May 08, 2012

Craft Shop plans summer workshops, activities

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Learning and fun experiences never take a break at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, including at the Student Center’s Craft Shop.

A full slate of workshops and walk-in activities for children and adults is on tap for summer.  Adults can make pottery, create a canvas kayak, cut wine bottles, fuse glass, do enameling and much more.  Children can learn to sew, knit, make pottery, do experimental photography and make scrapbooks, among other things. 

In addition to the workshops, the Craft Shop offers activities on a walk-in basis as well as private lessons, so there are plenty of options for feeding your creative spirit, according to Ron Dunkel, coordinator of the Craft Shop.  The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday through Friday during the summer months.

Here’s a sampling of the workshops and children’s activities for summer 2012:

            •  Glass beads -- June 12, 5-7 p.m., ages 18 and older, make one-of-a-kind glass beads, $25 for SIU Carbondale students, $35 for others.

            •  Pottery -- June 14, 5-8 p.m., ages 18 and older, learn the basics of creating pottery on the wheel, $20 for students, $25 for others.

            •  Kids sewing -- June 18-20, 10 a.m.-noon, ages 8-14, learn to operate a sewing machine and make a pillow, wish catcher and hobo backpack, $35.

            •  Enameling -- June 18-22, 5-7 p.m., ages 18 and older, learn to fuse colorful glass glaze to metal, the basic process of enameling on silver and copper, $30 for students, $35 for others.

            •  Hand embroidery -- June 21 and 28, 2-3:30 p.m., ages 10 and older, learn to create the delicate featherstitch, lazy daisy and other stitches to decorate clothing and create home décor, materials included, $20 for students, $25 for others. 

            •  Canvas kayak -- Thursdays June 21 through July 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m., ages 18 and older, build a wooden frame kayak and cover with canvas and oil paint so it’s ready for the lake, $65 for students, $85 for others, $100 for materials.

            •  Cutting wine bottles -- two separate sections, June 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. and July 27 from 5 to 7 p.m., ages 14 and older, learn to cut wine bottles to recycle the colorful glass pieces to make glasses, vases or wind chimes, bring your own bottles, $5 for students, $7 for others.

            •  Kids three-day experimental photography workshop -- June 25-27, 1-4 p.m. ages 7-12, children will make their own pinhole cameras, make paper negatives and cyanotypes (blue photo paper sun prints), $40. 

            •  Fused glass -- two separate sections, June 26 and July 17, 6:30-8:30 p.m., ages 14 and older, learn to heat glass to its melting point and fuse together to make designs for jewelry, $15 for students, $20 for others. 

            •  Kids art summer school -- July 9-13, 1-4:30 p.m., ages 7-12, children will create various Craft Shop artworks including sculptures, pottery, wax hands, prints, woodworks, duct tape creations and take a trip to the University Museum, $90.

            •  Woodworking -- Mondays and Wednesdays July 9-23, 5:30-7:30 p.m., ages 18 and older, learn to use various wood shop tools to create your own project, class includes a semester pass ($15 value) to the Wood Shop, large selection of hardwoods in stock, $30 for students, $40 for others. 

            •  Knitting for kids -- July 11-12, 10 a.m.-noon, ages 8-12, an entry-level course where children learn to knit a scarf, $35.

            •  Felting -- July 16, 5-7:30 p.m., ages 18 and older, learn to create small-scale needle felting for jewelry and more, $15 for students, $10 for others.

            •  Drawing for kids -- July 16-20, 10 a.m.-noon, ages 10-14, children learn shading, contouring, composition, perspective and drawing techniques, materials provided, $45.

            •  Kids pottery wheel -- July 23-26, 1-3 p.m., ages 7-12, Kids learn to create pottery on the wheel, materials included, $40 for the entire workshop or $12 per day.

            •  Vacation scrapbook -- two separate sections, July 24 and July 31, noon-3 p.m., ages 8 and older, learn scrapbook techniques and create your own vacation scrapbook, ages 8 and older, $15 for students, $20 for others.

Some workshops require additional expenditure for materials.  Each session has a minimum and maximum enrollment so sign up early to make sure you get a spot in the classes of your choice.

For additional details or to sign up for any of the classes, workshops or private lessons, visit the website at http://studentcenter.siu.edu/things-to-do/craft-shop/, call 618/453-3636, email craftshp@siu.edu or simply stop by the shop on the lower level of the Student Center.

Students, faculty, staff and community members are always welcome.