Description

Unlock your creativity in our hands-on after school workshop at the Prairie Arts Center, designed for middle schoolers, high school students, and curious adults. Instruction is provided by Tim O’Neill, who guides students through authentic artistic processes and material exploration. Each course offers multiple sessions and centers on a thoughtfully designed project that introduces you to real artistic processes and materials—far beyond step-by-step replication. Students engage in planning, experimentation, making, and finishing their own original work, while being encouraged to think independently, take creative risks, and problem-solve in the studio. Projects vary in medium and style and may include: • Hand-tooled copper artwork featuring your own original designs • Sculptural bowls or forms using handmade paper clay and encaustic wax • Functional art pieces, such as cutting boards or lazy susans, incorporating resin • Guided oil painting experiences inspired by classic approaches • Alternative photographic prints (cyanotype, salt prints, or anthotype) using phone photography • Expressive paper mâché sculptures embracing playful, exaggerated, or “ugly” forms • Experimental printmaking with gelli plates, textures, and layered imagery Program Structure & Fee: The workshop/course runs one month per cohort, with four weekly sessions (Wednesday's at 4 PM, 60–90 minutes each) to complete a single, thoughtfully designed project. The program fee is $125 per student per month, which covers all four sessions. Materials fees vary depending on the project and will be clearly communicated in advance. Whether you’re exploring art for the first time or looking to expand your creative practice, this workshop gives you the freedom, guidance, and materials to bring your ideas to life.