Experience Level: Beginner 

Learn the skills of improvisation, including scene creation and team dynamics at Improve Your Improv on Thursdays, Sept. 10 through Oct. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Music Barn. 

Instructor Kyle Tasch returns to The Farms to teach this popular course, which will be jam-packed with improvisational fun that uses both short-form games and long-form scenes. 

This will not be a class to sit down, hear lectures, and take notes.  Students will be performing as much as possible to emphasize the mechanics needed to act out an entertaining and meaningful scene on the spot with no lines. There are many elements of improv that are not only useful on stage, but also in everyday life – wherever you might be put on the spot! 

Students who have already completed this class are welcome to join again. Beginners and those experienced in improv are all encouraged to join! 

$100/person for the entire series or $25/class at the links below. Registration will close on Sept. 8 for the entire series or two days before each subsequent class. 

— Sept. 10
— Sept. 17  
— Sept. 24  
— Oct. 1
— Oct. 8  
— Oct. 15

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the instructor 

Kyle Tasch is an improvisor, improv teacher, filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician from the Chicago suburbs. He started performing improv in 2004 and has been improvising in front of audiences regularly since 2015. 

He has also taught classes both in-person and remotely at Westside Improv in Wheaton, Illinois. He performs live across the state in various comedy and music acts and has produced hundreds of videos and songs. 

Experience Level: Beginner (ages 15+)

Do you have some experience with watercolor and are ready to take your skills to the next level? Join us for Intermediate Watercolor on Friday through Sunday, Oct. 2-4 from 12-4 p.m. in The Studio. 

This class will explore techniques for controlling washes, layering transparent color, and creating richer, more confident compositions. Students will experiment with both planned and spontaneous approaches while learning how to bring depth, light, and texture to their work.  

Each session includes demonstrations, guided practice, and plenty of personal feedback. Come ready to paint, experiment, and grow as you develop your own watercolor style. 

$170/person*. Registration closes Sept. 25 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.  

*Students should bring: 

--Watercolor paint 
--A flat palette/mixing tray large enough to work with several colors at once,  
--Brushes (flat and round, one of the flats at least 1” wide (flat). At least one squirrel hair brush recommended, but not required).  
--Watercolor paper – 100% cotton highly recommended. 
--A sponge or rag.  
--Photos that the student may wish to paint — either on their phone or printed out. 

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the Instructor 

Deb Marett is a professional artist whose work focuses on equestrian scenes, figurative scenes, and portraiture. She always travels with watercolors and a travel journal. “It is an amazing way to remember moments of the trip and spend time soaking up the places I visit.” Deb loves sharing her knowledge, teaching and finding ways to make painting and drawing fun and accessible to anyone who wants to explore their creative side. 

Experience Level: Beginner 

Learn the skills of improvisation, including scene creation and team dynamics at Improve Your Improv on Thursdays, Sept. 10 through Oct. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Music Barn. 

Instructor Kyle Tasch returns to The Farms to teach this popular course, which will be jam-packed with improvisational fun that uses both short-form games and long-form scenes. 

This will not be a class to sit down, hear lectures, and take notes.  Students will be performing as much as possible to emphasize the mechanics needed to act out an entertaining and meaningful scene on the spot with no lines. There are many elements of improv that are not only useful on stage, but also in everyday life – wherever you might be put on the spot! 

Students who have already completed this class are welcome to join again. Beginners and those experienced in improv are all encouraged to join! 

$100/person for the entire series or $25/class at the links below. Registration will close on Sept. 8 for the entire series or two days before each subsequent class. 

— Sept. 10
— Sept. 17  
— Sept. 24  
— Oct. 1
— Oct. 8  
— Oct. 15

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the instructor 

Kyle Tasch is an improvisor, improv teacher, filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician from the Chicago suburbs. He started performing improv in 2004 and has been improvising in front of audiences regularly since 2015. 

He has also taught classes both in-person and remotely at Westside Improv in Wheaton, Illinois. He performs live across the state in various comedy and music acts and has produced hundreds of videos and songs. 

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn about the process of making sourdough bread at Beginner Sourdough Breadmaking on Sundays, Sept. 27 or Oct. 11 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Mansion Kitchen and Carriage House. (Each class covers the same material.)

Instructor Hannah Fink will cover the basic biology of a ferment and what it means to a sourdough culture, how to mix sourdough, how to maintain a healthy starter in your home and the importance of baking with regionally grown grains. Students will also get hands-on experience as they learn to mix sourdough.

Prepared dough will be available to showcase baking and for students to prepare a snack toward the end of class. Students will take home their own jar of sourdough culture, a sample of gains from Janie’s Mill, as well as printouts of everything covered, simple recipes and a thorough list of resources.

$100/person. Registration will close 10 days before each course begins or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

About the Instructor

Hannah Fink — a baker and local food enthusiast — started Tooth Butter Cottage Bakery in Urbana so she could be at home with her son and still keep her hands in dough. She revels in naturally leavened bread and quality pastries and focuses on organic whole grains, mostly stone milled from Janie’s Mill in Ashkum.

She is of the firm belief that a “toothy dose of good butter” is the best start, which led to the name of her business that bakes for special orders and pop-up collaborations with fellow creators.

Hannah started baking about 11 years ago while working in the music industry in Nashville and ended up falling in love with it enough to change careers. She started as a bread delivery driver, then worked as a kitchen manager at Pear Tree Estate in Champaign and as a pastry manager in Michigan.

Fink is a member of the Artisan Grain Collaborative and is looking forward to passing on the knowledge she has gained on breads and grains.

Experience Level: Beginner 

Learn the skills of improvisation, including scene creation and team dynamics at Improve Your Improv on Thursdays, Sept. 10 through Oct. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Music Barn. 

Instructor Kyle Tasch returns to The Farms to teach this popular course, which will be jam-packed with improvisational fun that uses both short-form games and long-form scenes. 

This will not be a class to sit down, hear lectures, and take notes.  Students will be performing as much as possible to emphasize the mechanics needed to act out an entertaining and meaningful scene on the spot with no lines. There are many elements of improv that are not only useful on stage, but also in everyday life – wherever you might be put on the spot! 

Students who have already completed this class are welcome to join again. Beginners and those experienced in improv are all encouraged to join! 

$100/person for the entire series or $25/class at the links below. Registration will close on Sept. 8 for the entire series or two days before each subsequent class. 

— Sept. 10
— Sept. 17  
— Sept. 24  
— Oct. 1
— Oct. 8  
— Oct. 15

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the instructor 

Kyle Tasch is an improvisor, improv teacher, filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician from the Chicago suburbs. He started performing improv in 2004 and has been improvising in front of audiences regularly since 2015. 

He has also taught classes both in-person and remotely at Westside Improv in Wheaton, Illinois. He performs live across the state in various comedy and music acts and has produced hundreds of videos and songs. 

Experience Level: All Levels

Create your own spooktacular basket at Basket Weaving: Little Boo! on Friday, Oct. 16 from 12-4 p.m. in The Studio. 

“Little Boo!” starts with a woven filled base. Techniques include setting up a woven base, twining, start/stop weaving and shaping! The color accents are Chocolate Brown, Walnut, Mustard and Rust. An Amish-made leather handle finishes the basket. A fall floral sprig and a Jack-O-Lantern adorn the front. This cutie is perfect anywhere you want to use it! 

$75/person. Registration will close Sept 18 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Bonnie Rideout wove her first basket in 1994 and quickly caught the “basket bug.” She created a business — Bonnie’s Baskets in Decatur — in 2006 to teach others to weave. She is also a traveling instructor and has taught weaving in 18 states.

Find out more about Bonnie on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Etsy pages.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

Experience Level: Some weaving experience required

Have you taken Beginning Weaving 1 and want to continue your craft? Do so at Beginning Weaving II on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 17-18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium.

This 2-day class with instructor Sharon Bowles will be a continuation of Beginning Weaving I, but instead of everyone doing the same article, students will pick their own project, measure the warp, beam the warp, thread the heddles to their selected pattern, thread the reed, tie the warp to the cloth beam rod, wind bobbins and weave a sample of their selected yarn. Students will then weave samples from the other looms, giving them a wide variety of weave structures they can try out.

This course is a great way to continue your weaving journey!

$250/person*. Registration will close Oct. 10 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students should bring a 4-shaft loom if they have one. All other supplies will be provided, including a loom if needed.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Sharon Bowles began weaving in 1990 and started teaching shortly after. She was taught to weave in a one-on-one class and wove two table runners in 12 (approximately) 2-hour lessons, and she teaches the same method when she teaches. Sharon has experience in weaving with silk, lace weaving, 8-shaft pattern weaving, parallel weaving, block weaves, and Shaker reproduction towels.

Sharon has experience in weaving with silk, lace weaving, 8-shaft pattern weaving, parallel weaving, block weaves, and Shaker reproduction towels. She has taught many workshops and classes to weavers’ guilds in Florida, Ohio, and Champaign-Urbana. She earned her Journeyman certification from the Weavers Guild of Boston in 2021 and a master’s certification in April of 2022.

Most recently, Sharon taught Beginning Weaving I & Weaving II at The Farms, and a 2-day workshop in 4 shaft patterns for the Champaign-Urbana Spinners and Weavers Guild.