Adult and Teen Classes and Workshops
$45 members, $55 future members
This workshop will explore the experimental painting process using watercolor canvas, acrylic inks, air pressure, and creative composition techniques.
About the instructor: Sandy Harrington is an award winning Jacksonville ink and watercolor artist.
Her professional art background began in illustration and advertising, and she created large scale murals, costumes, and set design for the stage.
https://www.sandyharrington.com/
Cultural History Presentation with Archivist Mitch Hemann
Sparks, Nitrate, and One Big BOOM: The Story of Norman Studios,
How Jacksonville became the Winter Film Capital of the World.
Friday, January 24, 2025, 10 AM
$10 members, $15 future members
Mitch Hemann is a senior archivist in both the public and private sectors, most recently at the Ritz Theatre & Museum and the Jacksonville Historical Society. Musical Performance with Sitarist Arvid Smith
Saturday, January 25, 2025, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
$25 members, $35 future members
You do not want to miss this legendary musician! Arvid plays sitar, Balinese harp and many more exotic, captivating instruments.
Still Life Black and White Drawing Series with Charlotte Chastain
Tuesdays, February 4 - February 25, 10AM - 12PM (4 sessions)
$199 members, $220 future members
Get back to the basics with this skill building series!
Instructor Charlotte Chastain will guide participants in choosing a vantage point and gain perspective to draw and design from a prepared still life.
Participants will focus on composition, perspective, and proportion, as well as learning to apply cross hatching, shading, and depth of objects.
Students will learn contour and blind contour drawing techniques, while using pencil, pen, and other drawing instruments.
Beginner and beyond, ages 16 and up.
is drawing, painting, collage or printmaking. They will learn to redefine their working space, use a variety of tools and materials as well
as experiment while using these materials.
This workshop will expand the participants’ thought process and broaden their approaches to creating their art.
A nationally known American artist specializing in Southern landscapes, Allison Watson has had more than 45 solo exhibitions including major museums
and private galleries, nationally. She has work in more than 450 public, private and corporate collections including Jacksonville office of the Mayor,
the Jacksonville Libraries, Queens College, NY, Baptist Medical Centers, and more.
Allison will discuss and demonstrate her process to create landscape paintings on canvas in acrylic from concept to finished painting.
She will showcase the use of value (light and dark), perspective and various painting techniques like glazes and underpainting. She will show
how to begin a painting, mix color and create a composition, personalized for each participant.
Her vivid landscapes reflect her love of the wild rivers, lakes, springs and woodlands of her native Florida. She paints from her own photography
taken locally and internationally.
Silver Jewelry Spinner Ring Workshop with Eve HugginsSaturday, 3/08/25, 10AM - 2PM
$199 members, $115 future members, all supplies included!
Come and learn how to make a fidget or spinner ring!
Join Eve Huggins as she teaches you how to make one that will suit you perfectly in this 4 hour workshop.
Several types of funky and fancy sterling silver wires will be available to you to make up to use around a plain or patterned sterling silver band.
You will not only make these beautiful rings but gain confidence in basic silversmithing skills, including designing, sizing, filing, soldering, and finishing.Art History Presentation:
Greetings from Florida! Art Histories of the Sunshine State
Friday, 03/14/25, 10AM
$10 members, $15 future members
Presented by:
P. Scott Brown, Ph.D.
Professor of Art History
Department of Art, Art History & Design
University of North Florida
From Fort Caroline in the sixteenth century to Henry Flagler's Alcazar in the nineteenth, Disney's Magic Kingdom in the twentieth, and the Villages in the twenty-first, Florida has been long represented itself through art and architecture to tourists, visitors, and transients as being someplace else: France, Moorish Spain, the Past, the Future, and so on. In this talk on art and history of the Sunshine State, we will explore fantasies of Florida from the earliest colonial era to the present.
April 5 and 6, 2025, Saturday/Sunday
10AM - 5PM
$250 members, $270 future members
Course Description:
Learn traditional and dependable techniques for painting realistic flowers. We start with a foundational wash drawing, then learn accurate color mixing principles that we then use while delicately painting each flower. We will work from a photographic reference (supplied by the teacher) that includes a variety of flowers in the bouquet, so that after the workshop has ended you will be able to continue to practice what you learned and finish your piece. This workshop is suitable for all levels, and we may sit while we paint.
Past Programs
Painting Demonstration with Master Artist Allison Watson
Thursday, December 12, 10 AM
$15 non members, $10 members
A nationally known American artist specializing in Southern landscapes, Allison Watson has had more than 45 solo exhibitions including major museums and private galleries, nationally. She has work in more than 450 public, private and corporate collections including Jacksonville office of the Mayor, the Jacksonville Libraries, Queens College, NY, Baptist Medical Centers, and more.
Her vivid landscapes reflect her love of the wild rivers, lakes, springs and woodlands of her native Florida. She paints from her own photography taken locally and internationally. She has taught painting at the Cummer Museum for 21 years and maintains a studio at CoRK Art District where she teaches acrylic painting classes in the CoRK classroom. Please contact her for information on classes or commissioned work.
Allison will discuss and demonstrate her process to create landscape paintings on canvas in acrylic from concept to finished painting.
She will showcase the use of value (light and dark), perspective and various painting techniques like glazes and underpainting. She will show how
to begin a painting, mix color and create a composition.
Explore Landscapes and Seascapes in Watercolor with Charlotte Chastain
Tuesdays, November 12, 19 and December 3, 10, 10AM - 12PM (4 sessions)
$220 non members, $199 members
Submerge yourself into new watercolor techniques and receive individual feedback from the Instructor. Charlotte will
share composition tips, color mixing, and how to maintain true colors- darks and lights- with this less-forgiving medium.
Luxury Coach & Lights Tour SOLD OUT!
Friday, December 6, 4:00PM - 8:30PM
6000B Sawgrass Village Circle
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Silver Jewelry Making Workshop with Eve Huggins
Join Eve Huggins in a stacker ring workshop. Several types of funky and fancy sterling silver wires will be available to you to make up to 4
stacking rings that you can mix and match or give as a gift! You will not only make these beautiful rings, but gain confidence in basic silversmithing skills,
including designing, sizing, filing, soldering, and finishing.
Come join the fun and explore your creativity and develop a new skill.
During the class the following equipment is used: butane torch, pliers, sandpaper and or files, hammers, and citric acid.
Holiday Shoppes
November 16 and 17, 2024
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
6000B Sawgrass Village Circle
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Watch Holiday Shoppes Video on Facebook Here.
The Art Salon: Equestrian-Themed Presentation
Artists Ellen Diamond and Debbie Pounders will illuminate the history of the Artists' Salon with an emphasis on the subject matter of horses. Debbie will share some of her techniques and inspiration to represent horses in her subject matter.
Many artists, such as George Stubbs, Edgar Degas, Franz Marc have represented horses as a central theme throughout art history.
Enjoy watching contemporary artist Debbie Pounders demonstrate her painting one of her horse compositions.
Saturday, 10/26/24
Artist Presentation with Papercut Artist Hiromi Moneyhun
Friday, October 25, 10:00AM
$15 non members, $10 members
Hiromi Mizugai Moneyhun is a papercut artist. She was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan, the capital city for close to a thousand years before Tokyo. She moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2004. Hiromi has been written of in every major publication in the Jacksonville area, including the city’s largest newspaper, the Florida Times Union. She has been featured in Huffington Post and was the subject of one episode of a syndicated Japanese television show. Her work has appeared numerous times throughout Florida in group and solo shows, in New York City, London, and most significantly in Bentonville, Arkansas, in the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s 2014-15 show, State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now. Hiromi began drawing at a young age, and by her teen years had developed a style of her own. With no formal art training, she has evolved a unique, homegrown artistic voice that combines traditional Japanese visual art forms with the super-modernity that is now found in all of Japan’s biggest cities.
Hiromi’s three-dimensional cut paper pieces are the result of a multistep process that generates an art that is at once amusingly lighthearted and startlingly alive. Her pieces invite the viewer in; indeed, one feels compelled to reach out and touch the images. Like the works of all the great masters, Hiromi’s pieces are best appreciated when viewed in person. Join the presentation to learn more!
Acrylic Painting Series with Master Artist Ellen Diamond SOLD OUT
Master Artist Portrait Features Workshop - Oil Painting with Master Artist Christina Mastrangelo
Friday - Sunday, October 18, 19, 20, 2024, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
$370 non-members, $330 members
Rather than trying to paint an entire portrait, this workshop will focus on painting the eye, nose, and mouth after a master painter. We will paint one feature per canvas, to end up with a tiny trilogy of studied anatomy. This three-day workshop is pivotal for portrait artists and those wishing to explore the elements of painting that define the work of master painters. A guided examination of the master’s work will reveal much about palette choices and value structures and enable correct identification of colors and values as they relate to accuracy in color mixing. Students will examine the structure and anatomy of the eyes, nose, and mouth as portrayed by a master painter. Most importantly, students will learn to observe the subtle value shifts and edge variety that allow master portraits to look so powerfully realistic.
*Geared towards seasoned beginners through advanced*
Cultural History Presentation
Religious Vision for Natural Spaces:
Frederick Law Olmsted, Founder of American Landscape Architecture
Join us for an exciting lecture and refreshments in our new building
Friday, August 30, 10 AM - 11 AM
$15 non-members, $10 members
Presented by:
Brandi Denison, Ph.D.
Associate Professor | Program Director
Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies
University of North Florida
A Taste of Italy: Gourmet Experience (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, August 24, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
$120 non members, $99 members
Geometric Patterns from the Alhambra Palace: Drawing and Watercolor Painting with Dima Kroma
Saturday, August 3, 2024 10 AM - 12 PM
$50 non members, $40 members
Constructed during the 13th to 15th centuries, the Nasrid Palace of Alhambra stands as a testament to Islamic civilization's sophistication and its artistic achievements in Andalusia.
Join us in exploring the most distinctive surface patterns within this architectural marvel. We will study the intricate patterns and tessellations, guiding you through step-by-step drawings where math and art meet.
This workshop is designed for beginners, and the more experienced individuals seeking to refresh or develop their skills in Islamic Geometric Pattern design.
A Taste of Spain: Gourmet Experience (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, July 27, 2024 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
$120 non members, $99 members
Experience a Mediterranean Summer evening with our CEO, Donna Guzzo, who is Cuban and Spanish. Chef Charlotte Chastain will lead the tastings.
Enjoy creating and sampling delicious regional tapas, Malagueña salad, gazpacho, and dessert, each paired with Cava, Albariño and Rioja wines. It's a Spanish extravaganza, so wear your black, red, and yellow to this exclusive event!
Bring your aprons, and your appetite.
Only 10 spots are available for this culinary adventure!
Wine and Watercolors with Ellen Diamond (SOLD OUT)
May 8, 5-7 PM
$55 non members, $45 members
Sharpen Your Palette Knife Painting Skills with Jeff Desautels
Wednesdays, 10 AM - 12:30 PM
March 6- March 27 (4 sessions)
Intermediate level
$220 non members, $199 members
Wood Working Presentation with Norbert Ploetz
Saturday, March 16, 10:30AM - 12:30PM
Wood-working/wood-carving artist Norbert Ploetz presents an artistic demonstration from concept to process to completion in this exciting format,
surrounded by his current exhibit.
Acrylic Inks on Watercolor Canvas: A Unique Color Technique with Sandy Harrington
Friday, February 23, 10:00am-12:00pm
$55, $50 members
Post Impressionist Acrylic Painting with Master Artist Ellen Diamond SOLD OUT
February 10 and 11, Saturday and Sunday
10:00am - 3:00pm
First Coast Cultural Center
6000B Sawgrass Village Circle
Ponte Vedra Beach, 32082
Landscapes and Seascapes: Acrylic painting workshop inspired by Impressionist Masters,
Pissarro, van Gogh, and Monet with Charlotte Chastain
Friday and Saturday, January 26 and 27, 10:00am-3:00pm
First Coast Cultural Center
6000B Sawgrass Village Circle
Ponte Vedra Beach, 32082
$200
Art History Presentation Jacksonville and the Origins and History of American Art
Join us for an exciting lecture and refreshments in our new building
January 26, 10:00 am
Presented by:
P. Scott Brown, Ph.D.
Professor of Art History
Department of Art, Art History & Design
University of North Florida
First Coast Cultural Center
6000B Sawgrass Village Circle
Ponte Vedra Beach, 32082
$15 non-members, $10 members
Experimental Photo Transfer Workshop with Matthew Abercrombie
Saturday, November 4, 10 AM - 1 PM
$75
This workshop for ages 16 + will explore the experimental printmaking process of photo transfer. Participants can work with existing photos, photos from their phone or create all new images during the workshop. This is a mixed media process so be prepared to use water, paper, ink and a little bit of elbow grease. We will have fun making unique one of a kind pieces with a process that is perfect for those that "can't even draw a stick figure". Please bring old photos or photos on your phone and be ready to enjoy the process!
Pen and Ink Drawing and Watercolor Painting with Charlotte Chastain: Inspired by van Gogh
Tuesdays, 10 AM - 12 PM
October 3 - November 7 (6 sessions)
First Coast Cultural Center
$200
Friday - Sunday, 10 AM - 5 PM
October 13, 14, and 15
First Coast Cultural Center
$300
Whether you’re looking to explore, develop, or re-visit a hobby, meet new people, or enjoy a date night, we have classes for you. With a mix of stand-alone (one-time) classes and recurring series, keep up to date with our programs calendar throughout the year! We have classes and workshops on weekdays, evenings, and weekends to meet a variety of schedules and enhance your creative process.
Please note that we do not issue refunds to individuals who need to cancel after registering. In some instances, we may be able to transfer these fees to another program. Please contact the Director of Programs with any questions:
Please review our Program Policies before registering. If you are unsure about the status of your membership, please call 904-280-0614 ext. 1206. If you would like to become a member of First Coast Cultural Center, please visit membership. Supplies are not included unless otherwise noted. Our dedicated hotel sponsor, Hilton Garden Inn Jacksonville/Ponte Vedra, provides special room rates for First Coast Cultural Center workshop attendees, click here to learn more and book a room to use during your workshop.
These programs are sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
