Get creative at south KC art classes this summer

Across south KC, small businesses, artists and educators offer a variety of free and affordable classes to learn new things. From printmaking and pastels to pasta, tea, stained glass, and wine, these classes and events welcome beginners, spark curiosity and build community. 

Nature Printmaking Classes with naturalist Pat Whalen

If you think art requires talent you don’t have, Pat Whalen wants to hand you a tree stump and prove you wrong. The Anita B. Gorman Discovery Center’s art teacher and naturalist, Whalen developed classes teaching nature printmaking, an art form so old “cavemen were making art slapping cave walls with their hands covered in blood or red ochre.” Many of the adults he teaches haven’t taken an art class since grade school. 

His most popular adult class is tree ring printing, inspired by the book Woodcut by artist Bryan Nash Gill. Using cut hardwood stumps as stamps, Whalen dries them with a welding torch to reveal the rings, then participants ink and press them onto paper or fabric. The free Nature Printmaking session returns August 4, repeats in the fall, and pairs well with his free Forest Hill Cemetery hike July 28 which focuses on the cemetery’s arboretum.

Cyanotype is an easy entry point for nervous beginners. The nearly 200-year-old photographic process uses the same chemistry behind blueprints: participants lay leaves or flowers on treated paper, let the sun do the work, then rinse to reveal a print. Whalen offers three free “Here Comes the Sun” sessions on July 25, open to ages 12 and up, and plans to bring back Gyotaku, the Japanese art of fish printing. Free programs are at mdc.mo.gov/events year-round.

Old world cooking at Jasper’s Italian Ristorante

Walk into Jasper’s Italian Ristorante, and you’re stepping into 72 years of family history. Five generations have worked at the restaurant bearing the name Jasper Mirabile shares with his father. Beyond the restaurant, he leads year-round cooking demonstrations built around recipes passed down from his grandmother. “When people attend a class or event, I hope they take away that they can make fresh and delicious dishes while pasta is boiling,” he says. “I use local ingredients and work with local farmers, things you already have access to.”

The philosophy shines at his Heirloom Tomato Cooking Class on July 25, built on a 20-year relationship with Kurlbaum Heirloom Tomato Farms. “I like to brag and say I am an authority on tomatoes,” Mirabile says. The $65 luncheon features heirloom tomato tonnato, grilled heritage porchetta, and a peach napoleon. Two days later, Jasper’s marks 20 years with the Kurlbaum family at its Annual Heirloom Tomato Dinner on July 27, an $80 dinner served 4:30 to 8:30 pm.

Mirabile is known for tableside mozzarella, a tradition he brought back from Naples 20 years ago and credited with introducing to the States. “I turn milk and rennet into curds, and bring them out and start stretching and pulling to make the cheese,” he says. Tableside mozzarella is offered nightly through mid-September, $14 per person, minimum two people.

His teaching extends beyond the restaurant. He has led Slow Food Kansas City for over 25 years, hosting an August 8 luncheon featuring heirloom dishes and candy onions, plus a Limoncello Class on August 29. To register, visit jasperskc.com or call 816-941-6600.

Art classes at Mid-Continent Public Library

“I love working with people and watching them smile,” says local artist Cassie Schumacher. For her, teaching at the library has never been about technique alone. It’s about connection.

Schumacher’s path started with a love of oil painting and pastels. She completed a year and a half of college art coursework before marriage and family took her in a different direction. She later returned to the hobby and, after showing her work at art shows, started teaching at pop-ups at local businesses. Today she teaches for the Mid-Continent Public Library system, with her popular Magnolia in Chalk Pastels class for adults next at Blue Ridge on Wednesday, July 22 and Red Bridge on Thursday, July 23.

This summer she is also offering Stegosaurus Silhouette Paint and Create for children and Triceratops Paint and Create for teens. This fall, her programs turn seasonal, with an owl-with-pumpkin project for kids, an acrylic fox for teens, and a Pumpkin in Pastels class for adults. Details are at mymcpl.org/programs.

The range, from first-timers to seasoned artists, keeps her coming back. “Everyone makes their own masterpiece, no two are alike.” More of her work is at ByCassieSchumacher.com.

Emilie Jackson teaches the fascinating aspects of tea at Emilie’s French Teas in Waldo. 

Tea and pastries with Emelie Jackson in Waldo

For ten years, Emilie Jackson and her husband have brought France to Waldo, co-owning Emilie’s French Teas and a holistic health center. Raised in Les Yvelines near Paris by a tea-loving mother, Jackson grew up curious about loose-leaf teas. Eventually she met her husband in Mexico City, and moved to Kansas City 15 years ago. “I wanted the shop to be like a tea room in France,” she says. Guests linger over tea with pastries, including croissants, pain au chocolat, chausson aux pommes, and madeleines.

“Tea is my passion, and I love to transmit it, to pass on knowledge,” Jackson says. “At first, I had to do a lot of educating. In French culture, we generally don’t add anything to our teas. The blends are more subtle. But tea is changing and evolving, so we have sugar and milk if wanted.” A tea sommelier, Jackson finds tea as fascinating as wine. The two share a history and even a vocabulary. Origin, growing methods, and weather all shape quality. Half the pleasure is discovering what each region does best.

She brings the same approach to her classes. Public sessions run two to three times monthly, lasting 60 to 90 minutes and cost $30 to $50 per person. Some explore a single tea, tracing its history, tasting notes, and terroir. Others teach brewing. Her most popular classes pair tea with chocolate or French cheeses, teaching guests to match flavor profiles. Private classes book by phone for four or more. Classes are at emiliesfrenchteas.com.

Transparent Brewery in Grandview blends art and beer

Stained glass classes are a monthly event at Transparent Brewing Co. in Grandview.  Transparent Brewing owner Nolan Brown grew up immersed in Kansas City’s arts community. His mother, Michelle Brown, taught modern dance, and the family long supported local artists. When his mother’s local arts-focused restaurant closed in Grandview, Transparent Brewing picked up the torch, building an art room featuring new work and featured artists.

“The beer community is naturally a creative community,” Brown says. The brewery’s growing lineup of art workshops, live music and comedy feels like a natural fit. Monthly stained glass classes consistently sell out. Instructor Darleen Schillaci, owner of Art Is Stained Glass, teaches a six-hour “Tiffany Style” copper foil workshop covering pattern cutting and grinding, copper foiling, soldering, jump rings, and professional polishing. Limited to eight for one-on-one guidance, seats go quickly. The next session is Sunday, July 19, at noon; tickets include all glass, tools, safety supplies, a choice of design, and a first beer. Paint and Sip pottery nights let guests glaze three pieces for kiln firing and later pickup. Most art classes run 10 to 20 people and stay intentionally intimate.

Transparent Brewing also hosts a quarterly Food and Beer Pairing Meal, each benefiting a different charity. The next, Saturday, August 8, at 5:30 p.m., is a four-course meal supporting the Grandview Assistance Program. Chefs pair each course with a specific beer and share the story behind each dish.

“One of our big focuses is education. We designed the tap room to have conversations, and we want to inspire the community to be curious and creative,” Brown said. “We take pride in the friendships that have developed at the brewery.”

Rosehill Winery hosts community events

At Rosehill Winery, learning comes with a glass in hand. Hands-on classes and workshops weave through a calendar of games, live music, and a full bar drawing more than just wine drinkers. “Our hope is people feel like this is a community where they belong, and it’s a fun experience and atmosphere,” says Kim Faris. 

Teaching takes center stage July 18 at Pollinator Pot: BBQ, Beer & Butterflies, a $45 ticketed event built around a hands-on potting class. Guests learn to pot pollinator-friendly plants while enjoying a barbecue plate. The plant theme continues at Plant Bingo, Rosehill’s twice-monthly staple, typically Wednesday and Thursday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. ($15 a session), next August 5 and 6.

Even game nights invite learning: Mahjong Night, free, ticketed, and open to all skill levels, runs July 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. and returns August 27. This fall, a new Designer Workshop Series joins the lineup, alongside a Harvest Market, a Murder Mystery night, and an Oktoberfest concert.

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