Urban photography, leatherworking and beginners crochet are just a few of the classes offered at NC State’s Crafts Center this summer.
Located on the first floor of Thompson Hall, the Crafts Center houses state-of-the-art crafting equipment. Class tuitions range from $8 to $100, are offered for all skill levels and are open to NC State students, faculty, staff and the general public.
The Crafts Center also offers student-only classes in which students learn to build a wall shelf, construct a longboard deck and paint watercolor sunflowers. Registration for these classes is still open.
In an effort to being in students’ year around, Jo Ellen Westmoreland, the center’s assistant director, said the Crafts Center encourages participation through discounts and semester-long studio passes.
“Students have a 50 percent off discount from the full class price that we charge the general public,” Westmoreland said. “We offer students this discount because student fees help support the Crafts Center.”
However, there is not a discount on the fee that covers the cost of supplies.
“We especially want to encourage students to take advantage of the Crafts Center because it’s not something you will find on every campus,” Westmoreland said. “We are also continuing to offer NC State-student-only classes this summer.”
Along with summer classes, the Crafts Center is hosting its annual T-Shirt design competition. Students can submit digital or hand-drawn images to the Crafts Center’s email at crafts-center@ncsu.edu or drop them off in person.
“We even have a table up here in the front of the Center where students can come and actually draw their designs on a t-shirt cut out that we have”, Westmoreland said. “The winner will receive a $50 voucher to the Crafts Center, a $50 Visa gift card, and a free T-shirt with the winning image.”
The contest is open until Aug. 31, and students can submit more than one design.
Nickolas Gregory, a sophomore studying design studies, said the Crafts Center is something to take advantage of.
“I took a woodworking class last semester, and it was definitely worth doing,” Gregory said. “The instructors were really helpful, and learning my way around the studio and having access to the studio pass made the class seem like a steal.”
As far as craft classes for the fall semester, Westmoreland said the class schedule and registration will be posted July 13. NC State students will have a three-week head start before registration opens to the general public, according to Westmoreland.
“We don’t want students to wait until the last minute because once we open up general registration classes tend to fill up really quickly,” Westmoreland said.
