Satisfy your curiosity about clay! Come get your hands dirty in this fun introduction to handbuilding and throwing clay on the pottery wheel! This 4 week class will provide hands-on instruction covering the fundamentals of clay both handbuilding and throwing: centering, opening, pulling up and shaping your pots. You’ll learn about the stages that clay goes through – from wet, to leather-hard, to bone-dry and about the hand-tools used for trimming and creating texture on pots. Please wear casual, loose fitting clothes and closed-toe shoes that can get dirty. If you would like to hand build please call the office to register. We have four pottery wheels that will be shared and utilized during each session.

Time: 6:00-7:30 pm
Session 2: May 5, 7, 9, 15

This class will provide students with the basic principles of oil painting that include composition, color, and value. Landscape and still life images will be used as inspiration in finding your own unique way of expressing yourself. Gestural painting, impasto, and staining are a few of the techniques that will be explored. Open to those with previous painting experience in addition to beginners. A brief meditation will help in letting go and trusting the creative process. A supply list will be provided when the class is determined to run. A Zoom link will sent to participants.

Learn to manipulate various types of rope to create key fobs, bracelets, pouches, floor mats, and more. With a few simple but necessary tools, guidance from available reading material, and an experienced mariner to consult with in class, bring your questions and get deep into the style of handwork that has aided sailors for generations. In this class, you will learn practical knot work and splicing. Students may wish to purchase Marlinspike Sailor by Hervey Garret Smith or Des Pawson’s more recent Knot Craft. A list of additional locally available supplies is available when you register.

Beth will present a different wire-wrapped pendant project each week. 

Come create a piece of jewelry, pendant, or earrings using a variety of jewelry techniques including hammering. Bring your original ideas and any jewelry tools you may have.

There us a $10 materials fee to be paid to instructor at time of class.

Beth Goody

In just a few hours, you can learn enough secrets of the trade to give you years of musical enjoyment. Learn to play piano the way professionals do-using chords. The chord method is LOTS of fun and dramatically easier to learn than reading notes. Fee includes the online book, online follow up lessons, a recording of the class, and also an optional periodic question and answer session. Class is held online using zoom and is partly hands on instruction and partly lecture demonstration. Ages 13+

The Key to a Comfortable Retirement

How much will you need? Learn how to calculate the amount of money you need to retire comfortably, based on your unique lifestyle and financial situation. Get step-by-step guidance through the process of determining your retirement "number." Gain a clear understanding of your current financial position and what's required to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Through engaging exercises, take stock of your income, expenses, and savings, and develop a personalized plan for reaching your retirement goals. Leave feeling empowered and motivated to take actionable steps towards securing your financial future. Please bring a notebook/pen and a calculator.

Anthony Corsino, owner of Zen Financial Planning, LLC in Andover, MA, holds a BS from Bentley, a Certificate in Financial Planning from BU, and other designations and certificates from The American College of Financial Services, The College for Financial Planning, and Villanova. He teaches financial planners nationwide in multiple university programs and serves as a subject matter expert at BU, Regis College, and through Greene Consulting, which partners with several universities, including UNH and James Madison.

College admissions have changed since the late 80s and early 90s. In this course, you will gain the knowledge and confidence to guide your student through the college admissions process. Throughout the three sessions, we will examine the following topics closely: How to build a college list that best fits the student; How to research colleges to fully understand what they have to offer; How to choose between the SAT, ACT and Test Optional; The college application timeline; College applications strategies for success; and an Overview of financial aid.

Unleash your creativity in the great outdoors with our "All Media Plein Air: Beginners Workshop," a four-week journey designed for aspiring artists of all skill levels! Whether you're just starting out or looking to explore a new artistic medium, this hands-on workshop offers a supportive environment to develop your skills while immersing yourself in nature. Topics will include, simplification and composition, capturing light, developing methods and techniques for painting outside. Easels and set up’s will be discussed in the first session, Students are encouraged to make due with the easel option they have until they know more about painting outside. This is a four-week class, all media welcome. Each three-hour session takes place at different locations around the Topsham and Brunswick area. First class meets at Merrymeeting. *Rain Dates: 6/3 & 6/10.