Master Potter David MacDonald: Visiting Artist Workshop

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Watch as David makes some of his iconic works! 

The weekend of September 16-17 David MacDonald will be visiting Studio 550 Art Center and demonstrating how he makes some of his iconic works. Large platters, stacked vases, teapots, geometric carving and patterning are all potential subjects.  View his work here: http://davidmacdonaldpottery.com

He has been working with clay for decades, is a retired ceramics professor at Syracuse University, and has over 40 years of teaching experience. His work is stunning and refined, to say the least.

Saturday will be demo from 11-2 and 3-5, with lunch on your own and a potluck to follow in the evening. Sunday will be demos from 11-2 to finish up work, and have sign ups for 1-1 crits with David. 

There are limited public spots available. Sign up for the two day workshop here: https://550arts.as.me/VisitingArtistWorkshopStudio550

One day rates and college/high school student rates are available. Email to inquire.



Oils, Acrylics & Drawing in the Fall

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Join us in the Fall to learn either Oil Painting, Acrylic Painting, or Drawing with our new instructor Phoebe-Agnès!

Phoebe-Agnès Mills is a figurative and portrait painter who grew up in rural Tennessee. Having earned a Bachelors in Philosophy and Art from the University of the South, she has also studied at New York Academy of Art, Florence Academy of Art, and as an mentee under contemporary painter Mia Bergeron. See more of the instructor’s work: https://www.phoebeagnes.com

These 8-week classes begin the week of Sept 5th and are open to beginners.

Acrylic Painting: Mondays 6-8PM, $255
https://550arts.as.me/acrylicpainting

Drawing: Wednesday 6-7:30PM, $225
https://550arts.as.me/drawing

Oil Painting: Wednesdays 3:30-5:30PM

https://550arts.as.me/oilpaint

Acrylics & Drawing classes are back this summer

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This summer Studio 550 Art Center is excited to welcome a new teacher to offer acrylic painting and drawing to the class line up.

Phoebe-Agnès Mills is a figurative and portrait painter who grew up in rural Tennessee. Having earned a Bachelors in Philosophy and Art from the University of the South, she has also studied at New York Academy of Art, Florence Academy of Art, and as an mentee under contemporary painter Mia Bergeron.

These 8-week classes begin the week of June 19th and are both open to beginners.

Acrylic Painting: Mondays 6-8PM, $255
https://550arts.as.me/acrylicpainting
Students will experiment with color mixing, composition, and mark making through a series of short term projects designed to investigate color, texture, light, and shadow.

Drawing: Wednesday 6-7:30PM, $225
https://550arts.as.me/drawing
Learn the basics of how to draw from real life. Students will start with line drawing, observational skills and work up to proportions and shading.

See more of the instructor’s work: https://www.phoebeagnes.com

School Vacation Art & Clay Camps 

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Clay + Kids = Creativity and Laughter

Studio 550 is offering art & clay camps that are sure to get kids creating and laughing during the Spring & Summer school vacations. Each of these week-long camps run from 2:30PM-5PM in the afternoon.  

 

The studio staff has over 20 cumulative years of experience working with kids, helping them make the best work they can!

 

Teen/Tween Clay Camps are open to ages 10+ and will focus on the pottery wheel skills. Campers will also introduce different decoration styles and hand sculpting methods.  Space is still available for April Vacation April 24-28! The summer dates for Teen Clay are June 26-30, July 24-28, and August 21-25. 

 

The Teen Illustration Campers will explore character design through drawing and watercolors. Open to ages 10+, this camp will be offered August 14-18. Mattea Schevey is the instructor.

 

Art Explorer Camps are open to ages 8+ and will include drawing and painting projects as well as clay sculpting and a little wheel work. This camp will be offered July 10-14 and August 7-11

 

Sign up for camp here.

Spring Cleaning Sale!

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Stop in during open hours March 27-April 1 for great pottery deals! 12-8PM, closed Sunday and Wednesday.
Support local makers and local causes at the same time. Most items will be $25 and under.
Studio Member Pottery!
Get the good stuff for a good price! Old designs, small blemishes, and also some perfectly good pots they are tired of looking at, all priced to find a new home.
Clay for Kids Fund
Abandoned workshop pottery for $1 a piece to fund scholarships for local youth for reduced price programming. $5 to fill a brown lunch bag to the brim.
Pottery for a Purpose
Find an eclectic mix of cups, mugs, and other items all sold for $20 each to benefit the @iinewengland in Manchester. They work with refugees and immigrants as they make their new life here.

Spring Session is coming soon

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Wow. We are already half-way through the winter session.

Spring Session starts April 3rd. Many evening pottery classes are already full, but you can email us to be added to the waitlist, as changes certainly do happen. The Summer session begins June 19th, and the classes for that open up about 3 months before the classes start. Sign up early!

Handmade Holiday Market

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December 19-23 (Monday-Friday) from 12-8PM each day (closed Wednesday) we are hosting a Handmade Holiday Market! There will be pottery and glass art made by studio members and staff!

 

Find handmade mugs, bowls, ornaments, and serving ware for your centerpiece entrees and appetizers! This will be a great place to find last-minute gifts, pottery for your table, and housewarming gifts. 

 

Enter through the Studio 550 Handmade gift shop at 550 Elm, and follow the signs to the Holiday Market.

 

Art in the Street

The makers who are selling their work at the Market have crafted mini-mugs and ceramic ornaments that will be hidden around downtown all week. Find some art out in the wild, bring it back to us during market hours and win a prize!

 

In addition, there will be:

– live maker demos (stained glass and pottery)

– Free “Shop Small” tote bag for the first 10 shoppers

– a fully stocked handmade gift shop to browse and buy (pottery, stained glass, plants, soaps, stickers, knit goods, woodworking, and more…)

 

For those who give experiences rather than things, Studio 550 is a teaching space! Gift cards can be purchased for any 1-day workshops or 10-week classes. If you are looking for something to do together, Studio 550 also offers Art-at-Home Kits with everything you need to make a project at home, the Paint-Your-Own-Handmade-Pottery tables are open for booking, and there are a handful of wheel workshops being offered (pre-registration required.)

Make Handmade gifts for the holidays!

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What: Make gifts for as many people on your holiday list as possible! To get you started, we are hosting a buffet of drop-in workshops!

When: Small Business Saturday, November 26, 2022, 11-6PM.

Price:  $15 to $35 each, and each allows plenty of space for customization and creativity

Age: With adult assistance, all ages are welcome to participate!

Where: 550 Elm Street in Manchester, NH

 

There will be stations set up to make your own:

– Milk & cookies cup and plate set (for Santa, of course)

– Custom coffee or cocoa mug

– Large decorative paper snowflakes

– Winter fairy houses or treasure boxes

– Paint your own handmade pottery 

– Paint your own ornaments

– Succulent Plant arrangements at our plant bar (with fairy garden add-ons)

– Pottery on the wheel (pre-registration required for this option, book here: families and couples)

 

In addition, there will be:

– $1 pottery sale to benefit the Clay for Kids Fund

– live maker demos (stained glass and pottery)

– Free prize to the first 10 shoppers/makers

– a fully stocked handmade gift shop to browse and buy

– maybe even more… 

 

All pieces made this day will be ready for pick up by the holiday break.

December 19-23 we will be hosting a Handmade Holiday Market of Pottery and Glass made by 10+ different makers!

Mini-Mural Monster Search

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Find mini-monster murals in downtown between August 29th to Sept 16th. After the clay monster hunt on August 27th, the fun continues!

During those two weeks, nine businesses will be hosting a mini-monster mural. Find all monster murals and be entered into a drawing for a gift card from one of the participating businesses. No purchase necessary, just a keen eye and a love for the hunt. Please check the individual businesses for open hours before stopping by.

Click here for a PDF of the official Monster Map. You can also pick one up at any of the participating mini-monster businesses during the dates of the hunt 8/29-9/16.

The businesses hosting a mini-monster mural (from North to South) are:

Terracotta Room: 1361 Elm St

Boards & Brews: 941 Elm St

Beeze Tees: 36 Hanover St

Shadow & Soul Emporium: 20 Hanover St

Diz’s Cafe: 860 Elm St

Bookery Manchester: 844 Elm St

Wild Orchid Bakery: 836 Elm St

Granite State Candy Shoppe: 832 Elm St

Pop of Color: 816 Elm St

Studio 550: 550 Elm St

The mini-mural will be painted by these local artists: Jyl Dittbenner, Fallon Rae, Rachel Litzinger, Nicole Rocha, Debi Funk, and Tamara Morris, Monica & Leah Leap, and Jazmine Jade.

All monster murals will be together on August 27th at Studio 550’s Monster hunt and then will disperse across downtown. They’ll come together again the weekend of Sept 17-18 at the Manchester City Arts Fest for the drawing of the winners. They’ll be ready for hugs and photos!

Monster Hunt 2022 – with a twist

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Find one. Keep one. Discover Downtown & win prizes from small businesses.
For the 10th year, Studio 550 is again making 100 unique red clay monsters and releasing them downtown.
We hope that by bringing art to the streets, we can encourage people to slow down and find joy in walking their city in search of the out-of-the-ordinary.
They will be hidden in public spaces on Elm Street from Studio 550 up north to Bridge St. All Monsters will be placed in public places with a lot of foot traffic and in locations that are easily visible to pedestrians. Typically, monsters like to hide in places that people see every day, but normally do not have a reason to keep looking. A windowsill, the corner of a bench, or a flower planter are all places Monsters like to hide, but they could be anywhere.  They love public art.
The hunt begins at 10AM, is open to all ages, and goes very quick!
From 10AM-12PM Studio 550 is hosting a number of low-cost monster-themed activities.
Anyone who finds the single colorful monster automatically wins a free 1-day workshop at Studio 550.
Share this with friends! The FB event link.
CHANGES FOR 2022:
1) There will be a “kids under 5” mini-search in the green space in front of the DoubleTree Hotel before the public hunt along Elm Street. Kids hunt starts at 9:45AM.
2) We are hiding “Monster Medallions” in lieu of the actual monsters. Trade in your medallion at Studio 550 on the day of the hunt to get your real monster!
3) NEW: Mini-Monster Mural hunt. Find all 9 mini-monster murals hiding in downtown businesses between August 29th and the Manchester City ArtsFest on Sept 17-18 and be entered to win a prize. Details coming soon.

Other business partners hosting Monster specials/events that day (contact them for details):

Bookery Manchester

 

 Monster book reading, Monster themed booklist
Beeze Tees Monster games, monster merch
Cafe la Reine – Downtown Monster themed beverage
Dancing Lion Chocolate Artful handmade chocolate coin
Manchester City Library Bookmobile Live at 550 Elm St
Granite State Candy Shoppe Super cool monster sundae
Queen City Cupcakes Monster cupcake
Studio 550 Art Center Monster medallion trade in, raffle, Monster craft bags for sale, Monster clay sculpting, pottery demos, sidewalk chalk, Monster plant habitat
Shadow & Soul Monster themed vinyl stickers & enamel pins
Wild Orchid Bakery cookie monster donut special, cookie monster latte