This is a full list of our upcoming events and workshop series, as well as an archive of our past events.
If you have a workshop offering you would like to put on, please email us at alterartssociety@gmail.com to arrange an art workshop in our makerspace.
You can also follow us on our Facebook Page or Instagram.
Events at the Art Hub
Upcoming Weekly Activities & Events
Join us during our open Drop In Hours, or join us at a community event.
Entry fees help to cover the cost of supplies, payments for instructors, overhead, and insurance for the organization.
If you love what we do, please consider becoming a Patron of the Arts with
a recurring donation to the Community Art Hub
Spring Workshop Circuit - Silverfish Skool of Cool Comix!
Sunday March 30th from 2-5pm.
Do you wanna learn comics?
Do you live in or around the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən or W̱SÁNEĆ peoples?
Then come on down to the the first ever Spring Workshop Circuit of the brandly newly established Silverfish Skool of Cool Comix!
Sunday, March 30th from 2-5pm we’ll be in the Community Art Hub in the basement of the Quadra Community Centre- it will be a day of guided exercises taking you through all the different acts of writing, drawing, and layout which make up the awesome art of cartooning!
Wednesday, April 30th from 6-8 we’ll be at Camas Books- it will be a PowerPoint lecture on the fundamentals of comics: the craft and ideas that go into designing a page or laying out a panel (and all the other bits of comic-making) will be demystified and broken down into simple language and easily applicable concepts to arm you to make comic galore!
Friday, May 30th from 2-5pm we’ll be at the Central Library branch, downtown- it will be a day to bring in your sketchbooks, notes, and other materials to cutout, scan, and collage together to make your very own zine capsule of the whole course- both scanning and printing is free at the library and the whole process (including the method of formatting) will be guided!
But who even are these people?
Well the one who wrote this is @fin.cmx and they will be the one yapping and guiding all the classes! alongside them, making the lecture materials and maybe yapping for one class too, is the amazing @aaronleflercomix and maybe even another person will be there one of the days also…
There will be a max capacity of 15 people, so sign up quick by sending an email to silverfishcomics@gmail.com! Only care about one class or can’t make them all? Don’t freaking worry! And remember, it’s all free!
Still have unanswered questions?
Shoot an email to silverfishcomics@gmail.com
And while you’re emailing… join join join!!
And lastly, a big shoutout to the Neighbourhood Small Grants committee who made this possible with a $500 grant and application process so simple a little bug could do it!
Spring Break 2025
March 18th to March 27th
Spring Break for School District 61 is coming up at the end of March and we have a whole set of art activities planned!
The Community Art Hub is a communal art resource centre. We charge a suggested donation of $2 for kids under 12 and $5 for youth and adults to access all of our art supplies and tools! (Different rate for the leather ear making workshop - $10 per person due to cost of leather)
*We are not a child minding facility and all kids 12 and under need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian/sibling that is 12 or older.
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We will also be hosting the following activities:1) Tuesday March 18th from 1-3pm: Stamp your own Spring Indigenous design with Andrea Fritz
Andrea Fritz is a Coast Salish artist and author from the Lyackson First Nation of the Hul’qumi’num speaking Peoples on the West Coast of Canada. We will be learning how to use Indigenous designs to stamp our own beautiful Spring scenescapes.
2) Thursday March 20th from 10:00am to 12:00pm: "Spinning Wheel of the Year"
Zamira will be leading us in a Spring Equinox activity where we will make spinning wheels out of paper plates to represent the changing seasons.
3) Tuesday March 25th from 1-3pm: Rainbow Suncatchers
Zamira will be leading us in a collage activity where we will be using tissue paper to create brilliant ROYGBIC coloured rainbow suncatchers to place in the window.
4) Thurs March 27th from 3-5pm: Leather Elf Ears
($10 per participant)
Please join us on Thursday afternoon as Andrea Russel leads us in a leather elf ear making workshop! We will be forming pieces of scrap leather using water and our fingers to mold wearable elf ears. Participants will take their elf ears home to dry over night and you can come back to the Art Hub during our drop in hours to paint the ears with acrylic paint!
_____________________________________________________The space is located on the ground floor and is accessible by wheelchair. There is a baby change table in the washrooms and there is ample street parking.
You can find more information on accessibility on our website here: https://www.alterarts.ca/accessibility
If you have any questions please feel free to email us at alterartssociety@gmail.com
Learn to Sew: Toss Cushions
Wednesday April 2nd from 6-8pm
We will be spending two hours together to learn the basics of how to sew a cover for a toss or couch cushion. The workshop will take place at the Community Art Hub located in the basement of the Quadra Village Community Centre (901 Kings Rd)
$10 per participant payable by e-transfer to alterartssociety@gmail.com
There is only space for 6 participants so please e-transfer to secure your spot. If you aren't able to e-transfer, email us at alterartssociety@gmail.com to confirm your spot in the workshop and to confirm an alternate form of payment.
We will update this description event if and when we fill the spots for the workshop. If there is enough demand we will run this workshop again in the Spring.
Participants are encouraged to please bring your own sewing machine as we only have one at the Art Hub. Participants are also asked to please bring your own fabric for the workshop. We will provide the inserts for the pillows and we will be making the covers in the workshop.
Fabric Dimensions:
1) Front Piece: 17 inches x 17 inches
2) Back Piece A: 17"x17"
3) Back Piece B: 17"x17.5"If you are able to bring sewing notions (thread, scissors and pins) that would be helpful, we also have a lot of sewing supplies at the Art Hub.
No one will be turned away for lack of funds, not having a machine or fabric. Please send us an email if you need support to participate in this workshop.
Past Events
Sewing Drop in Sessions @ The Community Art Hub
November 20th from 6-8pm
Got a sewing project you've started and now you're stuck? Need some inspiration to pick up that old project? This is the space for you. We have the privilege of hosting expert sewing volunteers available to lend a helping hand with all your sewing project questions.
Please join us every other Wednesday for our Drop In Sewing Meetup from 6 to 8pm starting Sept 11 and Sept 25th
Suggested donation of $5 for access to the space, sewing supplies and volunteer's expert advice.
Please BYO sewing machine and notions if you are able. We have one Brother Sewing machine and one 4 Thread Serger available for use but the more machines the better. There is also a Brother NQ1700E embroidery machine, some notions, an ironing board and an iron available for use.
Hallowen Costume Making
October 23rd from 6-8pm
Got a Halloween Costume you are working on and need a hand?
Please join us every other Wednesday for our Drop In Sewing Meetup from 6 to 8pm starting Sept 11 and Sept 25th
Suggested donation of $5 for access to the space, sewing supplies and volunteer's expert advice.
Please BYO Glue sticks, sewing machine and notions if you are able. We have one Brother Sewing machine and one 4 Thread Serger available for use but the more machines the better. There is also a Brother NQ1700E embroidery machine, some notions, an ironing board and an iron available for use.
Leather Mask Making with Muse Masks
October 21st from 5-8pm *Date Changed*
Learn to make your own natural leather mask with Muse Masks! In this 3 and a half hour class we will cut and sculpt vegetable tanned leather using a traditional water hardening technique. You can design your own mask, or use one of the many templates provided.
Pre-registration required: https://forms.gle/QbNv2TB4Xf4fbHph6
Upon completion of the pre-registration you will be given the email to send payment for the workshop. This 3 hour workshop is $85 and includes all materials you will need. Payment by e-transfer.
This workshop is suitable for ages 13 and up.
10 person maximum, we will close the registration when the class is full.
This class is for medium size masks - imagine something about the size of your face or smaller, horns are okay though! You will leave the class with a beautiful (or creepy!) unpainted natural leather mask, and instructions on how to paint dye or collage it later at home if you wish.
All materials will be provided. All you need to bring is your creativity, and a pair of sharp scissors suitable for cutting fabric/leather. Any regular size scissors that are reasonably sharp will do.
Please note — Pre registration is required.
Sewing Drop in Series
Every other Tuesday evening - will resume in September
Got a sewing project you've started and now you're stuck? Need some inspiration to pick up that old project? This is the space for you. We have the privilege of hosting expert sewing volunteers available to lend a helping hand with all your sewing project questions.
Please join us every other Tuesday for our Drop In Sewing Meetup from 5 to 8pm. Suggested donation of $5 for access to the space, sewing supplies and volunteer's expert advice.
Please BYO sewing machine and notions if you are able. We have one Brother Sewing machine and one 4 Thread Serger available for use but the more machines the better. There is also a Brother NQ1700E embroidery machine, some notions, an ironing board and an iron available for use.
Tuesday June 11 we will be learning how to make a zipper pouch with Ann!
Tuesday June 25th is a drop in and is an opportunities for folks to get together with a project you are working on and to get help when you're stuck. It is welcome to more experienced sewers seeking some community while working on a project, or if you want to volunteer to contribute your well earned experience to guiding others. This is a community event, so we want to foster an environment of community support for fibre arts.
DIY Patches: A two part workshop
Thursday April 25th and Friday April 26th from 5-8pm
We are so pleased to announce our DIY Patches workshop in a two part series!
Part 1: Embroidery Machine with Jane Low Thursday April 25 from 5 to 8pm.
The first part of this workshop we will gather with Jane and learn how to use the embroidery machine for our patches. We will be using the Brother NQ1700E Embroidery Machine.
This is the machine we will be learning: https://www.brother.ca/en/p/NQ1700E
Participation will cost $5, payable by cash or card on site. We will learn how to thread the machine, how to set up our chosen designs from the machine, and how to use stabilizers with our materials to get the best results. Every participant will go home with an individual patch with either their monogram or a very simple design that is pre-programmed in the Embroidery Machine.
The purpose of this workshop is to learn the mechanics of the embroidery machine and to the fundamentals of how to make a patch. This is also an ideal workshop for anyone that missed our Embroidery machine look and learn demo in the fall.
Part 2: Custom Patches with InkStitch Software Lesson with Cameron Friday April 26th from 5-8pm.
Cameron will be teaching us how to use the Ink Stitch software which is free and downloadable via their website. This is the tool needed to make custom patches because the embroidery machine can only read .PES files.
Lamp Conversion Workshop
Saturday April 27th from 10am to 4pm
"The light of the lamps illuminates the liminal space between silliness and reverence, community building and self exploration, and the differences that make us unique and the similarities that bring us together." - Lamplit Art Society
You've seen them around at local events and functions, these surreal and beautiful lamps decorating the oddest of spaces and sparking the silliest of conversations. Have you ever dreamed of becoming a Lamp Caretaker? Well this is your chance! We are so excited to partner with Lamplit Art Society to bring our community a full day intensive Lamp Workshop.
Saturday April 27th from 10am to 4pm we will be hosting a Lamp Conversion Workshop at the Community Art Hub located at 901 Kings St at the back of the Quadra Village Community Center.
*Registration, lamp approval, and battery pack required*
Making these beautiful lamps is more complicated than it may seem at first glance, so we must limit how many participants are able to join us to make sure we are able to complete our lamp projects from start to finish. Advanced registration is required, with a maximum capacity of 12 participants for our full day of lamp making. Participants also need to supply their own lamp and battery pack that meets the Lamp Requirements.
More information about the event registration and Lamp requirements is available via the Eventbrite link here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/865872908177?aff=oddtdtcreator
