First Night workshops are a fun way to let your creative juices flow. Age is no barrier to participating—we have workshops for children and adults! What better time is there to work on a craft project with your children, learn a few dance moves (guaranteed to embarrass your kids!), or find out how to write a song? Come on out and join the fun—you will be surprised at how creative you are!
A First Night State College button is required for all workshops.
11:00 am – 9:00 pm; 2000 Degrees, 202 West College Avenue
Decorate a bisque mug that you’ll treasure long after your New Year’s resolutions are forgotten. 2000 Degrees provides almost everything you need to immortalize your new year’s resolution in ceramics. You provide the missing piece–the creativity!
After you add the creativity, the staff will fire your work and in a couple of days you’ll have a beautiful hand-painted reminder to fill with your morning beverage of choice.
In addition to a First Night button, this workshop costs $7 per person. The activity is not appropriate for unsupervised and small children. The last seating is at 8:00 pm.
1:00 pm; Social Hall, State College Presbyterian Church
Pick-a-Project with Jill and Jan
Jill and Jan and the members of the Altrusa International invite kids to try their hands at a couple of different craft projects. Decorate a journal for 2023—it’s a fun way to record anything—in your own personal book. When you’ve finished you can make a First Night light from a recycled soda bottle or personalize a fleece scarf with beads bells and ribbon.
This workshop is designed so that parents can help children with a simple craft project. The project should take less than an hour to complete. While we welcome folks of all ages at our children’s art and craft workshops, participants should be under 12 years old. Crafts are to be completed on site so that participants can take inspiration and share results with each other.
A First Night Button is required for this workshop.
Songwriting Workshop with Jim Colbert
12:00 pm; Westminster Hall, State College Presbyterian Church
Have you always wanted to write a song, and didn’t know how to start? Join award-winning songwriter Jim Colbert (and maybe a special guest or two) for tips on jump starting your creativity, turning poems into songs, and finding your muse. Bring a pen, paper and an instrument if you like. We’ll provide handouts, work through some exercises together and get your songwriting motor running! The tips and techniques we’ll share are applicable to all genres. Bring a song to share if you want advice, or just to share!
Bellefonte singer/songwriter Jim Colbert has won the Pennsylvania Heritage Songwriting and Susquehanna Folk Music Society Songwriting competitions and has performed at festivals, coffeehouses and venues from New England to Texas. He is a board member of Acoustic Brew Concert Series, a DJ for WPSU-FM, and a fixture in the Central Pennsylvania folk music scene.
A First Night Button is required for this workshop.
12:00 pm; 3 Dots Downtown
This workshop is a great introduction to Improvisational Style Belly Dance with Shannon Bishop, the leader of Black Cat Belly Dance. No experience in Middle Eastern Dance is necessary. You’ll shake and shimmy and wonder why you didn’t take up this popular art form sooner!
A First Night Button is required for this workshop.
The group will also perform at the University Baptist & Brethren Church at 3:30 p.m.
Allegheny Ukulele Kollective Workshop
7:30 pm; Westminster Hall, State College Presbyterian Church
The Allegheny Ukulele Kollective welcomes players of all abilities and of all ages! New to the ukulele? Never picked one up but want to try? Come on down and join us! We’re always sure to bring extra ukes to our jams for just such an occasion.
A First Night Button is required for this workshop.
The group will also perform at 6:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary.
3:00 – 5:00 pm; Woskob Family Gallery
Come and join us for this workshop for all ages. Just like Marian Bailey did in her mural piece (on display in the gallery), we’ll be creating patterns on large-size paper. You may use the patterns of your favorite secondhand clothing items or draw any other abstract patterns.
Current Exhibitions:
Marian Bailey: patterns of a life
In a world rife with overconsumption, it can be easy to buy into the capitalistic idea of purchasing a new article of clothing for every occasion. In this mural, Marian Bailey decided to create a new pattern from things that she’s bought secondhand.
Naomi Reis: Talisman for Unknown Territories
Consisting of a video, window installation, and sculptural objects, the piece addresses our collective anxiety about the future within a warming and divisive global landscape. The video features aerial footage taken by a GoPro attached to helium balloons and flown over landscapes shaped by human interventions, while the installation features hanging vines made from printed washi-paper cutouts of Boston ivy, along with hand-crafted talismans made from locally grown wild grasses. Vines symbolize tenacity, regeneration, and connectivity; the talisman over the entrance invites good fortune with its seven strands of wild grasses, topped by a circle symbolizing wholeness. The title comes from the translation of terra incognita, the cartography term for undocumented regions on a map.
String Art With State College Friends School
1:00 – 3:00 pm; Social Hall, State College Presbyterian Church
Join volunteers from the State College Friends School to make a heart, a star, or a moon with string. This art project is suitable for children of kindergarten age and up due to the small pieces. Younger children are advised to have parental assistance and supervision.
This workshop is designed so that parents can help children with a simple craft project. The project should take less than an hour to complete. While we welcome folks of all ages at our children’s art and craft workshops, participants should be under 12 years old. Crafts are to be completed on site so that participants can take inspiration and share results with each other.
A First Night Button is required for this workshop.
Sponsored by State College Friends School.
A First Night button gets you into all performances and some activities – for just $10!
