2024 Arts Education: Semester 1

Oxygen Art Centre’s Continuing Arts Education Programming

February – April 2024
As a rural non-profit artist-run centre, Oxygen strives to support artists by keeping class fees as low as possible while maintaining professional wages to instructors. Are you able to donate to Oxygen’s Education program? The sliding scale option in the registration forms is for folks who can donate 10% – 20% in addition to the base registration rate. Donations from the sliding scale option will go to supporting facility and material costs, directly to your instructor, and helping out fellow students. Thank you for your support! 

For more information about classes or help with registration please contact E: education@oxygenartcentre.org

Click here for instructor biographies

OAC-Education-Programming-Policies-and-GuidelinesDownload

Art Speak – Peer to Peer Work Sharing #1
Facilitated by Emilie Leblanc Kromberg
IN PERSON
6 Classes: February 8, 15, 22, 29, March 7, 14
Thursdays: 5 – 6:45pm

Course information

Course Description:
Artists of all disciplines (professional or not) are invited to share their work in a safe space and engage in contemporary art dialogue with other open-minded art loving individuals. Themes will be proposed as a potential starting point for exchanges and artistic practices to grow collectively. The objective for this workshop is for artists to make, share, discuss, and learn together. 
TOTAL FEE: $72
Registration Deadline: Feb. 1

Balkan Choir with Bessie Wapp
IN PERSON
6 Classes: February 8, 15, 22, 29, March 7, 14
Thursdays: 7 – 9pm

Course Information

Course Description:
Add your voice to the bold dissonance and clear sweetness of ancient multipart Eastern European a cappella songs of love and lust, harvest and hearth, wartime, badly arranged marriages, and drunken husbands. No prior experience required. In the last class we will enchant an audience with what we’ve learned. 
TOTAL FEE: $190
Registration Deadline: Feb. 1

Intro to Digital Photography (Part 1) with Louis Bockner
IN PERSON
2 Classes:  February 10 & 11
Saturday & Sunday: 10am – 2pm

Course Information

Course Description:
Learn the basics of digital photography and move beyond your automatic camera setting. Each day will involve in-class demonstrations and a photo walk to put our learning into action. By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of:

– Basic functions of a camera.
– How cameras control light and how exposures are made.
– Different ways to focus their cameras.
– How to adjust exposure in multiple semi-automatic settings. 
– Different types of light and their applications to different kinds of photography.

Students should bring:

– Digital camera(s) and lenses (preferably not phones although some elements of the class will apply).
– Charged battery/extra batteries. 
– Camera manual, if they have one.
– A way of taking notes.
TOTAL FEE: $140
Registration Deadline: Feb 2

Figure Drawing #1  (no instruction)
IN PERSON
4 Classes: Feb. 12, 26, Mar. 4, 11 (no class Feb 19)
Mondays: 6:30 – 8:30pm
CLASS FULL
register to be on the waitlist

Course Information

Course Description:
Drawing sessions will provide the opportunity to draw from a model with poses ranging from 1 minute to 20 minutes. No instruction is offered. Students are expected to provide the drawing materials of their choice.
TOTAL FEE: $48
Registration Deadline: Feb. 5

Beginner Painting: An Introduction to Colour (Part 1) with Catherine McIntosh
IN PERSON
4 Classes: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 5 
Tuesdays: 5:30 – 8:30pm
Beginner Painting: An Introduction to Colour (Part 1) with Catherine McIntosh
IN PERSON
4 Classes: Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 5 
Tuesdays: 5:30 – 8:30pm
COURSE FULL
register to be on the waitlist

Course Information

Course Description:
Using acrylic paint, this class will focus on mixing colour, colour relationships, and using the colour wheel. The class is perfect for beginners. No prior experience in painting is required.
Material Fee: $25
Course Fee: $205
TOTAL FEE: $230
Registration Deadline: Feb. 6

Fine Art Screen Printing with Marcus Dénommé
IN PERSON
4 Classes: Feb. 14, 21, 28, Mar. 6 
Wednesdays: 6 – 9pm
COURSE FULL
register to be on the waitlist

Course Information

Course Description:
This course is suited for anyone and everyone–from those interested with no prior experience to the veteran printmaker. Over 4 weeks, the group will take on a self directed screen printing project with the support and prompts needed from the instructor, and become familiar with every step of this process-heavy medium. All medium specific materials are included.
Material Fee: $60
Course Fee: $205
TOTAL FEE: $265
Registration Deadline: Feb. 7

Investigating the Art of Acting: Clown to Naturalism with Marya Folinsbee & Valerie Campbell 
IN PERSON
1 Class: Feb. 25
Sunday: 10am – 5pm

Course Description

Course Description:
This full day workshop offers actors an opportunity to explore the art of acting through a journey from full clown expressiveness to contemporary naturalism. By moving back and forth between the two practices, participants will investigate how these different yet complementary styles inform and cultivate deep authenticity and honesty in performance. Come ready for a deep dive into play and discovery. 
Instructors: Marya (clown) and Val (naturalism)
TOTAL FEE: $150
Registration Deadline: Feb. 16

Lino Printing in Colour – Reduction Technique with Myra Rasmussen
IN PERSON
1 Class: April 27
Saturday: 10am – 4pm
ONLY 1 SPACE LEFT
Registration Confirmation required

Course Information

Course Description:
In this class students will use one 6″ x 6″ lino block and print it multiple times, carving a bit away each time. Through this process we will create a print with multiple colours, each layering the previous one. This class is appropriate for all skill levels, whether you have experience with relief printing or if this will be your first time.  
Material Fee: $20 (all materials provided)
Course Fee: $105
TOTAL FEE: $125
Registration Deadline: Feb. 23

Painting from a Model #1 (No Instruction)
IN PERSON
1 Class: March 3
Sunday: 1 – 5 pm
COURSE FULL
register to be on the waitlist

Course Information

Course Description:
Participants will have the opportunity to work from a model holding a single pose for an extended session (3.5 hours).  No instruction is offered. Participants will be asked to bring their own materials in their preferred medium.
TOTAL FEE: $40
Registration Deadline: Feb. 23

Intro to Digital Photography (Part 2) with Louis Bockner
IN PERSON
2 Classes:  March 9 & 10 
Saturday & Sunday: 10am – 2pm

Course Information

Course Description:
Built on Intro to Digital Photography (Part 1), Part 2 will dive deeper into manual camera controls and provide a thorough understanding of exposure and composition. Each day will involve in-class demonstrations and a photo walk to put our learning into action. By the end of the course students will have an understanding of:
– How Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO relate to one another and control light.
– How Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO can be used to promote specific artistic intentions.
– Different composition techniques.
– How to approach different types of photography including portraiture, environmental portraiture, events, landscape, and photojournalism.
It is not compulsory to have taken Intro to Digital Photography (Part 1), but a basic understanding of how to operate a digital camera is required.
Students should bring:
– Digital camera(s) and lenses (preferably not phones although some elements of the class will apply).
– Charged battery/extra batteries. 
– Camera manual, if they have one.
– A way of taking notes. 
TOTAL FEE: $140
Registration Deadline Extended: March 4

Figure Drawing #1  (no instruction)
IN PERSON
4 Classes: Apr. 8, 15, 22, 29
Mondays: 6:30 – 8:30pm

Course Information

Course Description:
Drawing sessions will provide the opportunity to draw from a model with poses ranging from 1 minute to 20 minutes. No instruction is offered. Students are expected to provide the drawing materials of their choice.
TOTAL FEE: $48

ONLINE COURSES

Sanctuary with fanny kearse
ONLINE
4 Classes: Feb 5, 12, 26, March 4 (no class Feb. 19)
Mondays: 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Course information

Course Description:
Sanctuary:
Join us for a four week self-care journey through poetry practices, restorative writing, connected conversation and meditation. Over this course we will dive deep into examining poetry written by four different prolific Black authors and writing our own poetry. We will explore how reading & writing poetry can soothe pain & catalyze inner healing. Expect to laugh, to cry, to connect, to question, to be moved, and to be seen.
TOTAL FEE: $105
Registration Deadline: Jan. 29

Leaning On / Leaning Against: An Introduction to Autotheory with Eimear Laffan
ONLINE
6 Classes: Feb 8, 15, 22, 29 March 7, 14 
Thursdays: 6 – 8pm

Not Available at this time

Course Information

Course Description:
Autotheory brings together autobiography, memoir, and critical theory. It situates the self/selves within theory as a citational, intertextual, and hybrid practice that troubles each discipline’s proposed boundary. In this course students will be introduced to the varied definitions and approaches of autotheory and its potential in embodied art making practices. Each week we will focus on an artist–Maggie Nelson, Bhanu Kapil, Christina Sharpe, Kathy Acker, and more–and spend time with their works in collective discussion. Participants are encouraged to purchase or take out the following books from the library: Maggie Nelson’s The Argonauts (2015) and Bhanu Kapil’s Ban en Banlieue (2015). All other reading materials will be provided.
TOTAL FEE: $155
Registration Deadline: Feb. 1

What the F#$% Do They Want or How to Write Successful Exhibition Proposals
with Susan Andrews Grace and Maggie Shirley

ONLINE
3 Classes: Feb. 13, 20, 27 
Tuesdays: 6:30 – 8:30pm

Course Information

Course Description:
Topics covered will be what (not) to include in a proposal, where to apply, and how to write the best artist statement ever! Activities will include in-class writing and discussion. Participants may submit an example of their work (five images max.) with their registration. Following the course there is an additional opportunity to work on a proposal and then receive one-on-one feedback from the instructor of their choice.
TOTAL FEE: $120
TOTAL FEE: $190 with Proposal Review + One-On-One Feedback (optional and scheduled after the course with the instructor of your choice):
Registration Deadline: Feb. 6

Dreaming into Poetry with Rose Nielsen
ONLINE
5 Classes: Feb. 14, 21, 28, Mar. 6, 13
Wednesdays 6:30pm – 8:30pm

Course Information

Course Description:
This 10-hour course offers a poetry-writing approach that looks through the lens of Jungian dreamwork to search for images, symbols, and metaphors in our dreams, bringing unconscious material into consciousness. In the process, we will explore a variety of fixed form and free verse poetry practices to learn which forms might best serve each dream’s tone and theme. 
TOTAL FEE: $130
Registration Deadline: Feb. 5

ONLINE Figure Drawing  (No Instruction)
By ZOOM
5 Classes: Apr. 3, 10, 17, 24 May 1
Wednesdays: 6 – 8 pm

Course Information

Course Description:
This series of classes provides an opportunity to draw from a model from the comfort of your own home via Zoom . No instruction is offered and poses will range from 1 minute to 20 minutes.  
TOTAL FEE: $80
Registration Deadline: March 27

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