Art-a-Thon: Creating Community is a fundraising campaign featuring a series of paid, hands-on creative workshops for adults.
Participants experience the kind of programming we offer year-round—while helping keep our youth programs free and accessible.
All proceeds from ticket sales go directly toward our youth programming.
Jam Session
May 19th or June 16th, for a Jam Session at the MacPhee Centre (50 Queen Street, Darmouth) from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
$20
As part of the Art-a-Thon campaign, Ian and Stu invite you to an evening of live music at the MacPhee Centre in support of youth arts programming.
Come enjoy the music, connect with others, and help expand creative opportunities for young people in our community.
Mosaic Shrines
Tuesday, May 26th, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm and Sunday, May 31st 1-3 pm
$50
Create a magical bejeweled altar using all your favorite little shiny bits. This workshop will focus on combining elements of assemblage art and mixed media resulting in a 3-dimensional sculpture piece you can bring home to hang on your wall or decorate your space. This workshop will explore upcycling existing and vintage materials to create narrative-driven, functional and whimsical items to gift or keep for yourself.
All materials provided but if you have any small bits and bobs feel free to bring them along! Think: beads, rocks, small tiles, pieces of broken/old jewelery, tiny toys, and anything else you want to stick into your mosaic.
Intro to Artist Trading Cards
Tuesday, June 9th , 6:30-8:30pm and Sunday, and June 14: 1-3 pm
$40
Artist Trading Cards are small 2.5 x 3.5" original art pieces created by YOU with the intention of trading with other artists locally and around the world through the postal system.
Join Lindsay Stewart of the Halifax Collage Collective to learn more about creative collaging techniques and gain information on how to connect with mail artists globally. She has been trading these small pieces of art for 2 decades and will share examples from dozens of artists collected over the years. Participants receive a take home ATC starter kit and access to a wealth of paper materials to get started on your own collection of mini masterpieces. The event will culminate in a group trade. Gotta catch 'em all!
Beaded Necklace Making
Thursday, May 28th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Thursday, June 4th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Thursday, June 25th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
$50
Let’s get the beads rolling!! Come make a unique beaded necklace with artist and maker Sophia Lawrence.
Work with thrifted and repurposed beads to make your dream summer necklace.
Got some unused beads at home? Maybe an old necklace you no longer wear? Bring it on, deconstruct it, upcycle it, use what you want, trade the rest!
All supplies will be provided, but if you would like to bring any materials or old jewelry to work with, you are more than welcome to do so!
Word Play: A Mad Lib Poetry Lab
Thursday, June 18: 6:30-8:30
$40
Experiencing writer's (or poetry) block? Want to sink into playful verse-making where there’s no such thing as getting it right or wrong? Or have you been seduced by the iridescent world of poetry and are looking for help getting started on writing your own?Whatever your reason, join Marge for a two-hour interactive workshop where participants will engage with Mad Lib-style prompts to help draw from their inner well of creativity. The activity(s) will be guided and thought-provoking. Expect to write, share (if you want to), and maybe evensurprise yourself.
No experience needed. Just bring your curiosity and a willingness to play with words.All supplies will be provided.
What is a Mad Lib? A whimsical and imaginative writing exercise that gives you a sentence structure or template with missing words. Prompts for missing words will be provided, and you can also come up with your own! The results are often surprising and even humorous, and can open the mind to new ways of looking at the world
I Need YOU to Make MORE Bad Art!! RIGHT NOW!
TUESDAY JUNE 2
7-9pm
$40
“Art does not belong to banks and fancy investors. Art is food. You can’t eat it but it feeds you.” – Peter Schumann, Bread & Puppet Theatre, 1987
How old were you when you stopped drawing for fun?
What or who instilled into you that your drawings are incorrect, weird, off-putting, or bad?
When did you accept the story that the colours and symbols realized by your hands are always “wrong”? Who benefits from your belief in that story?
In this workshop we’ll use silly, collaborative, and low-stakes doodling to help de-thaw your creative mind, re-examine our relationship with Art, and reconnect with your intuitive capacity for imagination and art-making.
I need YOU to make more ‘BAD’ art RIGHT NOW!
Taking Back the Narrative: Zines and DIY Print Publishing
SATURDAY JUNE 6th
$40
We are living alongside a digital world that increasingly censors the experiences and bodies of marginalized people and communities. When we can’t rely on social media platforms to share our knowledge and experiences, what other tools can we turn to?
In this workshop we’ll learn about the radical and educational origins of Zines, learn basic at-home bookbinding and Zine-making techniques, and explore community benefits of skill-sharing and DIY distribution.
Drypoint Printmaking Workshop
Saturday, June 20th
1-3pm
$50
Explore the art of drypoint printmaking in this hands-on workshop. Using recycled Tetrapak cartons as printing plates, you’ll be guided through the full process, from developing a design to creating your own finished prints. Learn how to transfer and incise your image, apply ink, and print using a brand new printing press! This workshop offers an accessible approach to printmaking, perfect for beginners and those looking to try something new. Feel free to bring reference images or ideas, and wear clothing suitable for getting messy!"
Techniques for Creating Surreal Bodies
June 23rd, 2026,
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
$50
In this workshop participants will draw and paint from various reference objects and learn how to merge these objects together to create one strange, seamless body. This will be accomplished through various blending and collage techniques. Participants will also learn how this technique can be applied to create larger compositions.
Somatic Art & EFT Tapping
Sunday - June 28th
1-3 pm
$40
In this workshop, you’ll be guided through a gentle blend of somatic art practices and EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Techniques) to help you reconnect with your body, release built-up tension, and express what’s been held beneath the surface.
Through intuitive, no-pressure creative exercises and guided tapping, we’ll explore how to safely move emotions, regulate the nervous system, and access a deeper sense of calm and clarity. No artistic experience is needed – this space is about expression, not perfection.
Together, we’ll create a supportive environment where you can soften, explore, and reconnect with yourself in a way that feels safe and empowering.
Ceramics: Pinch pot lidded jars
Sunday - June 21st
1-3 pm
$50
We will be making lidded jars using the pinch pot method. We will discuss forming, scoring + slipping, galleries, and much more. You can adorn, carve, and color however you wish! Your projects will get a transparent glaze after the workshop, and you may pick up your piece once fully fired.
Cyanotypes
Thursday - May 21st - 6:30-8:30pm
Sunday - May 24th - 1-3pm
$40