Art and Life at Northwind: Affordable Creativity
[caption id align="alignnone" width="1200"]
Teaching artist Erika Wurm is offering "Introduction to Mixed Media" this Saturday at Northwind Art School. The all-levels class is among 80 workshops and open studios at the Fort Worden campus. Photo courtesy of Er ika Wurm [/caption]
A Northwind Art Column by Diane Urbani de la Paz
Leila Block is a visual artist, musician and teacher, but for the purposes of this column, I will call her Leila the Listener.
Through listening to what people want at Northwind Art School, she is rocking the house as education manager. The nonprofit school at Fort Worden State Park, née the Port Townsend School of the Arts, had developed a reputation for being expensive. And yes, there were multi-session courses and workshops, from woodblock printing to jewelry making, in the $300 range.
Northwind Art School has also had free classes and offerings under $100, but somehow those didn’t stay in people’s consciousness.
I’m here to raise consciousness about lower-cost art classes. Leila has added more than 80 classes to the lineup at https://northwindart.org, with prices starting at free. Sixteen open studios and classes—from Women in Art History classes to Collage Valentine Cards, to a Printmaking in Black and White workshop—range from $20 to $100.
[caption id align="alignnone" width="4512"]
Northwind Art School staff member Leila Block in another persona: musician singing and playing at Northwind's Jeanette Best Gallery in December. Photo by Diane Urbani de la Paz [/caption]
Northwind continues to offer in-depth courses as well, such as the six-session Color Fundamentals adventure with Anne Pfeiffer, the five-week Visual Storytelling course with author-illustrator Dana Sullivan, and Pfeiffer’s Oil Painting Weekend Workshop.
At the same time, the lineup features shorter classes such as Introduction to Mixed Media, an all-levels class with Erika Wurm from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, January 17.
Wurm writes on Instagram: “There’s soooo much going on right now and it’s honestly very overwhelming. . .But I am choosing to not let them take my light, my hope, my creativity and my compassion. I am being mindful to take time to rejuvenate my battery for my little artsy soul.”
She invites other souls to join her class on Saturday.
Then there’s Guided Art Play in Pastel and Watercolor from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, January 19. Teacher David Repyak will show us how to loosen up, release expectations, play and collaborate.
If a structured class isn’t your jam, gather some art supplies and come to an open studio. Northwind hosts these every Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Admission is $20 for a distraction-free, well-lighted space to work on a project or just see what comes up. You can also say hello to Leila.
