What are Plaza Art's “Hands on Creativity” Events?
“Hands on Creativity” is a much-anticipated annual event that takes place at several of our stores. During “Hands on Creativity” weekends, Plaza Artist Materials customers can participate in free art demonstrations, talk to artist representatives from major art brands, and pick up free samples of new art products.
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If you are interested in trying new mediums, this is a great opportunity to “try before you buy” and talk to professional artists who are experts in various mediums. We also highlight art products that are new to the market and offer free literature and product samples.
Each of our stores periodically holds free demos that highlight one or two products or mediums at a time, but Hands on Creativity is unique because you can drop by the store, try dozens of products in an hour, learn new techniques for your favorite mediums, and walk away with several excellent samples and “make-and-take” mini projects. The Plaza Art in Nashville holds our biggest HOC event and we even offer full-length workshops for free during Nashville’s Hands on Creativity (but call the store to pre-register, those workshops fill up quickly!)
Hands On Creativity is also an opportunity to find out about local arts clubs, talk to professional artists who are experts in their mediums, discover upcoming Plaza workshops, and learn about classes offered by presenting artists. For example, this year in Nashville, the Nashville Origami Club will demonstrate paper folding techniques and talk to you about their mission to provide paper-folding fun for artists of all ages in the Nashville area.
In Philadelphia this year, Annie Strack of the Philadelphia Water Color Society will discuss watercolors and demonstrate techniques. Phil Asbury of the Philadelphia Murals Arts Program will show everyone how to use Montana Markers on the first day of the event and talk about the mural program’s mission. Plaza Art Philadelphia is also partnered with the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (P.O.S.T) for their Fall 2015 tours.
Upcoming “Hands On Creativity” Events
- Saturday, October 10th and Sunday, October 11th at Plaza Art in Nashville
- Saturday, October 17th and Sunday, October 18th at Plaza Art in Philadelphia
We hold Hands on Creativity annually at the following store locations: Rockville, Maryland; Towson, Maryland; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Cincinnati (Kenwood), Ohio; and Nashville, Tennessee. Check with your local Plaza to see when their next HOC event will be.
We hope to see you in Nashville or Philly this month if you live nearby, and if not, see you there or at our other participating locations in 2016! Check out these photos or the photos on our Facebook page to get an better idea of what a HOC weekend is like:
Watercolor and pastel demos at Rockville's Hands on Creativity 2015:
Montana Spray Paint testing station at Kenwood's Hands on Creativity 2015:
Canvas stretching "make and take" - offered at most Hands on Creativity weekends:
Lots of activity and great products in Nashville at the 2013 Hands on Creativity:
