Penn State’s Woskob Family Gallery is partnering with School of Visual Arts art education graduate students to provide free art-making "make/stuff" workshops during Downtown State College’s First Fridays. Students from Assistant Professor of Art Education Aaron Knochel’s Learning in Maker Cultures course are responsible for designing and facilitating the workshops as an opportunity for intergenerational learning and creating. The next two workshops are from 5 to 8 p.m. on March 2 and April 6, at the gallery.

During the workshops, the Woskob Family Gallery is transformed into a makerspace where participants young and old can explore soft circuits through sewing, embroidery, and interactive electronics. The workshop invites attendees to design their own monster, build a fuzzy companion, or light up the eyes of their creature using simple circuits and LEDs. The open-ended format encourages creativity and engagement.

The Make/Stuff Workshops are a part of an ongoing collaboration between the Woskob Family Gallery and the Art Education program to connect resources, provide impactful experiential learning opportunities for students, and use the arts to connect with the State College community. Through this partnership, the gallery seeks to lower the barrier to entry into contemporary art exhibitions and provide a more interactive experience in a gallery setting through hands-on making events.

The Woskob Family Gallery is located at 146 South Allen Street, State College. For more information, visit http://woskobfamilygallery.psu.edu/ or find the gallery from February's workshop on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/woskobfamilygallery/.