Figure Drawing class at the Teaching Studios of Art in Bushwick. Photo by Paul Cox via BushwickBK
Whatever skill you haven’t yet mastered–still lifes, cooking, weaving, soap-making–someone in Brooklyn can teach you. Here are a few classes to check out if you have loftier goals than outdoor drinking this summer:
The Muriel Guepin Gallery is holding art classes for adults, teenagers, children and toddlers this summer. On offer are drawing and painting classes for adults (July 11 and July 8); portfolio building (July 18 and 22) comic book/animation classes for teenagers (August 8); and classes every Thursday to keep the toddlers busy. Visit the website for full details on all classes, including the L’Atelier hands-on art programs for children.
Burgeoning fiber artists, or anyone looking to explore their crafty side should check out the Textile Arts Center, which offers weekend intensives in screen printing (July 16-17), needle arts (July 23-24) and natural dyeing (August 6-7) to name just a few. You can also take a well-earned week off this summer and enroll in a 5-day immersion class in Weaving, Screen-Printing, Screen-Printing in Repeat (Surface Design), Natural Dyeing, Intro to Needle Arts, or Machine Sewing.
If all-natural beauty products are your thing, Skinny Skinny is offering a hands-on, organic soap making class July 17. Leave the class with your very own batch of soap and enjoy the smell of success.
For the eternally curious, Brooklyn Brainery offers a wide variety of classes from fashion anthropology (July 28), to Ethiopian cooking (July 12 and 19), DIY podcasting (July 20-August 3) and the science of perception (July 7-21). Get in quick as spots fill fast.
Similar to Brooklyn Brainery, Brooklyn Skillshare offers a wide range of free to low-cost How-To’s, like “How to plan for and enjoy a multi-day bike trip (and why they are awesome)” on July 23. And Skillshare (while not strictly based in Brooklyn) is a marketplace of classes to learn anything and everything–like how not to get sick (July 9) or navigate New York City’s food scene (July 12).
The creative hive 3rd Ward offers over 200 affordable classes in nearly every category of art, design, food, even religion. We advertised their offerings earlier this month here.
Close to 3rd Ward is The Teaching Studios of Art which specializes in classical art classes like Figure Drawing and Painting, which you can enroll in at any time.
Another art and design center to check out is the Gowanus Print Lab which runs youth summer art programs in addition to studio print classes and digital print classes. From tees (July 12, 26), to wallpaper (July 18, 25) to posters (July 14, 21), Gowanus Print Lab can teach you how to make them all.
Gardeners and would-be green thumbs should consider a class at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Learn to compost (July 12), preserve your summer harvest (July 31) or start a nature journal (July 24).
And for the foodies, the Brooklyn Kitchen offers classes on home brewing (June 29), Italian eats (June 30) and spring chicken classes (June 29), while Ger Nis Culinary and Herb Centre offers everything from simple preparations of fresh produce and herbs, like the upcoming Seasonal Soup and Sandwich: Artisanal Grilled Cheese and Cooling Heirloom Tomato Soup (July 10), to a summer social club that takes foodie field trips.
