New classes for the first half of September are beginning at the Workspace at the Memorial Union this week.

Nearly 50 classes will be offered this semester at the Workspace including painting, pottery, jewelry and metalsmithing, wood shop, dance and more.

The classes offered at the Workspace are taught by undergraduate and graduate students, community members and professional artists.

“We have a ceramic studio, woodshop, area for painting and drawing, jewelry and metalsmithing studio and a mat cutter,” said Letitia Kenemer, coordinator of the Workspace. “We are open to students as well as the community. You just have to be 16 years or older to use the space.”

The cost for classes ranges from $10 to $120, depending on the duration of the course and the materials being used. Students and community members are provided with supplies when they come to a Workspace class.

The Workspace can provide the material to use, and the space is open to those who choose to use it; however, it is not available during times when classes are scheduled, Kenemer said. 

One class offered is on glass beads. Rhonda Scott will be teaching students how to make glass beads using a technique called lampworking.

“[Students] take rods of glass and heat them with a torch, and as the glass melts you wound it around mandrel and that is how you make the beads,” Scott said.

Another class being offered is metalsmithing, which is taught by Terrie Hoefer. Students will learn the basic technique of metalsmithing.

“[Students] learn how to saw with a jewelry saw, file, sand, use the tools, hammering technique and riveting,” Hoefer said. “They have to learn how to drill holes into metal by using saws, files, drills, hammers and then the torch.”

The instructors teach the techniques but also inform students of where to get the supplies the Workspace provides or where to find good websites to learn more techniques.

There are also ways to use the Workspace and not have a big commitment to a class that can be up to six weeks long.

“On Fridays, we have a ‘Paint your own Pottery’ night from 5 to 8 p.m.,” Kenemer said. “You pay the studio fee and use a piece of bisque, paint it, let us fire it again, and you get to pick it up in a week.”

The Workspace is also offering monthly craft specials this year.

In September, the Workspace is offering Scrabble-tile necklace or magnet kits that include supplies and direction to create a necklace or magnet. The cost for each kit is just $6. Students can stop in the Workspace during its open hours and pick up a kit.

If students enjoy spinning pottery but do not have a pottery wheel in their dorm or apartment, the Workspace can offer a wheel for a daily fee, or they may purchase a semester pass for $30.

The Workspace is located in the basement of the Memorial Union.