Explore your creativity, learn something new, expand your craft or begin a new hobby
WCA Creative Programming
Workshops and classes are designed for kids ages 3 and up, families, teens and adults at all levels of experience.
The WCA provides youth, teen and adult creative programming. Classes are taught in a variety of traditional mediums like painting, ceramics, drawing, printmaking, jewelry making and stained glass including a variety of specialty classes that are available for more advanced students.
We hire local practicing artists from the Cedar Valley to instruct who also have a passion for art and art education.
Registration opens September 8th at 7:00am
Ages 2-4
Classes include admission into Phelps Youth Pavilion for both caregiver and child.
Paint & Play
Kids and their helpers will paint with fingers, brushes, and feathers to make whimsical scenes! This class will focus on counting and colors.
October 1-22 (4 weeks)
Thursdays | 10:30-11:00am
Members: $24 | Non-members: $30
Preschool Picassos
Children will discover their inner Picasso
as they cut and glue collages and play
with tempera paint.
November 4-25 (4 weeks)
Wednesdays | 9:30-10:00am
Members: $24 | Non-members: $30
Ages 5-8
Sign up for both Doodlers & Masters of Mud and receive $10 off registration.
Doodlers
Children will learn to turn basic shapes into animals, places, and characters while boosting focus, hand-eye coordination, and creative confidence in a supportive, playful space. A variety of materials will be used including pastels, markers, and colored pencils. Students will also enjoy new drawing projects with each session.
Session I:
October 7-28 (4 weeks)
Wednesdays | 6:30-7:30pm
Session II:
November 10-December 1 (4 weeks)
Tuesdays | 6:30-7:30pm
Instructor: Breeze Kramer
Members: $24 | Non-members: $30
Masters of Mud
Master the basics of ceramics by learning how to pinch pots, coil snakes, and glue slabs. All projects are finished with colorful glazes and will be ready for pickup two weeks after classes end. Each session offered will have new and unique projects.
Session I:
October 7-28 (4 weeks)
Wednesday | 5:30-6:30pm
Session II:
November 10-December 1 (4 weeks)
Tuesdays | 5:30-6:30pm
Members: $33 | Non-members: $42
Ages 9-13
Sign up for both Sketchers and Say it with Clay and receive $10 off registration.
Say It With Clay
Learn the basics of hand building by making small sculptures out of stoneware clay. Participants will use a slab roller and an extruder in order to create their artwork. Each session offered will have a new and unique project based on students interests.
Session I:
October 7-28 (4 weeks)
Wednesdays | 6:30-7:30pm
Session II:
November 10-December 1 (4 weeks)
Tuesdays | 6:30-7:30pm
Members: $33 | Non-members: $42
Sketchers
Advance your drawing skills through insightful lessons by a local artist. Concepts taught include: texturing, shading/value, and vanishing points. Each class will have different themes depending on the needs of the students enrolled.
Session I:
October 7-28 (4 weeks)
Wednesdays | 5:30-6:30pm
Session II:
November 10-December 1 (4 weeks)
Tuesdays | 5:30-6:30pm
Instructor: Breeze Kramer
Members: $24 | Non-members: $30
Teens & Adults
Wool Hat Felting
Learn to make a sculpted wool hat using unspun merino wool fiber, soap and water, and the energy you bring! Wet felting is a physical activity; come prepared to stand, knead, and further agitate your hat to create a beautiful work of art you can wear. Remember to bring food and drink
for yourself.
Saturday, December 12 | 9:00am-5:00pm
Instructor: Lisa Nelson
Members: $62; plus $40 material fee
Non-members: $78; plus $40 material fee
Stained Glass: Earrings
Recycle small pieces of glass into beautiful earrings using copper foil and a soldering iron. No experience necessary, just a willingness to try something new!
November 17-18
Tuesday & Wednesday | 6:00-8:30pm
Instructor: Janna Bowman
Members: $54 | Non-members: $67
Stained Glass
Learn techniques including design, glass cutting, soldering, and framing for making a copper-foiled or leaded stained-glass panel. After five weeks you will have a beautiful completed stained-glass piece.
Copper Foil: You Choose Design
October 6-November 3 (5 weeks)
Tuesdays | 6:00-8:30pm
Instructor: Steve & Melissa McKinstry
Lead: You Choose Design
October 7-November 4 (5 weeks)
Wednesdays | 6:00-8:30pm
Instructor: Karen Potter
Members: $96 | Non-members: $120
Wheel Throwing
Spend a couple hours a week playing with clay. Our instructors will teach you the basics and provide tips on how to advance your craft. Twelve pottery wheels are available or you may want to focus on slab work.
Session I:
September 24-October 29 (6 weeks)
Thursdays | 6:00-8:00pm
Instructor: Christina Konieck
Session II:
September 29-November 3 (6 weeks)
Tuesdays | 6:00-8:00pm
Instructor: Dulce DeLeon
Session III:
November 4-December 9 (6 weeks)
Wednesdays | 6:00-8:00pm
Instructor: Rodney Green
Session IV:
November 5- December 17
(6 weeks, no class on Thanksgiving)
Thursdays | 6:00-8:00pm
Instructor: Nathan & Gina Whipple
Members: $96 | Non-members: $120
Fee includes use of studio/tools and 25 lbs. of clay. Additional clay available for purchase.
Glaze a Ceramic Jack-O-Lantern
Use glaze to paint a light up Halloween Jack-O-Lantern. These keepsakes are the perfect way to celebrate all things spooky. Finished pumpkins can be picked up the second
week of October.
Thursday, October 1 | 6:00-7:30pm
Instructor: Angi Reid
Members: $34 | Non-members: $42
Letterpress Winter Solstice Cards
Join the owners of Pretty Good Co. to make your very own letterpress winter solstice cards. Pick out your paper and choose from a selection of designs before printing it yourself on a vintage printing press. Each person will make a pack of 7-10 cards.
Tuesday, December 1 | 6:00-7:30pm
Instructor: Pretty Good Co.
Members: $33 | Non-members: $42
Needle Felting: Holiday Ornaments
Use a felting needle and brightly colored wool to make an ornament of your choice. Come with an idea in mind, or a reference picture if you like.
November 5-19 (3 weeks)
Thursdays | 6:00-8:00pm
Instructor: Nancy Neessen
Members: $54 | Non-members: $67
Beginning Print Making
Design an image and then use carving tools on a soft carving block to create a beautiful design that can be printed on paper or fabric.
October 1-29 (5 weeks)
Thursdays | 6:00-8:00pm
Instructor: Brandon Alvarado
Members: $54 | Non-members: $67
Intro to Wool Felting: Scarf
Learn to make a lightweight, felted wool scarf using unspun merino wool fiber, soap and water, and the energy you bring! Wet felting is a physical activity; come prepared to stand, knead, and further agitate your scarf to create a beautiful work of art you can wear.
Sunday, November 1 | 1:00-4:00pm
Instructor: Lisa Nelson
Members: $55; plus $20 material fee
Non-members: $68; plus $20 material fee
Art of Fused Glass
Create your very own fused glass pieces. Art pieces will be ready for pick-up approximately one week after class. Children are welcome to join this class with adult supervision.
Christmas Ornaments
Thursday, October 15 | 6:00-7:30pm
Tuesday, November 10 | 6:00-7:30pm
Thursday, November 19 | 6:00-7:30pm
Tuesday, December 1 | 6:00-7:30pm
Wednesday, December 9 | 6:00-7:30pm
Tuesday, December 15 | 6:00-7:30pm
Instructor: Jill Ridenour
Members: $27 | Non-members: $34 per class
Jewelry Making: Spinner Ring
Texture, solder, and shape a wide band to form the base ring. Add a spinning outer band and flare the edges to create a fun fidget ring.
Sunday, November 22 | 11:00am-5:00pm
Instructor: Maggie Joynt
Members: $54; plus $40 material fee
Non-members: $67; plus $40 material fee
Light-Up Ceramic Christmas Tree
Glaze your very own vintage Christmas tree or cactus and then glue on colored bulbs on for a shimmery effect. The first class trees will be glazed and fired. The second class, bulbs and stars will be added.
November 3 & 17 | 6:00-7:30pm
Instructor: Angi Reid
Members: $54 | Non-members: $67
Stained Glass: 3-D Spinner
Use small square pieces of glass to create a 3-D glass spinner that will dazzle your friends. Copper foil and a soldering iron will be used for this project. Experience with stained glass recommended.
Sunday, October 18 | 1:00-5:00pm
Instructor: Melissa Nelson
Members: $54 | Non-members: $67
Jewelry Making: Bird Pendant
Create a fun bird pendant while learning the fundamentals of metalworking: sawing, filing, drilling, riveting, and stamping.
Sunday, October 18 | 12:30-5:00pm
Instructor: Maggie Joynt
Members: $54; plus $40 material fee
Non-members: $67; plus $40 material fee
Needle Felted: Fall Decor
Use a felting needle and fall colored wool to make a fall garland with pumpkins, acorns and leaves.
October 6-20 (3 weeks)
Tuesdays | 6:00-8:00pm
Instructor: Nancy Neessen
Members: $54 | Non-members: $67
Pre-Registration is Required for All Classes
Registration Opens September 8th at 7:00am
Additional Information
Cancellation Policy
Should minimum enrollment not be met, class will be cancelled, participants will be notified and a credit or a refund will be issued. If you withdraw from a class up to 3 days prior to the first session, you will receive a refund minus a $10 processing fee or a full credit towards another class registration. After that time no refunds will be given. Material fees are non-refundable.
Registration
Pre-registration is required for each class unless otherwise noted. Please register & submit payment by the registration deadline noted next to each class description. Payment is due at the time of registration. Registrations are not considered complete until payment is received. A surcharge of 4% will be added to all credit card transactions. This charge does not apply when paying by cash or check.
Inclement Weather Policy
If inclement weather occurs, WCA may cancel classes. Tune in to KWWL or Facebook for up-to-date cancellation information. Please note that whenever Waterloo Community Schools are cancelled for weather, the Phelps Youth Pavilion and WCA youth classes/programs will be cancelled.
Handicap Accessibility
The Waterloo Center for the Arts is handicap accessible. If you require special assistance to participate in our programs, call (319) 291-4490