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Maine Adult Education

Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education

Topsham, ME

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Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education Classes

Felt A Pumpkin

$40

with Asia Cole, Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education

Calendar Oct 17, 2026 at 10 am, runs for 1 week

Learn the meditative art of needle-felting and make your own whimsical pumpkin. This class is perfect for beginners. A $10 materials fee, payable to the instructor, must be paid the day of the class.

Illustrating Autumn Leaves with Watercolor and Ink: Techniques for Precision and Abstraction

$105

with Claire Loon Baldwin, Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education

Calendar Oct 17, 2026 at 10 am, runs for 1 week

Illustrate the abstract beauty of Maine’s beautiful fall foliage with dip pens, ink, and watercolor. This all-levels class begins with a nature walk to gather specimens and soak up inspiration. Then, back at the studio, we’ll learn techniques for drawing with pen and ink, and create exciting watercolor textures with salt, soap, ink, and more. Everyone will leave with their own unique study of autumn leaves. Students can either buy themselves the required materials or they can buy material kits from the Mix, an art store in Brunswick.

Student Grade Kit

Professional Artist Grade Kit

Tapestry Weaving: Beginning & Beyond

$275

with Barbara Burns, Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education

Calendar Oct 17, 2026 at 10 am, runs for 1 week

*This is a two-day weekend workshop: Saturday & Sunday October 17-18. Have you ever wanted to try tapestry weaving, but didn’t know where to begin? Perhaps you’ve tried it on your own and are ready for some help. In this intensive, two day workshop you’ll learn some of the fundamentals of tapestry weaving. You’ll be guided step-by-step through various techniques while exploring the creative possibilities. Beginner and intermediate levels are welcome, but no previous weaving experience is necessary. Even an experienced weaver can benefit from a refresher and Barbara’s artistry offers something for everyone. There is a maximum of ten students to allow for plenty of individual attention. Participants will be guided step by step through the process of warping a loom as well as weaving a design that practices a mix of skills. You’ll create a tapestry sampler that will be a reference for the future. Cost includes use of a loom and tapestry bobbins during class as well as all necessary yarns and extensive handouts. Please feel free to bring additional yarns for weft if you'd like.

*A materials fee of $20 is due to the instructor on the first day of the workshop. **There is a cancellation fee of $20 if you register and need to cancel for whatever reason. 

Please bring lunch each day as we'll take a 30 minute break to recharge! We have a fridge that can be used to store perishable items.

Instructor, Barbara Burns, studied tapestry at West Dean College in Sussex, England as well as here in the US, most notably with Archie Brennan and Susan Martin Maffei. She has taught private students and workshops in New England, Ireland and England. Barbara has exhibited and won numerous awards for her tapestries both nationally and internationally.

Children’s Book Publishing

$25

with Preethi Fernando, Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education

Calendar Oct 17, 2026 at 12 pm, runs for 1 week
2 additional sessions through Jan 30, 2027

Achieve your dream of getting your children’s book published. You will learn the traditional book publishing and self book publishing routes, getting your book published on Amazon, how to get your book formatted, design your cover, upload your book to Amazon, get printed copies, and more. This class does not teach you how to write your children’s book. It teaches you how to get it published- online or in printed format, and how to get your book into the market for others to access your book. Preethi Fernando is the author of fifteen books. She is the winner of Stephen King’s Haven Foundation Award. Visit preethifernando.com. Objectives: How to design your book cover and format your book; How to find a publisher for your children’s book; How to publish your children’s book on your own; How to upload your children’s book to Amazon.

Retiree Side Hustle: Earn Money Working from Home

$25

with Preethi Fernando, Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education

Calendar Oct 17, 2026 at 1 pm, runs for 1 week
2 additional sessions through Jan 23, 2027

Turn your knowledge, hobbies, education, passion, and wealth of experience into dollars from the comfort of your home. A supplement income is refreshingly welcoming for most retirees. Whether you want to discover new ways of making an income or you want to turn your years of work experience into generating income, side hustles are plenty. Freelance writing, plant sitting, dog walking, online tutoring, resume writing using Chat GPT, selling crafts online on Etsy, and much more. These flexible opportunities allow retirees to use their wealth of experience, set their own schedules, stay mentally active, plus make a side income. Wouldn’t that be nice?

A.I. For Retirees and Seniors

$25

with Preethi Fernando, Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education

Calendar Oct 17, 2026 at 2 pm, runs for 1 week
2 additional sessions through Jan 23, 2027

For retirees and Seniors, the purpose of AI is a little different than someone in the workforce, running a business, or raising toddlers. Rather than using AI to compete and run the rat race, retirees use AI to improve their life, feel enriched, learn a new skill, and satisfy a curiosity. Retirees and Seniors want to stay in the network of what’s happening out there. This class gives AI tools for memoir making, publishing a book, health & wellness tips, travel planning, finding a cruise for less, tracing genealogy, meal preparation ideas, learning a new language, new hobby like growing bonsai and scrapbooking. No technical knowledge required. Fun, easy to follow class. Objectives: How to use AI to enrich personal lives; How to find cooking recipes; How to find part time hustle using AI.

Colorful & Expressive Pastel Sketching

$75

with Dana Bateman, Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education

Calendar Oct 18, 2026 at 10 am, runs for 1 week

Designed for beginners but open to all levels, we will use our pastels in a loose, expressive way to create several quick drawings, with the goal of finding new approaches to a very traditional medium. Using expressive mark-making and bold color choices, we will work from a selection of reference photos from our beautiful state of Maine. An array of mats will be provided, with the goal of everyone leaving with something matted that they would consider worthy of display! With this longer workshop format, participants should feel free to bring in a photo they'd like to sketch from as well, but all materials and reference materials are provided. If you have your own pastels you've been meaning to use, please bring them along.

Fall Colors Plein Air

$95

with Ed Higgins, Merrymeeting Community & Adult Education

Calendar Oct 19, 2026 at 10 am, runs for 5 weeks
1 additional session

Don’t miss this opportunity to get outside with your fellow artists and enjoy fall colors as we work en plein air across midcoast Maine. You may work in any media you prefer. There will be a mix of oil, acrylic, and pastel painters; watercolor, gouache and ink sketchbook artists, and more. Last year the weather held up through November, and we had a wonderful time enjoying and capturing the fall colors. Register for one or both sessions. Artists of all experience and confidence levels are welcome. If you need extra one-on-one instruction while working in the field, it’s recommended that you set up within eye shot of the instructor so he can get to you easily should you need help. We also found at certain sites that staying in touch via phone and text was a good way to summon Ed to where you are working. Meet up locations will be emailed to everyone prior to each class. Contact Ed Higgins directly with any questions ed_higgins@icloud.com.





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