DAC Art Classes & Workshops

Please Note:

In the event that classes are canceled because of unforseen circumstances or low attendance, all students who signed up will receive a full refund and be notified by email. Please be aware that unless specified, all our classes are for adults (18 years of age or older) and may be unsuitable for children.

For classes in textile art, weaving, soap-making, fabric dying and more, offered by our creative partners, Hawaii Handweavers’ Hui, visit hawaiihandweavers.org!

Weekly Sessions at DAC

Monday Night Life Drawing Group (Weekly, 2025)

DAC is pleased to host the revival of Monday Night Life Drawing Group, a weekly artist-run uninstructed drawing session with live models, music, and a great collaborative, creative atmosphere.
All artists are asked to bring all their own equipment and supplies. Seating is primarily at tables.
Facilitator: Jared Wickware
Mondays, 6 - 8:30 p.m.
Tuition: $15 per session online, $20 at the door
Limit 25 people.

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Tuesday Portrait Sessions (Weekly, 2025)

The Tuesday Portrait Drawing Group is a weekly, artist-run, uninstructed drawing session with live models, a supportive group of artists and plenty of creative spirit! Artists are asked to bring their own equipment and supplies. DAC provides tables and chairs, but artists may bring their own easels. The focus of this group session is on capturing the portrait of the clothed model, who will be maintaining the pose for 2.5 hours (with breaks).
Facilitator: Alla Parsons
Tuesdays from 1-3:30 PM weekly
Tuition: Tuition: $15 per session online, $20 at the door

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Making Art for Art's Sake (Saturdays, 2025)

Let your creative spark loose. Release your INNER ARTIST! Come play, and make art with an open mind, free spirit, and sense of fun - for its own sake.
In our weekly one-off make & take art workshops, taught by various DAC teaching artists, students will be given a new project designed to stimulate creativity and learn new art-making techniques in various media.

Instructor: Various
Every Saturday from 1:30-3:30 p.m.
Ages: Adults 18+ (or 16+ accompanied by a parent or guardian)
Tuition: $20 (all materials included)
--- MARCH ---
3/1 - Marvea Johnson - Mixed Media
3/8 - FREE Marble Painting
3/15 - CANCELLED DUE TO PRIVATE EVENT
3/22 - Marvea Johnson - Mixed Media Zentangle
3/29 - Cathy Gleason - Marble Painting
—-APRIL—-
4/5 - (Kilikina) Woodworking/Pyrography
4/12 - NO CLASS due to HEART of Honolulu Festival - FREE Make & Take workshops on the street and in Studio 1C!
4/19 - CANCELLED DUE TO POWER OUTAGE
4/26 - Hope Hamada ( Is it a book? Is it a box?)
- - -
For questions or cancellations, please email classes@downtownarthi.org.

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Art Classes & Workshops

Color Power in Fauvism, Part 3 with Marina Borovok (March 2025)

Make your own acrylic art inspired by the Fauvism Art movement! Paint a still life with outrageously vibrant colors full of joy and excitement. Fauvism is a 20th century movement known for expressive use of color in painting. Works by Maurice de Vlaminck and Henry Matisse will be reviewed in class.
Instructor: Marina Borovok
4 sessions: Wednesdays, 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Dates: 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26
Class Cost: $120 per person

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HEART Festival Wearable Art Playshops with Patricia Brubaker (Mar-Apr 2025)

This year's HEART of Honolulu Street Festival on Saturday, April 12, 2025 will feature the return of the popular HeART STRUT, with the theme of Chinese Zodiac. At 12 p.m. on April 12 (gather at 11:30 a.m. at the HeART STRUT tent), everyone is invited to strut their stuff as we wend our way around the Festival on Nuuanu Avenue.
Prepare with our Drop-In PLAYSHOPS!
For four weekends prior to the festival, Patricia Brubaker will facilitate Playshops to prepare for our Strut. Each participant will create their own fantastical headdress of an animal from the Chinese Zodiac (Snake, Horse, Rat, Dog, Monkey, etc.) Supplies and materials (recycled) will be provided. When complete, the headdresses will be displayed in a gallery space on the first floor of Chinatown Gateway Plaza until the festival on April 12. Don't miss this opportunity to create your own wearable work of art and then participate in a parade with it!
*Please note: These playshops are done in a "drop-in" format for participant convenience. It will take an average of 2 hours to complete a project, so please plan to arrive no later than 2 p.m.
Instructor: Patricia Brubaker
4 one-time sessions: Saturdays, March 15, 22, and 29; April 5 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Class Cost: $10 per person, per session
Ages: 8+; children must be accompanied by an adult

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Intermediate Watercolor with Dwayne Adams (April-May 2025)

Dwayne Adams' watercolor class is for intermediate-level students with watercolor or brushwork experience. It consists of six sessions, five at the Downtown Art Center and one plein air session nearby. The course covers composition, brushwork, perspective, plein air techniques, and Renaissance concepts.
Students should bring a watercolor brush set (including a mop, #12 oval or round, and a fine brush) and tube paints in primary colors. Kits are available for purchase below.
Instructor: Dwayne Adams
6 sessions: Sundays
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Dates: 4/6, 4/13, 4/20, 4/27, 5/4, 5/11
Class Cost: $240 per person
Ages: 16+

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Simple Sketch & Watercolor Basics with Michelle Dolan (April-May 2025)

This class introduces students to fundamental art techniques and principles, beginning with an exploration of materials and the elements of design. Students will learn about composition through principles like the rule of thirds and the golden ratio before applying these concepts to still life and landscape projects.
Each person signed up for the first session in April will receive a sketchbook and travel watercolor kit. Supplies/tools will be provided for use in class but, please feel free to bring your own or wait until after your first lesson to purchase. For your convenience, DAC also offers watercolor kits for sale HERE.
Instructor: Michelle Dolan
5 sessions: Thursdays Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Dates: 4/24, 5/1, 5/8, 5/15, 5/22
Class cost: $150 per person
Ages: 18+

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Mini-Book of Zen with Hope Hamada (May 2025)

In this 2-day class (3 hours per day), we’ll make prints using the Zen art form of Suminagashi (‘floating ink”). The prints will then be placed in mini frames and bound into a book using a no sew binding.
Teacher: Hope Hamada, P.E., M.B.A. (Paper Engineer, Mini Book Artist)
2 sessions: Saturdays 9:00am - 12:00pm
Dates: 5/10 & 5/17
Class Cost: $100.00 per person
Ages: 18+

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