Here at Groundworks, we’re all about making our art forms accessible to everyone. We know metal studios can often be male dominated spaces, but we really want to change that. That’s why we’re so excited to offer Women’s Welding Night! 

Join other like minded women and femmes for four weeks to learn the basics of shop safety and terminology, and an introduction to welding equipment and how to properly and safely use it. Our hope is that by the end of this class, you’ll feel comfortable and confident in not just our metal studio, but any other you find yourself walking into.

This class has no prerequisites and is specifically set up for absolute beginners to this art form. Our Metal Studio does have some safety basics before anyone is allowed to join in the fun (failure to meet these requirements will result in not being granted access to the equipment): 

• Please come dressed in close-toe and heel shoes, and natural material clothing, i.e. cotton or linen, long pants are recommended. 

• For welding, you must wear a shirt with long sleeves that fully covers your chest. We recommend a long sleeved button down.

• No loose or dangling jewelry, long earrings or scarves.

• If you have long hair, please have it securely tied back from your face.

• We will provide safety goggles and other PPE, but if you have your own and would like to bring them, please do!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

New to glasswork and don’t know where to start? You’re in the right place! Our Glass Studio Sampler class is the perfect place to begin your journey of learning and understanding the material and techniques of making beautiful art with glass.

This class will spend four weeks going over low-fire glassworking techniques like kiln fusing, sheet glass cutting and coldwork (working with unheated glass), and hot glass / hot sculpting (reshaping heated glass with either torches or kilns). The projects will be simple and may vary depending on the material and technique being covered that week.

This class has no prerequisites and is specifically set up for absolute beginners to this art form. Our Glass Studio does have some safety basics before anyone is allowed to join in the fun (failure to meet these requirements will result in not being granted access to the equipment): 

• Please come dressed in close-toe and heel shoes, and natural material clothing, i.e. cotton or linen, long pants are recommended. 
• No loose or dangling jewelry, long earrings or scarves.
• If you have long hair, please have it securely tied back from your face.
• We will provide safety goggles, but if you have your own and would like to bring them, please do!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Monday, Decemeber 8 at 8:00am.

If you have wondered what the craft of blacksmithing is like to practice, this class is for you. Experience the joy of forging steel into objects of utility and beauty. This beginning level class will cover shop safety, fire management, tools and equipment, and appropriate use of the anvil, as well as an introduction to object-making using multiple methods of shaping hot metals. Students will develop crucial skills for more advanced blacksmithing projects.

This class has no prerequisites and is specifically set up for absolute beginners to this art form. Our Metal Studio does have some safety basics before anyone is allowed to join in the fun (failure to meet these requirements will result in not being granted access to the equipment): 

• Please come dressed in close-toe and heel shoes, and natural material clothing, i.e. cotton or linen, long pants are recommended. 

• For welding, you must wear a shirt with long sleeves that fully covers your chest. We recommend a long sleeved button down.

• No loose or dangling jewelry, long earrings or scarves.

• If you have long hair, please have it securely tied back from your face.

• We will provide safety goggles and other PPE, but if you have your own and would like to bring them, please do!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

Learn to turn! This class will be an introduction to using the lathe - a machine used for shaping all manner of cylindrical forms (think bowls, vases,  furniture legs, even pens!). 

Over the course of four weeks, you will learn about the tools directly associated with the lathe and their primary uses. From practicing spindle turning to learning how to make bowls, we will learn the two major turning techniques that can be explored to no end with further practice.  This class will be as hands on as any class can, wasting no time before getting students turning with tool in hand (don’t worry, we’ll go over safety basics too). Beyond the basics we will practice, practice, practice. You will not want to turn your machines off!

This class has no prerequisites and is open to beginners and seasoned woodworkers alike, but our Wood Studio has some safety basics before anyone is allowed to join in the fun (failure to meet these requirements will result in not being granted access to the equipment): 

•  Please come dressed in close-toed shoes, a shirt that can be tucked in and either short sleeves, or sleeves that can be rolled up past your elbows. 
• No loose or dangling jewelry.
• If you have long hair, please have it securely tied back from your face.
• We will provide safety goggles and/or full face shields, ear protection, and face masks to cover nose and mouth, but if you have your own PPE you would prefer to use, please do!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Monday, Dece,ber 8 at 8:00am.

New to glasswork and don’t know where to start? You’re in the right place! Our Glass Studio Sampler class is the perfect place to begin your journey of learning and understanding the material and techniques of making beautiful art with glass.

This class will spend four weeks going over low-fire glassworking techniques like kiln fusing, sheet glass cutting and coldwork (working with unheated glass), and hot glass / hot sculpting (reshaping heated glass with either torches or kilns). The projects will be simple and may vary depending on the material and technique being covered that week.

This class has no prerequisites and is specifically set up for absolute beginners to this art form. Our Glass Studio does have some safety basics before anyone is allowed to join in the fun (failure to meet these requirements will result in not being granted access to the equipment): 

• Please come dressed in close-toe and heel shoes, and natural material clothing, i.e. cotton or linen, long pants are recommended. 
• No loose or dangling jewelry, long earrings or scarves.
• If you have long hair, please have it securely tied back from your face.
• We will provide safety goggles, but if you have your own and would like to bring them, please do!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Monday, Decemeber 8 at 8:00am.

New to printmaking and don't know where to start? Look no further than our 4-week introductory relief printmaking sampler!

This sampler will take you on a more directed 4-week tour of the world of relief printing (carving an image into or out of a block). Each week, the instructor will show you a different media to carve - be it Speedycut (rubber), linoleum, wood, or something experimental like an old tire or a piece of traffic cone. You'll learn all this as well as how to measure and tear paper, mixing and applying ink, and the basics of using the printing press.

This course provides a great way to get a real sense of the art of relief printmaking, and to identify which direction to go next. Once you start, your options are endless!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

This class introduces students to the fundamentals of metal fabricating processes. Techniques explored will include welding, sheet metal work, use of an oxy-fuel torch, and blacksmithing. Day one will cover the basics of sheet metal work, including: layout, punching holes, shearing, and folding to create a basic sheet metal pan. Day two; students will learn the purposes of the oxy-fuel torch with emphasis on heating metal for bending and using the cutting torch to cut out patterns in steel. On day three students will have an introduction to basic blacksmithing using the hammer and anvil to shape hot metal. The last day students will practice welding with a wire-feed welder, and have an opportunity to assemble parts. We will cover safety and essential techniques in each method. Students will gain a better understanding of basic practices in the metal studio.

What to Wear in the Metals Studio?

We wish for all students to have a safe and enjoyable learning experience. Proper safety equipment and PPE will be provided for use within the studio.

Please dress safely and appropriately. Arrive for class in all-natural fiber clothing, long pants, and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes with socks that protect up to the ankle. Long hair should be tied back and synthetic hair should be covered with all-natural fiber fabric.  Nylon, polyester, spandex, or other synthetics are not recommended around machines, equipment, or processes that can produce hot fragments, sparks, or flames. Please avoid synthetic blends, as 100% cotton is recommended. Layers are encouraged, as the studio can begin cool then become very hot. 

Welding students are recommended to wear long sleeve shirts to preventarc-flash burns (much like a sunburn). 

All students participating in activities involving sparks or hot metal are encouraged to wear leather boots or older shoes.Please bring a re-fillable water bottle!

Class Policies & Information:

Open Lab: This class includes access to the studio during Open Lab hours. Open Lab is exclusively for students who are currently enrolled in the program. You are allowed to attend one Open Lab session per week, totaling 3 hours during the duration of your class. You may only attend the Open Lab session for the class in which you are registered. This time is intended for independent work on your class project. While studio staff will be present, they are there to ensure you are using the tools safely, not to provide instruction.

Class Make-Up: Our studios are full with adult and youth classes 7 days a week, 48 weeks a year. Typically, every class is full, which means there is simply no space for students to make up classes. If we cancel an entire class due to weather or other emergencies, we can not guarantee we will be able to schedule a make-up class. Individuals who miss a class will not be able to make it up. Please read the Frequently Asked Questions for more information about missed classes.

Studio Clean Up: Clean-up is critical! Please help our hardworking staff and volunteers by beginning clean-up 30 minutes before the end of class, helping out with common areas, and leaving class on time.

Ages: 16+ 

Will be available to register on Monday, December 8 at 8:00am.

New to printmaking and don't know where to start? Look no further than our 4-week introductory printmaking sampler! 

Each week our instructor will lead students through introductory techniques for different types of printmaking such as relief (carving into a block), monotype (one-of-a-kind prints made by layering objects on a plate), and intaglio (scratching an image into a surface). You'll learn all this as well as how to measure and tear paper, mixing and applying ink, and the basics of using the printing press.

This course provides a great way to get a real sense of the art of printmaking, and to identify which direction to go next! Once you start, your options are endless!

Ages: 16+ 

All supplies and materials will be provided. 

Will be available to register on Monday, Decemeber 8 at 8:00am.