A Hands-On Guide to ArtWeek Boston

Illuminus / Courtesy photo

From September 25-October 4, ArtWeek Boston returns for its fall 2015 installment with over 100 events—in fashion, film, theater, visual arts, and music—happening all over town. The week kicks off with a special Prudential Tower lighting on September 25 and ends with “nuit blanche” glow party Illuminus on the weekend of October 3. In between, events run the gamut from a cellist Maya Beiser playing new arrangements of Zeppelin, Hendrix, Nirvana, and more by MIT’s Evan Ziporyn; to a Revolutionary War-inspired fashion show; to walking tours devoted to the works of Edgar Allan Poe (and getting a raven’s eye view of his life in Boston).

But one of the most intriguing aspects about ArtWeek its emphasis on taking you from spectator to participant. Always wanted to learn how to weld? Do improv? Mix creative craft cocktails? Then check out ArtWeek’s impressive roster of classes, workshops, and demonstrations. Even better, many of them are free! Here’s our rundown of some of the hands-on activities offered this week.

* Denotes free events.

Improv Boston / Courtesy photo

MUSIC AND PERFORMING ARTS

September 26

Learn to Improvise*
Free. September 26 and October 3. ImprovBoston, 40 Prospect St., Cambridge.

Hip-Hop Master Class with Emerson Urban Dance Theater*
Free. Boston Common, 139 Tremont St., Boston.

September 27

Masterclass with BSO Flutist*
Free. Maliotis Cultural Center, 50 Goddard Ave., Brookline.

September 29

Pop-Up Classroom Improv Work
$5. BCAE Pop-Up Classroom (Outdoor Tent), 1 Summer St., Boston.

Master Class by Baritone and Voice Professor Hector Vasquez*
Free. Boston University CFA Opera Institute, 808 Commonwealth Ave. (entrance on Essex Street), Suite 204, Brookline.

October 4

Drumming and Apple Picking with Djembe Player Moussa Traore*
Free. Old Frog Pond Farm and Studio, 38 Eldridge Road Harvard.

Sea To You Sushi School / Courtesy Photo

FOOD AND DRINK

September 26

Sea To You Sushi School
$30, September 26 and October 3. Sea to You Sushi, 232 California St., Newton.

October 1

Cocktail Couture: Mixology Art
$50. Four Seasons Hotel Boston, 200 Boylston St., Boston.

A Taste of La Boheme: Opera-Inspired French Wine and Cheese Tasting
$35. Boston Center for Adult Education, 122 Arlington St., Boston.

The Art of the Kitchen Cooking Demonstrations*
Free. October 1-3. The Drawing Room, 11 Spring St., Marion.

The Art of Dining Featuring Former White House Chef Ronnie J. Seaton Sr.
$50. October 1-3. National Black Doll Museum Of History & Culture, 288 N. Main St., Mansfield.

Iron On the Island / Courtesy Photo

VISUAL ARTS

September 26

Make A Ring (followed by Sam Adams Brewery Tour)
$50. Stonybrook Fine Arts, 24 Porter St., Boston.

Aluminum Casting (followed by Sam Adams Brewery Tour)
$50. Stonybrook Fine Arts, 24 Porter St., Boston.

Introduction to MIG Welding (followed by Sam Adams Brewery Tour)
$50. Stonybrook Fine Arts, 24 Porter St., Boston.

Second Annual Iron On the Island
$30-$50, scratch block carving from 12pm-5pm; metal pouring 6-9pm. Featherstone Center for the Arts, 30 Featherstone Lane Oak Bluffs.

Watercolor Painting Workshop*
Free. Muddy River Round House, Fenway.

Table Design for Daily Dining
Free. Restoration Resources, 1946 Washington St., Boston.

September 27

Watercolor Painting Workshop*
Free. Nira Rock, Jamaica Plain.

Ever-Morphing Clay Sculpture*
Free. Mudflat Pottery School, 81 Broadway, Somerville.

DIY-Salvage, Trash & Treasures
$15. Restoration Resources, 1946 Washington St., Boston.

Hacking Arts Festival and Hackathon*
Free. MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst St., 6th Floor, Cambridge.

October 1

CreateDate: Unleash Your Inner Artist with Sophia Ainslie*
Free. Tufts University Art Gallery, 40 Talbot Ave., Medford.

Design & Decor Reusing Salvage*
Free. Circa in Restoration Resources, 1946 Washington St., Boston.

October 3

Make a Clay Instrument at the Amazing Archaeology Fair
$12. Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, 11 Divinity Ave., Cambridge.

10 Dirty Fingers: Soft Pastels*
Free. October 3-4. Western Avenue Studios, 122 Western Avenue Lowell.

The Worry Bead Project*
Free. Boston Common, 139 Tremont St., Boston.

Make a Fused Glass Pendant*
Free. Pompei & Company Stained Glass, 122 Western Ave., Unit A416, Lowell.

Antique Stained Glass Art & Repair*
Free. Circa in Restoration Resources, 1946 Washington St., Boston.

For the full ArtsWeek Boston schedule, go to artweekboston.org.