For many of us, the start of a new year helps us imagine who we could become. And while being more disciplined around desserts and reading more than store catalogs are all worthy goals for 2024, we’re here to suggest more creativity in the new year. Learning is fun and here are some ideas for you:
Improve your drawing.
Attend an Urban Sketchers Indianapolis meetup, where artists of all abilities (including beginners) meet up at different locations to draw. These are free to attend. Previous events have been held at Monument Circle, The Stutz and Hotel Tango Distillery. The Indy chapter is part of Urban Sketchers Global, an organization that aims to promote the practice of location drawing.
Join the Indianapolis Figure Guild. It’s a private Facebook group, so you will have to answer a few questions to be let in. But once you’re in, you can attend figure drawing sessions two Sundays each month. Each session costs $10 (cash only). For more information, email at indianapolisfigureguild@gmail.com.
For a more committed learning experience, try a class at the Indianapolis Art Center. Prices range from $45 for one-time sessions to $414 for 6-week classes. Some options for beginners are Vandra Pentecost’s drawing essentials class, and Josh Rush’s introductory landscape drawing class. There are options for more advanced artists as well.
Give acting a try.
If you are aged 65 or older, consider signing up for a series of “POCA” classes at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre downtown on North Illinois Street. POCA stands for “People of a Certain Age,” and the 12-week program caters especially to seniors and is free. It starts Jan. 10 and is led by instructor Sandra Gay — but the classes are limited to 15 students, so sign up soon if you’re interested.
For $200 you can also register for an 8-week improv comedy basics class with Indy Improv. Classes begin in April, so you still have some time to think about it.
Make your own clothes or sew something cool.
The Indianapolis Public Library staff created a book list called “Sewing for Everyone” for people at all stages of their sewing journey. The library has also offered free sewing classes, so keep an eye on their events calendar.
You can also try an industrial sewing class at StitchWorks, downtown on East 9th Street. The next $75 Intro to Industrial Sewing session is Saturday, Jan. 13. Attendees must be 16 or older to enroll and all sewing supplies are provided.
Write a book, poem or screenplay.
Attend a Pen to Paper event. If the idea of rubbing elbows with “Indy’s most notorious coterie of misfit writers” sounds exciting, then check out one of their free events, which include Pen to Paper Fridays and Shut Up & Write!.
The Indiana Writers Center also offers a range of classes, from Writing for Wellness, which can be free or “pay what you can,” to a poetry workshop that meets once a month for $250. Their course catalog is updated frequently, so keep an eye out for the right class for you.
Writers who are strongly committed to a project can sign up for The Year-Long Novel Lab with author Allison Lynn. The workshop is for writers with works at all stages, costs $3200 and will meet 18 times over the course of 2024.
Younger writers between the ages of 8 to18 can enroll in Zora’s Daughters, a creative writing and literacy program from the Asante Art Institute that happens seasonally.
Make some music.
The Weekend Warrior Crash Course at Deckademics on North College Avenue is a one-time, four-hour DJ class priced at $124.99 and is geared toward those with little or no experience. The minimum suggested age to attend is 11, and all the equipment you’ll need is provided.
The Garfield Park Arts Center has piano and voice lessons for children and adults. 30-minute piano classes start at $24, if that is all you have time for, but you can take 45-minute and hour-long lessons too.
Generations of guitar players in Indianapolis know that Arthur’s Music Store is a place they can count on. But besides electric and acoustic guitars, Arthur’s also has a variety of instruments and instructors for all levels of learning.
Learners of all ages can also check out the Butler Community Arts School (BCAS), an initiative of the Jordan College of the Arts at Butler University. Taught by university students, the BCAS provides high quality, affordable instruction in music and more. Lessons start at $26 for 30 minutes.
Take up photography.
Roberts Camera has been in business in Indianapolis since 1957, and it’s a one-stop shop for photography classes, camera equipment and seasoned advice. The company offers one-off classes, such as a free online Nikon Z tutorial that will take place on Jan. 18, as well as in-depth sessions, such as a $120 four-week “Fundamentals of Photography” course held downtown at the store.
Learn some new dance steps.
Art for Lawrence’s Theater at the Fort offers free urban line dance classes at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. To be on the safe side, you may want to check the theater’s website before heading out to confirm the session you want to attend is still happening. The class features choreographed dances to R&B, rap and other urban music from all over the world.
You can also check out a class at Indianapolis Movement Arts Collective. They have everything from Bollywood to hip hop, jazz and belly dance. Classes start at $16 for a single session, but scholarships are also available.
Sign up for a Dance Kaleidoscope adult dancing class. Classes are “open level,” which means anyone with any amount of experience is welcome, and you can pay $20 one time or buy yourself a dance card and take many more lessons.
Take an Absolute Beginner dance class at DanceWorks Indy — zero experience required. A four-part series of tap or ballet dancing classes starts Jan. 24 and meets monthly; cost is $89 and you receive a fifth class pass for free. DanceWorks, on East Ohio Street, also offers hip hop, SWERK, heels, jazz and other classes for all levels. Check out their schedule for free classes as well.
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