Impressionist Landscapes with Addie Hirschten

Tuesdays, October 6 – November 10, 6:00-9:00 Learn to paint using the methods of the Impressionist painters!  We will cover depicting light and color mixing techniques along with just a touch of art history.  All materials provided. Addie Hirschten is a contemporary pai......More

Tuesdays, October 6 – November 10, 6:00-9:00 Learn to paint using the methods of the Impressionist painters!  We will cover depicting light and color mixing techniques along with just a touch of art history.  All materials provided. Addie Hirschten is a contemporary painter, public speaker, art teacher, author of several books, and host of the Studio Alchemy Podcast.

Art Lab – William King, 415 Academy Dr NW, Abingdon, VA, 24210, United States

Intro to Hand-building: Lizard Eyes (with scales)

Ceramics w/ Laura Blankenship Balancing experimentation, guided step by step instructions, and space to customize your creations from your own imagination, these clay classes are designed to hone your foundational hand-building skills so that you feel equipped to make a......More

Ceramics w/ Laura Blankenship Balancing experimentation, guided step by step instructions, and space to customize your creations from your own imagination, these clay classes are designed to hone your foundational hand-building skills so that you feel equipped to make anything you can dream of. Ages 12 to adults   This class: Intro to Hand-building: Clay Slab Lizard Eyes with Scales!  Friday, October 30, 5:00-8:00 hand-building Friday, November 6 5:00-8:00 hand-building Friday, November 13, 5:00-8:00 painting pottery, glass pupil $65 per person (Two for $115 – call for discount) 8 students minimum. 15 students maximum Hone your foundational slab hand-building skills to create your own scary, playful, or beautiful lizard eye with scales! Inspired by the eastern fink lizard of southwest Virginia and worldwide dragon lore.   About the instructor Laura Marie Blankenship’s wild, wooly work bridges the gap between the tactile craft of felting and the embodied art of abstract expressionism. Her art is deeply informed by her 8 years as a live music painter, teaching yoga and meditation, and time spent as a wilderness therapy field guide, and answering crisis/suicide hotline calls, with her formal background in Psychology from The College of William and Mary. She was awarded a scholarship and studio assistantship at the Penland School of Craft in 2015, is a frequent instructor of wet felting and needle felting at Earthskills Gatherings throughout the Southeast, and from 2022 to 2025, she served as a full-time public school art teacher. With painting names like “there is nothing that cannot be transformed into joy,” her current studio practice centers create action-painted abstracts that serve as victory cries (and sometimes desperate pleas) for emotional integration and personal transformation. Laura Marie Blankenship lives and works in Damascus, Virginia, where she continues to paint, teach, hike, bike, kayak, share beauty, create connection, and ask for guidance from the trees, trails, and beings in and around the South Holston River.  

Needle Felting - 2D Local Leaves

Needle Felting Series with Laura Blankenship Before it was co-opted for mass production, felting had been a vital community art that provided beauty, housing, and clothing for nomadic tribes across Asia and Europe. Now the felting needle brings it back into the hands of......More

Needle Felting Series with Laura Blankenship Before it was co-opted for mass production, felting had been a vital community art that provided beauty, housing, and clothing for nomadic tribes across Asia and Europe. Now the felting needle brings it back into the hands of the people! All classes teach the basics of this craft and are customizable to the skill level and aesthetics of the student. Expect to leave feeling empowered to take what you’ve learned to create anything you can imagine. Ages 12 through adult. All supplies included for each class.   This class: Needle Felted 2D Local Leaves $35 per person ($30/ea when you register multiple people. Call for discount) Thursday, November 5 from 5:00PM-8:00PM at Art Lab Learn color blending techniques to create your own beautiful green, orange, red, yellow, or multi-colored leaf to celebrate the changing of the seasons, inspired by local tree species and leaf shapes.   Others in the series: Needle Felted 3D Pumpkins – Thursday, October 15 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 3D Black Cats & Bobcats – Thursday, October 22 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 3D Winged Creatures: Beautiful Bats & Luna Moths – Thursday, October 29 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 2D Local Leaves –Thursday, November 5 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 3D Wild Turkeys – Thursday, November 12 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted Pouches – Thursday, November 19 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted Ombre Earrings – Thursday, December 3 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Mushrooms & Upcycled Forest Chic Clothing – Friday, December 4 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 2D Local Animal Ornaments – Thursday, December 10 from 5:00PM-8:00PM   About the Instructor: Laura Marie Blankenship’s wild, wooly work bridges the gap between the tactile craft of felting and the embodied art of abstract expressionism. Her art is deeply informed by her 8 years as a live music painter, teaching yoga and meditation, and time spent as a wilderness therapy field guide, and answering crisis/suicide hotline calls, with her formal background in Psychology from The College of William and Mary. She was awarded a scholarship and studio assistantship at the Penland School of Craft in 2015, is a frequent instructor of wet felting and needle felting at Earthskills Gatherings throughout the Southeast, and from 2022 to 2025, she served as a full-time public school art teacher. With painting names like “there is nothing that cannot be transformed into joy,” her current studio practice centers create action-painted abstracts that serve as victory cries (and sometimes desperate pleas) for emotional integration and personal transformation. Laura Marie Blankenship lives and works in Damascus, Virginia, where she continues to paint, teach, hike, bike, kayak, share beauty, create connection, and ask for guidance from the trees, trails, and beings in and around the South Holston River.  

Mistletoe Market

Help support art education by doing your holiday shopping early! Mistletoe Market, an annual fundraiser for William King Museum of Art, is a wonderful opportunity to shop local, take photos with Santa, and spend time with family and friends. Hours: Friday 10am-6pm Previ......More

Help support art education by doing your holiday shopping early! Mistletoe Market, an annual fundraiser for William King Museum of Art, is a wonderful opportunity to shop local, take photos with Santa, and spend time with family and friends. Hours: Friday 10am-6pm Preview Shopping tickets are available for an extra hour of shopping before the market begins from 9am-10am Saturday 9am-6pm Santa from 12pm-4pm Sunday 10am-5pm Santa from 12pm-4pm   Tickets for sale online through November 4th and in-person during the market. Single day tickets available in-person only.   If you want to purchase tickets to the Abingdon Wolf Auction or 3-Day Passes plus an Auction ticket please see here.

Southwest Virginia Higher Ed Center, One Partnership Circle, Abingdon, VA, 24210, United States

Abingdon Wolf Auction

It’s time to auction wolves from the Abingdon Wolf Project! All twenty wolves from the Abingdon Wolf Project, a fundraising collaboration between William King Museum of Art and the Town of Abingdon, will be auctioned at the Martha Washington Inn with auctioneer Bart Lon......More

It’s time to auction wolves from the Abingdon Wolf Project! All twenty wolves from the Abingdon Wolf Project, a fundraising collaboration between William King Museum of Art and the Town of Abingdon, will be auctioned at the Martha Washington Inn with auctioneer Bart Long. Proceeds benefit the artists and William King Museum of Art. Drinks start at 6pm and the auction will begin at 7pm. Cash bar with complimentary appetizers.   Tickets are available for purchase online until November 4th, in-person at the Mistletoe Market on Friday and until Noon on Saturday, and at the Martha Washington Inn beginning 5:45pm on Saturday.  Online purchases can either be picked up at Mistletoe Market on Friday or until noon Saturday, or at the door of the Martha Washington Inn beginning 5:45pm on Saturday.    Wolves will be on view at the Mistletoe Market Friday, November 6th until Saturday, November 7th at noon.   3-Day Pass + Auction Ticket: $50 adults3-Day Pass + Auction Ticket: $10 kidsAuction Tickets – $25 adults (kids free)  Learn more about the Abingdon Wolf Project here.   Dress is business casual.

Martha Washington Inn & Spa, 150 W Main St, Abingdon, 24210, United States

Color: The Color Wheel Remix

Color: The Color Wheel Remix Students will mix primary colors to create a full 12-color wheel and understand color bias.     9:30–11:00 AM: ages 14–16+ 11:00 AM–12:30 PM: ages 10–13 2:00–3:30 PM: ages 7–9   This series of youth art classes is designed to provide homesch......More

Color: The Color Wheel Remix Students will mix primary colors to create a full 12-color wheel and understand color bias.     9:30–11:00 AM: ages 14–16+ 11:00 AM–12:30 PM: ages 10–13 2:00–3:30 PM: ages 7–9   This series of youth art classes is designed to provide homeschooling students with affordable, quality, and fun arts education. Classes will meet once a week on Wednesdays from September through April. All classes can be taken individually but, when taken consecutively, provide a complete curriculum of fine arts knowledge and techniques. Students who participate in any Homeschool Art classes have the option to submit work to the Homeschool Art Student Exhibition that will be on display in the children’s wing of the museum from April to May. Projects in the first semester (September-December) will be based on the fundamentals of art The registration fee is $10 per class.* All supplies are included. Due to the demand for the program, we are going to cap the registration at 15 students per class to ensure that all students are getting the time and attention that they deserve, and to guarantee that our classrooms can provide the necessary space. The 7-9 age group will be capped at 10 students to meet their current needs.      

Needle Felting - 3D Wild Turkeys

Needle Felting Series with Laura Blankenship Before it was co-opted for mass production, felting had been a vital community art that provided beauty, housing, and clothing for nomadic tribes across Asia and Europe. Now the felting needle brings it back into the hands of......More

Needle Felting Series with Laura Blankenship Before it was co-opted for mass production, felting had been a vital community art that provided beauty, housing, and clothing for nomadic tribes across Asia and Europe. Now the felting needle brings it back into the hands of the people! All classes teach the basics of this craft and are customizable to the skill level and aesthetics of the student. Expect to leave feeling empowered to take what you’ve learned to create anything you can imagine. Ages 12 through adult. All supplies included for each class.   This class: Needle Felted 3D Wild Turkeys $40 per person ($35/ea when you register multiple people. Call for discount) Thursday, November 12 from 5:00PM-8:00PM at Art Lab Create your own chunky gobbler inspired by images of strutting, puffed up wild turkeys.   Others in the series: Needle Felted 3D Pumpkins – Thursday, October 15 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 3D Black Cats & Bobcats – Thursday, October 22 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 3D Winged Creatures: Beautiful Bats & Luna Moths – Thursday, October 29 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 2D Local Leaves –Thursday, November 5 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 3D Wild Turkeys – Thursday, November 12 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted Pouches – Thursday, November 19 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted Ombre Earrings – Thursday, December 3 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Mushrooms & Upcycled Forest Chic Clothing – Friday, December 4 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 2D Local Animal Ornaments – Thursday, December 10 from 5:00PM-8:00PM   About the Instructor: Laura Marie Blankenship’s wild, wooly work bridges the gap between the tactile craft of felting and the embodied art of abstract expressionism. Her art is deeply informed by her 8 years as a live music painter, teaching yoga and meditation, and time spent as a wilderness therapy field guide, and answering crisis/suicide hotline calls, with her formal background in Psychology from The College of William and Mary. She was awarded a scholarship and studio assistantship at the Penland School of Craft in 2015, is a frequent instructor of wet felting and needle felting at Earthskills Gatherings throughout the Southeast, and from 2022 to 2025, she served as a full-time public school art teacher. With painting names like “there is nothing that cannot be transformed into joy,” her current studio practice centers create action-painted abstracts that serve as victory cries (and sometimes desperate pleas) for emotional integration and personal transformation. Laura Marie Blankenship lives and works in Damascus, Virginia, where she continues to paint, teach, hike, bike, kayak, share beauty, create connection, and ask for guidance from the trees, trails, and beings in and around the South Holston River.  

Art Night: Local Artist Meetup and Hallway Galleries Reception

Join us at Art Lab on Thursday, November 12 from 5:00-7:00 for a combined Local Artist Meetup and Hallway Galleries Reception with a special performance by the Southern Appalachian Dance Collective!  Local Artist Meetup is an opportunity for regional artists to share wo......More

Join us at Art Lab on Thursday, November 12 from 5:00-7:00 for a combined Local Artist Meetup and Hallway Galleries Reception with a special performance by the Southern Appalachian Dance Collective!  Local Artist Meetup is an opportunity for regional artists to share works in progress, learn from other artists, meet new friends, and hang out with your fellow creatives! Bring your business cards, show cards, event cards, workshop info, or anything you’d like to share, too. ALL ARE WELCOME – makers, musicians, performers, crafters, creatives, and everybody in arts! We invite patrons of the arts and creatives at any/every stage of career. We cross-pollinate and support each other to build our creative community. We are also celebrating three wonderful Art Lab Hallway Gallery exhibits: Art Lab’s Dolly Parton Tribute featuring artworks honoring Dolly’s legacy by many hardworking regional artists, Greg Howser’s fairytale Appalachia vision From the lands of Zollicoffer and Wytheville’s own meticulous wall sculpture artist Roger Dean Grubb’s Visual Overload. We are thrilled to end the evening with a special dance performance by the Southern Appalachian Dance Collective set to Dolly’s Coat of Many Colors. 

Advanced Darkroom Techniques with Morgan Ford

Instructor: Morgan FordCost: $65Time and date(s): Saturday, November 14, 1 p.m. –  4 p.m.Location: Art Lab Lecture Room & DarkroomSkill level: New LearnersAudience: Teen – adult Description: Photography is so much more than a quick phone snap the hands-on experienc......More

Instructor: Morgan FordCost: $65Time and date(s): Saturday, November 14, 1 p.m. –  4 p.m.Location: Art Lab Lecture Room & DarkroomSkill level: New LearnersAudience: Teen – adult Description: Photography is so much more than a quick phone snap the hands-on experience of analog processes are undeniably fascinating. Here is your opportunity to get a glimpse into the world of darkroom film photography and alternative processes. Advanced Darkroom Techniques builds on the skills learned in the Essential Darkroom Techniques class. Students will learn some retouching techniques that were used before the advent of digital retouching, such as dodging and burning, using filters and more. This class is designed to hone your B&W developing skills and work toward perfecting every print you make.   All supplies will be provided, except for a 35mm film camera and developed B&W film. Morgan Ford is a Fine Art Photographer specializing in B&W Medium Format Photography. Morgan’s  love of art & photography started at a very young age with a sketchbook always in hand, she took her first photography class in highschool and fell in love with the process of light and catching brief moments in time.  Morgan studied at Brooks Institute of Photography and went on to work in advertising in San Francisco after college. After leaving California and advertising behind she resumed her passion for film photography and working in the darkroom. Morgan has had exhibits all over the country showing her Fine Art B&W Photography of beautiful countrysides, wild horses, and dilapidated buildings. She currently resides in Abingdon, VA. 

Color: Tinting the Rainbow

Color: Tinting the Rainbow Students will create a value scale of tints by adding increasing amounts of white to a single color.     9:30–11:00 AM: ages 14–16+ 11:00 AM–12:30 PM: ages 10–13 2:00–3:30 PM: ages 7–9   This series of youth art classes is designed to provide ......More

Color: Tinting the Rainbow Students will create a value scale of tints by adding increasing amounts of white to a single color.     9:30–11:00 AM: ages 14–16+ 11:00 AM–12:30 PM: ages 10–13 2:00–3:30 PM: ages 7–9   This series of youth art classes is designed to provide homeschooling students with affordable, quality, and fun arts education. Classes will meet once a week on Wednesdays from September through April. All classes can be taken individually but, when taken consecutively, provide a complete curriculum of fine arts knowledge and techniques. Students who participate in any Homeschool Art classes have the option to submit work to the Homeschool Art Student Exhibition that will be on display in the children’s wing of the museum from April to May. Projects in the first semester (September-December) will be based on the fundamentals of art The registration fee is $10 per class.* All supplies are included. Due to the demand for the program, we are going to cap the registration at 15 students per class to ensure that all students are getting the time and attention that they deserve, and to guarantee that our classrooms can provide the necessary space. The 7-9 age group will be capped at 10 students to meet their current needs.      

Needle Felting - Pouches

Needle Felting Series with Laura Blankenship Before it was co-opted for mass production, felting had been a vital community art that provided beauty, housing, and clothing for nomadic tribes across Asia and Europe. Now the felting needle brings it back into the hands of......More

Needle Felting Series with Laura Blankenship Before it was co-opted for mass production, felting had been a vital community art that provided beauty, housing, and clothing for nomadic tribes across Asia and Europe. Now the felting needle brings it back into the hands of the people! All classes teach the basics of this craft and are customizable to the skill level and aesthetics of the student. Expect to leave feeling empowered to take what you’ve learned to create anything you can imagine. Ages 12 through adult.    Needle Felted Pouches Cost: $40 (two for $70 – call for a discount!) Thursday 11/19/26 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Art Lab Beginner-intermediate Learn the basics of functional 2d needle felting to create your own pouch. Learn the misnamed “parachute” stitch to maximize space in your pouch. Optional: BYO large button for a clasp or bring $5 cash to buy an antler button.     Others in the series: Needle Felted 3D Pumpkins – Thursday, October 15 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 3D Black Cats & Bobcats – Thursday, October 22 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 3D Winged Creatures: Beautiful Bats & Luna Moths – Thursday, October 29 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 2D Local Leaves –Thursday, November 5 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 3D Wild Turkeys – Thursday, November 12 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted Pouches – Thursday, November 19 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted Ombre Earrings – Thursday, December 3 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Mushrooms & Upcycled Forest Chic Clothing – Friday, December 4 from 5:00PM-8:00PM Needle Felted 2D Local Animal Ornaments – Thursday, December 10 from 5:00PM-8:00PM   About the Instructor: Laura Marie Blankenship’s wild, wooly work bridges the gap between the tactile craft of felting and the embodied art of abstract expressionism. Her art is deeply informed by her 8 years as a live music painter, teaching yoga and meditation, and time spent as a wilderness therapy field guide, and answering crisis/suicide hotline calls, with her formal background in Psychology from The College of William and Mary. She was awarded a scholarship and studio assistantship at the Penland School of Craft in 2015, is a frequent instructor of wet felting and needle felting at Earthskills Gatherings throughout the Southeast, and from 2022 to 2025, she served as a full-time public school art teacher. With painting names like “there is nothing that cannot be transformed into joy,” her current studio practice centers create action-painted abstracts that serve as victory cries (and sometimes desperate pleas) for emotional integration and personal transformation. Laura Marie Blankenship lives and works in Damascus, Virginia, where she continues to paint, teach, hike, bike, kayak, share beauty, create connection, and ask for guidance from the trees, trails, and beings in and around the South Holston River.  

Special Screening of The Art of Adventure

In partnership with Barter Theatre, a special screening of the award winning documentary about the 1957 expedition by Robert Bateman, a wildlife artist, and his friend Bristol Foster, a wildlife biologist, through Africa, India, and South East Asia. Director Alison Reid......More

In partnership with Barter Theatre, a special screening of the award winning documentary about the 1957 expedition by Robert Bateman, a wildlife artist, and his friend Bristol Foster, a wildlife biologist, through Africa, India, and South East Asia. Director Alison Reid will speak after the screening in a discussion moderated by Kathy Kelsey Foley, Director Emerita of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin. The Art of Adventure is an inspiring and deeply human documentary about the extraordinary lifelong friendship between world-renowned wildlife artist Robert Bateman and fearless biologist Bristol Foster. Through their epic 1957 journey around the world – armed with a 16mm camera and an artist’s brush – the film opens a vivid window onto a planet once wild and unscarred, and a bond formed through curiosity, courage and a love of nature. At its heart the film weaves together nature, art and activism showing how two very different men fought to protect the natural world: one through art, the other through science. Now in their 90s, Bob and Bristol still find sanctuary in nature. Their story is a moving reflection on legacy and mortality – and a celebration of lives lived with purpose. The Art of Adventure invites us to step beyond the familiar, embrace life with curiosity and heart – and never lose our sense of adventure. Open to the public $12 per adult ticket, $6 per child ticket Tickets available at the Barter Theatre box office and online at bartertheatre.com.

Barter Theatre, 127 W Main St, Abingdon, 24210, United States

Worrell Gallery Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting

Public Opening & Ribbon Cutting Join us outside the new Worrell Gallery lobby for a ribbon cutting to formally open William King Museum of Art’s new addition and the Worrell Collection of Wildlife Art. Time: 10:00am  

Wet Felted Handwarmers

Wet Felting & Other Traditional Seasonal Skills Class Series with Laura Blankenship People have been creating shelter, clothing, and beauty, and singing together while we do it before time began. Come remember some of these traditional ways by dipping your toes into wet......More

Wet Felting & Other Traditional Seasonal Skills Class Series with Laura Blankenship People have been creating shelter, clothing, and beauty, and singing together while we do it before time began. Come remember some of these traditional ways by dipping your toes into wet felting, singing, and candlemaking. Teen and Adult.   Class Title: Wet Felted Handwarmers  (Prerequisite for Wet Felted Hats) Cost: $95 Time and date(s): Saturday & Sunday, 11/21 & 22 from 12:00PM-3:30PM Location: Art Lab Skill level: Beginner-intermediate Description: This beginner to intermediate wet felting class teaches wet felting around a resist to create a small seamless project, in our case, two handwarmers. Expect several hours of labor intensive standing, rubbing, and rolling wool while your hands are wet with soapy water. Limit 6 students.   Other classes in this series: Wet Felted Witchy Hats (Requires Previous Wet Felting Experience) Saturday and Sunday October 24 and 25, from 12:00PM-3:30PM Easy Expressive Nuno Felted Cloths & Patches (Prereq for Wet Felted Hats) Saturday, November 14, from 1:00PM-4:00PM Wet Felted Handwarmers (Prereq for Wet Felted Hats) Saturday and Sunday, November 21 and 22, from 12:00PM-3:30PM Wacky Elf Hats (Requires Previous Wet Felting Experience) Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, from 1:00PM-4:30PM   Tapered Beeswax Candle Making & Community Singing Saturday, December 12, from 3:00PM-5:00PM     About the Instructor: Laura Marie Blankenship’s wild, wooly work bridges the gap between the tactile craft of felting and the embodied art of abstract expressionism. Her art is deeply informed by her 8 years as a live music painter, teaching yoga and meditation, and time spent as a wilderness therapy field guide, and answering crisis/suicide hotline calls, with her formal background in Psychology from The College of William and Mary. She was awarded a scholarship and studio assistantship at the Penland School of Craft in 2015, is a frequent instructor of wet felting and needle felting at Earthskills Gatherings throughout the Southeast, and from 2022 to 2025, she served as a full-time public school art teacher. With painting names like “there is nothing that cannot be transformed into joy,” her current studio practice centers create action-painted abstracts that serve as victory cries (and sometimes desperate pleas) for emotional integration and personal transformation. Laura Marie Blankenship lives and works in Damascus, Virginia, where she continues to paint, teach, hike, bike, kayak, share beauty, create connection, and ask for guidance from the trees, trails, and beings in and around the South Holston River.  

In Their Nature: Wildlife Art from the Artists' View  

Join us as we welcome artists behind select works in the Worrell Collection as they hold a discussion about their careers, their views on Nature and Wildlife Art and where they see the future of depicting animals in art!RSVP required by emailing [email protected]    ...More

Join us as we welcome artists behind select works in the Worrell Collection as they hold a discussion about their careers, their views on Nature and Wildlife Art and where they see the future of depicting animals in art!RSVP required by emailing [email protected]    

Ceramic Winter Gnomes / Elves

Class Title: Ceramic Winter Gnomes/Elves Instructor: Laken Bridges Date/Time Tuesday, November 24th from 1:00PM-4:00PM Cost: $45 per person Location: Art Lab’s Ceramic Studio Skill level: Any Audience: 12-adult Description: Come learn some hand-building basics to create......More

Class Title: Ceramic Winter Gnomes/Elves Instructor: Laken Bridges Date/Time Tuesday, November 24th from 1:00PM-4:00PM Cost: $45 per person Location: Art Lab’s Ceramic Studio Skill level: Any Audience: 12-adult Description: Come learn some hand-building basics to create 2-3 decorative gnomes for mantle, table arrangement, or other holiday decor. Your creations will dry out for a couple of weeks, then be fired so that they are solid and sturdy. After pick up, take them home and leave them unfinished, or paint and seal them however you like! Fun facts: The modern Christmas elf evolved from ancient Northern European folklore, blending Scandinavian household spirits like the Tomte or Nisse with Germanic myths of hidden, magical beings. This folklore transformed into the specific holiday helpers we know today during the 19th century in America, spurred by literature and media. After Clement Clarke Moore’s 1823 poem ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas described Santa Claus himself as a “jolly old elf,” subsequent works—including an 1857 Harper’s Weekly poem and an 1873 Godey’s Lady’s Book cover illustration—firmly established the image of pointed-eared, toy-making elves working in Santa’s North Pole workshop, a tradition cemented into global pop culture through 20th-century media and modern customs like The Elf on the Shelf.   About the instructor: Laken Bridges (any pronouns) is an artist-educator with an MFA from Clemson University. They have exhibited  in solo, juried, and invitational shows at both a national and international level. Bridges is the recipient of awards including the George R. McDonald Research Fellowship, Cecelia Voelker Award in Art History, and an Arts Achievement Award (Arts Alliance Mountain Empire). They have presented at Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC), regularly attend the Creative Placemaking Consortium’s conferences, and are a member of Virginia Association of Museums. Prior to joining WKMA in 2018 as Director of Higher Education, they taught undergraduate art. Bridges’ personal art practice engages media ranging from collage, drawing, books, sculpture, and printmaking, to costuming and performance. They reside in Northeast Tennessee surrounded by cats, boxes of art supplies and bins of strange bits and bobs destined to one day become “art”.

Ceramic Tic-Tac-Toe Game Set

Class Title: Ceramic Tic Tac Toe Instructor: Laken Bridges Date/Time Tuesday, November 24th from 4:30PM-7:30PM Cost: $45 per person Location: Art Lab’s Ceramic Studio Skill level: Any Audience: 12-adult Description: In this class, you’ll learn simple hand building techn......More

Class Title: Ceramic Tic Tac Toe Instructor: Laken Bridges Date/Time Tuesday, November 24th from 4:30PM-7:30PM Cost: $45 per person Location: Art Lab’s Ceramic Studio Skill level: Any Audience: 12-adult Description: In this class, you’ll learn simple hand building techniques to make your very own physical tic-tac-toe game set. Keep your design classic or personalize it (bacon and eggs? PB &J? Birds and fish? Couples monograms? It’s up to you!) Show it off on your coffee table or gift it this holiday season. Finish early in class? There will be enough supplies for a second round! Fun facts: Tic-tac-toe traces its earliest roots back to ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire. Archaeologists have discovered 3×3 grids carved into Egyptian roofing tiles dating to 1300 BCE, while ancient Romans played a popular variant called Terni Lapilli (three pebbles at a time) using movable pieces on a grid. The modern paper-and-pencil version we play today solidified in 19th-century England under the name “Noughts and Crosses,” with the first written record appearing in 1858. In the 20th century, the game became widely known in the United States as “tic-tac-toe,” a name derived from an older, unrelated 16th-century English counting game called “tit-tat-toe.”     About the instructor: Laken Bridges (any pronouns) is an artist-educator with an MFA from Clemson University. They have exhibited  in solo, juried, and invitational shows at both a national and international level. Bridges is the recipient of awards including the George R. McDonald Research Fellowship, Cecelia Voelker Award in Art History, and an Arts Achievement Award (Arts Alliance Mountain Empire). They have presented at Southeastern College Art Conference (SECAC), regularly attend the Creative Placemaking Consortium’s conferences, and are a member of Virginia Association of Museums. Prior to joining WKMA in 2018 as Director of Higher Education, they taught undergraduate art. Bridges’ personal art practice engages media ranging from collage, drawing, books, sculpture, and printmaking, to costuming and performance. They reside in Northeast Tennessee surrounded by cats, boxes of art supplies and bins of strange bits and bobs destined to one day become “art”.