The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center has been a fixture of the Frederick community since its founding in 1986. Since then it has expanded into one of the most vibrant and involved non-profit organizations in downtown Frederick – located inside the century-old Mountain City Mill along Carroll Creek, it’s just as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside! Delaplaine offers a wide variety of classes for all ages and experience levels, ranging from painting and drawing, to photography, woodworking and more.
Classes for Young and Old
The list of classes offered in Delaplaine for all age groups is exhaustive. Allen Bentley’s Landscape Drawing on Location class will take you through different locations in Frederick, allowing you enjoy the beautiful weather and truly appreciate the gorgeous scenery our little slice of the world has to offer. Or, if you’re looking for something a little more edgy, Glass Beadmaking with Debby Weaver will have you crafting intricate and beautiful beads by shaping molten glass over a searing hot torch. If you’re looking for something to keep the young ones busy and creatively engaged during the school ‘off-season’, there are plenty of options there, too. John Kachik teaches the fundamentals of watercolor painting in Watercolor Explorations, a class sure to get those right-brain synapses firing.
Week-long summer camps are also available for youth aged 6-16, on a rotating basis depending on time of year. Some of the themes include Southwestern Nations, in which children age 6-8 can explore the history and culture of Native American peoples while creating original pieces of two- and three-dimensional art; Mixed Media Party is a class for the slightly older 12-16 range, perfect for those social butterflies who like group work – students will learn to visually communicate humor by playing games that address color theory, clue interpretation and spontaneity. It should be cautioned that these unique classes are by reservation only, and tend to fill up fairly quick – so take a look at the schedule here, and if you see any classes that look like they might be right for you, get ‘em while they’re hot!
Creative Outlet Drop-In Art Activities
Interested in exploring your creative side, but unsure about committing yourself to a longer class? Delaplaine’s still got you covered! The Creative Outlet is a program that runs on the first Saturday of every month. It’s much more ‘free-flowing’ in its conception than the more rigidly-structured classes – each month zeroes in on a specific cultural theme, and offers a wide variety of activities in different mediums. The focus tends to be more on children’s activities, but there is enough there to make sure attendees of all ages are kept entertained. For details on the schedule, and to learn which themes are being explored in the coming months, take a look at the Delaplaine website directly.
If you aren’t as artistically inclined yourself, and don’t have an interest in learning, Delaplaine also puts on exhibits that rotate regularly – so you can still dust off the old beret and black turtle neck make an afternoon out of standing around and pretending to understand art with your friends – truly, something for everyone!