Come join Shirley Anderson for an engaging and beginner-friendly ‘Paint your Pet’ class! In this workshop budding artists will receive step-by-step guidance to create a beautiful portrait of their beloved furry of feathered companions. No Prior experience is necessary; Shirley welcomes beginners with open arms. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or picking up a brush for the first time, this class is a fun and rewarding experience as you immortalize your pet on canvas. After signing up for this class, you will need to email shirl.art5050@gmail.com with 5 good quality photos of your pet. Canvas and paints are supplied.

Open to all levels and paint mediums, these one-night workshops by Jessie are designed to give students the fundamentals of painting different types of landscapes. 

Trees: In this class, open to all levels, students will learn to paint trees with strong form, texture, and movement. We’ll study values, color, and tree forms to capture depth and character. Open to all paint mediums. Upon registration a simple list of materials will be sent out.

Fall Forests: In this class, open to all levels, students will learn the fundamentals of color so they can paint their favorite New England fall scenes! Open to all paint mediums. Upon registration a simple list of materials will be sent out.

Water: In this class, open to all levels, students will learn to paint water from placid ponds to splashing waves. We’ll study wave structure, reflections, transparency, and color. Open to all paint mediums. Upon registration a simple list of materials will be sent out.

Winter Scenes: In this class, open to all levels, students will learn how to bring pale winter scenes to life through focusing on form and light. We'll study the colors of snow, the shapes of winter plants, and learn to notice the interesting moments that make this time of year unique. Open to all paint mediums. Upon registration a simple list of materials will be sent out.

In this hands-on class, you’ll learn to prepare classic Greek appetizers like tzatziki, stuffed grape leaves, and giant beans. We’ll also create hearty, comforting soups, including lentil, great northern bean, and the traditional avgolemono, featuring both chicken and meatball variations. All materials/ingredients provided.

Discover how you can make a lasting difference in a youth’s life mentoring through Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS)! This presentation introduces BBBS's mission and explores the different avenues for volunteerism. Learn the importance of mentoring, the positive impact of strong relationships, and how BBBS supports everyone throughout the process.

Publish your family history on blogs! This three session course will focus on creating a family history blog using Google’s free Blogger platform. The instructor will provide all you need to know to get started with publishing your family history stories online. The interactive component of blogging adds a dynamic element to publishing that allows your blog audience to add comments and stories thereby enriching the content you share with your family. It is recommended that students have an active Gmail account as all handouts will be shared virtually via Google Docs. *The preferred device for this course is a laptop or a desktop with webcam.

Discover the art of wire wrapping and create your own handcrafted jewelry in this beginner-friendly class. Students will learn essential techniques such as making loops, coils, decorative wraps, and securely setting stones without soldering. With step-by-step guidance, you’ll design and complete at least one finished piece— a pendant as below and cords/chains if you want to change it into a necklace. All materials are included, such as copper wire, jewelry pliers, natural gem stones or beads, findings, and polishing cloths. No prior experience is required—just bring your creativity! By the end of the class, you will leave with new skills, confidence in basic wire-working techniques, and a beautiful handmade piece of jewelry to take home. *A $20 materials fee is due to the instructor on the first day of class.

Please bring a photo of a natural landscape special to you to class. We will use the photos to create 8x12” mosaics by simplifying the landscape and highlighting its most prominent features. We will learn how to score, break, and snip glass down to shape and glue to our glass substrate. On the last day of class we will finish with grout. Tools will be provided for in class use. A material fee of $35 must be paid to the instructor on the first night of class. All mosaic experience levels welcome!

Our community book club is back! Come and have a lively discussion as we share our thoughts on these books! *NOTE: Each session below is one-night.

OCT Session: Come join us for our first meeting in October! The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a psychological thriller to get us in the spooky mood for the season. About a woman named Alicia Berenson, a painter who murders her husband, Gabriel, then never speaks another word. Theo Faber, a forensic psychotherapist is obsessed with her case, becomes her therapist to uncover her motive, only for the narrative to reveal that the storylines are not occurring simultaneously, leading to a shocking twist regarding their connection.

NOV Session: We are going to put a spin on November's book selection. For November you will be challenged to read a book of your choice in a genre that you have never/very rarely read. Let's have a thoughtful conversation on the book and genre you chose and why. Was this an eye opener for you? Will you read more books of that genre in the future? Come and let us know! Speaking of the future, The Merrymeeting Adult Ed Center will be putting its Spring/Summer catalog together soon! We will take some time during this meeting to discuss the future of our club, anything you would like to add/subtract? We will also choose future selections and possible locations. Please bring with you at least 2 book titles and a small summary that you would like the club to discuss and we will vote on the top titles!

DEC Session: Home for the holidays? Not so much for the characters in our December book pick! We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer is about a queer couple, Charlie and Eve, who buy a house to flip, only for their lives to unravel after they let a family of former residents tour the home, leading to supernatural events, disappearances, and a breakdown of reality. Originally a viral short story on Reddit. Would you have let the former family in? Let's talk about what you would have done! 

JAN Session: Happy New Year! Lets start the new year off with a great read from Fredrik Backman, the author of the bestselling book "A Man Called Ove." My Friends by Fredrick Backman is about the enduring power of friendship, art, and human connection. Follow an aspiring artist named Louisa as she uncovers the story behind a famous painting of four teenagers from a transformative summer 25 years prior, weaving together past and present narratives of trauma, hope, and healing. Come join us for a great conversation! 

FEB Session: [Wayward] - Unruly, unpredictable or difficult to control. This month we will be reading a book with that very title! Weyward by Emilia Hart is a debut novel that weaves together the stories of three women from different centuries—Altha (1619), Violet (1942), and Kate (present day)—who are connected by a shared legacy of female power, intuition, and a deep bond with nature, often labeled as witchcraft. The book explores themes of resilience, and the struggle of each woman as she confronts abuse and societal constraints, finding strength in their "weyward" spirit and connection to the natural world. Let's talk about the lives of these 3 women and what they taught us. 

MAR Session: We’d love to have you join us for a book to movie discussion. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is a science fiction novel following Ryland Grace, a junior high science teacher turned astronaut who wakes up with amnesia on a spaceship. He discovers he is on a desperate, one-way mission to save Earth from a solar-dimming microorganism. Was the book or movie better? Let's find out together!