Create Pokémon-inspired art, including designing your own characters and crafting Pokéballs.

Collaborative Printmaking with Jim Sherraden

July 26 | 1-5pm | $55

Color and contrast and balance of design will be the words on our tongue as we welcome you to a four hour letterpress workshop hosted by Jim Sherraden, a Salina native and longtime letterpress enthusiast, residing in Nashville, Tennessee. Sherraden will bring multiple, odd shaped pieces of linoleum, with a 'pre drawn' series of circles' connecting each piece of linoleum. The attendee will then have one hour to pick a linoleum segment, and carve anything they want...at the end of the 'carving' time, all the linoleum pieces will be reassembled and hand inked (by attendees, of course), until everyone has something to take home.

The Salina Art Center and Smoky Hill River Festival brings back Salina native Jim Sherraden, a notorious printmaker who for decades was the master printer at Hatch Show Print in Nashville Tennessee. After decades of printing posters and other designs for big names and the masses, Jim began exploring his own artistic career. In these years since, he had created many influential works shown in places like the Library of Congress, as well as, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. 

Jim's personal style of work started as a fascination with using blocks from previous posters printed at the Hatch to showcase new designs. In 2005 he began carving his own wood blocks and uses them to design his current work which he describes as paper quilts. Using the bright colors that the Hatch is known for along with his collage work, Jim has turned his long love for printmaking into something that is truly unique. 

To catch a glimpse of Jim Sherraden’s work and talk to him yourself stop by both the Art Center for his Pop-Up Exhibition and artists talk, as well as his workshop at the Art Center Warehouse.

Dive into the world of storytelling! In this course, you’ll learn how to turn your ideas into fun comics and stories. We'll explore how storytelling works in comics, breaking down what makes a good story and how to combine words with pictures.

Explore watercolor techniques like wet-on-wet, dry brush, and resist while creating a variety of paintings.

We are joining the K Pop craze! We will be creating cool art inspired by the popular movie K Pop Demon Hunters.

Turn everyday materials into handmade sketchbooks while exploring journaling, collage, and creativity.

Come join the fun as we explore space and create some out of this world art!

This class would be focused on learning techniques for upcycling clothing and expressing oneself through one's wardrobe. Techniques covered:
- Tie dye
- Bleach dye/Reverse dye
- Hand stitching/embroidery/beading
- Cutting, braiding, and bedazzling

Ever wonder what lives in the deep, dark ocean? Come stretch your imagination and create some spooky or fun sea monsters!

Join Biennial Artist, Aaron Crim, as he shows you basic drawing concepts applied to portraiture, under drawing, and finishing the piece. Charcoal, soft pastels, pencils, and more will be used to create a dynamic portrait.

Bring stories to life, one puppet at a time! Students will explore storytelling by designing and building their own puppets and characters. Using materials like paper, cardboard, and papier-mâché, they’ll create articulated paper puppets, shadow puppets, 3D cardboard self-portrait puppets, and potted plant paper lanterns.

It’s the pirate life for me! We will have fun creating some pirate inspired art including a pirate ship, treasure map, and treasure chest. Join the fun or walk the plank!

Practice hand stitching while creating a book cover and small books.

Get ready to roll, press, stamp, and experiment! In Printmaking Playground, young artists will enter the exciting world of printmaking. From carving designs to layering textures and patterns, students will explore a variety of techniques inspired by animals, insects, and the world around them. By the end of the week, students will take home a vibrant collection of prints and a final artwork that showcases their imagination and growth.

Create art using Sharpies on a variety of fun, usable items.

Come create some fun art for your yard so cute your neighbors will want some! We will create a gnome, a bird feeder/decoration, a wind chime and a painted brick for your yard.

Students will be learning to create their own characters in various styles. Anime, caricatures, and other cartoons will be used for inspiration. They will get a better understanding of the different ways that characters can be drawn.

Learn three basic macramé knots while creating a small plant hanger—perfect for beginners!

Come enjoy exploring science and art! We will combine art and science to create art with magnets, marbles, balloons, fizzy paint, and more!

Join us for Brunch with this year’s Juror of the Mountain Plains Contemporary Art Biennial, Hesse McGraw.

FIRST FRIDAY | OPENING RECEPTION & AWARDS
JUNE 5 | 5-7pm | 5:30pm Brief Award Presentation
FREE & OPEN TO EVERYONE

The Mountain Plains Contemporary Art Biennial is a juried exhibition highlighting contemporary visual art from the Mountain-Plains region of the United States.

This year features 102 works from 62 artists, representing Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.

The Salina Art Center is hosting a pop-up exhibition featuring the artwork of Dr. Virginia Ricard, inspired by the legacy of the Dunbar School as both a physical space and a cultural cornerstone. Once a center of learning during an era of segregation, the school stands as a powerful symbol of perseverance, intellectual ambition, and collective identity.