No registration required – all are welcome! $10 cash only 

Looking for a creative way to kick off your week? Join us and Artist, Nina Cherie Cahill, every Monday night at North River Arts Society for Drop-In Craft Night! Bring your own project—whether it’s knitting, sketching, embroidery, sewing, collage, or any craft you're working on—and enjoy a relaxed, welcoming space to create alongside fellow makers.

All skill levels are welcome. This is an informal, social night perfect for getting inspired, sharing ideas, and making progress on whatever you're into. Come solo or with friends—stay the whole time or just pop in!

If you prefer, Nina will have materials available for loom weaving and can assist those who wish to get started on their own small weaving. Some materials for purchase through Nina. 

This group is open to all ages, levels, skills and crafts. 

Looking for more space to spread out and work on a project? Or maybe you want to work amongst other artists to feel inspired and get some helpful feedback on your work. Join other local artists any time between 9am-12pm, for Open Studio. Please pay $10 cash at the door. Bring all supplies you need to use, NRAS has easels available. 

No registration, drop in only, cash or check.

In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to turn scrap paper into vibrant, textured sheets perfect for collage, mixed media, card-making, or watercolor! Using a blender and wooden screen, we’ll create paper pulp and form custom sheets with your choice of added materials—think thread, fabric bits, dried flowers, and more.

We’ll cover the process from making pulp to forming and drying your paper. After this workshop you'll leave no only with a new stack of paper that will be dry and ready in a few hours, but the skills to keep making more!

All tools and materials provided - just bring your own paper scraps and anything personal you’d like to add in to your paper, ie. dried and flat flowers, glitter, coffee grounds, natural dyes, scrap thread, etc. 

About the Instructor:

Michaela is a recent graduate of Pratt Institute as of May 2024 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in Drawing and a minor in History of Art and Design. She is a business owner and designer at MichaelasArtSpace, Operating the Etsy shop since April 2021 and currently works as Office Administrator at North River Arts! Her work can be seen in the Franklin Furnace Artists’ Books Permanent Collection, she has also shown in galleries such as Dekalb Gallery, Las Laguna Gallery in California, Baws Gallery and more!

The goal of this workshop is to explore what drawing means to you and move outside of your comfort zone to push your drawing practice further as a tool of inquiry, a joyful activity, and a method of attending to the world around you.  Whether it's exploring new compositional ideas, sketching as a way to just loosen up, or delineating a detailed rendition of a favorite object, drawing with a variety of media and purposes is a great way to underpin your personal art practice.

Using both dry and wet media we’ll explore mark-making, composition dynamics, and experiment with surface as we create and explore. This workshop will be lead through discussion, demonstration, and practice.

About the Artist: 

John Rufo is an artist and architect with over 35 years of practice experience. John attended the Rhode Island School of Design and has degrees in architecture and fine art. John’s artwork ranges in subject from landscape to still life to figural and abstract works. John teaches workshops focused on exploring drawing, painting and mixed-media approaches to making art. John’s wife is also an artist and art teacher. They both have studio space in their home in Needham, Massachusetts.

Materials List: 250508_Rufo_Drawing_To_Explore_Materials_List (1).docx

Additional Information:

Workshop Syllabus

John Ruffo Artist Statement

In this half-day workshop, we’ll practice essential watercolor techniques while creating beautiful festive hand-painted paper crafts with a botanical theme that are perfect for seasonal  giving! Materials, demonstrations, and instruction will be provided to create one-of-a-kind gift tags, cards, patterned papers and more. We’ll discuss finding ideas and inspiration from nature and other sources, how to layout your own unique designs, and the basics of painting with watercolor including color mixing and brushwork. This workshop will spark your creativity whether you are new to watercolor or are an experienced artist in need of some playful no-pressure painting.

All levels are welcome and all materials including paints and papers will be provided. 

About the Instructor: Tara Connaughton

Tara Connaughton is an artist/illustrator & art instructor living near the coast in Scituate, MA. Her botanical and nature-inspired paintings have earned multiple awards, and she has exhibited her artwork through numerous local and regional galleries and venues around the Boston area. 

Tara teaches watercolor and botanical illustration through local workshops, privately, and at organizations around the Boston area and South Shore. She has a Certificate in Botanical Art & Illustration, and uses her passion for painting and love of nature to teach and inspire others to find their creative spirit and connect with the world around them.

Tara also creates custom art and illustration for clients across a wide range of subjects, with a focus on custom art for wedding invitations and stationery.