This class is open to everyone, no matter your experience level, whether you’re a total beginner or have dabbled in theater, you’ll find a supportive, playful space to explore.

Led by Teaching Artist Sara Fisher, a seasoned improviser with a rich background in musical improv, physical storytelling, and adaptive arts, this class blends fun, curiosity, and discovery. Sara is passionate about creating inclusive environments where everyone can shine, drawing on her experience teaching adults with disabilities, leading community workshops, and performing across Chicago, Boston, and here in Erie.

Through games, exercises, and collaborative activities, you’ll:

• Build confidence and presence in a group setting

• Strengthen your listening, collaboration, and quick-thinking skills

• Explore character, movement, and storytelling in playful, hands-on ways

Adaptive Art takes place on the second Friday of each month, from 10:30 am – 12 pm.

Adaptive Art is a monthly visual arts and creativity class designed for adults (18+) with disabilities. Thanks to a generous grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities, registration is currently free while funds last. In this class, participants will explore various adaptive mediums such as movement, drawing, painting, and poetry to find new ways of self-expression and PLAY alongside talented and passionate teacher, Sara Fisher. Don't miss this opportunity to discover the joy of art in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Parking & Accessibility Notice

Please note Adaptive Art program on August 14th takes place during CelebrateErie, when downtown Erie experiences increased traffic, road closures, and larger crowds. As a result, navigating to the Museum may take a little longer than usual and may present additional accessibility considerations for some participants.

We recommend allowing extra travel time and parking in the 5th & Peach Parking Garage, which offers convenient access to the Museum.
We appreciate your patience and look forward to welcoming you! 

This class is open to everyone, no matter your experience level, whether you’re a total beginner or have dabbled in theater, you’ll find a supportive, playful space to explore.

Led by Teaching Artist Sara Fisher, a seasoned improviser with a rich background in musical improv, physical storytelling, and adaptive arts, this class blends fun, curiosity, and discovery. Sara is passionate about creating inclusive environments where everyone can shine, drawing on her experience teaching adults with disabilities, leading community workshops, and performing across Chicago, Boston, and here in Erie.

Through games, exercises, and collaborative activities, you’ll:

• Build confidence and presence in a group setting

• Strengthen your listening, collaboration, and quick-thinking skills

• Explore character, movement, and storytelling in playful, hands-on ways

This class is open to everyone, no matter your experience level, whether you’re a total beginner or have dabbled in theater, you’ll find a supportive, playful space to explore.

Led by Teaching Artist Sara Fisher, a seasoned improviser with a rich background in musical improv, physical storytelling, and adaptive arts, this class blends fun, curiosity, and discovery. Sara is passionate about creating inclusive environments where everyone can shine, drawing on her experience teaching adults with disabilities, leading community workshops, and performing across Chicago, Boston, and here in Erie.

Through games, exercises, and collaborative activities, you’ll:

• Build confidence and presence in a group setting

• Strengthen your listening, collaboration, and quick-thinking skills

• Explore character, movement, and storytelling in playful, hands-on ways

This class is open to everyone, no matter your experience level, whether you’re a total beginner or have dabbled in theater, you’ll find a supportive, playful space to explore.

Led by Teaching Artist Sara Fisher, a seasoned improviser with a rich background in musical improv, physical storytelling, and adaptive arts, this class blends fun, curiosity, and discovery. Sara is passionate about creating inclusive environments where everyone can shine, drawing on her experience teaching adults with disabilities, leading community workshops, and performing across Chicago, Boston, and here in Erie.

Through games, exercises, and collaborative activities, you’ll:

• Build confidence and presence in a group setting

• Strengthen your listening, collaboration, and quick-thinking skills

• Explore character, movement, and storytelling in playful, hands-on ways

This class is open to everyone, no matter your experience level, whether you’re a total beginner or have dabbled in theater, you’ll find a supportive, playful space to explore.

Led by Teaching Artist Sara Fisher, a seasoned improviser with a rich background in musical improv, physical storytelling, and adaptive arts, this class blends fun, curiosity, and discovery. Sara is passionate about creating inclusive environments where everyone can shine, drawing on her experience teaching adults with disabilities, leading community workshops, and performing across Chicago, Boston, and here in Erie.

Through games, exercises, and collaborative activities, you’ll:

• Build confidence and presence in a group setting

• Strengthen your listening, collaboration, and quick-thinking skills

• Explore character, movement, and storytelling in playful, hands-on ways

Adaptive Art takes place on the second Friday of each month, from 10:30 am – 12 pm.

Adaptive Art is a monthly visual arts and creativity class designed for adults (18+) with disabilities. Thanks to a generous grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities, registration is currently free while funds last. In this class, participants will explore various adaptive mediums such as movement, drawing, painting, and poetry to find new ways of self-expression and PLAY alongside talented and passionate teacher, Sara Fisher. Don't miss this opportunity to discover the joy of art in a supportive and inclusive environment.

This class is open to everyone, no matter your experience level, whether you’re a total beginner or have dabbled in theater, you’ll find a supportive, playful space to explore.

Led by Teaching Artist Sara Fisher, a seasoned improviser with a rich background in musical improv, physical storytelling, and adaptive arts, this class blends fun, curiosity, and discovery. Sara is passionate about creating inclusive environments where everyone can shine, drawing on her experience teaching adults with disabilities, leading community workshops, and performing across Chicago, Boston, and here in Erie.

Through games, exercises, and collaborative activities, you’ll:

• Build confidence and presence in a group setting

• Strengthen your listening, collaboration, and quick-thinking skills

• Explore character, movement, and storytelling in playful, hands-on ways

Adaptive Art takes place on the second Friday of each month, from 10:30 am – 12 pm.

Adaptive Art is a monthly visual arts and creativity class designed for adults (18+) with disabilities. Thanks to a generous grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities, registration is currently free while funds last. In this class, participants will explore various adaptive mediums such as movement, drawing, painting, and poetry to find new ways of self-expression and PLAY alongside talented and passionate teacher, Sara Fisher. Don't miss this opportunity to discover the joy of art in a supportive and inclusive environment.

This lecture draws on Dr. Minji Lee’s recent publication, The Medieval Womb: Hildegard of Bingen's Views on the Female Reproductive Body.

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), a German Benedictine nun, believed that human beings possess the power to heal themselves in body, mind, and soul as being created by God and inheriting the divine power. She used the concept of viriditas, the greening power, to explain human health and reproduction as analogous to the vitality by which trees and plants draw water and nutrients from the earth to produce leaves and flowers.

Hildegard particularly emphasized herbs as essential sources of healing and treatment for women's ailments, viewing the female body's regenerative capacity as an expression of this greening power. Dr Lee will offer a historical approach to understanding the medieval construction of women's bodies as positive and powerful through the framework of herbal medicine and viriditas.

Adaptive Art takes place on the second Friday of each month, from 10:30 am – 12 pm.

Adaptive Art is a monthly visual arts and creativity class designed for adults (18+) with disabilities. Thanks to a generous grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities, registration is currently free while funds last. In this class, participants will explore various adaptive mediums such as movement, drawing, painting, and poetry to find new ways of self-expression and PLAY alongside talented and passionate teacher, Sara Fisher. Don't miss this opportunity to discover the joy of art in a supportive and inclusive environment.

This class invites students to slow down, observe, and respond creatively to the natural world through drawing, writing, and mixed media, exploring different approaches to nature journaling. Using simple materials and guided prompts, participants will build a personal nature journal that reflects what they see, notice, and experience.

This class is open to everyone, no matter your experience level, whether you’re a total beginner or have dabbled in theater, you’ll find a supportive, playful space to explore.

Led by Teaching Artist Sara Fisher, a seasoned improviser with a rich background in musical improv, physical storytelling, and adaptive arts, this class blends fun, curiosity, and discovery. Sara is passionate about creating inclusive environments where everyone can shine, drawing on her experience teaching adults with disabilities, leading community workshops, and performing across Chicago, Boston, and here in Erie.

Through games, exercises, and collaborative activities, you’ll:

• Build confidence and presence in a group setting

• Strengthen your listening, collaboration, and quick-thinking skills

• Explore character, movement, and storytelling in playful, hands-on ways

Session II - Exploring Self and Others: Participants will use art-making as a way to learn more about themselves and others, practicing kindness toward themselves and others while enjoying the shared experience of creating art in community. Through guided, reflective art activities, participants are invited to explore identity, relationships, and personal strengths in a supportive group setting.

Learn basic rhythmic notation, composition, ensemble playing, solo and collective music-making, music appreciation, leadership/following in music, and more. Experience the joy, euphoria, and health benefits of hand drumming, including improved heart rate and mood.

Do you have a sewing machine sitting unused, waiting for the right moment? Now’s your chance to dust it off and learn how to use it!

Learn the fundamentals of your sewing machine with fabricator and textile artist Deborah Sementelli, who brings over 20 years of experience and serves in a leadership role with the Erie Fiber Arts Guild.

This four-part workshop is designed to build confidence quickly and practically. The first session focuses on threading the machine, learning its parts, and “taking it for a drive” with an instant-gratification project, such as a strip-pieced pillow. Subsequent classes will build on these skills, including clothing repairs and basic alterations, including how to measure, fit and work with a simple sewing pattern.

Participants should bring their own sewing machine and come ready to build skills, confidence, and momentum at the machine, one stitch at a time.

This four-week class invites photographers to explore experimental and nontraditional approaches to photography. Participants will learn in-camera techniques such as double exposure and flash photography, and work with props including fabric, colored gels, and other materials to create expressive images, without Photoshop or digital editing.

This 1.5-hour seminar explores queer imaginaries in art and writing, examining how the queer community, particularly trans and nonbinary individuals, confront legal and social obstacles through the creation of imaginative worlds where queerness thrives. There will be a brief lecture by the instructor to define the queer imaginary, its history, and the theory behind it, followed by a larger discussion with participants.

This 1-session workshop explores ekphrastic writing, where participants create poetry or prose inspired by visual art. Using examples from John Keats, Gertrude Stein, W.H. Auden, and others, students will engage in a generative exercise to write an ekphrastic piece about a work of art in the museum, followed by feedback and discussion.

Learn basic and advanced jewelry making techniques! Create your own project plan from start to finish.

This is a multi-week course, with the first session (April 15th) at the Erie Art Museum. The remaining sessions will be held at the artist's studio in southwest Millcreek every Wednesday evening. Please note the studio is on a lower level with no elevator access. Pets are also present at the studio, so please be aware if you have any pet allergies. Please contact the instructors for any additional questions at rmjdesigns@gmail.com

This playful, welcoming class is open to all, no prior printmaking experience required.

Participants will learn the basics of printmaking using ink or paint is applied to a surface and then printed onto paper. In this 1-day workshop, participants will explore a variety of simple printmaking methods using watercolor and other media to create playful and expressive prints that can be easily adapted for artmaking at home.

Each participant will create a collection of prints using both a printing press and hand printing methods. Exploratory exercises and creative experimentation are encouraged!

Adaptive Art takes place on the second Friday of each month, from 10:30 am – 12 pm.

Adaptive Art is a monthly visual arts and creativity class designed for adults (18+) with disabilities. Thanks to a generous grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities, registration is currently free while funds last. In this class, participants will explore various adaptive mediums such as movement, drawing, painting, and poetry to find new ways of self-expression and PLAY alongside talented and passionate teacher, Sara Fisher. Don't miss this opportunity to discover the joy of art in a supportive and inclusive environment.

In this five-week landscape painting course, participants will delve into essential techniques for capturing nature scenes on canvas. Through a series of guided exercises and demonstrations, students will learn to simplify natural forms into basic shapes and tones, experiment with light, shadow, and color mixing, and build their own compositions. Each session progressively builds on previous skills learned; by course end, students will have developed confidence and foundational techniques to form cohesive landscape compositions.

This class will introduce you to the art of Asian watercolor painting. Beginning students will learn the brush strokes and techniques to paint the basic four paragons: the Orchid, the Bamboo, the Plum Blossoms and the Chrysanthemum with traditional materials. Intermediate students will learn how to draw flowers, various fruits and vegetables, baskets, and other objects for still life paintings. Advanced students will learn trees, rocks, mountains, fog, clouds, and waterfalls to draw traditional landscape paintings. Small class size allows for personalized instruction.

Explore the fundamentals of drawing the human figure in this hands-on workshop. Through a variety of exercises using conte crayon and charcoal, students will learn to accurately assess the human form and develop foundational skills for figure studies. Classes include gesture sketches, short poses, and extended poses, with one-on-one instruction to guide each student’s progress.

Schedule:

Weekly Session Structure:

• 10 × 1-minute gesture sketches

• 2 × 5-minute drawings

• 1 × 20-minute pose

• 2 × 25-minute seated poses

• 1 reclining pose extended over two 25-minute periods

• Breaks for model and discussion included throughout.

Adaptive Art takes place on the second Friday of each month, from 10:30 am – 12 pm.

Adaptive Art is a monthly visual arts and creativity class designed for adults (18+) with disabilities. Thanks to a generous grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities, registration is currently free while funds last. In this class, participants will explore various adaptive mediums such as movement, drawing, painting, and poetry to find new ways of self-expression and PLAY alongside talented and passionate teacher, Sara Fisher. Don't miss this opportunity to discover the joy of art in a supportive and inclusive environment.

This panel discussion and Q&A will focus on techniques and tips in teaching the arts to people of all ages with disabilities. This event is open to the public, but prior registration is encouraged.

Join us to practice mindfulness through creative model building with miniatures.

Learn to calm a busy mind by focusing on a small world of your own creation. This class introduces the fundamentals of building plastic model kits of your choice, such as cars, ships, airplanes, or characters, using techniques including sanding, painting, and gluing.

Beginners are welcome, and first-time participants are encouraged to choose a beginner-friendly kit.

Depending on the complexity of the kit and individual interest, participants may attend a single session.

Led by professional photographer and artist, Erica Whiting, this four-week class teaches participants to learn the basic foundational skills of photograph, such as the basic anatomy of the lens and camera body including exposure meter, the dial modes and what they mean. We will also discuss how to navigate camera settings and how to achieve proper exposure.

Other topics include shutter speed, and depth of field. Each week participants will make photos they have composed and created using techniques taught in this class. We will practice with still-life objects and a variety of natural lighting conditions (no flash), as well as learning how to photograph objects in motion to freeze motion or create intentional motion blur. Each class includes hands on practice and verbal and visual instruction.

Perfect for beginners who’ve never picked up a camera or recently purchased one and thought okay, where do I start?