extend to soft sculpture making.) No experience necessary. Age and ability inclusive. All locally sourced alpaca and wool fiber, felting needles, foam, and felt canvases will be provided for use during class with optional home packs available for purchase. While all sessions are open to beginners, first timers are strongly encouraged to attend the first class.
Session 1 – Intro to Needle Felting: Use cookie cutters as a guide to create a needle felted art piece in this first introductory class. (First timers are strongly encouraged to attend!)
Session 2 – May Flowers: Create a needle felted flower on felt canvas. Feel free to bring a photo of your favorite flower (or a flower from your garden) for reference. We will have a bouquet of flowers for the session if you prefer working from model.
Session 3 – Landscapes: Create landscapes (or seascapes) on felt canvas working from photo reference. Please feel welcome to bring a photo to draw inspiration.
Session 4 – En Plein Air: Meet at a local park to gain inspiration from nature and create an art piece celebrating the beauty found in our environment.
Digital Art Lab Open Session
SATURDAY MAY 13 and SATURDAY JUNE 3
From 11 AM to 1 PM or 1 PM to 3 PM
Free, REGISTRATION REQUIRED
The Digital Art Lab provides access to iMacs, Adobe, and Apple software, flatbed scanner, and printers. Bring a project to work on during open sessions with BCAC staff on hand to help with projects and answer questions. This program is sponsored by IBM.
