Fall Workshops at MERA – No Frills, New Skills!

Oct 04, 2023

This fall, MERA (McDonald’s Corners and Elphin Recreation and Arts) will have the Schoolhouse bustling with all sorts of activities for people of all ages. Join us at 974 Dalhousie Concession 9A in McDonald’s Corners to discover how we can bring more arts into your life!

Choose from one of our five workshops on offer, or do them all. Workshops take place on Saturdays and include coffee or tea and great company. Please register for workshops by emailing our friendly administrator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Glass Art with Judy Wall – Learn the basics of working on glass art projects in this self paced workshop. Students will learn what tools, supplies, equipment are required and how to use them, Judy will guide you through the process with safety tips to consider when handling glass. Learn techniques of cutting, grinding and shaping glass and work your way up to creating a design and laying out glass. Workshop fee includes glass, based on the MERA inventory. September 30th, 10am to 3pm. $75 for MERA members and $85 for non members.

Doll Making with Rose Moses – Rose Moses is Ojibwe First Nations from Northern Ontario and is a textile artist with experience in doll making. Rose has been making dolls for over 30 years and will guide you step by step in the process of making a hand sewn doll. Choose for an array of different colours and fabrics to make your doll unique. October 14th, 10am to 3pm. $45 for MERA members and $55 for non members.

Intro to Clown and Your Creative Genius with Alexis Scott – Clown can be the perfect way to connect to your creative power. In this workshop, Alexis will guide you through playful exercises to meet your clown and help you plant creative seeds. This workshop aims to be a celebration of your uniqueness and a safe space for all to explore. “Clowns are not just acting out silly situations to make us laugh. They are reaching down into their own humanity, connecting with the thing we all fear the most.”

October 21st, 10am to 3pm. $75 for MERA members and $85 for non members.

Make a Handwoven Tray with Ankaret Dean - In this workshop, master basket maker Ankaret Dean will guide experienced and non experienced weavers through the process of making a handwoven tray with a wooden base. A braided border will be added to finish the piece. Adults and children over the age of twelve will enjoy creating and decorating the tray to their own liking. Some materials provided. October 28th, 10am to 3pm. $75 for MERA members and $85 for non members.

Writing from Memory with Amanda Lewis – Amanda West Lewis is a writer, theatre creator, calligrapher, and teaching artist. She writes novels, picture books, and crafts books. FOCUS. CLICK. WIND is her ninth book. Memories are made of small moments. Working with memory moments, we can discover new ideas to form a base for creating stories. In this hands-on, collaborative workshop, we’ll start with the writing prompt: “What is your earliest memory?” Together, we’ll create a series of group poems that are specific and personal. We’ll also look at examples of how this same memory prompt inspired the verse novel “These Art Not the Words.” This poetry writing workshop with Amanda West Lewis explores ways that our memories and dreams can spark ideas and springboard us into larger writing projects. November 4th, 10am to 12:30pm. $45 for MERA members and $55 for non members.

MERA is committed to facilitating and promoting activities and programs for all ages which help bring this rural community together and to promoting awareness and understanding of the arts and well-being. For more information, please visit out website www.meraschoolhouse.org.