Did you know you can make a wildly original play without starting with a script? Commonly called “devised theatre,” this theatre form is a way of collectively authoring a new play using the input and contributions of all participants. These contributions can be in the form of written text, myths, physical choreography, research, props, music,…
Request ProgramVisual and Performing Arts Programs
VMFA visual and performing arts programs are designed to stimulate greater community involvement in art education and to provide opportunities for individuals to work closely with noted professional artists. These artists have been selected for the merit of their work, their serious commitment to professional excellence, their teaching experience, and their communication skills. The wide variety of workshops allows the VMFA partner the flexibility to schedule programs that meet specific audience needs and satisfy different levels of skill and/or experience. See Booking Visual Arts Workshops and Performances for information about requesting a workshop or performance
You Have What it Takes to Be a Performance Artist
What the heck IS performance art? Is it visual art? Theatre? Social Experiment? Performance art is expansive and seems to defy easy definition, and yet it’s the biggest movement in the art world in the last 100 years. In this introductory workshop, we will first take a video voyage through the history of the form…
Request ProgramWrite a Brand New Play All in One Day!
This workshop is an introduction to the art and craft of playwriting. We will read one short masterpiece of theatre together out loud, and follow with a facilitated discussion of its narrative and story structure, ideas and motifs, and its special world. You will be guided through several warm-up writing exercises and then we will…
Request ProgramLearn to Frame Your Own Artwork!
Having your art framed at a retail establishment can be extremely costly! In this comprehensive workshop you will learn to mount, cut mats, frame, and present your fine art with professional archival techniques. All tools and supplies, mount, mat, and frame are provided for you to frame your 5 x 7 or smaller work of…
Request ProgramAdventure Hats
This workshop is awesome. Not your typical watch-and-repeat course, instead dive into this class and experiment. Focus on moving past the challenge of what to make, by building your way into new ideas and your own imagination. We will start constructing right away. Beginning with blank paper, students will make a number of rapid-fire shapes considering volume with a sample of techniques: pleats, darts, woven elements, and coils. Students will choose a sample to refine and repeat, considering scale, orientation, and mood. We will build armatures, discussing fit, movement and overall construction and each student will end the day with a wild and unexpected hat. It’s hard not to love a room full of people in wild and surprising hats, and a short photo-shoot will follow to document this particular kind of magic. We will work with paper-based materials (ideal for prototyping) but participants are welcome and encouraged to bring extra materials to experiment with (beads, yarn, plastic bits, dried plant materials, etc)
Request ProgramFrom Photographs to Fabric Patterns
Biology, art and activism merge in this presentation. Dawn Flores, Creative Director for The Forest Project, tells the story of how she collaborated with other artists to document a 60-acre urban forest clear-cut for development. Dawn has created over 1,000 fabric patterns from photographs she took, of the now clear-cut property, and works with quiltmakers…
Request ProgramColored Pencils & Acrylics
The layering of colored pencils and acrylics is a fantastic technique for building up soft textures, sharp edges, and rich colors. Drawing from colorful photographs or still-life objects of flora and fauna, we will explore the techniques used to take colored pencils a step beyond their traditional use.
Request ProgramColor Theory through Watercolor
Understanding color is essential to creating work that captivates the eye and evokes certain moods or emotions. Through a series of fun exercises, you will learn to understand tints, shades and tones, the color wheel, complimentary colors, warm and cool colors, and color schemes. You will also produce useful charts and swatches which you can consult for future reference.…
Request ProgramPrinting Textiles with Indian Blockprints
Utilizing intricately carved wood blocks to print a set of two 27″ cotton tea towels, participants will learn about pigment, layering colors, composition, and the possibilities for creating stamps at home. This workshop is open to people of all experience levels.
Request ProgramChinese Seal Printing Workshop
Following a brief discussion about the significance of the Chinese Seal (or chop), participants will translate their names into Chinese characters on paper. The characters will be transferred to soft printmaking blocks (Safety Kut) and cut out using carving tools. The carved blocks will inked and printed on blank greeting cards, with each student creating…
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