Experience Level: Beginner

Learn printmaking processes at Lino Cuts & Prints on Sunday, October 4 from 1 to 6 p.m. in the Mansion Library.

For a very long time, printmakers have transferred images from specially prepared plates to paper, fabric, wood and metal. In this workshop, instructor Billie Theide will help students learn to design, carve, prepare ink and transfer images to make unique works of art. Each student will get a toolkit that will enable them to continue to work at home.

$145/person. Registration will close September 27 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodation 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

Billie Theide is a former chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she is Professor Emerita. Theide is a metalsmith, jeweler and ceramicist. Her work is in public art collections around the world including the Smithsonian, Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and the Racine Art Museum, among others.

She is the recipient of a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and five Artists Fellowship Grants from the Illinois Arts Council. Theide has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and is a Distinguished Member and Past-President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.

About The Farms

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

Experience Level: Beginner

Craft a traditional witch’s brooms using locally grown dried flowers and foraged materials at Besoms: A Witch’s Broom Workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 6 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Illinois Arboretum Shed.

Learn about the lore and history of besoms in the world of the occult and witchcraft. This is the perfect Halloween or fall activity! Students will take home their own handmade besom made from natural materials!

$65/person. Registration will close Sept. 29 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

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.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn about the art of stained glass at Intro to Stained Glass: Pumpkin on Thursday, Oct. 8 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Kari Keller will teach students how to cut, shape and assemble a stained-glass pumpkin to take home. Grinding, fitting and soldering will be covered.

$100/person*. Registration will close Oct. 1 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students should wear closed-toe shoes. Safety glasses and gloves will be provided.

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

Kari Keller has been a Champaign/Urbana resident since 2008, originally hailing from the tiny community of St. Anne. Illinois. She has had a passion for art since she could hold a crayon and loves to experiment with many different styles, rarely sticking to one theme for long.

Keller has dabbled in cartoons, acrylic pouring, zentangles, patterns, logo design, pottery painting and other art forms. Her influences include Alphonse Mucha, HR Geiger and the art of Northwest coastal Native Americans. She also has a thriving side business as a face painter.

Kari is happiest when immersed in a new project and can’t imagine life without art!

About The Farms

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

Experience Level: All Levels (All Ages 15+) 

Step away from traditional fall décor and create a pumpkin bursting with personality at Pumpkin Mischief: Mixed Media Workshop on Sunday, Oct. 11 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in The Studio. 

In this fun and beginner-friendly mixed media workshop, students will create an expressive pumpkin on a 12" x 12" canvas while exploring a variety of creative techniques and materials. Using acrylic paints, Gelatos, Posca paint markers, and Mod Podge, you'll learn how to build vibrant color, add playful details, and create whimsical finishing touches. 

The pumpkin design will be pre-drawn on each canvas, making this class approachable for artists of all experience levels. Participants are welcome to follow the sample painting or customize their pumpkin with their own favorite colors and creative flair.

$115/person*. Registration will close Sept 11 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final. 

*All supplies will be provided 

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 

Emily Tackitt is the artist behind Moonbeam Jellyfish and works in mixed media, blending watercolor, acrylic, gouache, ink, drawing, and collage to create whimsical, fantasy-inspired artwork. With a process that is playful and intuitive, Emily is often guided by curiosity, storytelling, and whatever feels magical in the moment. Her classes are designed to feel supportive and accessible, encouraging students to build confidence through a thoughtful, step-by-step creative practice.

Experience Level: Beginner

Create prints that mimic pen and ink drawings at Intaglio Printmaking on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 1 p.m. to 3:30pm p.m. in The Studio.

Local artist and art educator Sally Walsh will guide students as they create an Intaglio print. While printmaking usually involves an acid bath, oil-based inks and solvents, students will instead learn how to use all non-toxic and fumeless materials to accomplish the same result.

No prior drawing or printmaking experience is needed, but some hand strength is required to operate the press.

All participants will go home with at least one 5×7-inch print but may create more as time allows.

$60/person*. Registration will close Oct. 7 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students are welcome to bring pictures or drawing ideas for inspiration.

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

Sally Walsh is a retired art teacher from Richland Community College in Decatur. She has more than 30 years of teaching experience and has led previous art classes at Allerton.

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.

Spend a full day learning about two-dimensional composition and how to create striking collages at Collage Weekend Intensive, Saturday through Sunday, Oct. 17 (Evergreen Lodge) & 18 (Studio) from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 

In this full two-day intensive workshop students will learn about color theory, mix paint, create value and intensity scales, and generate a rich collection of experimental collage papers. Results are guaranteed to be frameable! Enrollment includes most materials including acrylic mixing paint set, paint brushes, mixing palette, bound hard cover sketchbook, cutting mat and precision cutting knife, glue, tape, color wheel, and stainless-steel ruler.   As this is a two-day immersive experience, you may want to stay on site. The Greenhouse Cafe, located in the Allerton Greenhouse, offers fresh and fun sandwiches, homemade baked goods, unique salads, classic refreshments, beer, wine, and more. Monticello, Illinois is five miles from Allerton Park and Retreat Center, and you will find a variety of restaurants there. 

$230/person. Registration closes Oct. 10 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.  

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 

Billie Theide is Professor Emerita and a former Chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Theide is a metalsmith, jeweler, textile artist, and ceramicist. Her work is in public art collections around the world including the Smithsonian, Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, and the Racine Art Museum, among others. She is the recipient of a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and five Artists Fellowship Grants from the Illinois Arts Council. Theide has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and is a Distinguished Member and Past-President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.