Learn some classic belly dance movements to traditional music. Follow the leader for warm-up, isolations and drills, then try out the movements in improvisational dance in your personal style. Wear soft, stretch clothing or belly dance clothes if you have them.

 Donna Barrett teaches community belly dance classes at Columbia-Greene Community College. She has performed recently with the Hudson Festival Orchestra for Hudson in Concert, in the Hips of the Hudson show in Poughkeepsie, and at the Midtown Kingston Arts District benefit in Kingston.

Free! Suitable for ages 12+

This program is made possible by ACC’s community partners, Operation Unite New York.

Join Chantal Van-Wierts for a morning of arts, crafts, and shadow puppet play—perfect for all ages! Get creative, make something magical, and bring stories to life through light and shadow.

Summer Rec is back! From July 7 to August 8, kids in 1st through 6th grade are invited to join us at E.J. Arthur Elementary School (51 3rd Street, Athens) for fun mornings filled with games, outdoor play, and arts and crafts. Organized and hosted by the Village of Athens, this free drop-in program runs Monday through Friday from 9 AM to noon—no registration needed! 6th–9th graders are welcome to join as Counselors in Training. The Coxsackie-Athens School District provides breakfast and lunch, and the Athens Cultural Center is proud to support with special programming!

For more information, email: Summerrec2024@gmail.com.

Bring a partner and create wonderful memories along with a unique work of art. Join local artist, Tracy Loring, as she guides you through a process using various types of media to create a special painting that reflects both of you. You'll each start and finish your work but swap with your partner in between so both of you will contribute to each piece!

Materials included. Admission includes material fee.

All ages and pairs welcome!
Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Pop into ACC during the Athens Street Festival to join Chantal Van-Wierts for free collage fun, making life-like & magical make-believe critters.

All ages welcome!

Join singer-songwriters Elly Wininger and Lydia Adams Davis for two lively 45-minute sessions of songs, stories, and puppetry! Sing along, move, and laugh with this interactive musical performance — perfect for all ages!

Summer Rec is back! From July 7 to August 8, kids in 1st through 6th grade are invited to join us at E.J. Arthur Elementary School (51 3rd Street, Athens) for fun mornings filled with games, outdoor play, and arts and crafts. Organized and hosted by the Village of Athens, this free drop-in program runs Monday through Friday from 9 AM to noon—no registration needed! 6th–9th graders are welcome to join as Counselors in Training. The Coxsackie-Athens School District provides breakfast and lunch, and the Athens Cultural Center is proud to support with special programming!

For more information, email: Summerrec2024@gmail.com.

Learn how to craft your own unique collage journal from internationally renowned artist Ruby Silvious! Participants are welcome to bring their own images to collage or ephemera embellishments.

Materials provided
Adults (18+) $20 (includes $5 material fee)

A travel sketchbook is a great way to capture the beauty of your adventures. It helps you slow down and truly take in the charm of the places you visit. In this workshop, Ottavia will guide you step-by-step to create a watercolor and pen sketch of a lighthouse and coastal landscape using a reference photo, starting from the basic design in pencil, drawing the ink outlines, to the final stage working with watercolors!

Youth 15-17: Free!
Adults 18+: $15

Materials not included, see supply list below.

Supply list:

- A watercolor sketchbook (I usually use a smaller travel sketchbook 5x7” or 6x8") or watercolor papers (Bockingford, Strathmore 400 series, or any brand that you are comfortable with). NOTE: find ones with at least 300gsm/140lb to prevent paper from buckling

- A pencil

- An eraser

- A waterproof pen (I usually use Unipin fineliner 0.1 black). Micron 03 will work too.

- Watercolor brushes (small 2-6 or medium 8-12, or any size(s) that you usually work with). I love using water brushes (size M and L)

- A palette for color mixing

- Watercolor set - you can use either the 12-color tube set or half-pan set- (I usually use a Cotman half-pan set)

- A container (for the water), a rag/piece of cloth, paper towels

Join Jeff from The Bees Knees, a veteran-owned business based in Athens, NY, for a live honey extraction experience at ACC! Watch as fresh frames of honey are spun into liquid gold, ready for taste-testing and bottling. This one-hour workshop is perfect for curious minds of all ages!

Honey will be available for purchase!

Youth (17 & Under) Free!
Adults 18+ $15

Celebrate Athens Community Day with us at Riverfront Park, 10am-4pm, where we’ll offer free, hands-on arts and crafts activities for all ages. While you're in town, stop by the Athens Cultural Center to experience Material Girl—a vibrant exhibition that explores the expressive possibilities of paint as a physical material. At 5:00pm join us back at ACC for a Honey Extraction Workshop led by Jeff with The Bees Knees where you’ll be able to taste-test and take-home locally sourced honey!

Enjoy our activities at Riverfront Park and admission to see Material Girl at no cost!
Registration required for the Honey Extraction Workshop - Register soon!

Join us for Toddler Time at the Athens Community Farm! Little ones will explore how vegetables grow with help from the farm’s amazing volunteers, then enjoy hands-on fun with garden-themed crafts.

Athens Community Farm is located at
39 Third Street, Athens, New York 12015
(right behind the Athens Volunteer Fire Department)

Participants will learn to create accordion books, exploring the unique structure and its creative possibilities for storytelling, collage, and other artistic expressions. Suitable for all skill levels. Cardstock and assorted printed papers, glue and scissors will be supplied.

Materials list: X-Acto knife and ruler

Youth 15+ Free!
Adults 18+ $15

Join Elly Wininger for a free family event packed with sing-alongs, dance, movement and fun for all ages!

Inspired by the beauty of nature, participants will create small, mysterious paintings of wildflowers—both rare and common—in the style of British painter Melanie Miller. Using water-based media on circular wooden panels, each piece will become a delicate, precious tribute to the fleeting beauty of native flora.

AGES 15+

Youth Admission Free (15+)
Adult Admission (18+) $20 (includes $5 material fee)

*All materials included.

Discover the art of one-of-a-kind monoprints with Materials Specialist Celia Buchanan. Using gel plates and acrylic paints, you'll explore a spontaneous and expressive process that blends printmaking, painting, and drawing into a single dynamic technique. Perfect for all skill levels, this hands-on workshop encourages creative experimentation and layered compositions.

Ages 15+
*All materials included

Participants are encouraged to bring non-precious items to experiment with such as: old jewelry, textured fabrics, fresh botanical elements or stencils.

Youth Admission (15+) Free
Adult Admission (18+) $20 (includes $5 material fee)

Using prompts ranging from the mundane to the completely nonsensical and bizarre, we will attempt to break through mental barriers to write from our intuition and imagination. There is no end result, but only the possible beginnings of a new poem, novel, play, etc. Come prepared to surprise yourself.

Welcome new instructor Seth McNeill!

Adults 18+ $15

Join Monika Zarzeczna and Sara Pruiksma for a free family event inspired by Margaret's Unicorn a book by Briony May Smith! Children will create a unicorn of their own to bring home!

Join Kate Brittenham of Front Stoop Gardens for a three-hour workshop on designing landscapes using ecological principles and native plant species. Learn how to create resilient, biodiverse, and low-maintenance landscapes that support local ecosystems.

Participants will explore native plant selection with the help of curated handouts and guidance on choosing species suited to specific site conditions. The workshop includes hands-on design exercises, such as sketching scaled landscape plans to map plant spacing, structure, and layering. Through interactive activities, you'll learn how to tailor your design to factors like sunlight, soil type, and water availability.

This one-hour lecture, followed by a two-hour hands-on workshop will equip you with the skills to create a beautiful, functional landscape that thrives naturally.

AGES 15+

Youth Admission (15+) FREE
Adult Admission (18+) $15

Participants may bring their own colored pencils, tracing paper, drawing pencils and erasers, or use materials provided.

Participants are strongly encouraged to bring a drafting scale and circle templates (a limited number will be available for participant use).

Photo by Pacilli Photography

Award-winning graphic novelist Ira Marcks will lead a day of workshops on Friday, April 4th, presenting the art of comics and cartooning at Coxsackie-Athens High School. Students across 9th-12th grades will participate in an in-depth presentation and drawing exercises gaining a strong foundation in visual storytelling.

Sponsored by the Athens Cultural Center with funds from the Milton and Sally Avery Foundation for the Arts, the Athens Community Foundation, the Greene County Youth Bureau, and ACC members.

Join local viticulturist and author J. Stephen Casscles, Esq. for an engaging talk on grape varieties bred in the 19th and 20th centuries in the Hudson Valley and the region’s rich history of grape growing and winemaking.

Stephen’s work in Athens, NY, involves cultivating and evaluating over 85 different grape varieties to determine which are the hardiest and can thrive with fewer pesticides and insecticides than most commercially grown varieties. As climate change brings warmer, wetter conditions and more extreme weather events—including floods, droughts, and unseasonable frosts—his research aims to identify sustainable, economically viable grape varieties for the future.

During the talk, we’ll sample and discuss wines made from these locally bred Heritage grape varieties. Afterward, Stephen will be available to sign copies of his book, Grapes of the Hudson Valley, which details over 200 grape varieties that can be grown sustainably in the region while producing high-quality wine.

Non-Member Admission (21+) $15
Member Admission (21+) $13.50

Join Monika Zarzeczna and Sara Pruiksma for a free family event inspired by Caldecott Honor-winning children's book Swimmy by Leo Lionni! Children will create a large underwater seascape using watercolor, tempera paint and stamp techniques!

Join artist Ruby Silvious for a hands-on workshop where you'll craft a one-of-a-kind paper bouquet— to keep or surprise someone special!

All materials included. Participants are encouraged to bring their own specialty papers to personalize their bouquet. Note: thin, flexible papers work best!

Youth Admission Free (12+) *Must attend with adult
Adult Admission (18+) $20 (includes $5 material fee)

Join Elly Wininger and Sara Pruiksma for a free family event featuring sing-alongs, storytime, and Valentine’s Day arts and crafts! Fun for all ages!

Welcome new instructor, Elly Wininger!

A free workshop for all ages!

Join us for family fun making holiday cottages! See your cottages on display during the Victorian Stroll on December 14 inside the Athens Cultural Center!

All materials provided.
Children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult.

Join ACC at the Athens American Legion for a fun, all-ages workshop where you'll create custom felt flag ornaments. Drop in at any time, stay as long as you'd like, and enjoy drinks and cake after 3pm!

Perfect for individuals and families. All materials provided.

FREE FOR ALL AGES!

Join internationally acclaimed artist Ruby Silvious for a fun workshop where you'll learn to create miniature paintings using watercolor and gouache on used tea bags! Her innovative approach has been featured in outlets like CNN Travel, Vogue Italia, and National Geographic Kids. 

A workshop where you might just make a one-of-a-kind gift as we enter the holiday season!

Notes: All supplies included. Ages 9+

Come experience the joy of movement! Bring your zest for life, find your rhythm and express your unique personality. Move with confidence in our body-positive, safe, welcoming space. Please wear comfortable shoes and loose-fitting clothing for easy movement.

This is an all ages, family-friendly event!

Join artist Sara Pruiksma in the Village of Athens at historic Mt. Hope Cemetery for a hands-on, creative experience. Discover the fascinating art of stone rubbing as you capture intricate gravestone details, preserving pieces of history on paper while enjoying the outdoors. Come ready to explore, create, and connect with the past in a truly unique way!

No experience necessary, and all materials are provided. Feel free to bring a chair or kneeling pad for comfort, and be sure to dress for the weather.
All ages.