After required schooling ends, adults have a myriad of opportunities to extend their studies in community
classrooms. When it’s time to create, at least two Oklahoma venues offer a hands-on “make it and take it” learning experience for grown-ups.
Nonprofit maker space Fab Lab has 2,500 locations around the world.
“The idea is that you take tools and resources that are normally reserved for people in higher education or in business, and you make them available to everyone as a community resource,” says Nathan Pritchett, Fab Lab Tulsa’s founding executive director. “Essentially, anyone can make anything.”
Pritchett sees scale-model artists working on miniature creations and artisans making parts for guitars. One student built a large loom to be used by a group of weavers simultaneously.
“I’m happy that people are rediscovering and having so much interest in that creative building aspect,” he says.
Instructor-led classes include gardening in spring, with a fall focus on producing Halloween costumes, holiday gifts and ornaments.
Adult participants span demographics.
“But they do share what we call the ‘maker mindset,’” says Pritchett. “They want to do things for themselves.”
He sees a trend in younger adults who missed out on build-and-repair shop classes in school.
“As a group, they’re very attentive and they’re very eager to learn. It feels like tools are new to them. It’s a little bit of a pushback against the digital world, a chance to use their hands and their spatial intelligence to build something. It goes back to the sense of pride and self-satisfaction from creating something physical and part of the world.”
In Oklahoma City, adults seeking artistic expression, or just plain old stress relief, flock to Studio School at the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center. Anna Cox, Studio School director, says the venue offers four- and eight-week classes as well as one-night workshops.
“Our workshops are beginner-friendly and offer fun activities like Date Night on the Wheel, reenacting the movie Ghost without the annoyance of your partner being murdered,” she jokes.
Classes include drawing, painting, printmaking, fiber arts, jewelry making, basic metalsmithing and creative writing (including a class called Britney Spears Wrote a Memoir and So Can You!).
“Our two most popular classes are Introduction to Ceramics and Sewing Fundamentals,” says Cox. “Sewing Fundamentals has a waitlist every term and ceramics is our flagship program.”
A hidden gem at the Studio School is a beats audio class called Vizionary Production Lab, taught by Grammy-nominated producer C.L. McCoy.
“Our current student base is made up of people of all walks of life and all ages,” says Cox. “Nobody has to come through the door with any kind of skill. We say, ‘Clay doesn’t care who you are.’ We remind people that failing…(‘Fail better! Fail often!’)…is an inherent part of the creative process. We strive to get people more comfortable with failure, because you can’t create anything without making mistakes. It’s called a creative process, not a creative perfect. It’s art school without the art school baggage.”
Both professionals agree that many adult students enjoy a sense of community as they learn and create.
“People want to feel like they’re part of something,” says Pritchett. “They like sharing their skills. They like sharing with others. It’s that sense of camaraderie that we don’t often find in our everyday lives.”
