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AILSA CRAIG ARTS CENTRE


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UPCOMING CLASSES and WORKSHOPS 


Upcoming events

  • Relaxation & Better Sleep Naturally: A Holistic Well-being Workshop

    • Saturday, December 06, 2025
    • 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
    • Ailsa Craig Arts Centre 160 D Main St., Ailsa Craig, ON
    • 2
    Register


    Meet the busy Christmas Season refreshed and well rested. The Ailsa Craig Arts Centre is pleased to invite Paula Nowak to our centre on December 6th, 2025.

    Restless nights, racing thoughts, and tension that lingers long after the day ends, we’ve all been there. When your body can’t unwind and your mind won’t quiet, it’s hard to wake up feeling refreshed, balanced, and ready for a new day.

    In this 120-minute experiential workshop, you’ll explore simple, natural tools to help your body and mind relax deeply, so you can fall asleep easier, stay asleep longer, and awaken with calm, vibrant energy.

    Through a soothing blend of energy medicine, acupressure, EFT tapping, breathwork, mindful movement, qigong, and guided relaxation, you’ll learn how to:

    •  Calm a busy mind and regulate your nervous system
    •  Release the day’s tension and prepare your body for rest and renewal
    •  Apply simple, powerful 2-minute “Better Sleep” techniques for more restful sleep
    •  Build a holistic toolkit of energy-balancing practices for long-term relaxation and deep rest
    •  Create a “Better Sleep” self-care routine to restore balance and renew your energy

    You’ll leave not just relaxed, but reconnected to your body’s natural rhythms, equipped with powerful tools to cultivate deep rest, energy balance, and emotional harmony each night.

    What You’ll Receive

    • A 120-minute live experiential workshop
    • A step-by-step practice guide (PDF booklet) with over 20 techniques for Better Sleep
    • A self-care routine for Relaxation & Better Sleep
    • Bonus: 30-minute qigong, mindful movement, and energy practices video with Paula Nowak

    The Transformation You’ll Feel

    • A calmer mind and more peaceful evenings
    • Deeper, more restorative sleep
    • Balanced, refreshed morning energy
    • Confidence to use simple, powerful energy-balancing techniques that truly work for better sleep
    • A renewed sense of well-being and vitality

    Investment in Better Sleep

    Space is limited — register early to ensure your place.

    Teacher's Bio

    Paula Nowak, M.Ed., is a Well-Being Coach, Advanced Emotional Freedom Technique® Practitioner, and Holistic Wellness Practitioner who helps people transform stress into joyful vitality. With a background in education, integrated movement, and holistic wellness, and training in Dr. Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry® method, Paula gently guides others to balance their energy, release stress, and shift limiting beliefs. Her workshops invite participants to pause, reconnect, and discover simple yet powerful practices that bring more calm, balance, and joy into everyday life. You can learn more about Paula at www.paulanowakwellness.com



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  • Learn To Knit with Caitlin

    • Sunday, January 11, 2026
    • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    • Ailsa Craig Arts Centre 160D Main St., Ailsa Craig, ON., N0M1A0
    • 9
    Register



    Is one of your New Year's Resolutions to learn how to knit and create beautiful gifts for yourself and your loved ones? If so, this is a great class for you. Caitlin is a highly experienced teacher who loves to share her love of knitting with her students. All materials are supplied for this half day class on January 11th, 2025.

    Students will emerge knowing the basic knitting stitches from which most patterns are constructed.  You will leave with the confidence and foundation to continue your knitting journey, a contact at Sarnia's premier knitting store, Heaven is Handmade and you will be well on your way to completing a dish cloth to commemorate your new skill.

    This class is a great foundation for the Mosaic Knitting class we will be offering in February and for later classes in lace making and Cables.  

    January 11, 2026   1:00 - 4:00 PM

    Members : $75 and Non Members: $85

    Teacher's Bio:

    Caitlin MacSwain is the owner of Heaven is Handmade, Sarnia’s dedicated yarn store.  She has been knitting and crocheting for over twenty years. 

    “I have a passion for colour and texture, so knitting was the perfect fit.” 

    Caitlin teaches a variety of classes in both knitting and crochet and loves to encourage all fibre enthusiasts to challenge themselves and continue to learn the craft.


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  • Explore the Joy of Watercolour with Jane Wright

    • Saturday, January 17, 2026
    • 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • 160 D Main Street, Ailsa Craig, ON., Ailsa Craig Arts Centre
    • 0
    Join waitlist


    For those who have an interest in further exploration of the seductive qualities of the watercolour medium the ACAC is pleased to present Jane Wright; noted watercolour artist and teacher.  Jane has created a 6 hr workshop that will enhance your understanding of what watercolour is and why it behaves the way it does. It will be flexible to build on what you already know of the medium. It will be as technical as you need and hopefully leave you wanting to know a whole lot more.

    MATERIALS REQUIRED :

    • watercolour paper -all or mostly cotton, 140 lb. cold press, several  pieces at least 9x12 or larger  Arches, Fabriano, Canson, Baohong ( from TEMU, reasonable quality for the money, I'm on my 2nd roll of 15 wide)
    • watercolour brushes size 2 or 4 and 6 or 8, squirrel, camel, sable, hog bristle, synthetic ( preferably not oil or acrylic brushes)
    • professional quality watercolour paint (warm and cool primaries, yellow, red, blue and a palette (white plates or styrofoam trays are fine) for mixing (ie:Daniel Smith, Holbein, DaVinci, Winsor Newton)
    • masking tape up to 1" wide, roll of paper towels, pencil, ruler, eraser, permanent fine line pen (like Pentel, Micron, or W)
    • masking fluid is optional, just if you have some
    • 2 water containers
    • old credit card and something for note taking
    • a reference photo
    • Your lunch and beverage. There is a fridge available.

    Optional

    • hair dryer, watercolour or inktense pencils, pieces of sponge, fine mist spray bottle, table salt, pipette, piece of saran wrap

    NB - if people don't have paper or aren't sure what to buy I can bring some for sale.


    Workshop Overview   * PROCESS OVER RESULTS *

    This workshop is designed to build on what you already know about watercolour. The focus will be on watercolour techniques, design elements, and processes to facilitate your personal expression. The goal is NOT to produce a finished painting but to enhance your knowledge and appreciation of what wonderful effects you can achieve with watercolour so that you can expand your 'play' as you work toward finding your own artistic voice. 


    Workshop Topics (in no particular order)

    1. very brief history of the medium, pigments and notable artists for reference
    2. brief overview of colour theory, do some colour mixing exercises
    3. how to avoid muddy colours and how to fix them if they happen
    4. how to see values, do a value sketch from your photo
    5. the use positive and negative space
    6. how to use contrast to make your painting dynamic
    7. types of lines and what they convey, do line exercises
    8. experimentation with different brushstrokes, talk of emotional presence

    Jane was an art teacher in the public and private school systems encompassing all grades in Ontario, and Quebec. She taught adult education for Fanshawe College and in France and has shown her work at the Ailsa Craig Arts Centre to great applaud.








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  • Weave a Pair of Willow Swallows- Beginner Friendly Morning Class

    • Sunday, January 25, 2026
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • ACAC 160 D Main Street, Ailsa Craig, ON. N0M 1A0
    • 8
    Register


    Have you been curious to try the beautiful art of willow basket weaving? If so, join us for this beginner friendly workshop on weaving two, graceful swallows out of willow.  These swallows make beautiful wall decor or unique garden sculptures.

    As a side bonus, the joy of working with the fragrant willow in the dark winter months is a thrill not to miss. You'll feel like you've experienced a breath of spring without travelling south.

    We are hosting a morning and afternoon class and these programs usually fill up quickly. Please register carefully as it can be difficult to change up spaces and registration is limited.

    Students to bring their own secateurs please

    January 25, 2026  9:00 am - 12:00 pm

    Active Members: $75 + $10 kit fee* 

    Non Members $85 + $10 kit fee*

    Kit fees are payable to teacher in cash on the day of class.  Please note there is a great deal of work in preparing the willow for weaving which includes, planting distinct weaving varieties, growing, cultivating, harvesting, stacking, drying for approx. 3 months, rehydrating the willow for multiple days prior to weaving and transporting.  We're sure you will agree the kit cost is minimal.

    ACAC's refund policy is refunds may be granted in the case of a medical emergency up to two weeks before the class. As a member based, volunteer, not for profit organization, we invite you to join our membership and take advantage of early class notifications, class discounts and the opportunity to participate in any of our special interest groups.  Adult membership is $45, Senior (over 65 yrs) is $40 per year and Family memberships are $55 per year.  We'd love to see you at the Centre!

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  • Weave a Pair of Willow Swallows- Beginner Friendly Afternoon Class

    • Sunday, January 25, 2026
    • 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    • ACAC 160 D Main Street, Ailsa Craig, ON. N0M 1A0
    • 7
    Register


    Have you been curious to try the beautiful art of willow basket weaving? If so, join us for this beginner friendly workshop on weaving two, graceful swallows out of willow.  These swallows make beautiful wall decor or unique garden sculptures.

    As a side bonus, the joy of working with the fragrant willow in the dark winter months is a thrill not to miss. You'll feel like you've experienced a breath of spring without travelling south.

    We are hosting a morning and afternoon class and these programs usually fill up quickly. Please register carefully as it can be difficult to change up spaces and registration is limited.

    Students should bring secateurs (garden clippers)

    January 25, 2026   1:00 - 4:00 PM

    Active Members: $75 + $10 kit fee* 

    Non Members $85 + $10 kit fee*

    Kit fees are payable to teacher in cash on the day of class.  Please note there is a great deal of work in preparing the willow for weaving which includes, planting distinct weaving varieties, growing, cultivating, harvesting, stacking, drying for approx. 3 months, rehydrating the willow for multiple days prior to weaving and transporting.  We're sure you will agree the kit cost is minimal.

    ACAC's refund policy is refunds may be granted in the case of a medical emergency up to two weeks before the class. As a member based, volunteer, not for profit organization, we invite you to join our membership and take advantage of early class notifications, class discounts and the opportunity to participate in any of our special interest groups.  Adult membership is $45, Senior (over 65 yrs) is $40 per year and Family memberships are $55 per year.  We'd love to see you at the Centre!


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  • Story Seekers; A creative writing group for youth 9-12 years

    • Wednesday, January 28, 2026
    • 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Ailsa Craig Arts Centre, 160 D Main Street, Ailsa Craig, ON
    Register



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Ailsa Craig Arts Centre
   160D Main Street,  Ailsa Craig, Ontario 
   Canada   N0M 1A0

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