Improvisation is not a warm-up for the real work — it is the real work. Over five weeks, part book club and part studio practice, we will use Stephen Nachmanovitch’s book Free Play to get out of ruts, hush the inner critical voice, and return to the freedom of play that keeps us close to our own intuitive voice. 

We will make a lot, judge nothing, read together, keep a sketchbag or sketchbox, and only at the very end invite the critic back in — as curator, not tyrant. 

Fair warning: this class requires reading at home. The book does half the teaching, so the reading isn’t optional — come having read, and come ready to play. 

The school provides all materials required for a deep dive into cross-pollination and saying yes to creative urges. Students are welcome to bring inspiration from home — objects, images, scraps, anything — to build from, add to, and draw from. We’ll experiment with fiber, textile, paper, collage, painting, soft sculpture and hand-building in clay, with the kiln schedule built right into the course.

Five week class, meets once a week for three hours