The Charlotte Street Arts Centre (CSAC) has announced a new season of classes and workshops for the winter months. Keeping with the slogan Art is for Everyone, CSAC’s winter programming includes several multi-week classes covering everything from watercolour and acrylic painting to printmaking and bookbinding, and even includes a pair of classes for emerging young artists and one for babies and parents!

“We’re excited to welcome the new year with a lineup of new classes to get us through the coldest days of the year,” said Matt Carter, CSAC’s executive director.

“I’m always excited to announce new programming, especially during the winter months when many of us are feeling isolated,” said Carter. “I encourage everyone in our community to make a positive effort to get out of the house and find new ways to enrich their lives. Art is a perfect investment and one of the few to offer a lifetime of dividends. Join us, won’t you?”

Registrations are now open!

CSAC’s schedule of winter classes and workshops compliments a few previously announced classes with limited space still remaining.

Full list of classes:

Sketching for Teens with Alina Karmadanovan

Mondays, Jan. 27 - Feb. 17 | 6-8 p.m.

In this dynamic sketching course, students will tackle the challenge of drawing the world around them with accuracy and confidence, without relying on the rules of perspective or anatomy. Through a series of engaging exercises, teens will learn to sketch objects and figures freehand, improving their ability to capture realistic proportions and details without preliminary sketches. By the end of the course, students will see significant improvement in their drawing skills, developing a deeper understanding of how to approach any subject, from everyday objects to the human figure, with a fresh, intuitive perspective.

Intro to Watercolour with Joel Strauss

Wednesdays, March 5 - April 9 | 7-9 p.m.

Explore one of the most accessible and enjoyable forms of painting with our Introduction to Watercolour class. This six week program will introduce a variety of fundamental techniques and exercises to get you started on your creative journey. This program is ideal for beginners and intermediate artists looking to reconnect with their love of painting.

Painting Fredericton in Watercolour with Joel Strauss

Wednesdays March 5 - April 9 | 1-3 p.m.

In this unique intermediate level class, instructor Joel Strauss will guide participants through the process of creating images depicting some of Fredericton’s iconic imagery. From Christ Church Cathedral’s gothic architecture to the natural beauty of Odell Park’s old growth forest, participants in this six week class will gain a deeper understanding of how to approach layering, colour, and lighting and leave with a series of self-created local iconography they can be proud of.

Watercolour for Children with Alina Karmadanova

Saturday March 1-22 | 10-12 p.m.

In this fun and hands-on watercolor course, students will learn a unique technique that helps them master control over their paints, creating smooth, professional-quality washes without stains. Through guided lessons, children will develop confidence in their painting skills, tackling a variety of subjects of their own choosing. By the end of the course, students will have created their own original artwork while gaining a solid foundation in watercolor that they can apply both in and outside of the classroom. This course encourages creativity, independence, and the development of lifelong artistic skills.

Baby Crafters with Tiziana Zevallos

Wednesdays March 12 - April 16 | 10-12 p.m.

Join experienced CSAC instructor Tiziana Zevallos for this six-week program designed specifically for parents and their newborns. Each class will focus on a new art activity that is easy to work on while having a baby next to you! Create simple collages, draw, paint, you might even make stamps with your baby's feet! The main purpose of this class is simple: make art and hang out with other parents. Coffee and tea provided. Drop in for a single class or register for the full six week program. The choice is yours!

Paint & Sip with Emily Chase

Friday March 14 | 7-9 p.m.

Join host facilitator Emily Chase for an evening of painting and conversation with friends old and new. Enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and soft music as Emily guides you and your friends in creating your own unique painting based on a seasonal theme. Each ticket includes a complimentary beverage of choice. Non-alcoholic options available. All materials provided.

Learn to DJ with DJ Blue Angel (Oscar Tecu) and DJ Wakanda (Saa Andrew)

Saturday March 15 | 1-3 p.m.

Ready to take the first step toward becoming a DJ? Join DJ Blue Angel (Oscar Tecu) and DJ Wakanda (Saa Andrew) for this engaging, hands-on workshop designed specifically for youth! You’ll learn essential DJing skills, including understanding the gear, using DJ software, tempo matching, and mixing techniques. Get hands-on experience and personalized guidance to create smooth transitions and build your confidence behind the decks. Whether you're curious about DJing or dreaming of playing your first set, this workshop will give you the tools to get started! No experience necessary. Come ready to learn and dance!

Journals and Sketchbooks: A Bookbinding Workshop with Meg Clark

Saturday March 22 | 10-4 p.m.

Get ready to create your very own journal or sketchbook in this new class at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre! Spend the day with Jackraken (Meg Clark) as she explains various binding techniques, while leading the class through the process of producing their own handmade coptic-bound book. Put your personal style and creativity to good use this winter by creating a coptic-bound book to document your thoughts and artwork.

Oven Fired Pizza with Milda and Ceed Titford

Sunday March 23 | 1-5 p.m.

Spend a private session with Milda's Pizza and More owners Milda and Ceed Titford as they breakdown the process creating (and enjoying!) delicious oven fired pizza. 2025 marks the tenth anniversary of what many consider to be the best pizza in the city. This is your chance to learn from the experts and make your own. Learn the history of grains, flour and ingredients and all the techniques involved in crafting the best pizza you and your friends will ever experience.

Linocut Printmaking with Andrew Robinson

Mondays, April 7 - May 5. 7-9 p.m.

Design, carve and print your own linocuts in this relief printmaking course with printmaker Andrew Robinson. Students will learn to use introductory level gouges and inks to create their own works.

—--Previously Announced Classes (space limited)-----

Pilates and Movement (55+) with Zsuzsa Szabo-Nyarady

Mondays Jan. 6 - March 17 | 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Morning Pilates at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre focuses on total body muscle engagement. Each session will focus on movements, variations and additional challenges to basic exercises. You will be led to work on balance, flexibility, strength and muscular endurance, using mainly your own body weight. This class is designed for students 55+ but all are welcome. A yoga mat is required.

Queer Zines: History and Construction with Aaron Beaumont

Saturday January 25 | 10-12 p.m.

Join multi-disciplinary, self taught artist Aaron Beaumont (they/them) for a workshop on queer zines, open to folks in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. This workshop will cover 2SLGBTQ+ zines and history, zine formatting styles and zine creation including writing, collage and mixed media. This workshop is for beginners and zinemakers alike, it is an opportunity to create in community together, whether your zine is explicitly about queerness or not. Materials provided. Masks required and provided.

Branch out and Weave for Climate Change with Karen LeBlanc

Saturday February 22 | 1-4 p.m.

The goal of the Branch Out and Weave for Climate Change workshop is to bring awareness of climate change through the weaving process, group discussions, and identification of next steps to a hopeful future by committing to one small act in their lives and in their communities. Participants will use a branch as a weaving loom and will weave between the “arms” of the branches. Instruction will be provided on how to create a “warp” on the branch and then weave a series of natural materials through the warp. Materials will be provided including cotton, wool, raffia, birch bark, Spanish moss, twigs, roving, feathers, leather, and other materials. Participants will also be invited to bring natural and/or found materials to use in their woven pieces. I will bring extra branches as well. Participants can bring a branch, but branches will be provided. Part of this workshop encompasses a burning component where participants will scorch one side of their pieces over a small fire. This part of the workshop provides an excellent opportunity for participants to "let go" of something they have been holding on to.

Bodhran: Basic Skills and Rhythms with Matt Carter

Saturday March 1 | 10-12 p.m.

Join Matt Carter for a two-hour deep dive into Irish jigs and reels. This beginner class will cover basic playing techniques and variations and break down Celtic music’s many rhythms in a fun and supportive atmosphere. Students must have their own instrument to participate.

Acrylic Painting with Pascal Leo Cormier

Thursdays March 6-April 10 | 7-9 p.m.

Learn acrylic painting techniques with artist Pascal Leo Cormier and break through your creative barriers! With a focus on color theory, composition, various techniques and approaches to still lifes, portraits and landscapes, participants will discover new ways to think about painting and introduce new creative ideas into their practice. Perfect for advanced beginner and intermediate artists.