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The Farms: An Allerton Folk School
Intro to Acrylic Painting
with Kari Keller
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn the basics of painting with acrylic paint at Intro to Acrylic Painting on Wednesday, October 8th from 5 to 8 p.m. in The Studio.
Instructor Kari Keller will teach students the basics of sketching out guidelines, color selection, color mixing, and brushing techniques. Students will create a colorful fall scene on an 8" x 10" canvas to take home with them.
$75/person. Register by Oct. 8. All sales are final.
Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations in order 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
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.
Beginner Jam Sessions (Oct 11th)
with Lou Ann Koebel
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn how to jam with other musicians at Beginner Jam Sessions on Saturdays, Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8 and Dec. 13 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in The Studio. Learn to play as a group and learn new songs at a gentle pace in a friendly environment.
Jams sessions are open to beginning mountain dulcimer players and other instrumentalists.
$5/person. Registration closes one day before each course begins or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
— Sept. 13
— Oct. 11
— Nov. 8
— Dec. 13
Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting 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
Lou Ann Koebel currently leads a weekly dulcimer jam for the East Central Dulcimer Illinois Dulcimer Club at Lincoln Square. She also plays in a local band that visits and performs at local assisted living facilities.
Koebel has taught beginning dulcimer classes for The Farms, where she has had a wonderful time teaching the group and realized her love of teaching and passing on the tradition of playing a mountain dulcimer. Lou Ann also plays at area music festivals.
Needlefelt Pumpkin
with Stephanie Block
Experience Level: Beginner (all ages; parents/guardians are not required to register with their children, but they are encouraged to be present for those 13 and younger.)
Create a unique piece of art out of locally sourced alpaca fiber at Needlefelt Pumpkin on Monday, Oct. 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.
Stephanie Block of Sundrop Alpacas will walk students through the needlefelting process to make a pumpkin, which can be customized to make them look authentic, whimsical or anything in between. The class is perfect for those wanting to learn a new art form.
Take advantage of a fun opportunity to bring a friend or family member for just a $10 add-on fee as you work together on a single project kit!
$65/person* + $10/person for add-on (limit one). Register here. Registration will close Oct. 6 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
*A $15 discount is available during registration for those who bring their own needlefelting tools.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting 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.
Consider making a weekend out of it and stay overnight with our Weekend Wind Down. View discounted rooms ($110/night + tax) here and book online or by calling 217-333-3287. Find out more about our weekend Wind Down series here.
About the instructor
Stephanie Block is the co-owner of Sundrop Alpacas near Bement. She has been producing popular yarn from her own alpacas since 2016. Stephanie’s spinning style is self-taught, and she is continuously learning so that she can share that knowledge with others.
(SOLD OUT) Beginning Watercolor
with Sally Walsh
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn the foundational skills of watercolor at Beginning Watercolor on Tuesdays, Oct. 14 through Nov. 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in The Studio.
Instructor and former art educator Sally Walsh will walk students through new techniques each week to create paintings focusing on landscapes, flowers, fruit, glass and special effects.
$65/person*. Registration will close Oct. 7 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
*Students should bring:
— 140 lb. watercolor paper pad (spiral bound is best)
— 16-color oval pan watercolor paint set (Students can choose to borrow a watercolor pallet and brushes for a $10 fee, which can be applied at registration).
— Minimum of three brushes with pointed bristles: large (No. 10-12), medium (No. 6-8) and small (No. 4-6)
— Pencil, clear ruler, kneaded eraser
(Students can borrow a watercolor pallet and brushes for a $10 fee, which can be applied at registration).
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.
Intermediate Watercolor
with Sally Walsh
Experience Level: Beginner-Intermediate
Continue your journey through watercolor at Intermediate Watercolor: Landscapes on Tuesdays, Oct. 14 through Nov. 4 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. in The Studio.
Aimed at those who completed the Beginning Watercolor class, instructor and former art educator Sally Walsh will teach students skills and techniques to further their watercolor art in this class that will focus on landscapes.
$65/person*. Registration will close Oct. 7 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
*Students should bring:
— 140 lb. watercolor paper pad (spiral bound is best)
— 16-color oval pan watercolor paint set (Students can choose to borrow a watercolor pallet and brushes for a $10 fee, which can be applied at registration).
— Minimum of three brushes with pointed bristles: large (No. 10-12), medium (No. 6-8) and small (No. 4-6)
— Pencil, clear ruler, kneaded eraser
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.
Historical Dancing: Titanic to the Talkies (Oct 14)
with Jeanette Watts
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn about the high-energy dances that dominated the early 20th century at Historical Dancing: Titanic to the Talkies on Tuesdays, Sept. 23 through Oct. 28 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Library.
Instructor Jeanette Watts will help students explore the one step, castle walk, tango, foxtrot, Charleston, black bottom and other delights of early jazz.
In this era, the music was so infectious it required new kinds of dancing to go with it! Ragtime took over ballrooms with dances that shocked as well as delighted, while syncopated rhythms turned into the jazz of the Roaring Twenties. Meanwhile, Rudolph Valentino’s movie tango kept ballroom dancers like Irene and Vernon Castle popular.
$25/class (or $110/person for the entire series). Registration will close Sept. 11 or one week prior to each class, or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting 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
Jeanette Watts has been teaching historical dances for more than 20 years. She is the founder of the Terpsichorean Delights Dance Assembly in Dayton, Ohio, Queen City Vintage Dance in Charlotte, North Carolina, and spent covid writing an 8-volume series of instructional dance manuals for historical museums.
Cardboard & Paper Sculptures
with Mary Seyfarth
Experience Level: All Levels
Create a sculpture out of just cardboard, paper and glue at Cardboard and Paper Sculptures on Thursday & Friday Oct. 16 & 17 2025 in the Greenhouse Auditorium.
In this class, Chicago-based artist Mary Seyfarth will cover design elements including form, scale, placement, color, and proportion and present tips, tricks and the means for each student to leave with their very own wildlife sculpture.
$95/person. Register here by Oct 2. All sales are final.
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting 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
Mary K. Seyfarth is the founder of MKS.Works, a visual arts studio in Wilmette that showcases a variety of sculptures of different materials. She first started working with ceramics in 1978 and it has been her life's work and passion since that time.
Fix it! Basic Lamp Rewiring
with Lou Ann Koebel
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn how to bring new life to an old lamp at Fix It! Basic Lamp Re-Wiring on Thursday, Oct. 16 from 4 to 6 p.m. in The Studio.
Instructor Lou Ann Koebel will lead students through changing out the plug, adding a switch and/or replace wiring in lamps. This hands-on course will cover basic electrical wiring.
$55/person*. Registration will close Oct. 13 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
* Students should bring:
— A lamp to work on
— Wire cutter & stripper (example here)
— (optional) Black electrical tape and small retractable measuring tape
If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting 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
Lou Ann Koebel currently leads a weekly dulcimer jam for the East Central Dulcimer Illinois Dulcimer Club at Lincoln Square. She also plays in a local band that visits and performs at local assisted living facilities.
Koebel has taught beginning dulcimer classes for The Farms, where she has had a wonderful time teaching the group and realized her love of teaching and passing on the tradition of playing a mountain dulcimer. Lou Ann also plays at area music festivals.