By Grace Heimsness

Austin Artworks Education and Marketing Coordinator

It’s said that first impressions are everything, more or less.

While there are obvious limits to this overstatement (plenty of us have turned a less than stellar handshake or awkward silence into a clutch friendship), there’s also something to be said for nailing your introductions.

And in the coming week,the instructors of the Austin ArtWorks Center Education program aim to do just that — three classes introduce additional art forms to the program, and they’really geared toward those of you looking to break into a new medium.

I’ll kick things off with my Introduction to Fiction class this Wednesday. The weekly workshop will be an open forum where anyone is welcome to drop by and read their raw material, and where we share feedback and resources. This will be a space to explore how stories work, and how we approach the different forms of fiction as both a reader and a writer. The workshop will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday.

Saturday presents a dynamic pair of classes introducing carving and knitting. Using basic cuts and concepts, participants in Josh Seevers’ Intro to Carving class (10 a.m. to noon) will hone their skills by whittling a bar of soap into a simple design.

Those who already have the carving bug and are looking to dive into more complex projects can look forward to Seevers’ Intro to Wood Carving class on Oct. 11. Both of these workshops will continue to run on a biweekly basis throughout the fall.

For those looking to work with fabric, Lindsey Williams will be teaching a three-part beginners’ knitting class in our comfy second-floor lounge starting this Saturday at noon. Get ready for the looming winter by knitting your own scarf in class, and go home with a new set of skills and a way to keep yourself warm.

Interested in any of the above? Stop by the ArtWorks Center or call us at 507-434-0934 to sign up. We’ve been working on our handshake.