Bored on Martha’s Vineyard? Take a class

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Kids absolutely love the summer camp opportunities that many experience each year, but why should it be exclusive to just kids? Adults can enjoy many of the same benefits of summer camp: friendship, learning, and most importantly enjoyment, all within a couple of hours. Martha’s Vineyard has numerous workshops and classes made for the inquisitive adult who is looking to try something new or just improve a hobby they already enjoy.

For the art-minded adult, Featherstone Center for the Arts has the widest array of classes for adults to choose from. One of their newest workshops is abstract art with Roberta Gross on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 1:30 to 4:30 pm. Another option is their ongoing Ceramic Design Course I with Washington Ledesma on Tuesdays through August from 1 to 4pm at a fee of $50. Their course selection includes such subjects as tile making, drawing, felting, mixed media, music, painting, papermaking, photography, print making, sculpture, technology, video arts, writing, and more. To learn about all of their offerings, visit them on the web at featherstoneart.org, in person at 30 Featherstone Lane (off of Barnes Road) in Oak Bluffs, or call them at 508-693-1850.

Keeping with the arts, paper making with Sandy Bernat of Seastone Papers is a unique Island opportunity. Ms. Bernat, who also teaches for Featherstone, offers all of her workshops in her studio at 53 Christiantown Road in West Tisbury. With Ms. Bernat, learn such techniques as how to make paper with seaweed or participate in a two-hour series of classes that take you through the process of creating decorative papers, which leads to making books. For information on what types of classes are available and to sign up, visit seastonepapers.com or call 508-693-5786.

If you are someone who likes to work with your hands to complete detailed work, you could join one of our Island’s many knitting classes. There are companionable knitting classes at the West Tisbury Library, Anchors in Edgartown, Chilmark Library, Tisbury Senior Center, Island Alpaca, or with Anna Marie D’Addarie, who can be reached at 508-274-9696. Another hands on option is the Quilting Club, quilting classes and knitting classes offered at Heath Hen Quilt Shop in Vineyard Haven 508-693-6730. Call them directly to find out each weeks schedule, as they have many options based upon different needs.

The active person might enjoy the opportunity to learn a form of ballroom dance with Ballroom Dance MV. They host instruction sessions on Sundays, starting at 7 pm at the Portuguese-American Club in Oak Bluffs. The suggested donation is $3 and you can learn more by visiting them on the web at ballroomdancemv.org.

Other organized activities can be found with The Trustees of Reservations. Learn about the Island habitat by participating in one of their many instructional tours, like their Fishing Discovery Tour, which will teach you how to surf cast, read the water, and fillet a fish – all in just four hours. To learn about their entire Island programming, visit them on the web at thetrustees.org or phone them at 508-693-7662.

For the food lover in all of us, one of Jan Buhrman’s, Culinary & Agricultural Experiences might be your cup of tea. According to their well-crafted and informative website, kitchenporch.com, “We offer courses, workshops, cooking experiences, and local tours of Martha’s Vineyard farms as well as local foraging. We believe that locally grown, sustainable products are vital to our health and to the future of our farms.”

Some of their upcoming experiences include All About Fish on July 25 and Cheese Making Workshop on August 4. Call 508-645-5000 for more information or to schedule your special experience, and keep in mind they will create a customized program for you as well.