Classes & Workshops

Northern Contemporary offers a wide range of art classes and workshops. Our talented instructors are well versed in their particular art form and provide an enriching, fun and safe learning environment for all participants.  Please see below for our current workshop offerings.

Paint-Along with 

Emily May Rose


Dates:  Sunday April 7, 2024  

Time:  6:30PM - 9:30PM (3 hours) 

Create you very own landscape with step-by-step guidance from award winning instructor, Emily May Rose! No artistic experience is necessary, the main goal is having fun! Perfect for date nights, group outings, or a solo activity to unwind and make new friends. Each participant will take home their finished 16”x20” canvas painting. All art supplies will be provided.

Cost: $65 per participant (16+)

Book your spot now! (20 person limit)

Lino with Lola


Dates: Friday October 20, 2023

Time: 6:30 - 8:30PM (2 hours)

Learn with Lola, a local queer artist and printmaker, how to design, carve, ink, and print your own linocut prints. This guided workshop is designed for participants age 16+ at any level of artistic skill. We will go over vocabulary, techniques, materials, and safety before diving into creating your own lino block stamp! You can follow one of three designs created for this class, or  design your own, making this suitable to absolute beginners as well as artists looking to try out a new medium. At the end of the two hour workshop, you will be able to take home up to 10 black and white prints of your making, as well as your custom lino block and the know-how to make many more!

Cost: $65 per participant (16+)

Book your spot now! (15 person limit)

Fantasy Art Workshop


Dates:  February 26,  March 5, 11, 18, 25, April 1, 8, 15
(8 week program)

Time:  Mondays 6:30 - 9:00PM (2.5 hours) 

Embark on a transformative journey into the realm of fantasy art in our inspiring workshop. Dive deep into the realm of faeries, dragons, and sorcery as you learn to craft evocative and enchanting artwork. Experience the magic of fantasy art firsthand in our immersive workshop. Delve into the realms of myths and legends, and master the art of recreating otherworldly creatures, epic battles, and breathtaking landscapes.Follow along with Illustrator Marco Marin as we explore the process of creating a fantasy art piece. During our 8-week program, we will review sketching, colouring and perspective, as well as tips and tricks to bring magic into your work.

Cost: $280 per participant (14+)

Book your spot now! (20 person limit)

Sketchbook Club


Dates:

  • Friday Oct 6, 6:30-8:30pm: Pen and Ink Landscapes: This session focuses on using pen and ink to create landscapes. We'll experiment with various elements to achieve different effects in the drawing. Bring your own reference photo!
  • Thursday Oct 26, 6:30-8:30pm: Spooky Still Life Drawing: Join us for a spooky still life drawing session featuring gourds and ghouls. We'll have materials for you to use and some treats to help you power through! 
  • Saturday Nov 25, 10:00am-12:00pm: Greeting Card Bonanza: Make a collection of greeting cards just in time for the holidays. We will have blank cards and assorted materials, you design and create as many as you like!
  • Thursday Dec 14, 6:30-8:30pm: Symbolic Still Life: Develop your drawing skills at this still life drawing class. We will draw an arrangement made up of objects that historically symbolize health, good fortune, and happiness for the year ahead.

Duration:  2 hours

Whether you draw regularly or are just getting started, Sketchbook Club is a fun way to grow your own creative practice in the company of others. These classes are materials-based, as we explore everything from watercolours and gouache to charcoal and pastel. Ideal for beginners who are looking for an introduction to a variety of media, and for those with more experience who are looking for inspiration and community.

We’ll begin with warm-up activities and a demonstration. Each session, Sarah will demo a different art material or technique for you to try. After plenty of time to draw together, we will close with a show and tell, as we share our sketches with the group.

Cost: $20 per participant (16+)

Book your spot now!

Groovy Yoga Flow at the Gallery


Date: TBD

Time:  Monday 7:00 - 8:30PM (90 Minutes) 

Get groovy and flow with great tunes in an art gallery! This is an all-levels class that includes a series of guided flow, movement, breathwork, inspiring the body to feel stimulated and invigorated. It's a great way to nurture yourself from the inside-out, as well as your focus and to get grounded! 

We will take time to connect, reflect and set new intentions with the new moon energy and month ahead, during our time together in this beautiful and inspiring space! Also taking place on this day, a fiery solar eclipse helping to bring us into alignment and create the necessary shifts we need to move forward. So if you love movement, art and music, this is the kinda class for you!

What to bring: Yoga mat, comfortable clothes, journal & pen

Cost: $30 per participant (15+)

Book your spot now! (8-20 people*)

*This class will only take place if we get at least 8 people registered.

Gothic Calligraphy Course


Dates: January 11, 23, February 8, 22, March 8, 2023

Time:  Wednesdays, bi-weekly 6:30 - 8:30PM (2 hours)

Learn all there is to know about getting started with beautiful gothic calligraphy. Over this bi-weekly, 5-session course you’ll be introduced to various tools and techniques to get you started, and steadily progress through at least three different gothic hands (font variations) and capital letters. Throughout this course you’ll learn about various pens, markers and other tools available to modern calligraphers. You’ll explore some dives into the fascinating history of gothic calligraphy. You’ll meet at least three of the many various gothic hands that were used in the Middle Ages–Blackletter, Rotunda and Fraktur. And spend a whole session working with capital letters. At the end of the course all students will have an opportunity to showcase their work!

Cost: $320 per participant (Adults and late teens, age 16 +)

Book your spot now! (30 person limit)

Date: TBD

Time:  Friday 7:00 - 9:30PM (2.5 hours) 

Create you very own masterpiece with step-by-step guidance from your instructor, Faith Fetish. This week’s painting theme is skyline. No artistic experience is necessary, the main goal is having fun! Perfect for date nights, group outings, or a solo activity to unwind and make new friends. Each participant will take home their finished 16”x20” canvas painting.

Cost: $45 per participant (16 +)

Book your spot now! (15 person limit)

March Break Art Camp


Dates:  March 15 - 17  (3 days)

Time:  9:00AM - 4:00PM (7 hours) 

In this 3-day art workshop students learn directly from several guest artists, exploring all the techniques and materials they use as a professional creative. Working out of Northern Contemporary Gallery, we will explore different techniques for drawing and painting, try out exciting new mediums and create artwork to exhibit in the gallery at the end of camp! On top of art-making, participants will also explore other gallery spaces, go on a mural walk and learn about contemporary artists. Join us for a march break camp full of art, discovery and more! Guest artists: Emily May Rose, Alathea Milne-Hines, and more!

Cost: $360 per participant (10+ year olds)

Book your spot now! (15 person limit)

Comic Camp


Dates:  Monday August 7 - Friday August 11, 2023  (5 days)

Time:  9:00AM - 4:00PM (7 hours) 

In this one week summer workshop led by Olivia LaFoy, students will explore the fundamentals of comic creation. From character design and storyline development to dynamic composition and sound effects, students will learn the tools and techniques to create their very own comic books from scratch. At the end of the week, participants will have a completed comic to bring home along with all their process work as a blueprint to continue their stories. 

Cost: $350 per participant (12-14 year olds)

Book your spot now! (10 person limit)

After School Art


Dates:  April 5, 12, 19, 26, May 3, 2023

Time:  Wednesdays 4:00 - 6:00PM (2 hours) 

In this 5-week art workshop, students will be introduced to a variety of art-making styles using different materials and techniques, drawn from different eras throughout art history. This class is geared towards students with a keen interest in the arts, who are looking to explore new mediums, which will draw upon on the students’ individual artistic styles.

Cost: $300 per participant (6-12 year olds)

Book your spot now! (10 person limit)

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Life Drawing


Date: Every Tuesday

Time: 6:30 - 9:30PM (3 hours)

Drop-in Northern Contemporary for uninstructed life drawing sessions with a live model. Just bring your own drawing supplies, and we'll take care of everything else. 

Cost: $20 Drop-in fee (18+)

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