The City of Toronto offers a range of recreational crafts & arts programs for individuals of all ages.
Registered activities are instructor-led programs offered as a group of multiple classes over several weeks.
Register for Arts - Crafts & Visual Arts Activities
| Activity | Description | Ages |
|---|---|---|
| Crafts: Bunka | Traditional style of Japanese embroidery that uses a punch needle and silk-like thread to create unique items. | Older Adult |
| Crafts | From making and cutting patterns to choosing colours and decorative elements, you will use a variety of arts and crafts materials, your hands and your imagination, to make unique craft projects. | Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Crafts: Crafty Creations | From making and cutting patterns to choosing colours and decorative elements, you will use a variety of arts and crafts materials to make unique craft projects. | Early Child, Child |
| Crafts: Crochet | Learn to interlock, loop and knot thread in a variety of patterns as you work towards completing a project. | Child, Youth, Older Adult |
| Crafts: Decoupage | Learn the art of cutting and pasting paper and picture pieces to simulate 3-D effects on a wood, metal or glass surface. | Early Child |
| Crafts: Embroidery | Decorate fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. This activity will include some basic techniques including chain stitch, buttonhole or blanket stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, and cross stitch. | Older Adult |
| Crafts: Felting | Learn how to felt with sheep's wool. Using roving and other materials, learn techniques such as wet felting and needle felting to create a variety of felted projects and crafts. | Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Crafts: Folk Art | Folk art has a long history rooted in various cultural, regional, or community identity. Learn how to apply creative art techniques like painting and drawing to transform something simple into something unique and personal. | Older Adult |
| Crafts: Jewellery Making | Use beads, jewellery findings and wire to make a variety of projects. Learn how to use the tools of the trade to design your own masterpieces. | Adult, Older Adult |
| Crafts: Knitting | Learn how to hold and use knitting needles, to cast on and off, knit and purl and follow a pattern to create your very own project. | Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Crafts: Knitting | Learn and practice folding techniques without cutting or gluing to create mini sculptures. | Adult |
| Crafts: Paper Tole | Learn how to cut, shape, sculpt, glue and layer identical prints to build a 3D picture. | Older Adult |
| Crafts: Quilting | Learn to cut, measure, piece, layer, stitch by hand and/or with a sewing a machine, and you will work towards creating your own quilting project. | Child, Adult, Older Adult |
| Crafts: Rug Hooking | Learn basic rug hooking techniques like loop pulling, pattern transfer and colour selection as you complete your own rug hooking project. | Older Adult |
| Crafts: Scrapbooking | Learn how to arrange content, add decorative elements like photographs, mementos and labels using adhesives and other techniques to create your own personalized scrapbook.
Participants must bring their own photos and keepsakes (you will receive guidance and support on how to use them). |
Adult |
| Crafts: Sewing | Learn how to read a pattern, cut material, stich by hand or use a sewing machine with the aim of completing a simple project. | Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Crafts: Stained Glass | Learn how to cut, grind and solder glass pieces then work towards creating a beautiful stained-glass project. | Adult, Older Adult |
| Crafts: Wood Burning | Learn how to select and use tools safely and work towards perfecting techniques to create your own designs. | Older Adult |
| Crafts: Wood Carving | Learn how to use cutting tools, chisels and mallets safely and work towards perfecting techniques to create your own designs and shapes. | Adult, Older Adult |
| Crafts: Wood Working | Learn how to safely use tools and machinery to create your own woodworking project. | Child, Adult |
| Visual Arts: Animation | Explore simple animation by creating the illusion of movement, with characters and colour in a variety of mediums such as drawing and sculpting. | Child, Youth |
| Visual Arts: Art Club | Learn the basics of drawing, painting and sculpting to make unique art projects. | Child, Youth |
| Visual Arts: Cartooning | Learn basic drawing skills and move into illustrating scenes, demonstrating motion and creating characters with expressive faces that you can incorporate into single-box and multi-boxes cartoons. | Child, Youth |
| Visual Arts: Cartooning, Anime and Manga | Learn about the Japanese style of cartooning and comic books called Anime and Manga through practicing basic drawing skills and move into illustrating scenes, demonstrating motion and creating characters with expressive faces in the unique style. | Child |
| Visual Arts: Ceramics | Create your very own pottery piece from start to finish. Learn to build, glaze, and decorate a work of art you can take home. | Child, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Design a Space | Learn how colour, texture, theme and flow can set the stage to create welcoming spaces. Then, put these skills into practice by working on spaces within the community centre. | Child, Youth |
| Visual Arts: Drawing | Learn the basics of how to draw using shapes and colours to create pictures with markers, pencils, and pencil crayons. | Early Child, Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Drawing - Advanced | Building on drawing basics you will learn how to create 2D and 3D shapes, use shading and be introduced to portrait and landscape drawing using pencil, charcoal, ink and pastels. | Child |
| Visual Arts: Drawing, Landscape | Learn to render landscapes and how to incorporate perspective using pencil, charcoal and ink. Where weather allows, you will participate in outdoor sketching. | Adult |
| Visual Arts: Drawing, Portrait | Learn how to capture a subject's character in a variety of mediums such as pencil, charcoal, pastel and ink. | Adult |
| Visual Arts: Drawing and Painting | Explore your creativity through pencils, pastels, acrylic paint and watercolours. Learn and practice skills including sketching, shading, brush strokes and use of colour and texture. | Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Drawing, Painting and Landscape | Using pencil, charcoal, ink and paints, you will learn to render landscapes and how to incorporate perspective. Where weather allows, you will participate in outdoor sketching. | Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Henna | Using non-permanent natural dye, you will learn to draw patterns and designs on hands and feet, based on traditional styles, that may last up to a week or more. | Child |
| Visual Arts: Media Arts | With instruction in photography, videography and photo editing, you will gain valuable skills that you can put into practice.
Participants must bring their own devices. |
Child, Youth, Adult |
| Visual Arts: Multi Arts | Work with a variety of materials and mediums to learn and practice different styles and techniques. Whether you are drawing, painting, sketching, or sculpting, you will have the opportunity to create unique art pieces. | Child, Adult |
| Visual Arts: Painting | Learn how to mix and choose colours, prepare surfaces, and how to use tools like sponges, brushes, stamps and even your fingers to create different textures and effects. | Early Child, Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Painting, Acrylic | Learn how to mix and choose colours, how to use tools to create different textures and add layers of paint to create depth. | Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Painting, Acrylic - Abstract | Explore the medium of acrylic paint in the style of abstract art. Get inspired beyond realism by using shapes, colours, forms, and other techniques that show expression. | Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Painting, Mixed Media | Learn how and when to use different paints to create specific effects. | Child, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Painting, Oil | Explore techniques like blending and mixing as well as how to layer and create textures with oil-based paints. | Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Painting, Watercolour | Learn basic brush techniques, choose colours, build layers to show depth and shadow, and apply washes for unique effects with watercolour paint. | Child, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Pottery | Learn the basics of pottery including how to shape and sculpt with your hands and tools to create and finish 3D forms. | Early Child, Child, Youth Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Photography | Learn tips and tricks on how to use a camera as well as basic photography concepts like use of light and shade, composition, and the rule of thirds. Learn how to modify and create photos in various environments.
Participants must bring their own devices. |
Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Photography - Advanced | Discover the world using a camera lens. Building on basic photography skills and concepts, and with a focus on learning various styles like portrait and landscape, you will learn how to use more advanced techniques and editing skills to bring your photographs to life.
Participants must bring their own devices. |
Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Photography, Portrait | Learn tips and tricks on how to use a camera as well as basic portrait photography concepts on light and shade, framing, and techniques to build emotional connection. Learn a variety of posing techniques for optimal portrait photographs.
Participants must bring their own devices. |
Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Pottery, Wheel | Learn the basics of how to use a pottery wheel including specific techniques such as slab, coil and throwing to create and finish 3D forms. | Adult |
| Visual Arts: Print Making | Printmaking is a traditional method of transferring images from one material to another. Learn through a variety of techniques, including etching and screen printing. | Early Child, Child |
| Visual Arts: Sculpture | Learn to mold, form, carve and caste to create beautiful art using a variety of materials like clay, plasticine, paper mache, and other recycled material. | Early Child, Child, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Sculpture, Clay | Learn to mold, form, carve and caste to create beautiful art using clay. | Early Child, Child |
| Visual Arts: Turtle Island Art | This Indigenous visual art program is based on the celebration of the Turtle Island territory (North America). Pairing creative materials traditionally used in Indigenous arts with various art methods, you will learn weaving, print making, dot painting, beading, nature drawings, murals, animal paintings, embroidery, pattern making, and carving. | Child, Youth, Adult, Older Adult |
| Visual Arts: Urban Arts | Learn how to develop, design and create graffiti, murals and art installations to add colour and beauty to your community. | Child |
| Visual Arts: Urban Arts, Graffiti | With a focus on Graffiti, learn fundamentals like lettering and modern art with a look at history, culture and trends. | Child, Youth |
| Visual Arts: Young Artist | While exploring a variety of art materials, tools and styles, learn to draw, sketch and paint. | Early Child, Child |
Drop-in activities offer an opportunity for participants to take part in a non-instructional activity at their convenience.
No registration is required. Participants must bring their own materials and supplies.
Visit the Arts, Hobbies and Interests Map to find an activity at a location near you. Fees may apply
Enhanced Youth Spaces are supervised spaces for youth between the ages of 13 and 24, offering a variety of drop-in crafts and visual arts activities. For more information, please visit the Youth and Recreation page.
Some activities are offered “With Caregiver” option. These activities will be listed with “With Caregiver” in their title. For all “With Caregiver” activities, the caregiver must attend the activity.
Caregivers must be at least 14 years of age to directly supervise the child(ren).
The caregiver is required to participate with the child in proper clothing and footwear.