Upcoming Classes
Member Moments: Get Muddy with Intro to Wheel Throwing
This class is for members only. Ready to spin some clay? Learn the basics of wheel throwing in this hands-on class where you’ll prep, center, and shape your own creations with expert guidance. It’s messy, meditative, and a whole lot of fun, perfect for curious beginners! Supplies will be proved. 16-Adult
Bemis Community Printshop Open Sessions
Unlock your creativity during our Printmaking Open Studios. Held in the Bemis School of Art printmaking studio, these sessions are non-instructional, self-directed studio time exclusively for individuals with prior printmaking experience at Bemis. Whether you're working on an ongoing project, wanting to experiment with an idea, or starting something new, you'll have drop-in access to our printmaking facilities in a supportive and creative environment. Colorado College student proctors will be on-site to oversee the studio and ensure safe use of equipment, but no instruction will be provided. Participants must be familiar with studio practices and safety protocols. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Bemis Community Printshop: Block Printed Holiday Cards
NEW SERIES! In this fun holiday workshop you'll learn the magic of reductive block printing, a technique where you progressively carve a single linoleum block to create a two-color design. Block printing is fun for everyone, regardless of drawing skill or art experience! You'll leave with ten beautiful hand printed holiday cards and envelopes! This is a supportive and fun beginner-friendly workshop. Optional: Please bring a simple, high-contrast 4"" x 6"" (or smaller) image to print for your cards. Supplies will be provided.
Bemis Community Printshop: Explore Intaglio Printmaking without Chemicals
NEW SERIES! Imagery will start with a small, detailed line-oriented drawing that will be transferred onto a sheet of Plexiglas with engraving tools. After proofreading with the use of charcoal, the plate is ready to print using the intaglio print process resulting in a beautiful, detailed print. Supplies will be provided. Ages 16-Adult
Bemis Community Printshop: Block Printed Cards
NEW SERIES! In this fun workshop you’ll learn the magic of reductive block printing, a technique where you progressively carve a single linoleum block to create a two-color design. Block printing is fun for everyone, regardless of drawing skill or art experience! You’ll leave with ten beautiful hand-printed cards and envelopes! This is a supportive and fun, beginner-friendly workshop. Optional: Please bring a simple, high-contrast 4” x 6” (or smaller) image to print for your cards. Supplies will be provided. Ages 16-Adult
Festive Foil: Repujado Holiday Creations
Repujado, the art of metal embossing, is a technique used to create beautiful, dimensional designs on thin aluminum sheets. In this festive course, you'll learn the basics of repujado—tracing, embossing, and finishing—while crafting your own shimmering holiday ornaments. Perfect for beginners and art lovers alike, this workshop combines cultural heritage with holiday cheer. By the end, you’ll leave with a set of handmade ornaments ready to decorate your home or give as heartfelt gifts. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
The Art of Wabi-Sabi in Watercolor
This Japanese aesthetic philosophy is centered on finding beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and simplicity. If you have a love for the ordinary, the aged, the humble or are inspired by nature, you will be drawn to Wabi-Sabi. This workshop will give you the freedom to approach mistakes and experiment with the glorious marks of time. Look for happy accidents, slow down, breathe deep, and let the paint do the work. We will take a short break so please bring lunch and a drink. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Book Making
Join us as we learn how to create your own one-of-a-kind bound sketchbook or journal! You'll be guided through each step—from selecting and sizing paper to exploring binding techniques and assembling the spine and cover. By the end, you’ll have a beautifully handcrafted book that’s entirely your own. Supply list online. Adults
Sewing 101
Do you have a sewing machine you yearn to know how to use? Come join us as we go over the basics needed for a variety of types of garment sewing and are catered to you and your interests! We will talk about patterns, fabric types, thread types, and go over many of the basics of your machine. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Wellness: Living in a World of Wonders
This class explores the potential for the personal narrative essay to delineate underlying meaning that one derives from the wonder found in other life forms. In the vein of Aimee Nezhukumatathil we will select and conduct personal research into a living being (other than the self) that brings us a sense of wonder, then through various prompts and essays we will craft personal narrative essays around those selections. The final week of this course will conclude with a workshop setting in which, if you choose, you may share your writing. Supply list online. Adults
Live Model: Portrait Painting
Join us for the opportunity to practice the traditional method of portrait painting in oils with a live model! Using a minimal color pallet, we will focus the first day on the oil paint medium and how to achieve flesh like skin tone while studying the correct proportions of the model. The second day we will focus on the shadow shapes and achieving correct value, rendering your artwork life-like. You will leave this class with a better understanding of how to paint the human face! Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Shoot on Film: Tell Your Story Through the Lens
Grab a 35mm camera, shoot your film, and develop it by hand. No experience needed, just your creative eye, your voice, and your story. Supplies will be provided. Ages 12-16
Holiday Greetings in Watercolor
The most exciting paintings in watercolor are often simple and familiar. Choose a seasonal subject and add a touch of sparkle. Explore the mono print method or a simple watercolor image to create a lasting treasure. Bring it all together for a personal and original greeting with a touch of bling...Voila! Happy Holidays! We will take a short break so please bring your lunch and a drink. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Wellness: Poetry of Self-Love
Love is a staple in the world of poetry, though generally reserved for the lover, the relative, or even a special object or place, but this course aims to shift the focus of love towards the self. We will enter the conversation of love poetry through various examples and exercises, then we will spend time exploring how to direct that loving language towards ourselves. Ultimately, you will generate a love poem for and about yourself that honors you as you should be; as a beloved. Supply list online. Adults
Still Life Oil Painting
If you are looking to brush up on your oil painting skills or new to the oil painting medium, this class will guide you through a traditional approach to painting a still life in oils. We will cover how to choose an interesting composition, color mixing with a minimal pallet, understanding shadow shapes, rendering form life-like and much more. We will work on one painting for the entirety of the course, leaving you with the confidence to continue painting in oils and a gorgeous painting for your portfolio! Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Craft Lab: Needle Felting Your New Year’s Motto
Join us for this new Craft Lab Series! Craft a small felted banner or pocket talisman that carries your 2026 intention. Learn needle-felting basics—tool safety, shaping, color blending—and simple lettering techniques to translate a word or short phrase into wool. Choose from soft, natural palettes or go bold; finish with a dowel or pin-back for display or everyday carry. Beginner-friendly; all materials provided. Participants leave with a finished piece. There is a $10 materials fee due to the instructor on the first day of class. Adults
Partner Wheel Throwing
Join a friend or loved one for a unique night of creative excitement in this exciting workshop. You and your partner will learn the basics of wheel-throwing on a pottery wheel through this hands-on, guided experience that covers the steps of preparing, centering, and throwing your very own clay vessel to cherish for years to come. Your handmade creations will be clear-glazed and fired for you to pick up about two weeks after your workshop. Supplies will be provided. Adults
Wreaths Yule Love
Celebrate the winter with nature. Join us in making wreaths from nature, creating a log to celebrate the New Year, and creating a beautiful natural garland to bring the outside inside, in this cold time. There may even be some hot cider to enjoy as we create. There is a material fee of $25 due to the instructor on the first day of class. Ages 16-Adult
Introduction to Enameling: Pins, Pendants, Ornaments
Join in discovering how to fuse powdered glass to metal to create simple enameled copper jewelry or ornaments. You'll learn basic techniques of cleaning the metal, applying the enamels, firing, repeating the process, and building up your designs. You will leave with several colorful pins, pendants, ornaments. Please bring a sack-lunch. There is a material fee of $25 due to the instructor on the first day of class. Ages 16-Adult
Partner Paper Portraits
Working together, you’ll begin by sketching your partner’s face onto a canvas. Then, choose construction paper in colors that complement your partner’s features, tearing it into small pieces to collage over your sketch. Once your mosaic is complete, you can add finishing touches with a marker and seal it all with liquid glue. The result is a vibrant, one-of-a-kind portrait of your partner! Supply list online. Adults
Craft Lab: Painting Wine Glasses
NEW CRAFT LAB SERIES! Come paint on a wine glass. Enjoy time painting a unique personalized wine glass with a friend or on your own. Students will learn how to paint on a wine glass using acrylic enamel paints, no prior art experience is needed! Class will include all necessary supplies, such as wine glasses, and specialized paint. There is a material fee of $20 due to the instructor on the first day of class. Adults
Craft Lab: Ukrainian Egg Decorating (Pysanky)
NEW CRAFT LAB SERIES! Explore the luminous folk tradition of pysanky—Ukrainian wax-resist egg decorating. Using a kistka (stylus), beeswax, and layered dyes, you’ll draw symbols, build color from light to dark, and reveal intricate patterns in the final wax melt. Learn the meaning of motifs, how to plan color sequences, and how to seal and preserve your work. All tools and dyes provided; safety briefing included (open flame used for heating the stylus). Participants will leave with 1–2 finished eggs. There is a material fee of $10 due to the instructor on the first day of class. Adults
Craft Lab: Rosette Beading with Lane Stitch
NEW CRAFT LAB SERIES! Learn the traditional lane stitch technique to create a beaded rosette, a form that can be turned into a pin, barrette, or embellishment for clothing and accessories. Seed beads—tiny glass beads that have traveled widely across the world—are prized for their color, versatility, and ability to bring intricate designs to life. In this class you'll learn how to work with them step by step, and by the end you'll have your own finished rosette and the skills to continue exploring beadwork on your own. There is a material fee of $10 due to the instructor on the first day of class. Adults
Craft Lab: Dragonfly Sun Catcher
NEW CRAFT LAB SERIES! Join us to learn how to use wire and glass beads to make a sparkly dragonfly sun catcher. You will have 2 projects to choose from and be provided with the knowledge of how to use the tools and materials to make these fun projects. We will explore creative ideas that will inspire you to keep creating into the future. There is a material fee of $5 due to the instructor on the first day of class. Adults
Craft Lab: Tiny Felt Sewing Project
NEW CRAFT LAB SERIES! Join us for an introduction to simple sewing and embroidery using a simple small pattern, felt, a needle, and embroidery thread. There will be several projects to choose from where you will learn a few sewing stitches such as the blanket stitch, and the running stitch. We will explore creative ideas that will hopefully inspire you and give you the freedom to create your own little works of art that will last a lifetime. There is a material fee of $5 due to the instructor on the first day of class. Adults
Clay Open Studio Sessions
Need some extra time to work on your clay projects? This non-instructional session is available to any current or past Bemis clay students. Some clay experience required. Clay not included. Supply list online. Adults
Let the Clay Speak
Do you want to learn how to work more efficiently with clay and develop advanced techniques? Then, this is the class for you! This class is open to intermediate and advanced level students. You will learn new techniques to create more advanced forms in wheel throwing and can pursue handbuilding, sculptural work, and/or a combination of any of these methods. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Make It Happen
How would you like to improve your pottery skills? Handbuilding, sculptural work or throwing bigger or different forms on the wheel will be addressed in this lesson and tailored to your individual needs and desires. This is the class for you. We will have fun working together to accomplish your goals. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
The Belle Epoque
An art journal, bound in class together, will be used to create pages inspired by art from the iconic turn of the century era. A bit of art history exploring Alphonse Mucha, William Morris, and Gustav Klimt combined with mixed media techniques inspired by these artists will be the focus. The Belle Epoque pages will include layered painting techniques based on textile motifs from the era, cyanotype nature prints, and collage. This class encourages the discovery of personal style, intuitive painting, and playful expression. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Watercolor Floral Painting
In this watercolor floral painting class, you will have the vibrant and relaxing experience where learning to capture the delicate beauty of flowers using soft, flowing brushstrokes. We will explore a variety of techniques to bring floral scenes to life with elegance and charm. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Life Imitates Art
Join us for an opportunity to learn how to use your eyes as well as your hands to draw exactly what you see! In this course you will explore observational drawing techniques such as gesture drawing and contour drawing and will culminate in a self-portrait style still life done in oil pastel! Learn how to SEE and DRAW! Supplies will be provided. Ages 12-16
Contemplative Calligraphy
Experience calligraphy as a wellness and meditative practice. Writing primarily in any calligraphic style you already know, our focus will be on the process itself, although finished pieces may emerge. Through gesture, sense of touch, breath, and rhythmic vitality, we will allow the act of writing to open us to quiet awareness. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Intro to Papier Mâché
Get creative and a little messy in this fun papier mâché sculpture class for adults. Using wire, paper, and paste, you’ll bring whimsical animals, fantastical creatures, or your own imaginative designs to life. No experience needed—just a sense of play and a willingness to explore! Supply list online. Adults
Enameling Explorations
Dive deeper into the exploration of themes and/or techniques in your enameling work. You may choose to develop an idea or theme in greater depth (for example, sense of place), refine your technical enameling skills (such as color use, etched metal), or other topics; the instructor will provide individual guidance. In pursuing your own independent visions, the class will share insights, discoveries, skills, and inspiration. There is a material fee of $40 due to the instructor on the first day of class. Ages 16-Adult
Pen and Ink Techniques
Using “pen and ink” is a wonderful old descriptive way of creating an image. This meditative process slowly produces a very guided image through cross hatching, stippling, brushing, and other techniques. These techniques and others will be explored in this class. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Wheel Thrown High Fire Pottery
Join us for a unique ceramics experience focused on gas kiln firing at cone 10—a rare technique that creates rich, unexpected glaze effects you won’t get from electric kilns. At cone 10, the gas kiln heats up to 2,350 °F. Think copper turns green? In reduction, it fires to brilliant red! Work independently on functional forms like mugs, bowls, vases, and composite pieces while pushing your skills to the next level. Demos will support your learning, and throwing basics will be revisited as needed. Bring your project ideas. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult
Wheel Thrown Alternative Firing
Have an itch to try something new? Join us as we learn how to fire pottery with raku glazes and/or horsehair depending on what projects students would like to spend time on. If we wish to do horsehair pottery, we will learn how to apply a refined slip typically colored with pigments called terra sigillata. There are many applications that are possible with this slip, and this is a great introduction to applying this specific technology to our work. A multitude of forms can be explored during the duration of this class. Supply list online. Ages 16-Adult